By Frank & Ida Mae Hammond
Table Of Contents:
Foreword
1. Pigs In The Parlor
2. Our Spiritual Enemy
3. Fight The Good Fight
4. The Value Of Deliverance
5. How Demons Enter
6. 7 Ways To Determine The Need For Deliverance
7. 7 Steps To Deliverance
8. 7 Steps For Retaining Deliverance
9. Filling The House
10. Demon Manifestations
11. Deliverance: Individual & Group; Private & Public
12. Self-Deliverance
13. Intercessory Prayer Warfare
14. Ministry To Children
15. Binding And Loosing
16. Pros And Cons On Tips And Methods
17. The Deliverance Team
18. Should I Be A Deliverance Minister?
19. Practical Suggestions For Deliverance Ministers
20. Demon Groupings
21. Schizophrenia
22. Facing Issues And Questions
23. The Final Conflict
Chapter 5 How Demons Enter
Demons are evil personalities. They are spirit beings.
They are the enemies of God and man. Their objectives
in human beings are to tempt, deceive, accuse,
condemn, pressure, defile, resist, oppose, control, steal,
afflict, kill and destroy.
Demons enter through “open doors”. They have to be
given an opportunity. There must be an opening. In
other words, one does not pick up a demon by walking
down the street and accidentally bumping into one that
is looking for a “home”.
The organization of Satan’s kingdom enables him to
attack each one of us personally. There is not a person
on the face of the earth who escapes his notice. He
devises a plan to ruin and destroy each one. It is a
sobering realization that you and I are definite targets
of Satan’s wiles. But how does he gain entrance?
Sin
The door for demons to enter may be opened by oneself
through sins of omission and commission. In the fifth
chapter of Acts we read of a couple named Ananias and
Sapphira. They sold their property that they might give
the full proceeds for the benefit of the church. But they
became covetous and decided to keep part of the money
for themselves. In order to cover up their act they
perpetrated a lie. But Peter received a supernatural
word of knowledge as to what they had done. Peter
asked Ananias why he had opened himself to the Devil.
But Peter said, ANANIAS, WHY HATH SATAN FILLED
THINE HEART TO LIE TO THE HOLY GHOST, AND TO
KEEP BACK PART OF THE PRICE OF THE LAND? Acts 5:3
Because of their sin, Ananias and Sapphira opened
themselves to be filled with spirits of covetousness,
lying and deceit. The same thing can happen to anyone
who sins willfully.
In the fifth chapter of Galatians we find a list of
seventeen “works of the flesh”. They include the sins of
adultery, fornication, witchcraft, hatred, wrath, strife,
envying, murders and drunkenness. Through my
experiences in deliverance I have encountered demons
that responded to each of these designations. What,
then, is the relationship between the works of the flesh
and the works of demons? When a man yields to
temptation he sins in the flesh. Through such sin the
door is opened for the invasion of the enemy. Then he
has a compounded problem - the flesh and the devil.
The solution is two-fold: crucify the flesh and cast out
the demons.
A classic example of the door being opened by sin of
omission is the failure to forgive. In the case of the
unjust steward (Matt. 18) he was turned over to the
“tormentors” because he was unwilling to forgive his
fellow servant after he himself had been forgiven by his
master. God warns us that all who have experienced
His forgiveness and refuse to forgive others will be
turned over to the tormentors. What clearer
designation of demon spirits can we find than
“tormentors”? Unforgiveness opens the door to the
torment of resentment and hatred and related spirits.
Life Circumstances
Evil spirits have no sense of fairness. They never
hesitate to take full advantage of times of weakness in a
person’s life. Of course the weakest time in most lives is
childhood. A child is completely dependent upon others
for protection. Without question the majority of
demons encountered through ministry have entered
the persons during childhood. Christian parents need to
understand their responsibility to protect their children
as well as how to deliver their children from demon
oppression.
One of the first questions asked in pre-ministry
counseling is, “How did you relate to your parents as a
child?” In the majority of cases this question opens the
door for a listing of grievances for which the parents
are blamed. How often I have heard such replies as,
“My father was an alcoholic.” They go on to relate
various fears associated with this condition in the
home. There was insecurity and often poverty because
father was unable to provide, or spent the family
income in support of his addiction. As a child in such a
home grows a little older he becomes embarrassed and
ashamed. The quickest way to understand what doors
were opened for demons to enter is to hear an account
of a person’s childhood.
