Just to shake things up a bit in the paranormal section...on devil's night. Mwah ha ha?

Question

I would love to hear some educated, non-religious viewpoints on entity or demonic possessions.

Is it possible for humans to be possessed? Is so then how would it happen? If not, then why is it not possible?

Please examine this question from a perspective that entities and or demons do exist.

IF you don't believe in the possibility of their existence, then please do not respond. Also, as this is the paranormal forum, I am not interested in religious based answers - otherwise I would have posted it in the religion forum.

This question is to inspire thinking and voice different educated perspectives.

I'm looking for respectful answers that will challenge our minds. I appreciate any answers that have some scientific or research basis to them.

I look forward to reading your answers.

:)

Answer 1

Demons are a specifically religious construct, so I'm not sure how this can be answered without delving into the arena of religion.

Is possession possible?  I believe it's possible for people to *think* they are possessed.  The power of suggestion needs no supporting evidence.  Be it psychosomatic symptoms or the placebo effect, it's been pretty well established people can convince themselves any number of things are happening that really aren't happening.  Mental illnesses commonly make people think they are possessed.

I believe it's possible for a person to appear to be possessed when they are in fact just displaying symptoms of something that has a medical or physiological explanation.  For example, seizures were seen as demonic possession before we understood their cause.  Reactions to certain drugs can make a person appear possessed in the traditional sense as well, as can certain mental illnesses.

I do not believe there are actual supernatural entities that exist, much less in their ability to slip into another person.  First of all, what is the mechanism of possession?  One must believe that the demon can gain control of our voluntary muscle function at the very least and our entire brain at the very most.  How can this be accomplished, except through a hijacking of our consciousness?  (I won't muddy the water with a discussion of the soul, which is also a religious construct.)  I don't see how this could happen, but I suppose it's not impossible.

That's my educated two cents.

Answer 2

I don't know a lot about devils, or spirits,  astral travel , witchcraft etc....but I do KNOW that SOMETHING (I don't know what..) can get into you and make you do things you normally wouldn't do and don't want to do.

Answer 3

In my experience and research, once you sift through all the individual religious bias nonsense, there are three types of spirits that appear to be in circulation that are capable of interfering with our plane of existence. I know this sounds like a load of c**p, and I'm not sure I believe it myself, despite some close encounters, but this is what I think is the case.

There may not be a God or Satan, but maybe there are Angels and Demons, and also, lost spirits.

Who knows the origins of Angels or demons, but there seems to be benevolent spirits, malevolent spirits, and lost spirits commonly believed to be the torn souls of ex-humans.

Angels and Demons may or may not be intelligent, but they have probably existed about as long as we have. I've read lots of books and even talked to people who experimented with the occult. At the time it was for a school project, but it led me to continue research out of curiosity.

There's a lot of mythos and folklore behind all that junk, but its simply mythology. They're just good and bad energy that we have given names to, and if evoked through meditation, its merely their energy we connect to, not some intellectual being that can see us, hear us, and speak with us, or vice versa.

A lot of religious people, especially pagans and wiccans, always tell me "Thought influences reality." Have you ever learned a new word you never once hear before, but then after you learned it, you hear it all over the place? Or do you ever think "wouldn't it be cool if this happened..." and then it did? Or even small things like "I haven't seen Matt in a while" and BOOM Matt calls you? This kind of theory fuels "Magic" and "Prayer" alike.

Pagans and Demonolators use a lot of props so that they are more connected and focused to their thoughts and desires, some recite incantations because it helps them to stay focused on their goals. Through this kind of "Magic" and communing with Spirits/Demons/Angels, we perhaps can come close to something like REAL Magic. But again this is only theories.

Answer 4

There is such a thing as a demonic possession.    It is not something that happens very often and is often confused with a demonic haunting.  They do have some of the same traits...the terrible and unexplainable smells, growling noises etc.  They generally take over objects, entire homes and yes, in some cases people.

A person who is trained as a Demonologist is the best person to consult if you think that you might have a problem with possession.  It is not a matter of blessing a house or a run of the mill crossing ceremony to rid yourself of the entity.

This is not a spirit nor is it a ghost.  It is an inhuman.  And it is not the sort of thing an inexperienced person would want to attempt to deal with.

Just a note:  even though mainstream religion does not recognize their existance, there are several recorded incidences in the bible that you can read for yourself. One is found in Luke chapter 8 verses 26-33.

Answer 5

you really want to control what is answered. To try and separate demonic activity without a religious answer is next to impossible. In order for a demon to exist you would have to have good and evil. Right and wrong. Since demonic activity is directly credited to satan, then he only way to discuss its cause and cure is to equate God and Jesus into the question.

Scientifically, there is no way someone can be possessed by a demon, its all a mental health issue. what else could you say.

Edit: A classic example of of possession would be the "true " story of the Exorcist. The little boy is possessed, sent to a mental hospital where he undergoes treatment for mental problems. After every attempt is made to cure the boy, the parent is then told to get the church involved in a rite of Exorcism. The rite is performed and the boy is cured. This is just an example in a nutshell. The story is a lot more involved. But the point is, there are times when science does not have all the answers and times where science and religion work hand in hand. And for those of you who arent religious in a classic sense, science is a religion and even atheism is a religion. Both require faith in what your doing is the right way. The only right way is the way you "believe" is right for you. Don't attack others for what they believe.

Answer 6

Why do people have to bring religion into it?  Good and bad are opposites.  There is going to be something right at either end of the scale.  I've always seen it as a kind of autosuggestion.  Someone has tourettes or something and the more tightly wound people around think they are possessed.  If enough people tell you that then you will probably start to believe it.  It doesn't have as much relevancy now but back when possession was an accepted thing it happened alot more often.  Nowadays it still happens because some secluded communities still see it as a viable option.

Answer 7

demons, devils etc, are a religious concept.  As an atheist, I can tell you that there are no truly non-religious answers, because we non-religious people dont believe in the devil or demons.