Why are Crucifixes and Holy Water supposed to be bad for evil spirits?

Question

For argument sake, let's say I'm a demon from ancient Egyptian times. I'm like 5000 years old. Why would I be repelled by a Crucifix or Holy Water or any other Christian symbol? It has no relevance to me.

Answer 1

Good point. Why would you be repelled by such items? On their own, you wouldn't. With out the strong belief of a human/divine will backing up the symbols then the tools are useless. After all, a gun doesn't pull it's own trigger. A demon is expelled/banished because of the will of the person not the tools the person choses to focus their will with.  

Answer 2

That is a really neat question. You are thinking outside the box here...good for you.

However your question is based on certian assumptions, that aren't quite right...which is why it seems confusing. You are assuming, as do most people of your generation, that all religion is relative, or a human created thing, or they are all equally valid or some such.

The reality is quite the opposite. Deamons and angels predate the creation of the universe. (See Paradise Lost for example.)  The Devil and his minions were cast out of Heaven by St. Michael and his Angels long before the Creation of the Universe, or even before time itself.

So a deamon wouldn't be "from ancient Egypt" because the deamon was created long before Egypt was, long before the Earth itself was.

For a similar reason a deamon would not be scared of symbols from the ancient Egyptian religion...because it was a false religion, and the Deamon (having been to Heaven and h**l) would know that. The symbol of Osirus or Ra would have no power against a deamon because deamons are real and Osirus and Ra are not. It would be like trying to fight off a mugger with a toy phaser from a Star Trek playset.

Christ and the Cruxifiction on the other hand are VERY real, and that (and that alone) is the where the power behind the holy water and the cruxifix and the the cross come from. The power doesn't come from the water, or from the priest or from the words the priest says. (You think a hyperintelligent trans-dimensional spirit being is going to flee in fear from some sprinkly water, stinky herbs and poorly pronounced latin?) . The power of the cruxifix and the cross and the holy water come from the very real and all powerful GOD that they symbolize.

So the reason evil spirits would be afraid of crucifixes and holy water is that these are symbols of a REAL God, and they are afraid of the REAL God's power.

Answer 3

Christian belief doesn't account for time... and actually, the only reason that holy water and crucifixes would work at all was because of fear of the Holy Roman Inquisition. If this thing remembers that, you're good. Otherwise, you just might be toast. As in: "Why are you holding up a symbol for 'fish' at me?"

Answer 4

Those symbols have no sway over demons and the like. That is a propaganda set by movies and novelists. The truth is things like that can only repel those that believe in it. Power can only be given to something if you let it. Let's say I am a demon from present times, fairly new. I can enter churches, graveyards and other holy places and have no beef with holy relics such as crosses. Those objects hold no sway, I wouldn't attempt to use them as wards or for protection should you ever need them.  

Answer 5

It sounds as though you have answered your own question.  Let's see, your like 5000 years old. Sounds like you need a some calcium and maybe a good bathing and everyone else around you might be repelled. The crucifix, holy water or any other symbols have come from the imagination of fiction writers and so really has no relevance to any of us! I don't see a good argument here, not even for arguments sake!

Answer 6

Okay, let's say the Christians are right, I'm not saying we are, this is strictly hypothetical. A crucifix and holy water would repel you because they are symbols of Jesus, and he conquers all demons, whether or not they're relevant to Christianity.

Answer 7

Ok, well , apparently you do not believe in the so called power of crosses or other holy items , or you could believe that their power doesn't depend on the time period the "demon" they are used on came from