The Ruse of Inheritance
Multiplied instances have been found where evil spirits
were able to indwell persons through the ruse of
inheritance. If a child is told that he is like his parents
and can expect to inherit their weaknesses he becomes
vulnerable. My own mother was a very nervous
person. When I was a young boy she had a nervous
breakdown. I developed a fear that I would inherit this
weakness. The fear of being nervous actually opened
me to the reality. My nerves began to give way. It was as
though something was inside my body and crawling all
through me. I would become very weak and unable to
fulfill my responsibilities as a pastor. The doctor put me
on barbiturates which made me so drowsy I would
have to go to bed. My work load would stack up and I
would get more nervous. I was on a treadm i l l from
which I saw no escape. Several times I came near
resigning my church and leaving the ministry. Five
years ago I was delivered from the demon of
nervousness and related spirits. There has been no
more crawling nerves and no more need for drugs. The
demons that told me that I had to be like my mother
were all liars!
If we allow him to do so, the devil will give us our
inheritance. But the Psalmist said of God, “He shall
choose our inheritance for us” (Psalm 17:4a). I have
found many others like myself who accepted the lies
and fears suggested by the devil. Many persons are
collapsing from a fear of mental illness. Because a
parent had this problem the devil says, “This is your
inheritance.” Do you know that a person can be so
possessed by the fear of mental illness that he will
eventually end up in a mental hospital? I have seen
many persons delivered from this particular
tormenting fear, My father died of a heart attack. My
mother was dying of heart trouble. Aunts and uncles
had gone the same way. The devil kept telling me that
this was my inheritance. I went to my doctor for a
check-up. He asked questions about my family’s
medical history. When he found out about all the heart
trouble in my family he predicted that I would develop
a bad heart. At the age of forty six I went to the hospital
suffering from chest pains. When I had the attack
someone gave me a nitroglycerin tablet and the pain
left instantly. The doctor could find no damage to my
heart but was sure that I had experienced a light heart
attack. Two months after I left the hospital I had a
second attack. It struck me on a Sunday morning before
I got out of bed. By this time I had learned of the
operation of demon spirits. I announced to the
congregation that we would have a special ministry
meeting that afternoon in which they would minister
deliverance and cast out the demon of heart attack.
That was five years ago, and I have never had another
pain in my chest and no longer expect to have one. I do
not accept the proffered inheritance of the devil but
accept the healing and health of the Lord Jesus.
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to
destroy: I am come that they might have life, and have
it more abundantly.” John 10:10
well this book was written long time ago @ the start of 21st century public Charismatic deliverance Cant blame them for all but at least its better theology than Bob’s – what your problem with it?
I read this book back in my younger Christian years, and thankfully did not put a whole lot of stock in it for very long. It’s been a long time since I read the book, but from what I recall demons allegedly cause just about every imaginable problem and can be found under just about every proverbial rock. Believers in the ideas expressed in this book will no doubt waste much time and emotional energy trying to rid themselves of entities and their belongings that allegedly bring these creatures into their lives. The ideas expressed in this book have the potential to cause a lot of psychological damage. This book is not recommended, nor are the irrational religious beliefs promoted in it. The authors blame nearly every kind of persistent sin on demonic activity, going so far as to claim that they hadn’t met a Christian yet who didn’t need to be freed of demonic influence. (Possession/ oppression… whatever you want to call it).
Frankly, this book terrified me as an impressionable young convert. I was convinced that my own fleshly appetites must be the result of demons inside of me. Then a remarkable thing happened: I began to open the Bible and read for myself what God has to say about the sin nature.
In particular, I stumbled across Romans 8:13-14 (ESV): “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
I agree with your comment of this book.I also experienced much confusion,delusion about demons.You nailed it with Romans 8.That is the truth.Your bro in Christ-James God bless you!!
