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Demon

2007-05-17T18:55:56Z

FaithPlus1: /* Demons in fiction */

A demon is an supernatural immortal creature which is an enemy of [[God]]. Demons may also be refered to as 'devils,' with a lowercase initial letter to differentiate them from The Devil, a title for [[Satan]].

Demons are not to be confused with [[fallen angels]] or the [[Devil]], which are similar creatures but not wholly the same. A [[Succubus]] is an example of one kind of demon.

==Demons in the bible==

In places, God uses 'evil spirits' to serve His purposes. The precise nature of these spirits is unclear, but they may be classed as demons.
Judges 9:23, ''God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem''

1 Kings 22:23, ''...behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets...''

1 Samuel 16:14, ''But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.''

In the [[New Testament]], Jesus cures the illnesses of various people by casting possessing demons from them.

Matthew 4:24: ''...they brought unto him'' [Jesus] ''all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy...''

Matthew 8:16: ''When the even was come, they brought unto him'' [Jesus] ''many that were possessed with devils...''

Matthew 8:28-34: ''And when he'' [Jesus] ''was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce...''

These lists are incomplete: Demons, and 'evil' or 'unclean' spirits are mentioned at least fifty times in the new testament.

==Modern views of demons==

More liberal-leaning protestants tend to either ignore or explicitly reject the existence of demons. The Catholic Church still claims demons exist and actively try to corrupt humans into sinful behavior, but has reduced the significance of this element of doctrine and no longer performs exorcisms.

More conservative protestants, especially those of evangelical denomination, see demons as one side of the constant struggle between Good and Evil - an army of darkness under the command of Satan, the natural counterpart to the army of Light formed of angels and under command of God with humans, possessing free will, caught in the middle. In this view, demons are believed to operate in secret in order to corrupt and influence individual humans in order to ensure they turn away from Christ. For some examples of this, see the works of [[Jack Chick]].

==Demons in fiction==

Demons are, by definition, evil. This moral unambiguity makes them useful antagonists in TV series such as [[Chamed]], as the 'good guys' can kill demons without either moral dilemma or proof of guilt for any specific crime. This makes them superawesome God warriors.

Greco-Persian Wars

2007-05-17T18:25:33Z

FaithPlus1:

The '''Greco-Persian Wars''', also known as the '''Medic Wars''' (500 [[BCE]]-448 [[BCE]]) were a series of conflicts fought between the [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] [[Achaemenid Empire]] (in modern [[Iran]], led by [[Xerxes]]) and the Greek city-states (most notably [[Athens]] and [[Sparta]]). The war may be best known for the [[Battle of Thermopylae]], which has given birth to many cultural references even to this day.

==History==
===Roots===
The roots of the Greco-Persian Wars lie in 545 [[BCE]], when the Achaemenid Empire conquered and annexed Ionia. While none of the Greek city-states risked sending military units to defend Ionia, the Spartans did send a message to king [[Cyrus the Great]], warning him to stay away from mainland Greece. Upon hearing this message, Cyrus famously replied "Who are the Spartans?".

Cyrus did not heed the Spartan message. In 514 [[BCE]], the Persians conquered [[Thrace]] and [[Macedonia]], angering the Greeks. Ionia had been seen by Cyrus as a logical expansion of the Achaemenid Empire, though Ionia was culturally and tradionally connected to the other Greek-speaking lands around the [[Aegean Sea]].

===Eretria and Marathon===
By now, [[Darius I]] had taken control of Persia. In 499 [[BCE]], Ionia begins to rebel against Persian rule. As the Ionians and Persians fought, Athens covertly sent supplies to Ionia. The revolts were put down by 493 [[BCE]], and Cyrus set his sights on Athens. A Persian amphibious force of nearly 600 ships sailed towards [[Eretria]], easily sacking the city. The force then crossed to the mainland at [[Marathon]], a large, flat plain just north of [[Athens]].

At Marathon, one of the largest battles in [[Classical Antiquity]] took place. Nearly 11,000 Athenians held their own against some 20,000 Persians. After the victory, a Greek soldier by the name of [[Pheidippides]] ran nonstop from Marathon to Athens, to announce the miraculous victory (only 200 Greeks died in the entire battle). This was the inspiration for the marathon race.

===Thermopylae===
By 481 [[BCE]], A large Persian force (described as five million by [[Herodotus]], but estimates range from this figure to as low as 250,000, which is still a substantial size) had been assembled to march along the northern coast of the Aegean into Greece. This was disturbing to the Greek city states, who convened at the [[Isthmus of Corinth]] to discuss the threat caused by the Persians.
''Under Construction''[[The Battle of Thermopylae]]

[[Category:Wars]]

Xerxes

2007-05-17T18:22:07Z

FaithPlus1:

'''Xerxes''' was the King of [[Persia]] from 485 to 465 BCE. Xerxes was married to the [[Bible|Biblical]] Esther (Hadassah). Xerxes led the Persians in the [[Medic Wars]].

He was depicted in the 2007 film [[300]], as being approximately seven feet tall.
[[category:political people]]