What is the difference between "daemon" and "demon" in a religious context?

Is there a difference between demon and daemon in a religious context?

Solution 1:

The OED writes that daemon is simply an alternate spelling for demon. However, Wikipedia writes that the two are subtly different:

The words daemon and daimon are Latinized spellings of the Greek δαίμων (daimôn), a reference to the daemons of Ancient Greek religion and mythology, Hellenistic religion and philosophy.[1] Daemons are good or benevolent "supernatural beings between mortals and gods, such as inferior divinities and ghosts of dead heroes" (see Plato's Symposium), and differ from the Judeo-Christian usage of demon, a malignant spirit that can seduce, afflict, or possess humans.

In this sense, a demon is solely a bad spirit. Daemons, on the other hand, are good. Note that the terms are from different religious backgrounds, and so they would not "coexist" in the same context. For most people, however, daemon is just a computer term. The only entry in the OED for daemon is:

A program (or part of a program), esp. within a Unix system, which runs in the background without intervention by the user, either continuously or only when automatically activated by a particular event or condition.

Solution 2:

I've only seen the spelling "daemon" in the context of background services running on a computer to accomplish certain tasks without requiring direct user interaction.

"Demon" on the other hand means "evil spirit" to me.

Solution 3:

In Plato's Phaedrus daemon is explained as a kind of good madness like falling in love, ecstacy, inspiration that takes the ego out of itself to a better self. Demon is a bad madness that is always self destructive.