What Is a Demon?

What Is a Demon?

When Entertainment Introduces Our Children to Spiritual Things For ages 5-7

Sometimes a subject enters our children’s world before we ever intended to introduce it.

A film. A series. A game. A character everyone at school seems to know.

And suddenly a child is asking:

“What is a demon?”

That is where we found ourselves recently.

Some of our grandchildren had become interested in a film series about demon hunters, and it made me stop and think.

If entertainment is going to introduce our children to words and ideas that actually have a biblical meaning, then surely we should make certain that entertainment is not the one teaching them what those things mean.

Movies can turn demons into funny characters, misunderstood creatures, powerful warriors, companions, heroes, or simply imaginary monsters.

But Scripture does not present them that way.

And yet, especially with young children, I do not believe the answer is to frighten them with the spiritual world either.

Children do not need graphic stories about darkness.

They need truth. They need wisdom. And, above everything else, they need to know who Jesus is.

There is a very important difference between teaching a child that evil is real and teaching a child to be afraid of evil.

The Bible acknowledges the reality of spiritual darkness, but it never asks God’s children to become fascinated with it.

Again and again, Scripture turns our attention toward God.

Toward truth.

Toward light.

Toward prayer.

Toward faith.

Toward Jesus.

So when our children begin asking questions about demons, spirits, magic, darkness, or supernatural powers, perhaps we should not immediately silence the conversation.

Perhaps that question is actually an opportunity. An opportunity to say: “The movie makes demons into characters for a story. But demons in the Bible aren’t funny fantasy creatures or superheroes. So we don’t want movies to be the place where we learn what spiritual things mean. We learn that from God’s Word.”

And then we can open the Bible together.

The way we explain this to a five-year-old will naturally be different from the way we explain it to an eleven-year-old.

So below are two simple explanations: one for our youngest children, and another for children who are old enough to understand a little more.

Neither is intended to make darkness interesting.

Quite the opposite.

They are intended to help children understand enough truth that darkness loses its fascination — because they know the One who is Light.

God made angels.

Angels were made to love God, obey Him, and serve Him.

But some angels chose not to obey God. They chose to follow Satan instead.

The Bible calls these evil spirits demons.

Demons do not belong to God, and they do not teach us what is good and true. They are against God and against the things God loves.

That is why, as followers of Jesus, we don’t make demons into heroes, funny friends, or characters we want to copy.

Movies sometimes make demons into characters for a story. But demons in the Bible are not funny fantasy creatures or superheroes.

So we do not want movies to be the place where we learn what spiritual things mean.

We learn that from God’s Word.

But we also do not have to be afraid of demons.

Jesus is much greater and more powerful. When Jesus met evil spirits in the Bible, they had to obey Him. So when we see movies, games, or stories that make demons look exciting, cool, friendly, or powerful, we remember:

“That is pretend. The Bible teaches us something different.”

We belong to Jesus. We fill our minds with things that are good, true, beautiful, and pleasing to God. And Jesus is always the One we want to follow.

A little sentence to remember

Demons are evil spirits that chose against God. We do not follow them or play with darkness. We learn about spiritual things from God’s Word. We follow Jesus, because Jesus is Lord.

Keep Their Eyes on the Light

Perhaps the most important thing we can teach our children about darkness is that darkness is not the centre of the story.

Jesus is. We do not need to raise children who know everything there is to know about demons.

We want to raise children who know Jesus.

Children who know His voice.

Children who know His Word.

Children who understand that not everything presented as harmless entertainment is necessarily something we should invite into our minds and hearts.

And children who also know that they never need to live afraid.

There is a great difference between fear and discernment.

Fear says:

“What if something evil gets me?”

Discernment says:

“I belong to Jesus, so I can choose what I allow into my heart and mind.”

That is what I want our children to learn.

Not fear of darkness.

But love for the Light.

Not fascination with evil.

But fascination with Jesus.

Not a childhood filled with anxiety about spiritual things.

But a childhood in which they know where to go when something confuses them:

to Mum and Dad, to trusted believers, and most importantly, to the Word of God.

There will always be another film, another game, another trend, another character, another story.

We cannot possibly stand beside our children every moment of their lives and remove everything questionable before they encounter it.

But we can give them something far more valuable.

We can teach them how to discern.

We can teach them to ask:

Is this true?

Does this agree with God’s Word?

What is this teaching me to admire?

Is it making something God calls darkness look attractive or harmless?

Would this help me keep my thoughts on what is good, pure, lovely, and true?

And perhaps, as they grow older, those questions will become part of the way they naturally walk with God.

Philippians 4:8 gives us such a beautiful guide:

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable… think about such things.”

And Jesus Himself gives us the safest place to finish:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”John 8:12

That is what I want our children to remember long after they have forgotten the name of the movie.

We do not have to study darkness in order to recognize the Light.

We learn God’s Word.

We stay close to Jesus.

We teach our children to recognise His truth.

And when the world makes darkness look fascinating, powerful, beautiful, funny, or harmless, we gently turn their little faces back toward Him.

Because ultimately this is not a lesson about demons.

It is a lesson about knowing Jesus well enough to recognize what does not belong to Him.

Jesus & Mimi 🦋