Both Christianity and Islam believe in the existence of demons and their activities, while science disagrees. From Christian mythology, demons are fallen angels that were cast out together with Satan when he rebelled against God. While Islam says that Jinn (Arabic word for spirit or demon) are supernatural beings created from smokeless fire, and are invisible to the human eye. They tempt men to go astray from Allah (God).
What do Christianity, Islam, and Science say about demonic oppression? Read through this post and get an insight into the issue.
What is demonic oppression?
From both Christianity and Islamic points of view, demonic oppression is an attack that comes from a demon or jinn, seeking to influence a person’s thoughts, emotions, and sometimes actions. The demon or jinn doesn’t attack the person directly, but it influences the person’s behavior and entire life. The oppressed person may exhibit abnormal behaviors which may affect his/her personality, attitude, and manners.
Although the demonic influence is there, the oppressed person still maintains physical control of his/her body and mind. This characteristic distinguishes demonic oppression from demonic possession.
In demonic possession, the demonic spirit has total control and full command of its victim’s body, taking away the person’s ability to control his/her physical body, will, consciousness and freedom. Now, the victim’s body adopts the demon’s personality, voice, and actions. The demon turns the victim’s body into its vessel for communication.
However, science gave a contrary view that what Christianity and Islam call ‘demonic oppression’ or demonic possession’ is a mental disorder known as ‘schizophrenia’. The characteristics of the disorder include; distortions in thinking, perception, emotions, language, sense of self, and behavior.
So for science, if demons exist, then man is their creator. He creates them from his thoughts and imagination.
Signs of demonic oppression that people who believe in it ascribe to
Most times, people find it difficult to identify when exactly a person is oppressed by a demon or jinn. The best way to understand it is to understand the signs of demonic oppression and their grand master’s (Satan/Shaytan) modus operandi. Once there is a full understanding of how the devil works, then it becomes easier to decipher. But there is another challenge of identifying the areas of attacks because not all appear demonic.
The following are signs of demonic oppression
- Uncommon fear
- Nightmares and bad dreams
- Prolonged depression
- Hearing voices in the head
Uncommon Fear
The greatest weapons in the devil’s arsenal are fear and intimidation. These two weapons can be indicators of demonic oppression.
Though it is not every fear that is attributed to demonic oppression, because as human beings we are bound to experience fear at some point in our lives. But the moment this fear escalates beyond the usual, demonic oppression is taking place. Try not to forget that these attacks begin in the mind, where peoples’ thoughts are formed, and work their way into peoples’ emotions and actions.
Victims of demonic oppression often find it difficult to share these experiences with others for fear of being judged ‘strange’ or abnormal. It may be absurd to someone who has never experienced it but to the person experiencing it, it is everything real.
Nightmares
Another potent weapon the demons and their master employ is to take away a person’s ability to rest whether during the day or at night times. They do this by attacking a person’s dream and making him/her fear. This fear stops one from resting, while fatigue sets in. When there is tiredness and fatigue, the person becomes vulnerable. If the lack of rest continues for a long period, then the case of demonic oppression should be considered.
However, science described these nightmares as sleep paralysis, which happens when we are asleep. Now, during the deepest stage of this sleep known as rapid eye movement (REM), dreams come, and when they are intense, the brain immediately paralyzes REM temporarily.
So, sleep paralysis takes place when you become conscious during REM. When this happens, you’ll find yourself not able to move, you can speak briefly, and sometimes you feel something choking you.
Prolonged Depression
Clinical psychologists would disagree that depression may be a sign of demonic oppression, but sometimes it could be. Both Christianity and Islam believe that these spiritual beings could be responsible for mental health and psychological issues of people. For instance, research carried out in the Netherlands found out that 80% of Islamic people with a diagnosis of psychosis attribute their ordeal to jinn.
However, this doesn’t take away the fact that people having depression have been medically treated successfully. But for Christian and Muslims, depression is another weapon in a demon’s arsenal of oppression. Since they aim to make sure you go down, they use depression to paralyze your mind.
As a precautionary measure, don’t handle depression as a demonic attack, but if it is prolonged, treat it as one
Hearing voices in the head
Another sign that is attributed to demonic oppression is hearing voices and sounds in the head. The voices usually sound familiar or unfamiliar, and sometimes the tones are either soft or harsh, friendly or unfriendly. And other times, it sounds like music.
Here, science has disagreed, calling these voices or sounds in the head auditory hallucination. And sometimes people with auditory hallucinations are often mistaken for people with serious mental health issues such as schizophrenia.
What remains constant in Christian theology is that these voices could be voices of angels, saints, demons, and God. But many opponents of this view believe that all those who hear these voices are mentally ill.
Islam says Jinn (demons) have interactions with humans, and sometimes they choose to reveal themselves by whispering in peoples’ ears, striking someone, or possessing someone’s body.
Causes of demonic oppression
Demonic oppression doesn’t just start by chance, there is a certain degree of latitude or acceptance the demon needs to find its way and exacerbate influence over a person’s body. From a religious point of view (Christianity and Islam), a person could invite demons when he/she strays from God (Allah), gets tempted, takes part in occult activities, and lacks faith.
So the demons or jin look for a weakness or a gap in a person’s life to gain entrance. Once that weakness is seen, the demon or jinn exploits it to its advantage.
How do you fight demonic oppression?
Both Christianity and Islam have established methods of dealing with demonic oppression. For Christians, they need to be in a constant state of grace and prayerfulness, saying no to sinful activities and temptations and also purifying their mind, body, and soul, because the Holy Books says “flee from the devil, and he will depart from you”.
Muslims, have been urged to be prayerful, recite the Holy Quran, induced trance, dance, and pilgrimage.
As for science, advises those going through this to go to the hospital and get medical care, since what they are going through is mental and psychological.
