Is demon possession an easier explanation to accept than psychological or health problems?

No doubt that many of what used to be considered "possession" was really a psychological disorder - nobody is denying that.

However, neither psychological disorders nor health problems can explain how a possessed person has knowledge of somebody's past - knowledge that is unobtainable in a worldly manner. Plus, with the presence of levitating objects and physical reactions (burning, scars, etc.) to holy items - there are cases that cannot be explained by psychological or health issues.

I don't think that things like demon possession and black magic are more logical explanations. It's that demon possession and black magic are no fault explanations.

I hate to be harsh, but I see this all too often. There are just a lot of people who have no desire to take responsibility for their own problems and take the steps necessary to fix them or at least work towards helping themselves achieve a better position in life. A lot of people are also very gullible.

If you can blame your problems on something mystical/magical then it's not your fault - your refusal to get a job and overspending isn't the cause of your impending bankruptcy, it's the nasty old woman next door. Your darling son's erratic and eruptive behavior isn't the result of mental illness and drug addiction, no it's demon possession. Trained clergy or some carefully placed symbols and candles and words spoken will cure everything. Someone else will fix this and pat you on the back while saying "it's not your fault".

Personally, I think I'd be much more comfortable thinking I was suffering for a mental problem than a demon. But I really think it's more a matter of people being more comfortable with not having to take responsibility.

Demon possession relates to culture and to psychological problems. It is called Dissociative Identity Disorder or Trance Identity Disorder.

And secular medicine works.

Secund part of the question is a problem, free-will is in contradiction with possession. If a person has free-will he or she cannot have a "demon possession". ( a "demon possession" symptom wipes free will and responsabiblity sense)

So depression, clinical or hypothyroïd is the best interpretation of the symptom.

Some cases have been explained by sexual abuse on young children keeping things in meomory.

In fact such phenomenons as "knowing things apparently unknown", "speaking unknonw languages" have been observed ut explained.

The illiterate servant of a pastor speaking greek and hebrew when she was ill (in fact the pastor was used to speak aloud to work in greek and hebrew, and illiterate people have good memories, so she had learned this, and repeated the words)

And all the things people know only by seeing.

Naturalistic explanation explains these facts. If some facts are neglected so only "supernatural" explanations can be given.

For "tricks" like levitation, there is a trick even unfound but a trick, or an optical illusion.

I don't know that it's "easier" to accept the demon possession theory over the mental health theory. In ancient times, demon possession seemed the most likely explanation for the symptoms exhibited by people we would today call schizophrenics, epileptics, etc etc. And because of the perpetuation of these ancient and primitive modes of thought within the context of religion, some grown adults here in the 21st century still pretend to take these explanations seriously, over the explanations of secular science.

It's the same phenomenon we observe with "religious" people refusing to accept evolution, or the fact that the Earth is older than 6,000 years, because they're still beholden to Bronze Age modes of conception of reality.

It takes a while - in some cases, many centuries - for the intellectual progress made by the true pioneers of the human race to filter down, even in a simplified and digested form, to the benighted peasantry.

As a student of the discipline of psychology and a bipolar, the idea that there are still people out there convinced that demons are causing it frightens me and enrages me like nothing else in the world. How many people are living in their own personal mental prison because of attitudes like that? Even the Catholics encourage people to seek professional help first before seeking an exorcism. They embrace the current science that explains most of it.

This falls right in line with people who have killed their children or other loved ones and then tried to claim it was because they were possesed. It's just a way to deny responsibility for ones own actions. It's the age old idea of "the devil made me do it". Some people are always going to choose to remain ignorant and superstitious because it's the easy way out, and it's easy to continue to be lazy and choose not to learn the truth, which would take work and diligence, it takes no work at all to sit back and just accept the word of the bible, preacher, or preist as the absolute, unquestionable truth.

