Logical Arguments Against The Existence of Demons

[mangoxguava]

Can you guys help me with this? I'm a a recovering ex-Christian and had the idea of "demon" hammered into my head over and over again since I was young. Now, it's something that's hard for me to shake and I still have a demon-phobia.

You guys giving me logical arguments against the existence of demons would really help me out.

Here are the arguments and questions I already built against their existence:
(Please add on or create your own arguments)

1. God almost certainly doesn't exist so why would demons exist?

2. Why would demons, an ethereal being, live on Earth when there are billions-trillions of other planets that look cooler which they could chill on?

3. Why do demons play hide and seek with humanity?

4. Why would demons speak a human language? (LOL)

5. Sleep paralysis explains demons at night.

6. Muslims don't believe they exist and call them djinn. (I don't believe djinn so why would I believe demons exist?)

7. Most other cultures don't believe they exist.

8. Fallen angels don't exist.

9. They are invisible and somehow some people see them...(WTF I call BS)

10. If they did exist, they would be conscious. How can something be conscious, see, process information, think, act, and make decisions without a physical neurological brain?

11. Demons are a creation of the denominations of Christianity.

 

[Norman Alexander]

You are asking the question the wrong way round - you are trying to prove a negative.

The question should REALLY be: What evidence is there that demons DO exist?

If you can't find any evidence (clue: there is none to find) then there's your answer.

 

[Gilbert Syndrome]

Can you guys help me with this? I'm a a recovering ex-Christian and had the idea of "demon" hammered into my head over and over again since I was young. Now, it's something that's hard for me to shake and I still have a demon-phobia.

You guys giving me logical arguments against the existence of demons would really help me out.

Here are the arguments and questions I already built against their existence:
(Please add on or create your own arguments)

1. God almost certainly doesn't exist so why would demons exist?

2. Why would demons, an ethereal being, live on Earth when there are billions-trillions of other planets that look cooler which they could chill on?

3. Why do demons play hide and seek with humanity?

4. Why would demons speak a human language? (LOL)

5. Sleep paralysis explains demons at night.

6. Muslims don't believe they exist and call them djinn. (I don't believe djinn so why would I believe demons exist?)

7. Most other cultures don't believe they exist.

8. Fallen angels don't exist.

9. They are invisible and somehow some people see them...(WTF I call BS)

10. If they did exist, they would be conscious. How can something be conscious, see, process information, think, act, and make decisions without a physical neurological brain?

11. Demons are a creation of the denominations of Christianity.

You seem to have it nailed down all by yourself. Number 8 is the only one that matters, just exchange "fallen angels" with "demons."

 

[mangoxguava]

What you said makes lots of sense.

What evidence is there? Hmm...Let see...

1. No scientific evidence.

2. A bunch of testimonials from Christians...

3. Fake TV shows! LOL

 

[mangoxguava]

The belief of demons is really falling apart by now.

 

[MikeG]

Of course there are demons. They're cleverly disguised as plastic dolls.

 

[Gilbert Syndrome]

The belief of demons is really falling apart by now.

Good, they prefer their meat tender and unaware.

 

[TheGoldcountry]

I am a fan of the TV show "Lucifer." He constantly tells people that they get what they expect.

 

[stanfr]

Oooh, as a demonic personality I must play devil's advocate here...

1. God almost certainly doesn't exist so why would demons exist?

Who said the two are mutually dependent? Maybe Christianity got the 'God' part wrong but had a hunch right on the reality of demons. Demons could just be some evil entity present that would certainly require less proof of existence than say, a Supreme Being that created everything, including the demons.

2. Why would demons, an ethereal being, live on Earth when there are billions-trillions of other planets that look cooler which they could chill on?

Who says they don't? And assuming intelligent life is rare, wouldn't it be prudent for demons to target a place where they share something in common? Maybe demons and us share a common origin or ancestor.

3. Why do demons play hide and seek with humanity?

That's your characterization. Those of us who have experienced demons find that they are not 'hiding' from us at all!

4. Why would demons speak a human language? (LOL)

Why do foreigners learn English?

5. Sleep paralysis explains demons at night.

Ya got me there...But then again, maybe demons explain sleep paralysis.

6. Muslims don't believe they exist and call them djinn. (I don't believe djinn so why would I believe demons exist?)

Muslims will soon be banned by Pres. Trump.

7. Most other cultures don't believe they exist.

Evidence? Define "cultures"? Demons exist within religions, which can be a sub part of a 'culture'.
For example--Voodoo. Is it a cult, culture, religion? It has synchronized some element of Christianity, but came primarily from African religions. And voodoo accepts the presence of demons.

8. Fallen angels don't exist.

That's just a statement, not an argument.

9. They are invisible and somehow some people see them...(WTF I call BS)

Ghosts are 'invisible' too. That's just your way of characterizing them.

10. If they did exist, they would be conscious. How can something be conscious, see, process information, think, act, and make decisions without a physical neurological brain?

We "think, process, etc" fundamentally through chemical and electrical transmissions, which take place in empty space. Empty space does not require a ;physical brain either'--yet those transmissions take place.

11. Demons are a creation of the denominations of Christianity.

Your welcome!

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Demons are much, much older than Christianity: basically all forms of Nature spirits can be considered to be demonic, depending on your view.

Just like any claim of dualism, Demons, Devils, Spirits, Angels etc. are just a misfiring of the human 'agency-recognition' heuristic: we attribute intent to random events, that's just the way we think.

 

[mangoxguava]

Yes this makes a lot of sense. The only way I can feel safe though is to logically recognize that there is no danger.