The Holy Spirit, the divine Agent who makes us children of God, does not share the temple of our bodies with demons. Moreover, as the above passage makes clear, the believer is commanded to “put to death the deeds of the body,” an idea hardly consistent with demons making Christians act in unseemly ways. In Christ we have been given the spiritual resources we need for sanctification.
An interesting book no doubt, and much work. On it’s topic – exorcism, it is clear that there are a growing number of self-appointed exorcists out there, forming a mini-industry by sleight of hand, motivated for forms of egotism, money or insecurity.
If an unlicensed person set themselves up and described themselves as a Psychiatrist or a Surgeon, would you go to them for treatment or an operation ?
Would you trust self-appointed exorcists or healers to baptise you, to marry you ? With exorcism, they take advantage of the stress of the situation .
One wonders if these self-appointed exorcists will next expand to personally promise salvation ? Are they attempting to privatise religion, or simply to erode and destroy it ? Beware not of those who attack the Church openly, but those who attack it in a hidden, subtle and insidious way. A primary objective towards innocent souls (not initiates of Satanism or evil) is to convince decent people of the non-existence of Satan, Lucifer, evil or demonic spirits. Does the Devil and evil exist ? An examination of the events in nazi germany should be enough to convince even the most die-hard, embittered sceptics or so called exponents and ..protectors’ of liberal thought who oddly object on principle, to anything not visible before their eyes. No need to feel foolish in making a precedent of ..belief without physical evidence before your eyes’ – we accept media news at face value every day, and no-one has ever seen an atom, even under the most powerful microscope – but we have nuclear power nevertheless.
Not all authorised exorcisms by the Church always work, for various reasons. What is certain however, is that a lot of psychological damage, some permanent, can be done by those who are not authorised ordained priests – and has been done to people being ‘exorcised’ by these self-appointed so called ‘exorcists’. There should be laws against this, like there are for ..miracle cures’ sold from used bottles out of the back of a wagon. These people have the capacity to indefinitely wreck multiple lives , I should know !
To stretch the meaning of Mark 16:17,(18) to accommodate a strange variety of self-appointed people who seek to perform exorcisms for personal motives, but decline to be bound by any form of oversight or professional standards, and refuse to enter the priesthood to be ordained first, then authorised – the accepted and normal route (where they are properly screened, trained and authorised on a case by case basis), is wishful thinking and only benefits these non-authentic ..exorcists’, and… intelligent evil.
I would suggest steering far away from this kind of literature that gives our defeated enemy way too much credit for what can be explained by human depravity. This book doesn’t provide deliverance from anything, for the book itself IS bondage
The authors seem to endorse exorcisms in which the allegedly possessed person is held tightly by the practitioners, which the authors note frequently results in screams to be let go and vomiting. The authors recommend this technique for children. This book is a recipe for injury or death by smothering. The book also seems to lack scriptural basis for many of its claims, particularly its views of schizophrenia.
The book pigs in the palor has hardly any Biblical basis. It is more or less a fabrication of the author’s own delusions. I am quite familiar with Scripture and what it says about dealing with evil spirits and this book couldn’t be more off base!!! People who buy into this book on a hook-line-sinker basis should seriously reconsider their understanding of Scripture and the life of Christ!
this book is dangerous! The author claims that he was having a heart attack and instead of seeking medical attention he called the church together to have a prayer meeting so that they could “cast out the demon of heart attack” — if that’s not lunacy with no Biblical foundation I don’t know what is. I believe wholeheartedly that God heals people to this day but to have a heart attack and say it’s due to demon posession is ludicrous. Seek medical attention first, cast out the demon later!!! Sheesh
Honestly, Jesus did not have His disciples hand out buckets for people to vomit out the demons (this is truly something the author recommends!).
The Bible does not support the many “suppositions” this author has made to create his own ideas about how demons ought to be handled.
Seriously, folks, go get your Bible and just read it instead of wasting your money on something like this. Plain and simply, it’s a false teaching you should avoid like the plague.
