What is Demonology?

Demonology is basically the study of demons, though in practice, it is quite a bit more complicated. There are actually different types and classifications of demonology. Just a few of religions with their own beliefs about the demonic include

• Buddhism
• Christianity
• Hinduism
• Islam
• Judaism

The history of demonology goes back thousands of years. The history of demons isn't really very clear, and it the concept seems to have changed quite a bit. In fact, in the earliest days, it seems that demons weren't considered malevolent at all; they were thought of as neither good nor evil. That's probably because the meaning and use of the word daimon - the origin of demon - was quite different. A thorough study of demonology would include the etymology of the word "demon." We won't attempt to build a historical timeline or delve into the history of demons. For more information on the history, please start with a basic explanation, such as the Wikipedia entry. From there, look into other sources of information, and please don't take just one source's information.

Demons of Today

What we would like to do is talk about the current understanding of demons and how it impacts people. In western culture, Christian and Jewish demonology is perhaps the most popular. It was probably these religions that introduced the malevolent demon we know today. To the western world, demons are evil spirits who (among other things)

• can possess the living
• torment humans
• are vile and dark
• seek to destroy man & man's relationship with God

Since the word "demon" didn't start out as something evil, does that mean that the evil entity of today doesn't exist?

Not necessarily.

While we cannot prove or disprove demonic entities, there exists a very real phenomenon surrounding the possibility of them. It's almost a certainty that people have been affected by demons, whether a product of spirituality or psychiatry.

We aren't going to try and re-invent the wheel. There have been many people who have spent their careers studying the demonic; some of the more famous include demonologists Ed & Lorraine Warren, John Zaffis, and Keith Johnson. They are sources of a great wealth of information.

The Most Basic of Information

Keith Johnson gave a presentation at the 2008 Mid-South Paranormal Convention. Here are a few points he made in his presentation:

There are a few things to rule out before jumping to a paranormal/inhuman conclusion:

• Matrixing, Pareidolia, or Simulacra
• Insect/Rodent Infestation - Scratching sounds, bites/rashes, etc.
• Mold Infestation - Illness, hallucinations, etc.
• Plumbing Problems - Unpleasant odors, etc.
• Narcolepsy, Epilepsy, and Mental Illness

Other things to rule out:

• Hypnopompic Hallucinations - Occur upon waking
• Hypnagogic Hallucination - Immediately preceding sleep
• Infrasound - can cause anxiety, chills, and extreme sadness
• High Electromagnetic Fields - can produce symptoms of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy such as visual/auditory hallucinations, "sensing a presence," etc.

According to Johnson, there are three stages of inhuman involvement:

• Infestation - a seemingly "typical" haunting
• Oppression - escalation of disturbing phenomena and isolation of individual(s)
• Possession - extremely rare

What Should I Do if I Fear I Have Demonic Activity?

Before jumping to conclusions, please contact someone who

• has experience dealing with demonic activity,
• can suggest alternative explanations first (e.g., environmental factors, medical conditions)
• you can trust
• you feel comfortable being completely honest with about the activity you're experiencing
• won't jump to conclusions
• will be honest with you

To date, APRA has yet to encounter anything we feel is demonic activity. While we can offer possible alternative explanations for you to investigate, we can only recommend people we trust to help you remove anything you don't want around.

For More Information

An interesting forum discussion about demonology
Religious Demonology
Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Demonology
North American Demonic Paranormal
A Psychological and Sociological Look at Demonology Throughout History