CONTENTS OF VOLUME I.

PART I.

CHAPTER I.

DUALISM

Dualism: The religious or philosophical system which explains the universe as the outcome of two opposing principles, such as Good and Evil.

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The origin of Deism—Evolution from the distant to the near—Examples from Witchcraft—The primitive belief in a universal spirit original: "Pantheism"—The beginning of Dualism . . .	1

CHAPTER II.

THE GENESIS OF DEMONS


Their positive names used as euphemisms meaning polite terms used to avoid offending potentially dangerous spirits—Their complex character—Examples: Beelzebub originally a Philistine deity and Loki the Norse trickster god—The seeds of demonic concepts—The knowledge of good and evil—The distinction between a "Demon" and a "Devil" . . . . .	7

CHAPTER III.

DEGRADATION


The lowering of status of ancient Deities—Evidence found in their names—Legends regarding their downfall—Incidental signs of the divine origins of Demons and Devils . .	15

CHAPTER IV.

THE EX-GOD

original: "THE ABGOTT." Abgott is a German term literally meaning "off-god," used to refer to an idol or a false god.


The former god—Deities turned into demons through conquest—Religious hostility—An example from the Avesta the sacred scriptures of Zoroastrianism—Devil-worship as a stalled form of Deism—Sheik Adi the central figure of the Yazidi faith, whose followers were often wrongly labeled "devil-worshippers" by neighboring religions—Why Demons were depicted as ugly—The remaining traces of their former beauty . . . . . . . . . .	22

The former god—Deities turned into demons through conquest—Religious hostility—An example from the Avesta the sacred scriptures of Zoroastrianism—Devil-worship as a stalled form of Deism—Sheik Adi the central figure of the Yazidi faith, whose followers were often wrongly labeled "devil-worshippers" by neighboring religions—Why Demons were depicted as ugly—The remaining traces of their former beauty . . . . . . . . . .