This book provides a bleak glimpse into the minds of some extremely deluded people. It purports to be a “practical guide to deliverance,” an instuction manual on casting out demons from the possessed. In fact, it is a book-length recipe for disaster, an amalgam of dangerous misinformation. For example, schizophrenia (incorrectly identified as multiple personality disorder) is explained as a “nest of demon spirits,” and the book presents illustrated instructions on how to drive these demons out. Can you imagine the harm done to children with mental disorders ?
First, some background. I am a Bible-believing Christian and I believe that demons exist, that they tempt and harass believers, and that people can be demon-possessed or “demonized” today.
However, PIGS IN THE PARLOR is one of the worst Christian books I have ever read. Hammond teaches that *everyone,* including every Christian, has at least one demon and should seek to be delivered from it . In the Gospels, though, no one who had a demon ever approached Jesus and requested deliverance. No one! Loved ones had to bring the demoniacs to Jesus because they had no control over their bodies.
PIGS IN THE PARLOR is one of the worst Christian books I have ever read. Hammond teaches that *everyone,* including every Christian, has at least one demon and should seek to be delivered from it (12). In the Gospels, though, no one who had a demon ever approached Jesus and requested deliverance. No one! Loved ones had to bring the demoniacs to Jesus because they had no control over their bodies.
In the Gospels, the symptoms of those who had a demon included extreme strength, epileptic-like fits, self-destructive behavior, screaming, and revulsion at Jesus Christ (a symptom no Christian can have). Compare some of the symptoms that Hammond says are common in people who have a demon: worry, procrastination, gossip, caffeine addiction, and the like (28-29). In fact, these things supposedly *are* demons. Also on the list of nearly 300 demons are stubbornness, shyness, daydreaming, discouragement, headache, retardation, forgetfulness, heartache, embarrassment, sexual frigidity, and intellectualism (113-15). I suppose I have the last-mentioned demon. Ignorance and stupidity, however, did not make the list.
Hammond also teaches the doctrine of positive confession, that if we say something negative it “will open the door for the enemy” (35). On this false doctrine, see the book _The Word-Faith Controversy_.
Hammond implies that most demons enter a person before birth or during infancy (117). Most adopted children “will have spirits of rejection” (118). A child’s stuffed toy frog had to go because it could attract demons (142). (Sorry, Kermit!)
This book promotes deception and magic in it’s illiterate superstitions for feeble minds.
The only deliverance you will be shown in this book is the deliverance of your time, money and sanity.
I’m not religious at all. I come from Psychology background, but chose to read this book out of curiosity. I must say, the author is terribly misinformed, doesn’t back anything up with evidence, and only talks about his own opinions. It’s a very misleading book, period. I would recommend this book to everyone in psychology field, so they understand how the notion of “demons” and “possession” is interpreted from a religious perspective. It would help them understand why some people commit murder, for example (‘he/she/my children were possessed by demons’ excuse is frequently used as a defence against certain crimes).
I would agree with an assessment that Pigs in the Parlour is not a healthy read. However, I am more and more convinced that most that we have called ‘deliverance ministry’ is not healthy. It has always had and continues to have mixed fruit. I suspect that any teaching or practice that gets Christians overly focused on demons is unhealthy, nay dangerous. Again that is from observations.
Yes and YET George Hartwell even Peter Vandever would agree that it is ONLY demon deliverance ministry that sets as students of Christ from all other OT students of Moses who never delivered no one from demons and had no clue what it was
I agree with the overall negative assessments, and even though it does have some elements of truth, I cannot recommend it to anyone. I read the book in 1973 and promptly went out to practice it, with devastating consequences. They say all mental illness is demonic. I tired to cast demons out of a schizophrenic woman. If she wasn’t paranoid before, she was by the time I tried to deliver her by the Hammonds counsel.
Paul L. King
Personally I have read it I think twice.It was one of a set of 5 books which a friend sent me from the UK on request including Derek Princes “They Shall Expel demons..and Rules of Engagement..
I personally think the authors Ida and Frank had covered the most essential areas in deliverance ministry.
But to the books Biblical and theological soundness i really cannot argue because I don’t have a sound Biblical and theological background.
You could be very right on that..
