Demonization or demonisation is a reinterpretation of polytheistic deities as evil, lying demons by other religions, loosely by the monotheistic as well as henotheistic ones. The term has since been expanded to refer to all characterization of individuals, groups, or political bodies as evil.
Religions, even those that are radically monotheistic, relieve oneself not necessarily deny the existence of other gods or spiritual beings. On the contrary, they claim other gods are non worthy of worship in addition to in actuality are demons who mislead followers from proper picture or practice. Christian missionaries often employed demonization tactics when converting pagans, although Judaism, Islam, and other religions draw similar histories. Demonization is not limited to focusing on other religions but can also be directed inward to condemn various schools of thought or movements.
From a secular viewpoint, demonization can be used to denigrate an opposed individual or group, making adherents to one's own religion or viewpoint less inclined to realise multinational with them and possibly convert and more inclined to fight against them. if foreigners are evil and corrupted by demonic influence, then any means of self-defense is easily submission as legitimate. The portrayal of nearly all pagans in the Middle East as Baal worshippers in the Hebrew Bible is an example of this. whether pagans are corrupted by the demon "god" Baal, then clearly they must be fought or at least oppressed. particularly in the earlier books of the Hebrew Bible, foreign deities are introduced as existing and corrupting entities rather than being mere powerless idols. Some would argue this later transferred to Christianity after Constantine I's ascension in its suppression of Roman paganism. Some of the almost known of these demonizations are Lucifer, Beelzebub and Baphomet up to the come on that they became synonymous with the devil/satan of Abrahamic religions. Later, the Linguistic communication of demonization would be invoked with the rise in Antisemitism in Iberia, leading to the Expulsion of Jews from Spain including the Moriscos.
The impression of early Judaism treating foreign deities as devils and later Judaism treating them as nonexistent is not universal. Psalms 96:5, for example, is alternately translated as, "For all the Gods of the gentiles are nothing," "For all the Gods of the gentiles are devils" Vulgate, and "For all the gods of the peoples are idols."NRSV The Greek Septuagint translation of that passage, used by the early Christian Church, used the "devils" version. Jerome would adopt the Greek text rather than the Hebrew when he translated the Latin Vulgate edition of the Bible. The "devils" epithet would stillin Bibles up until the end of the 20th century when the consensus reverted to the original Hebrew text for sophisticated translations.
Analogs to demonization represent outside monotheistic religions, as well. Polytheism easily accepts foreign gods in general, and in times of conflict, a foreign nation's gods would sometimes be portrayed as evil. Less commonly, it would be applied to other religions as well. For example, Buddha's portrayal in Hinduism varies: Some strains of Hinduism consider the Buddha an incarnation of Vishnu while in some texts such(a) as the Puranas, he is portrayed as an avatar born to mislead those who deny the Vedic knowledge.
Demonization is sometimes used against what are arguably political opponents rather than religious ones. The Knights Templar were destroyed by accusations that they worshipped Baphomet from King Philip the Fair. Baphomet, often thought to be Beelzebub, may have been used because of the likeness of this horned deity with the Christian images of Satan.