There is a spiritual side to healing, which includes psychological healing. I am sure not all these spiritual attempts to heal people with something wrong inside of them end in failure. There is alway a spiritual side to everything as well as a physical side. One should not be to quick to discount the spiritual and its power. Most of the negative spiritual energy people are exposed to, are from the spirits of other people they know that are having a negative affect on them, rather than a spirit from somewhere else. But praying for someone to be purified of a negative state of their spirit is not a bad thing. It is good we are learning more about psychological conditions from more of a scientific or physical perspective. And is is good we are developing better theraphies to deal with these conditions. It is good that we have more drugs to help us to deal with mental conditions when they become serious. But every drug study has to work really hard to eliminate the pacebo affect which is extremely powerful. The spiritual is at work when ever the pacebo affect brings results. We do tend to overuse drugs for all sorts of conditions, because they appear to be such an easy solution, even with their numerous side affects. One can do a lot in healing mental or physical health problems with physical exercise, meditation/prayer, and with a healthy diet. One should never discount the value of the spiritual to help in any problematic area of life, even if you do not believe in demons. Dealing with demon possession is an extreme example of spiritual healing, but one must be open to using both the spiritual and the psychological/medical approaches toward healing people in order to be most effective.

i think it would be easier to be diagnosed with a medical condition and have it treatable than to do battle with something that is unknown to us ,to feel out of control litter ally,feeling foolish to discuss it.

Spiritually speaking,with an open mind,What If a Demon caused an actual chemical imbalance in a person?(just like they are finding out that religious people may have an extra Gene that atheists as a rule dont carry). (this is not a fact ,but Ive heard about some research they have or are going to do!)Also....

have you watched that show on the history channel called UFO hunters? well they found that amongst people who claim to have been abducted that abductees,have some type of chemical polypeptide of sorts in common that is not usually that pronounced as in non abductees.(just a thought!)

In the Bible Jesus healed many But there were more than just the Demon possessed,some were actual conditions.,

When someone hears voices in their heads that aren't their own that causes them to think destructively or to do and say vulgar things ,i being a Born again Bible thumping holy roller Jesus lover (and proud to be)Would seek out both Medical and spiritual

There are allot of Christians out there and if you believe in the bible than Demons are a real issue as well, common sense must factor in

This is a good question.

People often deny something about themselves that is patently true for fear that it would change them. It took me five years to truly come to terms with my depression, but I just put it down to being unhappy rather than anything supernatural

It still affected my seeking treatment though, as I was convinced that medication would change/damage me and that counselling wouldn't help. I know how strong preconceptions can be when applying a condition to yourself, but now that I'm receiving treatment I feel immeasurably happier. You cannot make someone seek help, or come to terms with their illnesses, you can but hope that they realise the true cause before it's too late.

Jesus is the Light and in Him there is no darkness, you cannot dwell at the Lord's table and the devil at the same time, at the Name of Jesus, every demon flees, how in the world could demons and the Holy spirit dwell in the same place, it is impossible. Christ is the Light, in Him there is no darkness. Demons drive a person mad, that is, the person who does not belong to Christ. Jesus said that after a demon is cast out, he goes out into the desert seeking rest, but can't find it, so the demon returns to the man finding his heart clean, but empty so he brings with him 7 more demons greater than the first, and the last state of the man is worse than the first. (see Luke 11:24-26†) In verse 23 just before this, He said "Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and he who doe not gather with Me, scatters abroad" It is possible for a Christian to have a psychological disorder, but it is NOT possible for a Christian to possess a demon or the devil. It is possible to be attacked by the devil, but impossible for the devil to come near you without the spirit of fear. But Christ has not given the spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. That doesn't mean a Christian can't have psychological problems, or any other kind of problems, because we all have weaknesses and areas that need deliverance and healing from, at some point we must fully surrender. For some people, it's just harder for the to let go, and let God, so they wrestle more. However, if a person is not saved, the door to their heart is wide open to all kinds of evil, but it is closed to God, Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock, and whoever hears My voice and opens the door I will come in and sup with him and he with Me". So, until and unless a person hears Him and opens the door themself, and invite Him to come in, demons are free to dwell there, even to come and go. "He who calls out the Name of the Lord, shall be saved. A Christian cries out to God, and is delivered, someone who is demon possessed, will not cry out and the demon has to be cast out first, in order for the person to be delivered. That's why only Christians can cast them out, because it is only in Jesus' Name that there is authority and the demons know it. But just as Jesus said, if their heart is empty, the demon will only return and bring more with him. Only AFTER he/she has accepted Jesus Christ into their heart, on then, is a person completely safe. Christ Jesus IS our Shelter, our Refuge, we are safe. And He gives the angels charge over us. The Bible says that no real harm can come near us, our home, our family or our things, to those who love Him and trust Him.:)