Does the Devil Really Exist?
Dear Fr. Fortea, is the devil merely a symbol of evil, or does [the devil] really exist?
Demons are personal spiritual beings, as is the chief demon, the devil. Those Christians who deny the existence of demons and say that they are merely symbols of evil are heretics. Against this false belief stand the teachings of Christ, the teachings of the Bible, and the teachings of the Church (click here to see the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 391—395).
To learn more about spiritual warfare and demonology, Catholic Spiritual Direction recommends Father José Antonio Fortea’s excellent book, Interview With An Exorcist – An Insider’s Look at the Devil, Demonic Possession, and the Path to Deliverance.
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Father José Antonio Fortea Cucurull is a priest, exorcist and writer from Spain. He has published many books, some of which have been translated from Spanish into English, and has spoken at various venues in the United States.
To see many other posts on spiritual warfare and demonology, click on the following link to see all our posts in this series: Spiritual Warfare and Demonology Posts (and Their Links) on SpiritualDirection.com
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Art for this post on whether or not the devil really exists: Detail of Padre Fortea 2017, photographed by Elgatoconbotaselgatoconbotas, 5 May 2017 own work, CCA-SA 4.0 International, Wikimedia Commons. Cover of Interview with an Exorcist used with permission, all rights reserved. Feature image art: Modified enhanced detail of Temptation of Jesus (Inside St Benedict’s Catholic Church [also known as “Painted Church”), Father John Berchman Velghe, late 1800s, phtographed by T. Kean, 2 September 2012, own work, CCA-SA 3.0 Unported, Wikimedia Commons.