I know a guy who lived with Prince in Africa and recently wrote a book on demonology He is a Messianic Jew so his linguistic insights are incredible
He claims that on purpose Prinse did not write EVERY thing he knew about demon casting because people could not handle it – especially the African occult stuff and how it relates to Biblical demonology As far as I understand Pigs in the parlor is a very very milder version – more of cliff notes or introduction to demon warfare for Westerners and our quite demon-free theology
I do not recommend this book. Although it contains elements of truth, it contains many elements of error, some of which led me astray into foolish and unbiblical deliverance theology and practice when I read the book in 1973.
Paul L. King
Brother King, surely you an elder in these matters..(deliverance and warfare)
You read this book in 1973 while I was still in secondary school? and I read it only very recent ie. 2013…
My respects.
pure word of faith trash – I read this book back in my younger Christian years, and thankfully did not put a whole lot of stock in it for very long. It’s been a long time since I read the book, but from what I recall demons allegedly cause just about every imaginable problem and can be found under just about every proverbial rock. Believers in the ideas expressed in this book will no doubt waste much time and emotional energy trying to rid themselves of entities and their belongings that allegedly bring these creatures into their lives. The ideas expressed in this book have the potential to cause a lot of psychological damage. This book is not recommended, nor are the irrational religious beliefs promoted in it. The authors blame nearly every kind of persistent sin on demonic activity, going so far as to claim that they hadn’t met a Christian yet who didn’t need to be freed of demonic influence. (Possession/ oppression… whatever you want to call it).
Robert Erwine
It is always advisable to have sufficient Word foundation before you read any book on deliverance and warfare, however good the reviews because you may end up promoting other peoples ideas rather than the Word of God..
Books written by men are good when weighed on the scales of the Bible…not the other way round..
Good that you didn’t put a whole of stock for a long time..
Paul L. King I would not throw the baby with the water Isara Mo very early deliverance book – very good start in this area of ministry WHAT else was there as deliverance manual in the 70s Robert Borders
Brian Roden
Our theologies cannot change the truth, but truth can change our theologies
Curses generational or otherwise are there irrespective of what we have been taught…
A big AMEN! T-R-U-T-H, meaning, this book IS garbage, I totally agree with Robert Erwins comments.
For a while I WAS “DRUG INTO THIS WAY OF THINKING”, being told that I needed to be delivered several times for the same thing. VERY spiritually damaging/damming (falsely damning). Horrible book.
Varnel Watson
Robert Borders Paul L. King bringing some memories 🙂
Peter Vandever
bad theology!
Varnel Watson
well this book was written long time ago @ the start of 21st century public Charismatic deliverance Cant blame them for all but at least its better theology than Bob’s – what your problem with it?
Robert Erwine
I read this book back in my younger Christian years, and thankfully did not put a whole lot of stock in it for very long. It’s been a long time since I read the book, but from what I recall demons allegedly cause just about every imaginable problem and can be found under just about every proverbial rock. Believers in the ideas expressed in this book will no doubt waste much time and emotional energy trying to rid themselves of entities and their belongings that allegedly bring these creatures into their lives. The ideas expressed in this book have the potential to cause a lot of psychological damage. This book is not recommended, nor are the irrational religious beliefs promoted in it. The authors blame nearly every kind of persistent sin on demonic activity, going so far as to claim that they hadn’t met a Christian yet who didn’t need to be freed of demonic influence. (Possession/ oppression… whatever you want to call it).
Frankly, this book terrified me as an impressionable young convert. I was convinced that my own fleshly appetites must be the result of demons inside of me. Then a remarkable thing happened: I began to open the Bible and read for myself what God has to say about the sin nature.
In particular, I stumbled across Romans 8:13-14 (ESV): “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
James Nelson
I agree with your comment of this book.I also experienced much confusion,delusion about demons.You nailed it with Romans 8.That is the truth.Your bro in Christ-James God bless you!!
Michelle Theile
Beautiful. Why did Jesus say His followers would cast out demons? Actually, it is part of the Great Commission Matthew 10:8, Mark 16:17
Robert Erwine
The Holy Spirit, the divine Agent who makes us children of God, does not share the temple of our bodies with demons. Moreover, as the above passage makes clear, the believer is commanded to “put to death the deeds of the body,” an idea hardly consistent with demons making Christians act in unseemly ways. In Christ we have been given the spiritual resources we need for sanctification.
