Hello Sondra,
As is often the case, I was out on the road for the week and unable to keep up with my BB correspondence---- please forgive my tardy response.
Yes, I see that we "do have a failure to communicate"
, and this is the chief advantage of having a continuing discussion: i.e., it presents an opportunity for us to define our terms.
The reason that I did not use "scripture" in my previous post is that it was an attempt to explain from my history why I have responded to your views in a negative way. Much of the way that your posting "sounds" is reminiscient of my Eastern religious past.
I was not attempting a theological debate re. demonic power, etc. nor would I expect that my previous post would be considered my attempt to "teach" a biblical truth at all. My past experiences in the spiritual realm are a lesson in confusion and to be avoided at all costs!
When you asked my "opinion" re. the nature of demon possession, etc., the answers were just off the top of my head and based on my own experiences. Whether someone's behavior is controlled by demons, the devil, or their own depravity/deception is a judgment that I cannot make with any certainty. In my post I was trying to assure you that I was
not trying to insinuate that you were "possessed", as you seem to think that I was saying.
I was surprised that you are calling for me to make a "scriptural" argument re. these questions at all, since I understood that you believed that this was "dead letter" kind of theological stuff. Possibly, I am mistaken re. this, and if you would like to have a discussion based on the bible that would be great!
Re. your perception that I was speaking in "psychological terminology": I was not aware that this is what I was doing, and hope that you will point this out to me in the future. I do try to relate biblical teaching to human experience (as in Wounded Pilgrims) and especially as it intersects the recovery of former cult members.
There must be a human context for our lives as Christians, because we are not soul-less spirit beings. The rejection of the honest evaluation of our own humanity is a form of escapism that leads away from godliness and into all kinds of false religiosity.
Scriptural examples for the above abound: Consider the life of Jacob, Peter, Thomas, Paul, etc. There is a reason that the bible provides us with the real life experiences of these men as it amplifies doctrinal truths. I guess that you could say that the HS provided a psychological study of Peter for us when we see him trying to follow Jesus, failing, recovering, and learning what it means to walk with Him in this life.
Re. "hearing voices": I do not hear audible voices from the beyond, but often I feel like my thoughts are directed in some kind of a way (from within). I agree with you that to respond to these would be superstitious and very unreliable. I am glad that you see this, and in a later post I would like to discover what you mean by experiencing God's direction from some kind of inner sense.
I must go now because I'm hearing voices! No, it is only one voice, and it is my wife saying, "time for dinner"!
Talk to you later.
God Bless, Mark C.
