Do demons exist? What you should know

As soon as you watch a paranormal TV show, you are thrown into combat with a demon or evil spirit. In minutes the investigator is sure they encountered a demon of the worst kind. But is this the case, is it common to encounter the demonic?

There is no scientific evidence of demons. There are, however, religious and psychic records of them. According to the Catholic Church, demons are real and cause harm to the living. Demonic entities have been present in belief systems for as long as we can remember.

Are there demons, and if so, how common are they? How do you know the difference between a ghost and a demon? There are many questions regarding demons, and in this article, we take a closer look at the most common ones.

What a demon is

A demon is an entity that has never lived or roamed the Earth. A demon has never been a human or a person. This is the main difference between a ghost and a demon. With this said, a demon has no soul and, therefore they, don’t have feelings. He can’t feel hatred or dislike; they are just pure evil. They can be seen as an essence of darkness derived from a fallen angel from Earth (depending on the belief system).

Throughout history, there have been thought systems with a duality between good and evil. I have seen this from archaic to modern times as an art historian. Since the mid-19th century, the belief in demons has risen in Western cultures (The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology). The demons have taken the place of evil and darkness. God, gods, and goddesses, deities have taken the other ringside. The names of the good and the evil have changed and are different depending on what belief system you want to follow. But it is still there.

The demons are numberless, as the angels are. The demons are believed to be summoned by Satan himself or controlled by magic. Demons are not always working solo. As they can be controlled by magic, it is thought that you can protect yourself from them similarly. The same goes for religious rites and rituals (a kind of magic too). You can use amulets and charms to protect yourself as well. These can be of religious or spiritual origin.

As you notice, the belief in demons is ancient and widespread in different cultures. The control and protection of demons are very alike across the board. It is pretty fascinating how this can be. This makes me think that there is something to the claims, even if we don’t have scientific proof of the existence of demons.

Devil’s workforce

Demons are lower agents of evil and can be seen as the handyman of Satan himself. In Christianity, they are referred to as fallen angels. They broke the laws of heaven and were banned from being punished in hell for eternity. They were stripped of their own will as they chose pride over obedience.

Satan uses the demons to harvest the souls of the living to gain a greater army down below. Throughout history, they have been everything from troublesome to plain evil. In some cultures, demons are not considered evil but annoying and disturbing. Demons are thought to cause sickness, misfortune, bad luck, relationship problems such as divorces and break-ups, sin, and the loss of the soul (Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology).

The main target for a demon is to make a person surrender their free will. They do this by all means necessary – manipulation, blackmail, threat, torture, lies, and deception. They can present themselves as a loved one or anything that might lure you into starting connecting with them. As demons are shape-shifters and can take any form, you never know when or if you are interacting with a demon (if you are not well-trained). This makes them very dangerous if you are into spirit communications. Always keep the possibility that you are interacting with a demon in the back of your head.

A demon knows what to say and knows your Achilles heel. Back off if you feel very comforted, agitated, or connected with something during a psychic session. These are signs that something isn’t as it should be. The feelings don’t need to be of fear; they can be the opposite – feelings of love and compassion. Remember, a demon uses anything to make you interact.

The three-stage rocket

The goal of a demon is to possess the victim. There are different stages during this process: infestation, oppression, and finally, possession. All steps have their characteristics. Infestation is when they have taken up residence and can create disturbances.

Oppression is when a person is under the influence of a demon. The demon has total domination over the victim, and they start to wear down the person by tormenting them. Possession is the final stage, when the demon has taken over the victim’s spirit, mind, and body. The person is now under complete demonic control.

It is not hard to understand that they cause harm and destruction wherever they go. This makes them dangerous and feared. They do whatever it takes to make a human abandon their own will.

The existence of demons

There is no scientific proof of the existence of demons. There are, however, recorded by psychic mediums and the Church. Not all religions call the dark side demons. But as an essence, they often have the same traits. To torment and harass the living.

My humble opinion in this matter is that demons don’t follow the laws of nature, as they exist in another realm. Therefore it might be hard to prove them using scientific gadgets, logic, and rationality. We might have to look at the other duality, the spiritual plane. The evidence might lie beyond what we can measure with technological tools. We might have to rely on psychic evidence to understand the demonic.