An interesting book no doubt, and much work. On it’s topic – exorcism, it is clear that there are a growing number of self-appointed exorcists out there, forming a mini-industry by sleight of hand, motivated for forms of egotism, money or insecurity.
If an unlicensed person set themselves up and described themselves as a Psychiatrist or a Surgeon, would you go to them for treatment or an operation ?
Would you trust self-appointed exorcists or healers to baptise you, to marry you ? With exorcism, they take advantage of the stress of the situation .
One wonders if these self-appointed exorcists will next expand to personally promise salvation ? Are they attempting to privatise religion, or simply to erode and destroy it ? Beware not of those who attack the Church openly, but those who attack it in a hidden, subtle and insidious way. A primary objective towards innocent souls (not initiates of Satanism or evil) is to convince decent people of the non-existence of Satan, Lucifer, evil or demonic spirits. Does the Devil and evil exist ? An examination of the events in nazi germany should be enough to convince even the most die-hard, embittered sceptics or so called exponents and ..protectors’ of liberal thought who oddly object on principle, to anything not visible before their eyes. No need to feel foolish in making a precedent of ..belief without physical evidence before your eyes’ – we accept media news at face value every day, and no-one has ever seen an atom, even under the most powerful microscope – but we have nuclear power nevertheless.
Not all authorised exorcisms by the Church always work, for various reasons. What is certain however, is that a lot of psychological damage, some permanent, can be done by those who are not authorised ordained priests – and has been done to people being ‘exorcised’ by these self-appointed so called ‘exorcists’. There should be laws against this, like there are for ..miracle cures’ sold from used bottles out of the back of a wagon. These people have the capacity to indefinitely wreck multiple lives , I should know !
Robert Erwine
To stretch the meaning of Mark 16:17,(18) to accommodate a strange variety of self-appointed people who seek to perform exorcisms for personal motives, but decline to be bound by any form of oversight or professional standards, and refuse to enter the priesthood to be ordained first, then authorised – the accepted and normal route (where they are properly screened, trained and authorised on a case by case basis), is wishful thinking and only benefits these non-authentic ..exorcists’, and… intelligent evil.
I would suggest steering far away from this kind of literature that gives our defeated enemy way too much credit for what can be explained by human depravity. This book doesn’t provide deliverance from anything, for the book itself IS bondage
The authors seem to endorse exorcisms in which the allegedly possessed person is held tightly by the practitioners, which the authors note frequently results in screams to be let go and vomiting. The authors recommend this technique for children. This book is a recipe for injury or death by smothering. The book also seems to lack scriptural basis for many of its claims, particularly its views of schizophrenia.
The book pigs in the palor has hardly any Biblical basis. It is more or less a fabrication of the author’s own delusions. I am quite familiar with Scripture and what it says about dealing with evil spirits and this book couldn’t be more off base!!! People who buy into this book on a hook-line-sinker basis should seriously reconsider their understanding of Scripture and the life of Christ!
this book is dangerous! The author claims that he was having a heart attack and instead of seeking medical attention he called the church together to have a prayer meeting so that they could “cast out the demon of heart attack” — if that’s not lunacy with no Biblical foundation I don’t know what is. I believe wholeheartedly that God heals people to this day but to have a heart attack and say it’s due to demon posession is ludicrous. Seek medical attention first, cast out the demon later!!! Sheesh
Honestly, Jesus did not have His disciples hand out buckets for people to vomit out the demons (this is truly something the author recommends!).
The Bible does not support the many “suppositions” this author has made to create his own ideas about how demons ought to be handled.
Seriously, folks, go get your Bible and just read it instead of wasting your money on something like this. Plain and simply, it’s a false teaching you should avoid like the plague.
This book provides a bleak glimpse into the minds of some extremely deluded people. It purports to be a “practical guide to deliverance,” an instuction manual on casting out demons from the possessed. In fact, it is a book-length recipe for disaster, an amalgam of dangerous misinformation. For example, schizophrenia (incorrectly identified as multiple personality disorder) is explained as a “nest of demon spirits,” and the book presents illustrated instructions on how to drive these demons out. Can you imagine the harm done to children with mental disorders ?
