Gender confusion

[Valerie]

In the New testament the demonic powers are a present and normal reality that we seem uncomfortable with in the modern, post enlightenment world. We want them to be either inert and distant or overwhelming and uncontrollable but not a part of everyday life as it seemed in the age of the early church.

Paul talks about them in ways that stress their influence and presence but also their defeat and mastery by Jesus and the church.

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts...". -Ephesians 2

Perhaps if we recovered a more new testament view of demonic power, we would better understand the role it plays in our own lives and those around us as well.

One aspect of the more Pentecostal background from most of my life, the teachings of the demonic realm were taught well & never neglected. Spiritual warfare, praying for discernment, etc- it can cause one to be in certain areas where your spirit can sense a more demonically influenced area- (example, my family all met in Asheville NC & it is one place I sensed more of that presence).

If one does not have the indwelling Holy Spirit, truly they are an empty vessel as these spirits were cast out in the early church but out of a person & quite likely into other people- that’s just what they do. I guess I’m considering that a demon could warp a persons gender as well as motivate to kill-

One day they will be cast out forever into the pit but until then……….

Actually exorcisms are still performed by Catholic &
Orthodox priests so they never quit denying their ability to occupy a person. That part of my Pentecost background seem s affirmed then. I think in other denominations
Nations they call it “Deliverance Ministries “
How successful Satan & his realm can be when the Church is not equipped to cast them out, thereby destroying souls & others in their wake.

[barnhart]

I'm sure there is a lot I could learn from the Pentecostals about demonic oppression but there is also a significant amount there I am uncomfortable with. It seems to me they often veer too far into wild, uncontrollable understanding of demonic influence where the will of the person is degraded.

[Valerie]

I'm sure there is a lot I could learn from the Pentecostals about demonic oppression but there is also a significant amount there I am uncomfortable with. It seems to me they often veer too far into wild, uncontrollable understanding of demonic influence where the will of the person is degraded.

We need only look how it affected some in the New Testament to see how they can control a person. I agree that it’s uncomfortable- when Jesus cast a legion of them out of a person & they begged Him to to send them into the herd of swine which fell to their deaths (the swine, not the demons) the people of the area were extremely uncomfortable and wanted nothing to do w with that power. It’s hard to say where the will enters in, we know God can turn them over to a reprobate mind.

[barnhart]

I'm sure there is a lot I could learn from the Pentecostals about demonic oppression but there is also a significant amount there I am uncomfortable with. It seems to me they often veer too far into wild, uncontrollable understanding of demonic influence where the will of the person is degraded.

We need only look how it affected some in the New Testament to see how they can control a person. I agree that it’s uncomfortable- when Jesus cast a legion of them out of a person & they begged Him to to send them into the herd of swine which fell to their deaths (the swine, not the demons) the people of the area were extremely uncomfortable and wanted nothing to do w with that power. It’s hard to say where the will enters in, we know God can turn them over to a reprobate mind.

There is a place for that and there is a spiritually violent and manipulative over expression of that as well. I have known people scarred by that in terrible ways that tortured them until the day of their death.

[Valerie]

I'm sure there is a lot I could learn from the Pentecostals about demonic oppression but there is also a significant amount there I am uncomfortable with. It seems to me they often veer too far into wild, uncontrollable understanding of demonic influence where the will of the person is degraded.

We need only look how it affected some in the New Testament to see how they can control a person. I agree that it’s uncomfortable- when Jesus cast a legion of them out of a person & they begged Him to to send them into the herd of swine which fell to their deaths (the swine, not the demons) the people of the area were extremely uncomfortable and wanted nothing to do w with that power. It’s hard to say where the will enters in, we know God can turn them over to a reprobate mind.

There is a place for that and there is a spiritually violent and manipulative over expression of that as well. I have known people scarred by that in terrible ways that tortured them until the day of their death.

I have not seen that, and I’m sorry it had happened- that is devastating. I’m sure the possibility exists that things can go wrong, even Jesus admonished His own disciples when they failed at casting demons out and probably tha same can happen today- which means we have to accept the fact that these demons are embodying people today ax always which would lead to myriads of problems, not ruling out our flesh can too of course.

[temporal1]

We need only look how it affected some in the New Testament to see how they can control a person. I agree that it’s uncomfortable- when Jesus cast a legion of them out of a person & they begged Him to to send them into the herd of swine which fell to their deaths (the swine, not the demons) the people of the area were extremely uncomfortable and wanted nothing to do w with that power. It’s hard to say where the will enters in, we know God can turn them over to a reprobate mind.

There is a place for that and there is a spiritually violent and manipulative over expression of that as well. I have known people scarred by that in terrible ways that tortured them until the day of their death.

I have not seen that, and I’m sorry it had happened- that is devastating. I’m sure the possibility exists that things can go wrong, even Jesus admonished His own disciples when they failed at casting demons out and probably tha same can happen today- which means we have to accept the fact that these demons are embodying people today ax always which would lead to myriads of problems, not ruling out our flesh can too of course.

Horrific minority experiences are what has led the U.S. gov systems to minority rule. Another error.
The devil does not rest.

Scriptures advise constant vigilance, not human law.

If human law, governments, were the answer, Jesus could have made quick work of His time on earth.
It was available to Him in abundance.

[temporal1]

Kaley Chiles, Licensed Counselor
Talk therapy

SCOTUSblog / OPINION ANALYSIS
“Supreme Court sides with therapist
in challenge to Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy” “
https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/03/supr ... n-therapy/

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sent a challenge to Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy” – treatment intended to change a client’s sexual orientation or gender identity – for young people back to the lower courts for them to apply a new standard. By a vote of 8-1, the justices agreed with Kaley Chiles, the licensed counselor challenging the law, that the ban discriminates against her based on the views that she expresses in her talk therapy. A federal appeals court, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority, should have applied a more stringent standard of review, known as strict scrutiny, to determine whether the law violates the First Amendment as applied to Chiles.

But the Supreme Court also strongly hinted that the ban would fail that test. In his 23-page opinion, Gorsuch stressed that in cases like Chiles’, Colorado’s ban “censors speech based on viewpoint.” Because the First Amendment “reflects … a judgment that every American possesses an inalienable right to think and speak freely, and a faith in the free marketplace of ideas as the best means for discovering truth,” Gorsuch continued, “any law that suppresses speech based on viewpoint represents an ‘egregious’ assault on both of those commitments.”

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the lone dissenter. She argued that the majority’s opinion “could be ushering in an era of unprofessional and unsafe medical care administered by effectively unsupervised healthcare providers.” .. ..

^^Psychiatry is not settled science. Far-far from it.

The case, Chiles v. Salazar, involved Kaley Chiles, a licensed counselor who provided talk therapy to minors seeking to reduce feelings of same-sex attraction or feel more comfortable in their bodies. ..

The Supreme Court's decision is a significant victory for the Trump administration, which had urged the court to declare the Colorado ban unconstitutional. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, however, argued that the court's decision could impair states' ability to regulate medical care. ..

[JohnH]

A very interesting case, temporal1. The only dissenter was J. Jackson, who at this point appears to be frankly incompetent and probably is not qualified to preside over a small town's traffic court.

[Grace]

A very interesting case, temporal1. The only dissenter was J. Jackson, who at this point appears to be frankly incompetent and probably is not qualified to preside over a small town's traffic court.

No surprise there. In her confirmation hearing she didn't want to define what a "woman" is.

[barnhart]

Looks like a victory for free speech.