The eagerness to measure the spiritual plane with scientific tools might be why we are stuck in exploring the paranormal. Everything might not be measurable according to the laws of physics. Maybe the core of science, rationality, and logic is not the way to approach this. We have concluded that God can’t be measured or even understood. Maybe the same applies to the paranormal, as God is metaphysical too.

As weak and susceptible persons seem to be the target of demonic attacks, demons might exist for some but not for others. If you believe, they start to exist. If you don’t believe in them, they don’t. It exists if you believe – existence is not bound to science but to the spiritual plane. But, again, this is my take on things, as there is no evidence or truth regarding the supernatural.

As weak and susceptible persons seem to be the target of demonic attacks, demons might exist for some but not for others. If you believe in them, they start to exist. If you don’t believe in them, they don’t. It exists if you believe – the existence is not bound to science but the spiritual plane. But, again, this is my take on things as there is no evidence or truth when it comes to the supernatural.

Miss Claudette

Do you have to fear demons?

Demons are thought to be dangerous entities on a mission to possess you. They are not that common, though, as easily perceived when watching popular paranormal TV shows. Demons don’t usually attack people who are not weak prey (weakness refers to the possibility of luring them to the other side). Mental illness, depression, addiction, or sickness are common in people attacked by demons. This is not a sign of weakness in our world but in theirs.

This makes people interested and engaged in spirit communications more likely targets than the non-believer. This is just my take on things, as it often seems to be those who played around with divination tools or are in distress that get targeted.

If you don’t engage in spirit communications and are mentally and healthwise balanced, you should not go around in fear of a demon attack. Ghosts, on the other hand, might try to contact you to make you aware of their presence. They don’t seem to be as manipulative and look for the weak in the flock.

What to do if you run into a demon?

If you believe you might have run into a demon, the best and first advice I can give is to stop interacting and leave the site if possible. This is the advice I got myself and the only advice I have ever heard anyone say to others.

If you can’t escape the site, you need to contact a professional paranormal investigator or clergy. This is a serious matter and nothing you should ever try to solve or correct yourself. Things can quickly go south if you try to dabble with this as a newbie.

Always trust your gut feeling if something feels off, too good to be true, or just plain perfect. Nothing in life is perfect; see this as a blaring warning sign. Remember, though, that most activity you will ever encounter (if you ever experience it) will be of spirits and ghosts. This is a situation you should never treat carelessly. It is always best to be safe than sorry.

Action-plan and advice

If you think you have encountered or are targeted by the demonic, it is important to act quickly and swiftly. It is always great to journal your experiences as it is easy to forget details later. When you are afraid or anxious, things quickly start to fog. The journal is an excellent asset for a professional paranormal investigator, demonologist, clergy, or trusted psychic to gain information.

If you think you have encountered a demon or are targeted by an evil entity, this is my advice and tips. But before doing anything else, please get in touch with a professional health provider. You must check no health issues are causing your paranormal experiences. Most experiences have natural or medical explanations.

What to do if you encounter a demon

1. Leave the site as soon as possible. If this is your home, follow the action steps below.
2. Start journaling your experiences: Dates, experience, site, mood, weather conditions, witnesses, and if you have proof.
3. Check for natural causes of your experiences: Drafts, mice on walls, movements in the house, neighbors (etc.)
4. Bring in a trusted friend for a second opinion.
5. Contact a professional health provider to check that the experiences are not a symptom of a health condition.
6. Remove any spirit communication devices or divination tools from your home.
7. Remove items, objects, and furniture that you don’t know the origin of. Antiques and things bought in flea markets etc.
8. Research the property’s history. Collect the information and give it to the investigators or clergy. This can speed up the process.
9. Contact a clergy, demonologist, psychic, or professional paranormal investigator to help you with further steps.
10. Never try to resolve the issue yourself; things can quickly spin out of control if you don’t know what you are doing.

As said before, never try to resolve these issues by yourself. Always ask for professional medical and spiritual help.

Cites and references

• The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology, Rosemary Ellen Guiley