[b said:
Quote[/b] (LionOfJudah @ Oct. 30 2003,6:53)]any being try to take credit away from God, is counted as a demon to me. for the purpose of this paper
Dear Lion,
You'll have to email me your paper.
"Any entity that takes credit away from God is a demon." Where do you get that? That could define Christ. It certainly defines Paul. All the Angels are in violation.
You see, the problem with your "take credit" notion is that it is indistinguishable from the exercise of any personal moral discretion. The only Entity that would be Guiltless in your eyes is God Himself. But, guess what, God the Creator, is Above His Creation -- He does not do anything directly. The Providence of God is through the agency of the Angels. And their Obedience is very discretionary -- that is, God tells them What He wants and the Angels figure out on their own the How.
So what REALLY separates the Angels from the Demons? It doesn't take any thought. Oral Tradition tells us clearly -- the Fallen Angels were guilty of Pride and Disobedience. It wasn't a matter of whether or not they were exercising Free Will and taking Credit for their own Discreet Actions -- both the good and the bad have free will and may take credit for their own actions. It is the orientation of the Service. Is the Service done in Obedience to God or as a Self-Service?
You can see the Arch Angel Michael as a Good Example. He is largely known as the Commander of the Avenging Angels. All the Plagues under which Mankind has suffered are the work of Michael and His Host of Angels. When Christ was Crucified, it so enraged Michael that He tore the Veil of the Temple and was about to Destroy all of Jerusalem -- all on His own Personal Discretion. But Christ came to him and asked, as a favor, that He desist -- that Jerusalem would be destroyed, but shouldn't be destroyed just yet. Michael obeyed. So, what is it we see here. We see that God does indeed give us all Free Will. Even the Angels can operate within a wide latitude of general behavior that God still considers within the Bounds of Obedience. So, what is Obedience? Service to the Community of Obedience. What is disobedience? Self-Aggrandizement is disobedience. You always have to refer to Satan in order to discern what is, and what isn't Sin.
So, anyway, your making Demonism a matter of 'taking credit" is creative and original, but God wouldn't agree with you. If you serve the Community -- If you can be a Good Servant and bring the Lord a Hundred Fold -- then you can not only Take Credit, but you will be rewarded. Read the Parables!
Honestly -- start your paper, and you will certainly find yourself confronted with the difficulties I have described. You know, everyone already knows what Demons are. Maybe you should research what everyone knows already -- catch up to the State of the Art before you attempt to add to it. It took me fifty years before I allowed myself an original thought -- and that was after a significant amount of both scholastic and religious dues paying.
But it will interesting to see how your paper is received. A good Professor would slap you silly for it -- no good scholar should ever be totally disdainful of all thought that has gone before him -- it shows laziness or willful stupidity. But I am puzzled how Protestant Colleges have ever been able to do business, since The Truth patently in the Gospels and what they teach in the Bible Colleges are two different things. So maybe they reward thinking that defies the Gospels. "Here is a Kid that will propagate the Party Line", and they give you a B+ on a paper that they know you just pulled out of your ass. I'm interested. Let me know how it goes.