the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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Bible Encyclopedias
Devil Worship
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or The ancient Hebrews are distinctly charged with this sin in Deuteronomy 32:17, "They sacrificed unto devils, not to God." In later times they spoke of all false gods as devils, in consequence of the hatred which they bore to all kinds of idolatry, and we find them calling the chief deity of the Phoenicians Beelzebub (q.v.), the prince of devils.
Among the aboriginal races of India, remnants of which are still to be found in what are called the Hill tribes, inhabiting the forests and mountain fastnesses. devil-worship has always been widely prevalent. The evil spirits among these people are propitiated by means of bloody sacrifices and frantic dances. This form of worship also prevails in one form or another in Ceylon, on the coast of Malabar, among the Ugrian races of Siberia, and the Hill tribes on the south-western frontier of China. Devil-worship is also charged against the Yezidees (q.v.). (See SHAMANISM).
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McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Devil Worship'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/d/devil-worship.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.
