Hi there FOXY and DAVID F...

Thank you both, but no thanks are needed, as it was our job and we were appropriately remunerated by the good and decent taxpayers of NSW.

The only reason I cited Archie, I thought he'd be an ideal example, * IF * demonic possession does indeed exist, he'd be a perfect case study ? I'm still very confused over it all ? My confusion rapidly melts away if someone was to suggest that Archie be allowed to return here to Australia - positively and absolutely NO ! We have more than enough 'maniacs' around thank you ?

david f,
The New Testament reports conditions that existed in the world of the first century A.D. so your quotes report events of people assumed by the culture to be possessed. However denouncing evil possession assisted the person to realize they were free of what they believed possessed them. Such views on demon possession came from paganism as Orthodox Judaism did not believe in the existence of such demons and they also practiced exorcism in the form of denouncement. Verification for this is found in the New Testament.

Dear Josephus,

You have it precisely right. The New Testament is based on conditions and beliefs existing in the first century. Slavery and other conditions that we don't accept now existed, and people accepted those practices. Jesus presumably observed the Jewish dietary laws. Most people currently don't, and there is no reason to do so. We are now living in the twenty-first century. Many if not most of us no longer believe in the miracles cited in the Bible. The Bible is an archaic document much of it no longer relevant to our current concerns. In fact some of the admonitions in the Bible are now harmful. In a world where overpopulation and population growth is of great concern Genesis 1:28 ...and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it... is madness. It is far more reasonable to control our population growth and live with nature rather than subdue it.

Much of the Bible is simply wrong. I already pointed out the craziness of Jesus equating thinking of committing an act with actually committing the act.

The Bible in many respects is not a book that it is good to live by.