I figured I'd get a little discussion started here .. on a very controversial subject.

We all heard about demons, or whatever name they go by. They're present in every culture on earth ... and probably beyond that.

I've got some questions for you all though. First off, what do you consider a demon? What are it's attributes? What makes something or someone demonic? Is it a race? Or are there traits that can make someone of any race demonic? And what about them being evil? Chaotic? Powerhungry?

Do you know any popular demonic figures from cultures or myths? Which? Do you believe them to be real? Or at least have existed at some point in time? Are they different from deities? What makes them different then? Or maybe you don't agree that they're really demons at all?

Ok, I think I'll stop with the questions .. plenty to get y'all thinking. Now I'm going to watch the topic a bit before I throw my own thoughts in the discussion.

I think demons are a race of beings who are chaotic...some obviously are powerhungry and diabolical..however I do think as with any race not all of them are in that extreme although the chaotic feel must be present

as for demons..well everyone's heard of satan..others not sure of their names..satan i'm not so sure about in terms i existence but the others maybe

Of course there are demons. I happen to be dating someone who is demonic in spirit. Though she isn't evil, she just has a more askew view of what is acceptable for normal behavior. Also, I know there are quite a few other, 'Lord Demons' besides the christian one. Baal being one. And a few others whose names escape me for some reason. Anyway, just because they are/look demonic, doesn't mean they are evil. Everyone has the capacity for great evil or even greater good. It all depends on circumstance.

I think perhaps the reason people think all demons are evil is because the ones that aren't in that extreme bracket remain under the radar so to speak

Hmm, that's actually a debate my mom and I have a lot of the time.

She sees violence on tv and automatically, it's the devil sending out demons to jump into people and make them do stuff. Whereas I am of the opinion that people can be demonic.

Defining demonic is tough, but can easily be summed up as someone doing an act of violence with the intent to harm without remorse or care for the consequences. Not exactly, but somewhere around there.

The word demonic doesn't really come to mind anymore with filler words like psychotic, deranged or evil. Evil in itself is a definition, but I digress.

To me demons are people who have chosen bad influence over good. I do believe in god and satan, but according to the bible I believe that they have taken a back seat and just left influences and people can choose which influence to be ruled by.

Of course, there are demon kin, but I don't see them as evil either. It'd be tempting if I believed in the same thing most people do, but I don't. To me they may have some different tendencies than what one would call good, but I don't consider them of the variety of people who have chosen bad over good and left conscious behind to harm others continuously. And from most demons I know, they're more like fallen angels than actually viciously evil.

I believe that one saying. All myth is based on some form of truth. I believe there were experiences people of past had that lead them to believe in different deities. Such as Hades, greek mythology, my theory is actually, that say angels maybe lived more amongst the people then, easier to see and read without so much stuff inhibiting their imaginations and lots of the greek gods might have been based on different angels. Perhaps what they saw then wasn't so mythical. More like their reality. They saw an angel watch over souls, named him hades. People can't see him in our day and age, but doesn't mean never existed.

That's just my random thoughts, will think more on it and respond.

So you actually hold a dual definition when it comes to demons?

People with demonic traits are violent, evil and often deranged? Kin with demonic traits you somehow see quite different though ... why's that?

By the way, some stuff for everyone.

The word demon comes from the greek word Daemon, which means lesser god. The Greeks used the word to label beings with immense power but who weren't true gods (yet). Good or evil had little to do with it. In most cultures beings that we'd depict as demons were worshipped and not considered more or less evil than the other gods they had.

It was christianity that took various heathen deities, often with non-human animalistic shapes, and turned them into demons. False gods with evil ways that try to lure mankind away from the true path. Those are nowadays demons .. evil beings that spread chaos and violence, while poisoning religious thinking.

Not really. My view on it is, according to christianity, demons are beings who serve the devil and may look like angels, but with harmful intent to steal your soul and make you a minion of hell, or when you die a fellow demon. So I believe people are demons. Eventually when they die there's always some bad place they go, whether hell, down river styx to whereever or whatnot, they once were people, just now permanently marked as deserving of being called a demon. Pure evil, second only to the devil.

Demon kin on the other hand, can't really be called Demons in my opinion. Not saying all aren't pure evil, but for most part in this lifetime they are in fact human, and it will be choices they make that will make them demons. They may have demonic tendencies, whatever those are, but they aren't demons. Maybe in a past life, but that is a memory they're going off of, and may have personality, but some choose to amend personality to maybe not be evil or bad, just different views of what's right as Xilthanas said.

