Are Demons Evil?
When you think of demons, you think of "evil spirits", but are demons really evil? Or just misunderstood? In this article, I'll be exploring the moral function of demons Abrahamic religions and Western culture. I'll be excluding demons from other cultures, as they are thought of differently, and are outside the realm of my current research.
The Origin of (Some) Demons
The word "demon" comes from the ancient Greek word "daemon" which broadly means a deity, or sometimes a sort of personal spirit guide like seen in The Golden Compass books. Writers of the New Testament decided to use this word to represent an evil or unclean spirit, so it's no surprise that many demons from Christian mythology are gods from rival cultures. Some of these demons are taken directly from other cultures, such as Moloch, Abracas, Chemosh and Beelzebub, and others have evolved over time, changing names and natures.
Moloch is originally a Canaanite deity, known for child sacrifice
Abracas is the Gnostic deity Abraxas who's often depicted on amulets
Beelzebub, or Baal-zebub, was a false god of the Philistines, later fashioned into a prince of hell
Taken out of the worldview that the god of the Christian religion is "the one true god", this demonization was a tool to convert followers to Christianity and discredit other cultures. The defining aspect of these spirits is not that they were evil, but that they were simply not Christian.
Helpful Demons and Rebel Spirits
But while many demons in Christianity are described as fearsome and violent, many others are known to be friendly, helpful, and eager to teach humans medicine, science, and even ethics. Examples of demons like these are Foras, Buer, Morax, and Stolas. If these spirits are inherently evil, why are some described with no negative qualities? Is it because these descriptions are from Grimoires that were written for the purpose of sorcerers to call on demons to do their bidding? Or does it say something about the inherent nature of demons even within the confines of the Christian worldview?
Foras can make you smarter, find hidden treasure, and teaches ethics. Seems like a stand-up guy to me!
Buer looks a bit unsettling, but he's mostly known for moral philosophy and which herbs can be used in medicine
Stolas can teach you about precious stones, and he's so dang cute, how could he be evil?
In own research, I've found that the most defining feature of demons is that they are "rebel spirits" who refuse to obey the Christian God. Many were former angels, who actively rebelled against God's kingdom with Satan, and the others—perhaps they just don't like being told what to do.
Demons as an Aspect of the Divine
I know, I know. I literally just told you that demons are rebel spirits. If that's the case, how could they be an aspect of the divine? Well, we are going to step outside Christianity now and talk about Jewish demons, and explore the paradoxical Archangel Samael, the closest figure that Judaism has to Satan.
Samael is an interesting figure, he's often considered a fallen angel, but he remains a servant of God, carrying out grim tasks under his instruction such as acting as The Angel of Death and incurring his divine wrath of death and destruction. But he also defies God, by trying to prevent Abraham from sacrificing his child, and celebrating the death of Moses. With his conflicting actions he's also earned the conflicting titles of "Venom of God", "Prince of the Devils" and "The Great Prince in Heaven." Perhaps rebelling while serving isn't so strange, and he can be thought of as a sort of disgruntled employee who is too valuable to let go.
Or, if we look at it through the lens Kabbalah, the tradition of Jewish Mysticism, everything in existence is an aspect of God: holy and unholy are two sides of the same.
Samael wresting with Jacob
Devil on the Shoulder
Everyone is familiar with the image of a cartoon devil and angel on one's shoulders. These figures are meant to represent one's conflicting urges and thoughts, and like how Samael is an aspect of the divine being, the devil on our shoulder is a part of us. The devil on the shoulder is defined by opposition, and inner conflict. But human beings are more complicated than cartoons who have just one devil and just one angel on their shoulders. If you are like me, you have an army of spirits of different affiliations who come to battle it out in your mind. And when the battle gets intense, it can sometimes be hard to tell which spirit is on which side. Is an urge to commit violence always coming from a devil? Or, in certain extreme circumstances, can it be coming from an angel?
At the very least, we can say that demons are defined by opposition. And whether they're evil or not, well that depends on you.