Regarding the Hydroxychloroquine Doctor, Stella Immanuel: The belief that demons have sex with humans runs deep in Christian and Jewish traditions

The Conversation via Yahoo News ^ | 08/12/2020 | Cavan W. Concannon, Associate Professor of Religion, University of Southern California

[SeekAndFind]

Houston physician and pastor Stella Immanuel – described as “spectacular” by Donald Trump for her promotion of unsubstantiated claims about anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a “cure” for COVID-19 – has some other, very unconventional views.

As well as believing that scientists are working on a vaccine to make people less religious and that the U.S. government is run by reptilian creatures, Immanuel, the leader of a Christian ministry called Fire Power Ministries, also believes sex with demons causes miscarriages, impotence, cysts and endometriosis, among other maladies.

It has opened her up to much ridicule. But, as a scholar of early Christianity, I am aware that the belief that demons – or fallen angels – regularly have sex with humans runs deep in the Jewish and Christian traditions.

The earliest account of demon sex in Jewish and Christian traditions comes from the Book of Genesis, which details the origins of the world and the early history of humanity. Genesis says that, prior to the flood of Noah, fallen angels mated with women to produce a race of giants.

The brief mention of angels breeding with human women contains few details. It was left to later writers to fill in the gaps.

In the third century B.C., the “Book of the Watchers,” an apocalyptic vision written in the name of a mysterious character named Enoch mentioned in Genesis, expanded on this intriguing tale. In this version, the angels, or the “Watchers,” not only have sex with women and birth giants, but also teach humans magic, the arts of luxury and knowledge of astrology. This knowledge is commonly associated in the ancient world with the advancement of human civilization.

The “Book of the Watchers” suggests that fallen angels are the source of human civilization.

[Fai Mao]

I,m suggesting nothing of the kind. I am not impugning her as a doctor. But, some of her religious ideas are far from orthodox in any sense of the word.

[proud American in Canada]

My prayers are with you, FRiend.