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The Spirits' Book > BOOK TWO—THE SPIRIT WORLD > CHAPTER IX—INTERVENTION OF SPIRITS ON THE PHYSICAL WORLD > The Possessed > 480
480. What should we think of the instruction to cast out devils, as mentioned in the Gospels?
“That depends on the meaning you attach to the word devil. If you mean a bad spirit who overpowers a human being, it is obvious that it will be driven away when the person being obsessed destroys its infuence. If you attribute an illness to the devil, you may say that you have driven the devil away when you have healed your sickness. A statement may be true or false, depending on the meaning attributed to certain words. The most important truths may seem ridiculous when you only consider them in the form in which they are presented, and when a metaphor is taken literally. Understand this well, and remember it, for it is of general application.”
“That depends on the meaning you attach to the word devil. If you mean a bad spirit who overpowers a human being, it is obvious that it will be driven away when the person being obsessed destroys its infuence. If you attribute an illness to the devil, you may say that you have driven the devil away when you have healed your sickness. A statement may be true or false, depending on the meaning attributed to certain words. The most important truths may seem ridiculous when you only consider them in the form in which they are presented, and when a metaphor is taken literally. Understand this well, and remember it, for it is of general application.”