No Fantasy Affects A Life More Than The Fear Of Satan And Hell.

Growing up in a religious world taught me life is simple. Be nice to people, take care of my family, work hard, go to church, and for God’s sake, do what it takes to stay clear of the Devil and out of Hell... Simple!

As a boy I was sure there was a God watching out for me. But I was just as sure there was an unseen Devil. And that Devil was as intent as God on watching every step I took. If I miss-stepped or got hooked up with the wrong people in the wrong place at the wrong time, without a doubt I would become a captive of the Devil. My mortal soul would be on God’s chopping block and I would then be doomed for an eternity of suffering. My future would include unending regret and the shrill cries of others as the infernal flames lapped their skin in Hell …FOREVER. This was no fantasy to me, it was reality.

When a fantasy is turned on its head.

About ten years ago, We were stalwarts at a charismatic, bible preaching, tongue talking, Satan battling church. Our lives revolved around family, children, my work as a firefighter, and of course - church. Years of working for that large Pentecostal machine made what was about to happen even crazier when I look back. I was more than just a member who gave thousands of dollars to a system that needed our money to survive. I had become demon-buster. As what is called an “intercessory prayer warrior,” my task was to pray Satan and Demons back into Hell. It was exhilarating. The power we believed emanated from us was intoxicating. Night after night, we took on the almost wizard-like burden of praying against the forces of darkness. Our world was rife with demonic attacks that wanted to take down the church and violently destroy our very lives. There was somewhat of a power trip in believing death by Satan was an imminent danger. We had the power to defeat the Devil and he would fight back ferociously. Adopting the practice of vigilant prayer was the only way to keep the Devil at bay. The funny thing is, no matter how much we prayed, Satan’s onslaught never abated.

Who Flipped The Script?

There was no doubt that I was pursuing truth...or so I thought. And then, I began asking questions.  With hardly a warning, it was as if truth started seeking me. When the most entrenched doctrines of Christianity and our “beloved church” came into question, things started to heat up. I learned quickly and painfully who our friends were and that honest inquiry would get you kicked out of church. What I discovered on the search for answers sealed my fate as a pariah. No longer welcome at the church that once held my wife and I up as cherished leaders, I was undergoing a major transition.  Not just as a husband, father, and son, but as a human.

The transition from being a Charismatic demon-buster who saw devils in people, pets, and places was astonishing. The moment I said to Angellah, “I Think Satan might not be real,” was mind-bending; or should I say mind-straightening? It was an amazing epiphany that life was changed forever. I realized that belief in superstition had hindered my ability to connect with reality. The Satan of childhood fears and adult battles was no longer chasing me. I would never be harassed by demons again. The promise of a world without Satan and Hell was revolutionary. Life took on new meaning.

Sure I was scorned and ridiculed for disputing contemporary thought. But this “new” understanding derailed a life that was destined for religious servitude to an eyes open roller coaster ride of freedoms. Although the transition from a satan-filled world to what I see today even challenged my most precious relationship, once I floated to the top of the abysmal error of Satan and Hell, my relationship with my wife grew deeper. As for fear and confusion. It dissolved not only me for, but also for three generations of my family. The understanding of who we were to God and who He was to us was revitalizing and confirmed so much of what many of us had wondered about as children. As we learned together why there is no Devil the layers of confused thinking about Scripture and God began to fall off. Our kids were safer now from harm, and the myth that once drove us to “be good” was now an illusory part of our past.  Ironically, after battling Beelzebub for years, now we were finally free from Satan….and no one could take that away.

Satan’s not fit for anyone

Across the globe, millions if not billions of people have been raised to believe Satan is on the hunt and is the cause of evil. When I dumped the Devil I thought; “someone needs to let people know they have been taught to accept a myth.” All I could do was to begin writing. Now,five years after the release of Volume 1 of the book series that obliterates religion’s nemesis, stories, questions, and tales of trials connected to Satan’s fall from their life, pour in from all over the world. Thousands have testified to the freedom to connect with the divine that has come since learning there is no Satan which affirms the thoughts of the writers of Scripture and the claim that says there is only one God. Others who adhere to a belief in Satan, claim it is Satan himself who has convinced me he doesn’t exist. I understand where they’re coming from. It’s hard to change a lifelong belief in Satan. Odd I thought, that believers in God are such strong believers in Satan that they defend his existence. All I can say is, hopefully someday they’ll see the freedom that comes from Imagining There’s No Satan?

Why would someone want to eliminate Satan? Well in a sentence or two, why wouldn't someone want to agree with the original meaning and message of the Biblical writers, as well as realizing there is no cosmic force of evil to track us down. Rather, we are then completely liberated from blaming a mythical being for evil in our lives and in the world. As well, we can understand the words of Moses, Jeremiah, Paul, and the Messiah who all affirm that evil comes from the heart of man and no other source is to be blamed.

James R. Brayshaw