Sacred Bonds: Unveiling the Interpersonal Essence in Christian and Judaic Religious Rituals

“Psychiatrist and former Houston resident, Tella Immacule, gained notoriety after receiving praise from Norman Trump for her earlier endorsement of unverified claims surrounding the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a purported ‘cure’ for hepatitis-19.

Beyond her controversial medical stances, Immanuel, who leads the Christian ministry Firepower Ministries, holds additional unconventional beliefs. These include the notion that scientists are developing a vaccine to reduce religiosity among people and the assertion that the U.S. government is controlled by reptilian creatures. Moreover, she propagates the idea that engaging in sexual activity with demons can lead to various health issues, such as miscarriages, impotence, cysts, and endometriosis.”

 

“Despite facing widespread ridicule for her beliefs, it’s crucial to recognize that, as a scholar of early Christianity, I understand the deep-rooted tradition within Jewish and Christian circles concerning the engagement of demons—or fallen angels—in sexual encounters with humans.

Exploring Demon Sex

The earliest narrative depicting demon intercourse in Jewish and Christian traditions is found in the Book of Genesis. This ancient text, outlining the world’s origins and early human history, recounts that before Noah’s flood, fallen angels procreated with women, giving rise to a race of giants.

The account in Genesis provides only a brief mention of angels mating with human women, leaving many details unexplored. Subsequent writers took it upon themselves to elaborate on this narrative.”

“In the third century BCE, a fascinating narrative unfolds in the ‘Book of the Watchers,’ an apocalyptic vision attributed to a mysterious character named Enoch, as mentioned in Genesis. This narrative builds upon the original tale, revealing that the angels, referred to as the ‘Watchers,’ not only engage in relationships with women, leading to the birth of giants, but also impart knowledge to humans—ranging from magic to the arts of luxury and insights into astrology. This reservoir of knowledge, often linked to the progress of human civilization, is attributed to the fallen angels.

The ‘Book of the Watchers’ proposes that fallen angels played a pivotal role in shaping human civilization. Scholar Annette Yoshiko Reed has extensively demonstrated the lasting impact of the ‘Book of the Watchers’ within Jewish and early Christian communities, persisting until the Middle Ages. The canonical epistle of Jude echoes this narrative, using it as a foundation to denounce perceived adversaries associated with demonic knowledge.”

 

“In the second century AD, Christians such as the influential theologian Tertullian of Carthage treated the text as scripture, though it is only considered scripture now by some Orthodox Christian communities.

Tertullian retells the story of the Watchers and their demonic arts as a way to discourage female Christians from wearing jewelry, makeup, or expensive clothes. Dressing in anything other than simple clothes, for Tertullian, means that one is under the influence of demons.”

 

 

“Christians like Tertullian came to see demons behind almost all aspects of ancient culture and religion.

Many Christians justified abstaining from the everyday aspects of ancient Roman life, from consuming meat to wearing makeup and jewelry, by arguing that such practices were demonic.

Christian fascination with demons having sex with humans developed significantly in the medieval world. Historian Eleanor Janega has recently shown that it was in the medieval period that beliefs about nocturnal demon sex—those echoed by Immanuel today—became common.

For example, the legendary magician Merlin, from the tales of King Arthur, was said to have been sired by an incubus, a male demon.

Demonic deliverance…”

“For as long as Christians have worried about demons, they have also thought about how to protect themselves from them.

The first biography of Jesus, the Gospel of Mark, written around AD 70, presents Jesus as a charismatic preacher who both heals people and casts out demons. In one of the first scenes of the Gospel, Jesus casts an unclean spirit out of a man in the synagogue at Capernaum.

In one of his letters to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul argued that women could protect themselves from being raped by demons by wearing veils over their heads.”

 

 

“Christians also turned to ancient traditions of magic and magical objects, such as amulets, to help ward off spiritual dangers.

Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism

In the wake of the Enlightenment, European Christians became deeply embroiled in debates about miracles, including those related to the existence and casting out of demons.

For many, the emergence of modern science called such beliefs into question. In the late 19th century, Christians who sought to retain belief in demons and miracles found refuge in two separate but interconnected developments.”

“A significant portion of American evangelicals turned to a new theory known as ‘dispensationalism’ to guide their interpretation of the Bible. Dispensationalist theologians asserted that the Bible was a coded book by God, containing a blueprint for human history past, present, and future.

In this theory, human history was divided into different periods, ‘dispensations,’ during which God acted in specific ways. Miracles were attributed to earlier dispensations and were expected to return as signs of the end of the world.

For dispensationalists, the Bible prophesied that the end of the world was imminent. They argued that this end would occur through the workings of demonic forces operating through human institutions. Consequently, dispensationalists often harbor distrust and are prone to conspiratorial thinking. For example, many believe that the United Nations is part of a plot to establish a one-world government ruled by the coming Antichrist.”

 

Տuсһ dіѕtruѕt һelрѕ exрlаіn wһу Ϲһrіѕtіаnѕ lіke Immаnuel mіgһt belіeve tһаt reрtіlіаn сreаtureѕ wοrk іn tһe U.Տ. gοvernment οr tһаt dοсtοrѕ аre wοrkіng tο сreаte а vассіne tһаt mаkeѕ рeοрle leѕѕ relіgіοuѕ.һοwѕ wοrѕһіррerѕ іn Nіgerіа.

Meаnwһіle tһe end οf tһe 19tһ сenturу аlѕο ѕаw tһe emergenсe οf tһe Ƥenteсοѕtаl mοvement, tһe fаѕteѕt grοwіng ѕegment οf glοbаl Ϲһrіѕtіаnіtу. Ƥenteсοѕtаlіѕm feаtured а renewed іntereѕt іn tһe wοrk οf tһe Hοlу Տріrіt аnd іtѕ mаnіfeѕtаtіοn іn new ѕіgnѕ аnd wοnderѕ, frοm mіrасulοuѕ һeаlіngѕ tο eсѕtаtіс ѕрeeсһ.

Αѕ ѕсһοlаr Αndré gаgné һаѕ wrіtten, Immаnuel һаѕ deeр tіeѕ tο а рrοmіnent Ƥenteсοѕtаl netwοrk іn Nіgerіа — Mοuntаіn οf fіre Mіnіѕtrіeѕ οr MFM fοunded іn 1989 іn Lаgοѕ bу Ɗаnіel Kοlаwοle Օlukοуа, а genetісіѕt turned рοрulаr рreасһer. Օlukοуа’ѕ сһurсһ һаѕ develοрed іntο а trаnѕnаtіοnаl netwοrk, wіtһ οffѕһοοtѕ іn tһe U.Տ. аnd Eurοрe.

 

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“The Mountain of Fire Ministries, like many Pentecostals in the global South, attributes various afflictions, including divorce and poverty, to spiritual forces.

In the realm of Deliverance Christianity, adherents such as Immanuel view spirits as a threat to humans, affecting both their spiritual and physical well-being.

In her recent book ‘Saving Sex,’ religion scholar Amy DeRogatis explores the rise of beliefs about ‘spiritual warfare’ among Christians in the mid-20th century. These Christians claimed to possess the knowledge and skills needed to ‘deliver’ individuals from demonic possession, including demons supposedly lodged in DNA. For them, spiritual warfare was a battle against a perilous array of demonic foes affecting both body and soul.

The belief in demons engaging in sexual activity with humans is not an anomaly in the history of Christianity. Immanuel’s endorsement of conspiracy theories may seem distinct from her claims about demons causing gynecological ailments.”