“Listen, I will NEVER read any book with the word ‘demon’ on the cover.”

I looked at my friend in amazement. “Why?”

“Because the Bible says not to practice witchcraft.”

“But, my book is about spiritual warfare. It does not promote witchcraft. There’s nothing about witchcraft in the title.”

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “But, if you read about demons and Satan then you are opening your life to their influence.”

“So, you should just ignore them?”

“Out of sight, out of mind.” He shrugged.

I sat back in my chair. “You were in the Army, weren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Did the Army give you specific training on what to expect when you engaged the enemy?”

He nodded. “Sure. But, that’s different.”

I sat forward and looked him in the eye. “If you were to go to Afghanistan or Iraq and fight on the street, do you think it would be important to have some kind of training and instruction on the manner in which the enemy will engage you in those street fights?”

“Sure.”

“So, the only way you can be safe, save your life, and combat the enemy is to know everything you can about them. Agree?”

He seemed to be thinking. I had backed him into a corner. “But, what does that have to do with demons? I’m not going to read that kind of book. It will scare me. It will make me uncomfortable.”

“Which is exactly the response Satan and his army wants you to have towards them. As you said, out of sight, out of mind. Ignore them and they can do whatever they want around you.” I sat back in amazement.

“I’m not going to read a book with demons in it, okay?”

I reached over and pulled my Bible out of my backpack and plopped it, rather irreverently onto my desk. “Then you better throw this book out the window.”

This is the conversation I had just last week with one of my best friends. He jumps out of airplanes. He swims with sharks. He flies in acrobatic aircraft. But, he’s AFRAID to read a book about demons? I’ve run into the attitude more than once in the past few years. Good people refuse to read a book that even mentions Satan and his demons.

Here is the fear. If I read a book about demons, I open myself to demonic influence. Therefore, I will not read anything remotely demonic or scary or Harry Potterish or horrific.

However, the Bible is filled with references to Satan and his demons and how to respond to them. Words like “be wary”, “resist the devil”, “get thee behind me, Satan.” remind us that Jesus did not back off from confronting Satan and his demons. And, I believe, neither should we. How, then, can we combat an enemy we do not understand?

So, what do you think? Is it wrong to read books that utilize Satan or his demons in the storyline? As an author, how would you handle this dilemma? What advice can we, as authors give to readers to reassure them about reading books with demonic presences within them? And, readers out there, why would you read or not read a book with demons in the story?