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THE EARLY CHURCH’S CONCEPT OF DEMONIC ACTIVITY

with reference to: Ethelbert Stauffer, Die Theologie des Neuen Testaments

The primitive church enunciated three fundamental principles for distinguishing demonic activity the principle of self-glorification, of demonic opposition and of mendacity.

1. Self glorification – Superbia

The glory with which God has adorned his creation has become his temptation. Consequently, the freedom which God gave him works his ruin. The creature means to become something, something without God, something like God.

2. Demonic opposition – Indulging the sin nature

The first and most common form is by demonic opposition, which is "to be attacked from all sides" by ordinary temptations, described Father William. The opposition takes place for no reason, and it can even be physical opposition such as visible torments and sicknesses.

3. Mendacity – untruthfulness

Lying , dishonest, deceitful, false, dissembling, insincere, disingenuous, hypocritical, fraudulent, double-dealing, two-faced, two-timing, duplicitous, perjured.

Looking at these three principles, we can see them in all religions that seek to keep people from the gospel of Christ. I will apply these three principle to Muhammad and Islam.

With superbia, the worst of the deadly sins (all sins flow from this one) we can see many examples of Muhammad being the “praised one”, being included in the shahada (Islamic confession of faith) and the devotion given to Muhammad, even more so than to their “Allah”

For the second principle, we can see Muhammad indulging his appetite for sex, a young child bride and even being attracted to infants. He also “enjoyed” concubines and any woman who offered herself to the prophet. His heaven is a chicken and wine serving bordello.

With the third principle, we see much evidence of lying being sanctioned, treaties being broken, fantastical stories, abrogations. In Arabic, such mendacity is called taqiyya.

Conclusion

The man possessed of a demonic spirit betrays himself In his determination to play the leading part, and in forming some special group to achieve his ends.
I think these three principles of the early church can safely be applied to Muhammad and Islam.

Muslims like to use the old "Deedatism" God has Sons by the Tons.

Absolutely true, well spotted by the old trooper. God DOES have sons by the tons. But they are all special creations or legally sons or metaphorical sons.

In Job, the Sons of God took the daughters of man -
So in the oldest book (probably) Sons of God are created angels.

Israel as a son, true, but a metaphorical son, like a Bedouin is a Son of the Desert, a key is the son of the lock (in Arabic)

Believers are called sons, MILLIONS of them, but they are sons by the Spirit of adoption.

Adam was a "son" of God, but he was created too

David uses Son prophetically, "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee" how old was David when he wrote this? did he write it when he was just one day old? A Miracle! - err no. David wrote this prophetically about Jesus, made clear by the use of this Psalm in the New Testament.

So there we have it, all the sons of God, adopted believers, created Adam, metaphorical Israel, created angels, prophetic David...sons by the tons....

Did I miss anyone out? Oh YES! the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON - Jesus Christ.

I would like to comment about this perception of hatred by the member.

Please bear with me as I give some personal history first, I think it is relevant.

I was brought up to be involved with the supernatural from a small child, my own mother got me involved with Satanists who "groomed" me in Tarot, Palmistry, spell casting etc. I also saw spirits.

This is just to let you know, I have been involved in supernatural events for a long time. I didn't become a Christian until 1985 aged 30. After I got saved and had been a few years a Christian, I received a gift (please try and accept I didn't go crazy!  ) it was a gift of discerning spirits. It was pretty weird, I started experiencing days when I would be just walking from A to B and I would see some people, adults, even little kids, would either turn around, or just turn their heads and stare at me with a look of cold hatred. It was pretty unnerving at first.

I eventually realised that I got a sort of intuition and could pick up on people that had spiritual problems or were afflicted by the supernatural; this came in most useful when I joined a ministry team helping people from occult or cultic backgrounds.

The relevance of this is that with the rise in the number of Muslims in Glasgow, then in Leeds, I noticed it more and more with them.

It may just be an enhancement of picking up body language, but I am convinced it is more than that.

The member, who saw this hatred, may not be a Christian, but that does not preclude him having an extra sense, or supernatural gift of discernment.

I wonder if others that he knew at the time, experienced this emanation of hatred as much as he did, or was he perhaps a great deal more sensitive to picking up these vibes.

Don't forget, the supernatural is real, not Just Christians are exposed to it or are sensitive to it. I had supernatural insights and could tell fortunes etc. years before I renounced all that and was born again.

I saw a film once with Denzil Washington, where he is a cop hunting down a spirit that moved from an executed murderer to person to person - the sort of looks he (the cop) received from ordinary passers by is very similar to the incidents that happen to me - the look can be there and fiercely evil - only to disappear the next moment as if it had never happened.

Please don't send for the men in white coats! I promise to come quietly! 

I was interested to see a discussion of head coverings develop from out of this topic.

I have spent a lot of time in study of this, but to cut to the point; Paul states:

But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

The word used "for" actually means "instead of" it is the word "anti" the same as in anti-christ not "gar", "eis" or "huper"
Then the next verse:
But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God

We have No such custom neither the churches.
So from plain scripture - No such custom
why? hair is given INSTEAD of a covering.

As for the not teaching - the social and cultural background, in this centre of Goddess worship, was that it used to be  mostly the female temple prostitutes who were well educated, entertaining their "worshippers" with their stimulating talk as well as carnal pleasure.
The situation was, women were usurping authority probably due to their high standing and education.

But the main thing to get out of this? we are not to be contentious about this. So according to Paul, it's not a point to lose any sleep over.