First, some background. I am a Bible-believing Christian and I believe that demons exist, that they tempt and harass believers, and that people can be demon-possessed or “demonized” today.
However, PIGS IN THE PARLOR is one of the worst Christian books I have ever read. Hammond teaches that *everyone,* including every Christian, has at least one demon and should seek to be delivered from it . In the Gospels, though, no one who had a demon ever approached Jesus and requested deliverance. No one! Loved ones had to bring the demoniacs to Jesus because they had no control over their bodies.
Varnel Watson
Robert Erwine nice copy paste – now do tell us what do you think about all this demonology deliverance business?
Robert Erwine
its from my blog about it . see my notes
Varnel Watson
you have demon deliverance blog about what?
Robert Erwine
about this book
Varnel Watson
so you dont think Trump needs some deliverance ?
Robert Erwine
this isn’t about trump , this is about a false word of faith teaching
Varnel Watson
word of faith?
Robert Erwine
PIGS IN THE PARLOR is one of the worst Christian books I have ever read. Hammond teaches that *everyone,* including every Christian, has at least one demon and should seek to be delivered from it (12). In the Gospels, though, no one who had a demon ever approached Jesus and requested deliverance. No one! Loved ones had to bring the demoniacs to Jesus because they had no control over their bodies.
In the Gospels, the symptoms of those who had a demon included extreme strength, epileptic-like fits, self-destructive behavior, screaming, and revulsion at Jesus Christ (a symptom no Christian can have). Compare some of the symptoms that Hammond says are common in people who have a demon: worry, procrastination, gossip, caffeine addiction, and the like (28-29). In fact, these things supposedly *are* demons. Also on the list of nearly 300 demons are stubbornness, shyness, daydreaming, discouragement, headache, retardation, forgetfulness, heartache, embarrassment, sexual frigidity, and intellectualism (113-15). I suppose I have the last-mentioned demon. Ignorance and stupidity, however, did not make the list.
Hammond also teaches the doctrine of positive confession, that if we say something negative it “will open the door for the enemy” (35). On this false doctrine, see the book _The Word-Faith Controversy_.
Hammond implies that most demons enter a person before birth or during infancy (117). Most adopted children “will have spirits of rejection” (118). A child’s stuffed toy frog had to go because it could attract demons (142). (Sorry, Kermit!)
This book promotes deception and magic in it’s illiterate superstitions for feeble minds.
The only deliverance you will be shown in this book is the deliverance of your time, money and sanity.
Branko
I’m not religious at all. I come from Psychology background, but chose to read this book out of curiosity. I must say, the author is terribly misinformed, doesn’t back anything up with evidence, and only talks about his own opinions. It’s a very misleading book, period. I would recommend this book to everyone in psychology field, so they understand how the notion of “demons” and “possession” is interpreted from a religious perspective. It would help them understand why some people commit murder, for example (‘he/she/my children were possessed by demons’ excuse is frequently used as a defence against certain crimes).
Varnel Watson
hahhahaah spooked you out of reading didnt it 🙂
Robert Erwine
huh ? I wrote a page by page blog about it in 2011
Link Hudson
Robert Erwine Was bad breath on the list? Seems like I heard that. How does this rank compared to Rebecca Brown books?
George Hartwell
I would agree with an assessment that Pigs in the Parlour is not a healthy read. However, I am more and more convinced that most that we have called ‘deliverance ministry’ is not healthy. It has always had and continues to have mixed fruit. I suspect that any teaching or practice that gets Christians overly focused on demons is unhealthy, nay dangerous. Again that is from observations.
Varnel Watson
Yes and YET George Hartwell even Peter Vandever would agree that it is ONLY demon deliverance ministry that sets as students of Christ from all other OT students of Moses who never delivered no one from demons and had no clue what it was
George Hartwell
There is no doubt that demon deliverance – as practiced by new-convert Chinese – was a key factor in the conversion of the Chinese in the 1800’s.