As for definition, demonic traits is more when you cross that line. The line between want to and intent to. You may want to kill someone, but without intent you're just like half the world. Disgruntled with someone enough to momentarily wish bodily or mental harm. Whereas demons with truly evil intent, are like the guy on the news, who took a 2 year old by the arm, that wasn't his, threw him off an impasse and into freeway traffic below, then walked around the corner and smoked a cigarette. Or the lady who thought it'd be interesting to put her baby in a microwave and cook the baby inside and not shed a tear or show emotion. That's why those people are referred to as possessed, but it's not possession, it's just an absence of emotion. I can't contemplate what makes them tick, or if what they do is truly evil or some mental issue, but the ones who do it knowing they're doing it, those ones are under definition of pure evil, second only to the devil or whatever deity you believe represents bad.

I remember that from somewhere. The way word demon was thought up, but truly it's interesting how people have made demons out to be less than godlike. Which is why I believe they are merely men choosing to be evil.

I believe a lot of demonkin will be quite unhappy with that lol

But anyways it is pretty unfairhow christianity took many pagan gods and made them "evil demons"...I believe those pagan gods are what they're supposed to be and demons are a whole different concept

When you say basically they are "bad" people with "bad" intentions who go to a "bad" place after they die...well you can say that but "bad" is very subjective.. I believe the world isn't so clear cut black and white..demons to me are a whole spectrum of chaotic grey

This may be a bit irrelevent but currently on the show supernatural there's a demon character called Ruby..on the show they usually go with the traditional view of demons but Rudy is portrayed in a more favourable light because she helps out the good guys...in the story she became a demon when she died but never forgot what it was like to be human so helped out the good guys

It is a poor illustration but I think demons can be just as varied in character as we are

Evil is just an opinion and I believe that nothing is completely one way or the other. I believe that demons are similar in terms their true essence to angels. Their purpose, however, is poles apart from the path of a 'loyalist' angel. One key difference I have noticed from being in a relationship with someone who is demonic in spirit is that they are not serving a deity as angels are and therefore are not bound by the constraints of an angelic to do the will of their deity. This is what often makes demons seem 'evil'. I think that sometimes demons are 'the fallen' and that this happens when the entity makes choices that take them away from the source (their deity). It is the deprivation from the source that makes them become demonic, as they are no longer following the path that they were created for. In my opinion, this is also what can make them appear power-hungry. When any being experiences a lack of concrete rules, it is often the case that they exercise the freedom in ways that may appear evil to an outsider.

Hmm this is an interesting trait that I just now connected. Demonic beings do seem reluctant to follow deities, contrary to Angelic ones. They often have a fierce independence and serve themselves before others.

I do agree with what Rose said on your opinion, Nightwolf. Not many demon kin would like your definition.

From my point of view you use the label 'demon' exactly like the label 'evil' when it comes to people. It's the label that the church had in mind, evil, corrupting people who spread chaos and pain without reason. I personally don't believe that anyone spreads chaos and pain without reason. They always have a reason, however skewed and insane it may be. Often people who get labeled truly evil have huge mental issues. Calling those demons is, to be honest, insulting

I think demonic beings can be categorised as somewhat selfish, powerhungry, defiant towards religion and dark/chaotic. Although Rose is right, just like with any race or species .. diversity is plentiful.

I'm part demonic myself and I know that part of me is pretty powerful, driven by darker emotions but with the risk of me losing control over myself. I took me some time before I learned to tap into the strengths without losing myself. Luckily I can balance the demonic parts out with other aspects of myself that stand opposed to them.

For me i think demonscan be just as good or bad as any one else most of the demonkin i know are nice or at least dark but not in a bad way just part of who they are.


and so on i mean basicly i think it depends on the Demon like any one esle.

I think there is a clear difference between being dark and being evil so vampcat makes a good point

Sorry took me a while to respond.

To clarify, no I do not associate demons or demon kin as synonymous to the word evil. I meant choices they make can lead to being the christian kind of demon.

Demonkin I meant in whole other way, that they are in essence human, they have choices to make, which makes them varied, Can't say whether they are or not evil, as they will make choices. I say demonkin, can't be called Demons, because most often demons are thought of as malevolent with evil intentions and yet there are so many nice demon kin I have met, they can't fall under christian dictionary term of evil or demons. If that makes sense.

To me there is a difference, but at the same time it makes me think humans make the choices to be what they shall and so it's up to them what they'll be called.

If we go strictly by any definition, then that means any demon kin is some pagan god or some such and as know that's not real true, then must be whatever you think. Bad and evil do have shades of grey, but general terms are what I've said above.

If it doesn't make sense, half annoyed righting this and so not really thinking out answer fully. Not mad about topic, something else

maybe its just the truly evil ones that show themselves..perhaps the better ones just dont want to show up