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Oct 5, 2023Liked by Judson Carroll

Growing up I had a Protestant mother and Catholic father. Plus I lived across the street from the Methodist and the Baptist Parsonages. Thus I was exposed to both sides in much depth. It always amazed me that the Protestants didn't hardly mention devils and demons. Sin was due to our own badness and weakness, totally our own fault. All temptation came from our own mind and heart. There is truth in this, of course, but it seems satan wasn't really around or a problem. In fact if one gave any blame to satan they were just not facing their own evilness.

My Dad's family recognized that folks had to share the blame of sinning, but that they also believed we are confronted by evil forces "seeking someone to devour" as the letter of Peter in the Bible tells us. I remember being in bed one night when I actually saw an angel of darkness trying to torment me. I called my grandmother who grabbed a crucifix and Holy Water and facing the evil one commanded him away in Jesus name. It immediately disappeared. Only after that did my grandmother hold me in her arms to comfort me. She took this seriously! I never met a Protestant who did. This was in the 1950's.

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I think you should write more on this topic!

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I was surprised to read of Protestant denominations that don’t believe in demons! I’ve always been an evangelical so this is new to me.

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Some do - it is more the "mainline" Presbyterians, Methodists, etc. in my experience who don't.

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No kidding! That’s got to be a modern thing...I have never known an orthodox Christian who didn’t believe in spiritual warfare

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Well, I went to a Presbyterian college and was a Methodist youth minister before my conversion. Such things were definitely not discussed and if someone did bring them up, people basically looked down on them as either crazy or dumb/superstitious. It was somewhat the same at the Southern Baptist university I attended later... kind of like such things were just not discussed. Of course most of my Presbyterian profs didn't even believe in the devil or much of anything actually in the Bible... they were basically Marxists who used "social justice" to justify liberal politics.

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Thank you, Judson! My daughter and my son, Jenny and David DuBay are the writers in the family. I wouldn't know how to begin?

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There are many Protestants who believe in healing miracles and deliverance: Pentecostals( Assembly of God), non- denominational, The Vineyard churches, and many Charismatic Episcopalians, Methodists, and Presbyterians, to name a few.

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Yes, some. As I answered to another comment, I attended a Presbyterian college, was a Methodist Youth minister and went to a Southern Baptist university before converting to Catholicism. At all, but especially the Presbyterian, such beliefs were considered to be somewhat backward, old fashioned and superstitious. I would not consider Pentecostals or several of the others you mentioned to be mainline Protestant denominations, and yes their doctrine is different.

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Boy, Luther did a great service the church created by His Boss, lour King Jesus. Look we we have now, 40000 so call " Religions"? For 1500 years we had Two, Jew and Roman Catholic,right? Look now! Does the Protestants ever look back and see that they're on the. wrong Sid of the road?

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Is there a strong alignment to more progressive theology/a departure from a historical view?

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Yes, I think that would be accurate. Communists really took over the Presbyterian colleges in NC in the 60s/70s

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