Calling people evil or demonic

[Bootstrap]

For Christians who believe in the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the flesh, when is it appropriate to call someone evil or demonic? When does that look more like living by the fruit of the flesh?

What does "demonic" actually mean? When is it accurate to apply that to someone else?

[ken_sylvania]

I'm not sure there's a clear concise answer.

Is there a particular situation that you are thinking of?

[Bootstrap]

I'm not sure there's a clear concise answer.

Is there a particular situation that you are thinking of?

Feel free to spin out situations that come to mind and address them. Or to use biblical examples.

I see people calling others "demonic" quite a bit on MN. By what criteria? When is that appropriate?

[barnhart]

The obvious biblical parallel is the demon possessed people Jesus encountered. He seemed drawn to them with understanding and compassion rather than throwing out the term in judgment.

[Bootstrap]

The obvious biblical parallel is the demon possessed people Jesus encountered. He seemed drawn to them with understanding and compassion rather than throwing out the term in judgment.

The Pharisees said Jesus had a demon.

I don't think Jesus ever called the Pharisees demonic. Not even in Matthew 23.

[Grace]

I'm not sure there's a clear concise answer.

Is there a particular situation that you are thinking of?

I think he is referring to what I posted in the thread about Biden promoting the trans visibility day, to which I did apologize.

I might be wrong, but I wonder if this thread is to degrade and diminish anyone who might point out Biden's evil policies and promotions.

[temporal1]

I'm not sure there's a clear concise answer.
Is there a particular situation that you are thinking of?

I think he is referring to what I posted in the thread about Biden promoting the trans visibility day, to which I did apologize.

I might be wrong, but I wonder if this thread is to degrade and diminish anyone who might point out Biden's evil policies and promotions.

not for me to say, but i admit astonishment at the ability to ignore, hand-wave-away the stated, uncontested realities.
viewtopic.php?t=6712

[Grace]

The Pharisees said Jesus had a demon.

I don't think Jesus ever called the Pharisees demonic. Not even in Matthew 23.

He called them, "brood of vipers", "full of dead man's bones", "full of uncleanness", "serpents", etc. Those are pretty bad names if you ask me. But it described them well. It seems like we cannot use descriptive words about Biden, without getting backlash, even a thread about it.

[Bootstrap]

I might be wrong, but I wonder if this thread is to degrade and diminish anyone who might point out Biden's evil policies and promotions.

I really am asking how we, as Christians, should speak. And yes, I have been a little shocked by the extent to which these have become mainstream political terms for some. But I am more interested in the big picture of how we, as Christians, should speak.

[Bootstrap]

He called them, "brood of vipers", "full of dead man's bones", "full of uncleanness", "serpents", etc. Those are pretty bad names if you ask me. But it described them well. It seems like we cannot use descriptive words about Biden, without getting backlash, even a thread about it.

I'm asking precisely how we, as Christians, should approach our own speech. I don't see that as "backlash" or as partisan.

Jesus did call the Pharisees evil at least several times. Here's one:

Matthew 12:34-35: "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him."

But the Pharisees were speaking very "holy" language, standing up for traditional religion as they understood it. And I suspect that we all, as modern Christians, also have to watch the "overflow of our heart'. What was the evil Jesus was talking about in Matthew 12?