Read Julian Jaynes "
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" and you will begin to understand that ancient cultures didn't just believe in their gods and goddesses...their idols weren't just little clay figurines.
These idols...these clay figurines spoke...their worshipers heard their voices distinctly...and acted on them.
Rather than expound on this matter, I point you to the link I have provided.
You are absolutely correct. I had a conversation with a College professor (PhD) who was also a Christian. Because of his education and background, he had been present at may "Deliveries" from evil - another word for exorcism of demonic possession.
His stories were hair curling. He also said that in his research of ancient cultures that worshipped idols, the idols were empowered by Satan and given speech and clairvoyance in many cases - that is why people worshipped them (and by default, ended up worshipping Lucifer).
I would advise anyone who is confronted by such evil as the chanting mob giving homage to the Evil One to quote a verse of Holy Scripture. Even if it is one verse in the course of your discourse with them.
God's Word is alive, and powerful.
The name of Jesus Christ is especially powerful, and His name is authority that the demons must obey (although they can and may fight you tooth and nail about it, literally).
I highly recommend this book, about five 20th Century cases of possession.
Before, during, and after reading it, I also recommend prayer. For when you gain a working knowledge of the workings of demons, I can attest that they don't like this one bit. You are reading their battle plan, and that exposes them. If you are saved by Christ, you have His protection, however, frequent prayer or reading of Scripture is a supernatural (via God) form of fumigating the stench of evil from your presence.
Psalm 91 is perhaps my favorite chapter of Scripture to ward off and attack evil and demonic forces.
The entire Psalm (read aloud) in any situation of dwelling where evil is present is incredibly powerful (as is all Scripture).
If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
I was trying to think of the title of that book! Thank you!
Interesting stuff that made me think about the potential power of demons through the mechanism of brain chemistry. The idols and chanting were used to put people into a trance, under which they heard the voices like a schizophrenic today hears voices.
The night of his acceptance speech at the 2008 DNC Convention in Denver, Obama was taken/carried into a back room, practically collapsed and totally out of it. Kam Kuwata, the organizer of the event, had just greeted him shortly before and said everybody was cleared out of the way and Obama was taken into a back, locked room from whence Kuwata heard chanting. When Obama emerged he was blinking constantly and energetic. He did not recognize Kuwata. Sounds like drugs and/or hypnosis were used on Obama. I wondered what would be the purpose of the chanting if they gave him drugs.
We can’t ask Kam Kuwata; he is dead. He privately told others about what he saw and heard and supported the person running against Obama’s pick for CA AG (Kamala Harris) - and shortly after the election he was found dead in his apartment. Kamala Harris didn’t order an investigation and claimed he died of jetlag.
Our warfare truly isn’t against flesh and blood, but against “the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph 6:12)