Dear TRTL,

The three examples that you've given don't appear to be very "respectable." They sound bizarre.
They sound like sects - intolerant of other religious organisations. Dogmatic and fundamentalist, believing that their particular interpretation of the Scriptures is the literal and only route to salvation.

They probably have no trained clergy, and their rituals of worship I imagine, emphasize emotion, and extensive participation by the congregation.

Thankfully most sects tend to be short-lived, but some gradually become denominations - always with an accompanying loss of fervor and a gain in social respectability. Jehovah's Witnesses, is one example.
Seventh-Day Adventists, too, began as a sect prophesying the end of the world on a specific date. That day came and went.

I would not accept in silence the travesties of a dishonest theology.
I could not smile in assent or bow before any clergyman when I know he is wrong.

So no, I would not support any of the three examples that you've given.

The purity of orthodox monotheism as was proposed to be practised by Israel was broken down by the Babylonian exile, Persian, Greek and Roman occupation and intermingling of these religious cultures. Therefore in the times of the NT world superstitious views of demons controlling human bahaviour were prevalent in Palestine.

It was the Greeks that gave alcohol the term "spirits" because one who drank too much were said to be controlled by an evil spirit.

Persons who suffered ailments like epeletzy or mental disorder or poor hygene were also considered as posessed by an unclean spirit. The Romans influenced by Persian Zoroastrianism believed the spirits of the evil dead roamed the scenes of the buried and deserted places until they found peace. This influenced Romanised Christianity to include purgatory in their theology.

Bacteria was not known to the ancients so when it was discovered beings could be passed from one to another and cause sickness the beings were also called spirits. These spirits could be destroyed by water or fire. This view permiated much of the ancient world and witch doctors could they believe dispel such spirits by incantations and potions.

The New Testament identifies attitudes of belief as the nature of a spirit. Belief motivates behaviour and attitudes and in that sense it is spiritual. The behaviour is always identified as the persons own spirit and not an independent being of the person.

Sorry about your grandson Philo.
Churches have to be so careful that there is a demon there first; and its not just fallen nature causing an unusual quirk.
Not refering to your grandsons case of course.
People are or can be considerably weird and have many strange habits because of the fall from Edens Perfect Creation. This can get easily misinterpreted for evil spirit behaviour. As I said if you are NOT! speaking from life experience with evil spirits any theory can be used to put them away. That squashes the truth of thier existance.

Thanks Gibo,
From what I have seen of current exorcisms the suppopsed spirits were called names like lust, sexual addiction or perversion, rock music, drug addiction etc. These are not more than addictions and behaviours that are at the will of the person themself. There are no spirit beings involved other than maybe other persons or peers who maybe feeding them evil influences and ideas.

All these are as James and Jesus taught, from within the persons own hearts desires and lusts. These are not more than sinful habbitual behaviours. These addictions require spiritual enlightment, conviction, confession and change of one's heart toward God.

Youre by-passing Philo the events of The Word if you think these things are just of the heart or of desires...i.e. you havent read the Bible or studied it, not with any commitment.
In Mark chapter 5 we see Jesus casting out a group of evil spirits with the name Legion from a tormented man. Again we see a similar event with a boy and a demon in him in Mark chapter 9:14-32. On and on I could go...New Testament and Old Testament. They are full of descriptions of evil spirit powers and, of course, the forbidding of the use of witchcraft to summon them...right up to Revelation chapter 21:8 (no one who practices magic gets into Heaven).
To have credibility in this area of evil spirits Philo you must have knowledge gained from The Bible and/or life contact with them. All Ive seen is theory...and thats as good as the Charles Darwin stuff. Cant talk to you on the subject anymore.

I can't believe what I'm reading here. Citizens of the twenty-first century, living in a scientifically advanced western culture, talking absolute mediaeval nonsense about "evil spirits" and "demons".

And they believe it!! How insane is that? Reminds me of Monty Python.

Incredible that there are still people around who are stuck in a seventh century mindset.

Next you'll be saying there are witches and warlocks who need to be burnt at the stake.

Richard Dawkins certainly has a point about religion.