Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Web Link -UMC and the Demonic
Here is a post about a recent article concerning the United Methodists and the demonic. Both the article and post are of interest. A bit of critique on the variety of modern rationalism that tends to downplay the supernatural and all things unseen.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Metaphysics of Possession
A common debate in ideas of Spiritual Warfare is if a Christian can be demon possessed. Many would prefer a scale of demonic attack from temptation to indwelling control, or possession, but would eliminate “true” (by their definition) Christians from being indwelt by demons in the same way we see the Gerasene Demoniac in Mark 5.
This debate has many elements to it, but one of which is the argument that Christians cannot be possessed because they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The argument goes: if our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, then how can it be defiled by a demon?
However, as the last post showed, being possessed by a spirit should not have the locative aspect pushed too strongly. It is not that a Spirit is a “substance” (matter in the philosophical sense) that resides in the location of the human body, near the “place” of the soul, but that a Spirit can be said to indwell someone when their power is completely active on the person. One cannot stick either the Holy Spirit or a demon in a bottle of some sort. They are only said to be in a place when they are active on that place.
So Paul is being metaphorical in an attempt to describe a spiritual reality using concrete language. Either this or one must defend a new angelic metaphysic that would be more hylomorphic. On a metaphysical level, then can more then one Spirit act on a person? Yes.
Perhaps it would be argued that the Holy Spirit is more powerful, and so cannot be “overridden” by another Spirit. This is true as far as it goes, so long as it is assumed that the Holy Spirit will actively prevent demons from exerting their power on a Christian. Metaphysically, the degree from demonic oppression to possession is one of degree of power, not of the location of the demon in connection to the person. If the Holy Spirit doesn’t prevent demons from attacking Christians in general (which most would agree he allows to some extent) then why assume that total control is forbidden?
Some would also ague that 1 Cor 10, where Paul says Christ and Beliar cannot co-exist, rules against the idea. But in arguing this, there are still ideas of location involved. A demon can attack a Christian, but cannot “enter” due to this. However, both an attack and possession, look the same, because in both cases the spirit is focusing power on the person. It is only a matter of degree, not of kind.
There are other issues involved in this question, such as clearer Biblical examples one way or the other, and of course Church tradition with the common experiences of Christians throughout the ages. However, on this one point, the argument against the idea falls apart when the very nature of a demonic spirit is taken into account, and the argument is seen to be making some philosophical assumptions it doesn’t defend.
This debate has many elements to it, but one of which is the argument that Christians cannot be possessed because they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The argument goes: if our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, then how can it be defiled by a demon?
However, as the last post showed, being possessed by a spirit should not have the locative aspect pushed too strongly. It is not that a Spirit is a “substance” (matter in the philosophical sense) that resides in the location of the human body, near the “place” of the soul, but that a Spirit can be said to indwell someone when their power is completely active on the person. One cannot stick either the Holy Spirit or a demon in a bottle of some sort. They are only said to be in a place when they are active on that place.
So Paul is being metaphorical in an attempt to describe a spiritual reality using concrete language. Either this or one must defend a new angelic metaphysic that would be more hylomorphic. On a metaphysical level, then can more then one Spirit act on a person? Yes.
Perhaps it would be argued that the Holy Spirit is more powerful, and so cannot be “overridden” by another Spirit. This is true as far as it goes, so long as it is assumed that the Holy Spirit will actively prevent demons from exerting their power on a Christian. Metaphysically, the degree from demonic oppression to possession is one of degree of power, not of the location of the demon in connection to the person. If the Holy Spirit doesn’t prevent demons from attacking Christians in general (which most would agree he allows to some extent) then why assume that total control is forbidden?
Some would also ague that 1 Cor 10, where Paul says Christ and Beliar cannot co-exist, rules against the idea. But in arguing this, there are still ideas of location involved. A demon can attack a Christian, but cannot “enter” due to this. However, both an attack and possession, look the same, because in both cases the spirit is focusing power on the person. It is only a matter of degree, not of kind.
There are other issues involved in this question, such as clearer Biblical examples one way or the other, and of course Church tradition with the common experiences of Christians throughout the ages. However, on this one point, the argument against the idea falls apart when the very nature of a demonic spirit is taken into account, and the argument is seen to be making some philosophical assumptions it doesn’t defend.
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