Paul L. King
I agree with the overall negative assessments, and even though it does have some elements of truth, I cannot recommend it to anyone. I read the book in 1973 and promptly went out to practice it, with devastating consequences. They say all mental illness is demonic. I tired to cast demons out of a schizophrenic woman. If she wasn’t paranoid before, she was by the time I tried to deliver her by the Hammonds counsel.
Isara Mo
Very good book
Paul L. King
Isara Mo with 48 years of deliverance ministry experience, I have to strongly disagree. It is very unsound biblically and theologically
Isara Mo
Paul L. King
Personally I have read it I think twice.It was one of a set of 5 books which a friend sent me from the UK on request including Derek Princes “They Shall Expel demons..and Rules of Engagement..
I personally think the authors Ida and Frank had covered the most essential areas in deliverance ministry.
But to the books Biblical and theological soundness i really cannot argue because I don’t have a sound Biblical and theological background.
You could be very right on that..
Varnel Watson
I know a guy who lived with Prince in Africa and recently wrote a book on demonology He is a Messianic Jew so his linguistic insights are incredible
He claims that on purpose Prinse did not write EVERY thing he knew about demon casting because people could not handle it – especially the African occult stuff and how it relates to Biblical demonology As far as I understand Pigs in the parlor is a very very milder version – more of cliff notes or introduction to demon warfare for Westerners and our quite demon-free theology
Varnel Watson
With such great interest we may publish the rest soon
Paul L. King
I do not recommend this book. Although it contains elements of truth, it contains many elements of error, some of which led me astray into foolish and unbiblical deliverance theology and practice when I read the book in 1973.
Isara Mo
Paul L. King
Brother King, surely you an elder in these matters..(deliverance and warfare)
You read this book in 1973 while I was still in secondary school? and I read it only very recent ie. 2013…
My respects.
Robert Erwine
pure word of faith trash – I read this book back in my younger Christian years, and thankfully did not put a whole lot of stock in it for very long. It’s been a long time since I read the book, but from what I recall demons allegedly cause just about every imaginable problem and can be found under just about every proverbial rock. Believers in the ideas expressed in this book will no doubt waste much time and emotional energy trying to rid themselves of entities and their belongings that allegedly bring these creatures into their lives. The ideas expressed in this book have the potential to cause a lot of psychological damage. This book is not recommended, nor are the irrational religious beliefs promoted in it. The authors blame nearly every kind of persistent sin on demonic activity, going so far as to claim that they hadn’t met a Christian yet who didn’t need to be freed of demonic influence. (Possession/ oppression… whatever you want to call it).
Isara Mo
Robert Erwine
It is always advisable to have sufficient Word foundation before you read any book on deliverance and warfare, however good the reviews because you may end up promoting other peoples ideas rather than the Word of God..
Books written by men are good when weighed on the scales of the Bible…not the other way round..
Good that you didn’t put a whole of stock for a long time..
Varnel Watson
have you seen pork in the fryer? Joe Absher
Joe Absher
I’ve never read “pigs in the parlor”
Isara Mo
When you seek truth take the useful, throw away the chaff.
I read the book some years back and I got some very fundamental things on deliverance…
Varnel Watson
Paul L. King I would not throw the baby with the water Isara Mo very early deliverance book – very good start in this area of ministry WHAT else was there as deliverance manual in the 70s Robert Borders
Brian Roden
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Encounter-Ed-Opal-Reddin/dp/1885737033/
Robert Borders
Brian Roden I have this book which is useful for seeing an Assemblies of God perspective from 20+ years ago.
Brian Roden
I spoke with some AG missionaries, and Dr. Reddin’s take on generational curses seems to still be the main view among missionaries on the field.
Isara Mo
Brian Roden
Our theologies cannot change the truth, but truth can change our theologies
Curses generational or otherwise are there irrespective of what we have been taught…
Varnel Watson
why change 1 publication with another?
Eve SCOTT
A big AMEN! T-R-U-T-H, meaning, this book IS garbage, I totally agree with Robert Erwins comments.
For a while I WAS “DRUG INTO THIS WAY OF THINKING”, being told that I needed to be delivered several times for the same thing. VERY spiritually damaging/damming (falsely damning). Horrible book.