The idea of a dangerous invisible predator scares the absolute daylight out of me, especially since all my ex-friends who were Christian jammed it into my mind as an absolute fact.

The exorcist movie didn't help either lol.

 

[abaddon]

Yes this makes a lot of sense. The only way I can feel safe though is to logically recognize that there is no danger.

The idea of a dangerous invisible predator scares the absolute daylight out of me, especially since all my ex-friends who were Christian jammed it into my mind as an absolute fact.

The exorcist movie didn't help either lol.

OK, I get that the notion of demons has been bashed into you brain by years of nonsense.

However, since you say that you are a recovering christian, you must have perforce rejected the single most powerful entity in the entire mythology. As such, how difficult can it be to reject the lesser entities?

 

[Hlafordlaes]

Yes this makes a lot of sense. The only way I can feel safe though is to logically recognize that there is no danger.

The idea of a dangerous invisible predator scares the absolute daylight out of me, especially since all my ex-friends who were Christian jammed it into my mind as an absolute fact.

The exorcist movie didn't help either lol.

The transition can be difficult. Many beliefs can be tied to emotional learning that happened along the way, and this takes time to deal with, since such feelings don't change automatically just by changing your mind, and stay with you. Hang in there; you are on the right track. As others have said, the real question is what you can prove.

Those around might now demand you must know how to explain the entire cosmos and every detail in it, since all these things (they assume wrongly) are included and explained by the faith now left behind. The important point is that truth was never supposed to be a first and final answer to all things; that way is a guarantee of no learning and no growth. As you get used to how to use science and logic to deal with the natural world, this welcome change will come gradually.

 

[stanfr]

OK, I get that the notion of demons has been bashed into you brain by years of nonsense.

However, since you say that you are a recovering christian, you must have perforce rejected the single most powerful entity in the entire mythology. As such, how difficult can it be to reject the lesser entities?

I explained that above...from an evidence perspective, demons are more likely to exist than God. In fact, I don't have any stats, but it seems to me that most paranormal experiences have a negative aspect to them--people are always reporting some sort of ghost or poltergeist doing something nefarious, rarely doing good deeds. The 'positive' experiences usually involve things like so-called miracles, which are much more easily explained by things like coincidence. To this day, I have no rock-solid explanation for things I've heard relatives and friends tell me they have seen/experienced, all I can do is say they are 'unexplained' or that they are more likely explained by things like stress, hallucination, faulty memory, etc.

 

[sackett]

There's never been a speck of evidence for anything supernatural. God, devil, angel, demon, pukka, fairy, Santa Claus, cookie monster: allsame heap sit.

Why make distinctions among spooks you don't believe in? Day has dawned.

I wish Tinker Bell was real though. Cute tush.

 

[abaddon]

I explained that above...from an evidence perspective, demons are more likely to exist than God. In fact, I don't have any stats, but it seems to me that most paranormal experiences have a negative aspect to them--people are always reporting some sort of ghost or poltergeist doing something nefarious, rarely doing good deeds. The 'positive' experiences usually involve things like so-called miracles, which are much more easily explained by things like coincidence. To this day, I have no rock-solid explanation for things I've heard relatives and friends tell me they have seen/experienced, all I can do is say they are 'unexplained' or that they are more likely explained by things like stress, hallucination, faulty memory, etc.

There are far more happy clappy new age nonsense proponents of imaginary buffoonery than negative reporters of "demons". To believe otherwise is outright confirmation bias.

 

[abaddon]

I explained that above...from an evidence perspective, demons are more likely to exist than God. In fact, I don't have any stats, but it seems to me that most paranormal experiences have a negative aspect to them--

Nope.

people are always reporting some sort of ghost or poltergeist doing something nefarious, rarely doing good deeds.

Also angels and specific guardian angels, auras for diagnostic medicine and spiritual guidance, various divination methods to guide your life in a positive way, bogus medical cures of dubious provenance and so forth. All of them are "positive". If you think otherwise, you have been sheltered.

The 'positive' experiences usually involve things like so-called miracles, which are much more easily explained by things like coincidence.

Nope. Why do you think this?

To this day, I have no rock-solid explanation for things I've heard relatives and friends tell me they have seen/experienced, all I can do is say they are 'unexplained' or that they are more likely explained by things like stress, hallucination, faulty memory, etc.

And confirmation bias, Texas Sharpshooter etc. But your claim that such things are universally negative is ill informed.

 

[Nay_Sayer]

With number 11. Many other religious substitutes for demons: The Jewish have Tanach and Islam have Jinns to name a few. Mind you it's all horse droppings.

 

[marplots]

Yes this makes a lot of sense. The only way I can feel safe though is to logically recognize that there is no danger.

The idea of a dangerous invisible predator scares the absolute daylight out of me, especially since all my ex-friends who were Christian jammed it into my mind as an absolute fact.

The exorcist movie didn't help either lol.

You are right to be afraid. Because even if demons don't exist, Christians do.

 

[Beelzebuddy]

OK, I get that the notion of demons has been bashed into you brain by years of nonsense.

However, since you say that you are a recovering christian, you must have perforce rejected the single most powerful entity in the entire mythology. As such, how difficult can it be to reject the lesser entities?

Big J might lead the pantheon, but for a large fraction of Christianity, the day-to-day indoctrination is much less about God keeping you on the straight and narrow than about demons creeping beneath every rock and crevice to tug at the better angles of your nature.

If the subject is willing, education is the best cure for indoctrination. Ask around in the religion forum, I'm sure there's been some scholarly work done on the sociology of whatever myths in particular your demons belong to.