Definition:
de·mon Audio pronunciation of "demon" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (dmn)
n.
1. An evil supernatural being; a devil.
2. A persistently tormenting person, force, or passion: the demon of drug addiction.
3. One who is extremely zealous, skillful, or diligent: worked away like a demon; a real demon at math.
4. Variant of daimon.
dai·mon Audio pronunciation of "daimon" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (dmn) also de·mon or dae·mon (dmn)
n. Greek Mythology
1. An inferior deity, such as a deified hero.
2. An attendant spirit; a genius.
-Dictionary.com
In religion, folklore, and mythology a demon is a supernatural being that has generally been described as a malevolent spirit, or daemon and djinn. A demon is frequently depicted as a force that may be conjured and insecurely controlled. The "good" demon in recent use is largely a literary device (eg: Maxwell's demon). In common language, "demonizing" one's opponent is an aspersion.
Most scholars acknowledge that Judeo-Christianity owes a great debt to Zoroastrianism in regards to the introduction of angelology and demonology, as well as Satan (Ahriman) as the ultimate agent of evil. As the Iranian Avestan and Vedic traditions and also other branches of Indo-European mythologies show, the notion of demon has existed for many centuries.
Ancient Egyptians also believed in demonic like monsters that devoured the human soul, while it traveled towards afterlife, although, certainly demons per se did not exist specifically in Ancient Egypt.
The Greek conception of a daemon (δαίμων daímon) appears in the works of Plato and many other ancient authors, but without the evil connotations which are apparent in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible and in the Greek originals of the New Testament. The medieval and neo-medieval conception of a "demon" in Western civilization (see the Medieval grimoire called the Ars Goetia) derives seamlessly from the ambient popular culture of Late (Roman) Antiquity: Greco-Roman concepts of daemons that passed into Christian culture are discussed in the entry daemon. The Hellenistic "Demon" eventually came to include many Semitic and Near Eastern gods as evaluated by Christianity.
In some present-day cultures, demons are still feared in popular superstition, largely due to their alleged power to possess humans, and they are an important concept in many modern religions and occultist traditions.
In the contemporary Western occultist tradition (perhaps epitomized by the work of Aleister Crowley) a demon, such as Choronzon, the "Demon of the Abyss", is a useful metaphor for certain inner psychological processes, though some may also regard it as an objectively real phenomenon.
-Wikipedia.org
I myself, look at Demons in a more psychological manner. Demons can be called the evil or sinister feeling inside your body. Whenever you make a decision it could be either good or bad. People call the bad feeling "Inner Demons". To most, it is essential to "fight" these inner demons and do good. However, at times, these inner demons CAN revolt. twisted
I do beleive, however that long ago there were actual demon beings like you and me. And according to some tales, demons are just angels gone bad. For example, a Demon named Samael was always refereed to as "The Angel of Death".
In the christiasn story when God created angels, he offered them the same choice he was to offer humanity: follow, or be cast apart from him. Some angels chose not to follow God, instead choosing the path of evil. These are not the fallen angels, but are the pre-human entities known as demons. The fallen angels are the host of angels who later rebelled against God, headed by Lucifer (who is often confused with his second in command, Satan). And later the 200 angels known as the Grigori, led by Semyazza, Azazel and other angelic chiefs, some of whom became the demons that were conjured by King Solomon and imprisoned in the brass vessel, the Goetia demons, descended to Earth and cohabited with the daughters of men. Thanks again, wikipedia. mrgreen
Demons are always referred to as the opposite of angels. This isn't so true. The only difference is that these angels are evil. The only thing so evil that could be called an opposite is Lucifer, but he is a Demons as well. People don't understand that Demons are angels too. Just because one is an angel, doesn't mean they're good.
According to popular tradition, the fall of Satan is portrayed in Ezekiel 28:12-19 and Isaiah 14:12-14. Christian mythology builds upon later Jewish traditions that Satan and his host declared war with God, but that God's army, commanded by the archangel Michael, defeated the rebels. Their defeat was never in question, since God is by nature omnipotent, but Michael was given the honor of victory in the natural order; thus the rise of Christian veneration of the archangel Michael, beginning at Monte Gargano in 493, reflects the full incorporation of demons into Christianity. God then cast his enemies from Heaven to the abyss, into a newly created prison called Hell (allusions to such a pit are made in the Book of Revelation, as pits of sulphur and fire) where all his enemies should be sentenced to an eternal existence of pain and misery. This pain is not all physical; for their crimes, these angels, now called demons, would be deprived of the sight of God (2 Thessalonians 1:9), this being the worst possible punishment.
An indefinite time later, when God created the earth and humans, Satan and the other demons were allowed to tempt humans or induce them to sin by other means. The first time Satan did this was as a serpent in the earthly paradise or Garden of Eden to tempt Eve, who subsequently drew her husband Adam into her crime. There is a theory that the serpent that tempted Eve was not actually Satan but a minor demon named Cerenus. The theory states that Cerenus made a deal with God to tempt Eve in exchange for liberation from the pit. Due to man's failure, as part of the punishment, the permission granted to Satan and his demons to tempt the first humans away from their Creator will now last until the end of this age when Christ shall return for the battle of Armageddon. Satan and his host will be confined and Christ shall reign and establish 1000 years of peace upon the earth. At the end of the 1000 years Satan will again be unleashed for a final battle after which the earth shall be renewed by fire.
