Why were the Corinthians afraid to eat meat offered to idols?
They feared that demons of the air could enter their bodies through the meat. Their superstitious minds reasoned that if a demon wanted access, the easiest route was to ride on the meat, so eating it unprotected would allow the demon to get inside.
Les explains that the idolatrous pagans in Corinth were steeped in superstition and were deeply aware of the power of the demons of the air. When they got ready to eat the meat, their superstitious minds asked how a demon would most easily enter a person's body, and they concluded it could get on the meat and then be inside. This was a big hang-up for them. To contradict that fear, they would take their meat to their pagan priests, who would put some kind of blessing on it to keep the demons off so they could eat it safely. Les also compares this to demonic power being real in Paul's time and in places like Haiti, where voodooism is understood to have satanic power.