With all due respect, you -and others of your mindset- are on the outside looking in and as such have little comprehension beyond your ingrained doctrine that there are alternative possibilities. And as I pointed out above all religions are based upon ritualistic mysticism so there is a strong level of hypocrisy in what they teach: that only they have the power/wisdom to discern good from evil and that only they offer the ultimate pathway to eternal happiness.

I happen to believe that God is present in all living entities -whether plants, animals or bipeds- and as such each carries within that divine connection. The hard part for humans is in recognizing that internal power and then using it without malice, avarice or any other metaphoric sin.

As I said earlier, I'm absolutely certain that demons do exist and that was especially apparent when I was studying classic Haitian Vou-Dou some 45 years ago. But I never feared them then or now because I recognized them for what they were: entities that exist only outside the physical plane that can only enter if we allow them to do so. And once you comprehend -and learn to use- your own natural defensive abilities, there is very little than can harm you. Again, the problem is that few are willing to work that hard to achieve such freedom and instead allow their religion to do it for them. That's not necessarily a BAD thing, but there is an alternative pathway.