In the course of the history of man there have been many myths and interestingly one of the myths is that of the cambion. Throughout the nineteenth century and earlier there was a belief that demons can bear children with physical women and their offspring was called a cambion. In the writings of Victor Hugo's (1874) Toilers of the Sea this cambion is described as the son of a woman and the devil. Fasting forward to today the same cambion is seen in movies such as Hell Boy. However the thought does not stop there, it is found in the new age pentecostal protestant churches where some pastors cite the nephilim in genesis as the children of man and the devil.
In this post I will use biblical and traditional sources to correct this theory which seek to render God powerless. This post will discuss the Creator first, then creation and finally refute the notion that demons and man can procreate.
If at anytime one finds themselve giving the power of creation to angels, demons or man they should know that they are blaspheming and usurping power from God the creator of all things visible and invisible. In that way you would have established new gods equal to the creator. Therefore one should becareful of shutting their ears to the call in Deutronomy 6, 4. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God is one" : (KJV).
God is the only one who creates from nothing. Genesis Chapter 1, vs 1.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". This first chapter of the Bible clearly outlines the story of creation and it also plainly tells us who this creator of life is and what this creator used to fashion the world and man. He created everything from nothing. In this first chapter of the Bible all our questions about creation are answered.
In the Apostles' Creed the first followers of our Lord Jesus Christ professed that God is the creator of heavens and earth and this is what the early Church believed. Subsequently at Nicea the church fathers re-affirmed the teaching of the Christian faith adding that God is the creator of all that is, seen and unseen (Nicene Creed). This is inline with the letter of St Paul to the Colossians chapter 1, 16-17.
The Apostle tells the Colossians that all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, thrones, dominions, powers and principalities were created through Jesus Christ our Lord.
As we read further into the verses and chapters of the book of Genesis we see in genesis 1 verse 26 God creating man in his image. Imago Dei it is called. He gave man dominion over all other creatures. Because we are in his image we are only given dominion over other creatures but not the power of creating from nothing. God is not in our image as outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic church. The book of genesis tells us that God used the earth to fashion man and when he breathed his life giving spirit man became a living soul. In the same way when a sperm fuses with the ovum God breathes his life giving spirit and at that moment the embryo becomes a human soul. This is important because man is created in the image of God and that image is not physical but spiritual.
Creation of the human soul is spontaneous. This is a Christian teaching and it is consistent with the teachings on creation in the first chapters of genesis. It is the same teaching Christians use when refuting abortion and use of contraceptives. Therefore if life begins when God breathes life into the sperm and ovum union then who gives life to the man and demon Union. Is this not blasphemy that God allows demons and man to procreate? Because it is only God who gives and authors life.
It is God who blesses and instructs man to procreate and subdue the earth. Therefore the creation of the human soul is important in this discussion because we ought to know what a human being is composed of and what Imago Dei means. When we understand that the human soul is composed of the life giving spirit of God and soil we should be able to understand that no angel or man or demon can create a human soul. It follows then, on this note that the psalmist In Psalm 148, 2-5 should be taken into consideration as he includes Angels and God's armies as God's creatures that came to be through his command. If angels, demons and man are creatures then they cannot create life or a human soul.
The verses above can assist in the interpretation of the sons of God in the bible (Genesis chapter 6) which some people use to suggest that Angels and demons can have children with man.
In the same way one may argue that man can manipulate or swap parts of the body like in gender alignment. When man manipulate embryos and do gender alignments therefore in that case man can create their own thing. I answer that, man can only touch what is physical but not the spirit the invisible human spirit is only created by God and man or demon have no power in that.
Furthermore others argue that the devil can manipulate things therefore can create after God. The good Saint, Augustine several times speaks of the devil as a manipulator of things, however Augustine reiterates that the devil's manipulation is just a phantom and since he is a deceiver man will see just a mirage. Aquinas the great Western Christian philosopher also argues that the devil cannot change the limb of man to that of a beast. The reason why demons and man cannot create anything is that they are creatures.
Where then does man's power to do things come from? King Solomon answers this in Wisdom 7, 17-22
"It is he who gave me unerring knowledge of what exists, to know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements. . . for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me."
Definition of terms: In this article wherever there is the word Christian, it refers to Catholics.
About the photo: the Artist is a Graffiti artist and is unknown. When the photo was taken the camera cut off the signature. It was taken in London.
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