Jesus casts out demons

Bin Laden is not one of those cases.

 

Sets him [Bin Laden] apart from WHO?

I can't think of any "major" religious group that has not tried to use violence to "convert" the masses--not the least of which is Christianity.

That said, tho . . .

I think it's highly likely that in the distant (& perhaps not-so-distant) past, mental illness was labeled as "demon possession."

I also think it's likely that some few, such as Jesus, had a gift for healing--mental illnesses as well as other illnesses.

 

So you think the man in the bible passage I posted was simply mentally ill?

 

Great books and a great writer. He is thinking about writing another book in the Darkness series. I just finished Monster and it was pretty good.

 

I don't think he existed. Gadara is 7 miles from the Sea of Galilee, which is across the Yarmuk River and up the Golan Heights. I also think the "Legion" is The 6th Legion Ferrata, which was stationed about 25 miles from Gadara. Pigs are also featured in Greek myths. The Eluesinian Mysteries used pigs to absorb men's sins, and the pigs are later sacrificed.

 

There are certainly many spiritual things that christians believe that others do not. The very notion that Jesus could come back from the dead or that he was God incarnate is a matter of faith. If you do not accept any of that then I would not expect you would accept any of the stories in the bible either.

I mostly ask that question of christians. Since there is a new testament example of someone being possessed by demons can we surmise that it still happens today and that there are people out there right now controled by demons? I think that might explain a few things about the world. I know it is not something that you can prove either through scripture or scientific analysis but it does make for some interesting, atleast to me, possibilities.

 

To be honest, if things happened today like they did in the bible, I wouldn't be an atheist.

 

What things do you mean specifically? If you refer to seeing the miracles of Jesus first hand then I can see how that would be a powerful way to convince you. Even when he was here though he had plenty of naysayers who said he was a heretic and explained away his miracles. It always has and always will take faith to believe.

 

I don't know about that. The Isrealites saw the Red Sea part, they were led by a pillar of smoke by day and fiery furnace by night and when it came to obeying God and going into the promised land to take possession of it, only 2 people out of 2 million(?) believed God.