Hi John,
When Jesus cast them out, the demon possessed people became normal and in the right mind.
Do you have any evidence of this happening outside of the Christian bible...?
Just as the first healing step for an alcoholic or a drug addict is to admit that you are an alcoholic or a drug addict, the same is true for those who are afflicted by demons.
We can see alcohol, drugs. We can physically hold them - trust me
. The chemical effects can be visually seen. There is no need for someone to invoke faith, the proof of the effects can be observed, and the causing agents (drugs, alcohol) can be seen too.
With demons, we again must take a persons word for it. We can't visually see them. So, not only would we first have to accept Christianity, the bible (which we are discussing in another thread) which a non-believer can't properly read, we have to accept a man telling me that the demon is in me and that he can cure me - has anyone heard of religious shaman before...?
Our mental wards are full of people that have not been helped by drugs and years of counseling.
Our mental wards are filled with people who have neurological disorders, these disorders are NOT cured by drugs or counseling; sadly they are often not curable at all.
Yes, I'm in favor of following Jesus' example by casting out demons when nothing else man has tried has worked.
Curiously, this was the only way to help people in the Dark Ages, until it was noticed that it did absolutely nothing, and thus medicine came to be known as the cure-all.
Are you suggesting we reject medicine in favor of exorcisms...?
Even Jesus would have to laugh at that one, lol.
"I smoke pot. If this bothers anyone, I suggest you look around at the world in which we live and shut your mouth."--Bill Hicks
"I never knew there was another option other than to question everything"--Noam Chomsky