El estado actual de la cuestión
1. La teoría disposicional de Bigelow y Pargetter
Astral Projection
Astral projection is the belief that a person can learn to fall into a type of meditative sleep that allows his or her soul to leave their body and travel in a spiritual plane of existence. The ancient church taught this phenomenon was simply a vision given to the person by a demon tricking them into believing they had actually left their body. The practitioner will eventually be led by the demonic visions to conclude that Christianity is false. The ancient church taught when the soul actually leaves the body, the body dies.
Tertullian, 190-210 AD
Against Marcion 2.8 – Man has an immortal soul coming from God, but it [the soul] is not God.
Treatise of the Soul 1.5 – When the soul leaves the body, the body dies.
Origen, AD 230
Against Celsus 3:31 – [Astral projection] is but a trick of demons, it is not possible for the soul to leave the body without the flesh dying.
Lactantius, 285 AD
Divine Institutes 2.13 – After death we have immortality or suffering of eternal pain. Animals just dissolve at death. Physical death is separation of body and soul.
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Evolution
Evolution
Many of the ancient fathers mentioned they believed in Creation occurring in only six literal days. The ancient pagans have always taught evolution, along with reincarnation. Their idea was that we are evolving into gods. Some of the ancient church fathers recorded the pagan idea of evolution and compared it to the Bible.
Origen AD 225
Of First Principles 2.4 – I cannot understand how so many distinguished men have been of the opinion that matter...was uncreated. That is, it was not formed by God Himself, who is the Creator of all things. Rather, they say that its nature and power were the result of chance.
Origen AD 248
Against Celsus 1.19 – Celsus [a pagan] harbors a secret desire to discredit the Mosaic account of the Creation. It [Genesis] teaches that the world is not yet even ten thousand years old; but, in fact, [Celsus teaches] it is very much older than that.
Methodius AD 290
Ten Virgins 3.2 – It is dangerous to wholly disdain the literal meaning...particularly of Genesis, where the unchangeable decrees of God for the constitution of the universe are set forth.
Lactantius AD 310
Divine Institutes 2.9 – I cannot omit here that some erring philosophers say that men and the other animals arose from the earth without any maker.
Lactantius AD 310
Divine Institutes 6.10 – Some [unbelievers] say that the first men spent a nomadic life among the woods and plains. Men were not united by any mutual bond of speech or justice. They had leaves and grass for their beds, and they used caves and grottos for their dwellings... These things are by no means true. Men did not spring from the ground... Rather, one man was formed by God. And from that one man the whole earth was filled with the human race. There were never men on earth who could not speak.
Lactantius AD 310
Divine Institutes 7.14 – God completed the world and this admirable work of nature in the space of six days, as is contained in the secrets of Holy Scripture.
The Flood
The ancient church taught a seven-day Creation occurred approximately 4,000 BC. They also believed Noah’s flood was a literal event. The chaotic array left by the Flood’s massive destruction could cause some to conclude the pagan idea of evolution had occurred. But looking at the evidence, fossils of fish found on mountain tops, for example, would be more than enough proof for a world-wide flood.
Tertullian AD 200
On Pallium 2 – There was a time when the whole globe underwent a change, because it was
overrun by all waters. To this day, marine shells and tritons’ horns lay as foreign objects on the mountains.
Lactantius AD 313
Divine Institutes 2.11 – It is agreed by all that the deluge took place for the destruction of wickedness and for its removal from the earth. Now philosophers, poets, and writers of ancient history all assert the same...But it is plain that they have corrupted this, too, as they did the former account. For they were ignorant of both the date of the flood on the earth and who it was who deserved to be saved.
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Paganism
Ghosts
Ghosts
Paganism teaches that ghosts are the spirits of humans that may walk about the earth and haunt buildings, places, and people. The Bible says Christians go to be “with the Lord” at death and non-Christians immediately wake up in Hades. Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen, and Clement of Alexandria taught there might be real ghosts, but in their experience ghosts were always demonic. The rest of the ancient church fathers taught every appearance of a ghost had to be a demon impersonating a dead loved one. But all of the ancient church fathers taught that a Christian may test a ghost by commanding minds by the power of the angels and demons whose aid they have invited, by whose influence, too, goats and tables (ancient Ouija boards) are made to divine, how much more likely is this power of evil... The wicked spirit, bidden to speak by a follower of Christ, will as readily make the truthful confession that he is a demon.
Treatise of the Soul 1.57 – Magic and sorcery only seem to raise the dead. Only God can really raise the dead. The medium of Endor could not have raised Samuel; it was a trick of her demon. his chief cares to extinguish the very truth which we are proclaiming: that men may not readily believe that all souls remove to Hades, and that they may overthrow faith in the resurrection and
Against Celsus 3:36 – All angels, demons, and other unseen powers are subject to the name of Jesus.
Against Celsus 7:4 – Every Christian, even new ones, have no problem casting out demons.
Against Celsus 7:5 – Some ghosts may remain on earth, some may be able to prophesy, and some may be good or evil.
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Islam
Islam
It is interesting to note the ancient Arabians were pagans before the coming of Mohammad. The ancient church fathers testify to what some of those pagan customs were. Today, they are still practices in the false religion of Islam.
Tertullian, AD 207
Veiling of Virgins 17 – The pagan females of Arabia… not only veil their heads but their faces as well.
Arnobius, AD 305
Against the Heathen 6.11 – You laugh because in the ancient times the Persians worshiped rivers…
and the Arabians, an unshaped stone.
Islam teaches Jesus did not suffer and die on the cross, someone else took His place.
Ignatius, AD 90
Trallians 10 – Only the unsaved would teach Jesus only seemed to suffer.
Smyraeans 2 – Unbelievers say Jesus only seemed to suffer and seemed to resurrect.
Polycarp, AD 65-100
Philippians 7 – For whosoever does not confess the testimony of the cross, is of the devil.
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Paganism