The Assemblies of God believe it is possible for people to be demon-possessed, said Zenas Bicket, past president of the church's Doctrinal Purity Commission and former president of Berean University in Springfield, Mo. However, it can't be known for sure whether Cho was possessed by demons or simply had a mental problem, he said.
People who are demon-possessed have allowed the demons to come in, he said, through such things as Ouija boards or fortune-tellers. But, he said, people who "see a demon in every situation that goes awry are taking it too far."
"It is easy to say any problem we have is because of the devil," Bicket said. "Sometimes the approach, `The devil made me do it,' explains away any personal responsibility."
Also, some people may not be possessed by the devil, but they are influenced by evil to do things they know are wrong, he said.
"People have to give permission for their thoughts to go in the wrong direction, as Cho did. Reading about such things as what happened at Virginia Tech should make a Christian think, `Am I speaking and saying the things that encourage people to go in the right direction rather than in the wrong direction?'"
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Former Springfield university president: No way of knowing whether Virginia Tech killer was possessed by demons
McClatchy Newspapers, in an article published today, question whether Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung Hui may have been possessed by the devil. Various church leaders, including one with Springfield ties offered their opinions:
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5 comments:
My disregard for this article started with the phrase "Assemblies of God".
First, I am not a member of AOG, but I do have a question for the first poster: Is it the Assemblies of God that are wrong or is it just God?
Seems like the Salem Witch Trials and the Dark Ages get closer every day.
Randy, I hope this doesn't make you angry. I'm not against religion. I do oppose getting it legislated and forcefed.
Wow! Not against religion!?! No comment I saw said anything about legislating or forcefeeding religion. In fact, it wasn't even a "Christian" article. Talked about Judaism, Islam and Christian perspectives.
I'm gonna guess that the last charitable check you wrote was to the ACLU!
Why does the student have to be possessed by demons to commit such an act? Could he be one of those kids who just wasn't loved enough as a child, who was always picked last for the kickball team, or who did not take hold of his true self-worth and take pride in his existence and thankfulness that he had food to eat and clothes to wear. Our society's ungratefulness is growing and placing the cause on something outside of societal influence is detrimental to the whole.
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