...Not so good news for us. eek
de·mon Audio pronunciation of "demon" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (dmn)
n.
1. An evil supernatural being; a devil.
2. A persistently tormenting person, force, or passion: the demon of drug addiction.
3. One who is extremely zealous, skillful, or diligent: worked away like a demon; a real demon at math.
4. Variant of daimon.
dai·mon Audio pronunciation of "daimon" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (dmn) also de·mon or dae·mon (dmn)
n. Greek Mythology
1. An inferior deity, such as a deified hero.
2. An attendant spirit; a genius.
-Dictionary.com
In religion, folklore, and mythology a demon is a supernatural being that has generally been described as a malevolent spirit, or daemon and djinn. A demon is frequently depicted as a force that may be conjured and insecurely controlled. The "good" demon in recent use is largely a literary device (eg: Maxwell's demon). In common language, "demonizing" one's opponent is an aspersion.
Most scholars acknowledge that Judeo-Christianity owes a great debt to Zoroastrianism in regards to the introduction of angelology and demonology, as well as Satan (Ahriman) as the ultimate agent of evil. As the Iranian Avestan and Vedic traditions and also other branches of Indo-European mythologies show, the notion of demon has existed for many centuries.
Ancient Egyptians also believed in demonic like monsters that devoured the human soul, while it traveled towards afterlife, although, certainly demons per se did not exist specifically in Ancient Egypt.
The Greek conception of a daemon (δαίμων daímon) appears in the works of Plato and many other ancient authors, but without the evil connotations which are apparent in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible and in the Greek originals of the New Testament. The medieval and neo-medieval conception of a "demon" in Western civilization (see the Medieval grimoire called the Ars Goetia) derives seamlessly from the ambient popular culture of Late (Roman) Antiquity: Greco-Roman concepts of daemons that passed into Christian culture are discussed in the entry daemon. The Hellenistic "Demon" eventually came to include many Semitic and Near Eastern gods as evaluated by Christianity.
In some present-day cultures, demons are still feared in popular superstition, largely due to their alleged power to possess humans, and they are an important concept in many modern religions and occultist traditions.
In the contemporary Western occultist tradition (perhaps epitomized by the work of Aleister Crowley) a demon, such as Choronzon, the "Demon of the Abyss", is a useful metaphor for certain inner psychological processes, though some may also regard it as an objectively real phenomenon.
-Wikipedia.org
I myself, look at Demons in a more psychological manner. Demons can be called the evil or sinister feeling inside your body. Whenever you make a decision it could be either good or bad. People call the bad feeling "Inner Demons". To most, it is essential to "fight" these inner demons and do good. However, at times, these inner demons CAN revolt. twisted
I do beleive, however that long ago there were actual demon beings like you and me. And according to some tales, demons are just angels gone bad. For example, a Demon named Samael was always refereed to as "The Angel of Death".
In the christiasn story when God created angels, he offered them the same choice he was to offer humanity: follow, or be cast apart from him. Some angels chose not to follow God, instead choosing the path of evil. These are not the fallen angels, but are the pre-human entities known as demons. The fallen angels are the host of angels who later rebelled against God, headed by Lucifer (who is often confused with his second in command, Satan). And later the 200 angels known as the Grigori, led by Semyazza, Azazel and other angelic chiefs, some of whom became the demons that were conjured by King Solomon and imprisoned in the brass vessel, the Goetia demons, descended to Earth and cohabited with the daughters of men. Thanks again, wikipedia. mrgreen
Demons are always referred to as the opposite of angels. This isn't so true. The only difference is that these angels are evil. The only thing so evil that could be called an opposite is Lucifer, but he is a Demons as well. People don't understand that Demons are angels too. Just because one is an angel, doesn't mean they're good.
According to popular tradition, the fall of Satan is portrayed in Ezekiel 28:12-19 and Isaiah 14:12-14. Christian mythology builds upon later Jewish traditions that Satan and his host declared war with God, but that God's army, commanded by the archangel Michael, defeated the rebels. Their defeat was never in question, since God is by nature omnipotent, but Michael was given the honor of victory in the natural order; thus the rise of Christian veneration of the archangel Michael, beginning at Monte Gargano in 493, reflects the full incorporation of demons into Christianity. God then cast his enemies from Heaven to the abyss, into a newly created prison called Hell (allusions to such a pit are made in the Book of Revelation, as pits of sulphur and fire) where all his enemies should be sentenced to an eternal existence of pain and misery. This pain is not all physical; for their crimes, these angels, now called demons, would be deprived of the sight of God (2 Thessalonians 1:9), this being the worst possible punishment.
An indefinite time later, when God created the earth and humans, Satan and the other demons were allowed to tempt humans or induce them to sin by other means. The first time Satan did this was as a serpent in the earthly paradise or Garden of Eden to tempt Eve, who subsequently drew her husband Adam into her crime. There is a theory that the serpent that tempted Eve was not actually Satan but a minor demon named Cerenus. The theory states that Cerenus made a deal with God to tempt Eve in exchange for liberation from the pit. Due to man's failure, as part of the punishment, the permission granted to Satan and his demons to tempt the first humans away from their Creator will now last until the end of this age when Christ shall return for the battle of Armageddon. Satan and his host will be confined and Christ shall reign and establish 1000 years of peace upon the earth. At the end of the 1000 years Satan will again be unleashed for a final battle after which the earth shall be renewed by fire.
...Not so good news for us. eek
