Thought-provoking article, but it's 6 pages long so I've linked it instead of doing a wall of text:


For more than a decade, Frank, a software consultant who lives near Silicon Valley, California, has been haunted by depression and rage. Searching for remedies to lift his dark mood, Frank, 52, tried pills, therapy, even channeling spirits. Nothing worked.

Three years ago, his wife handed him a book about demonic possession. Written by a former priest active in charismatic Catholic circles, the book presented scriptural arguments for the existence of demons and offered advice to questions such as “How do we know if an evil spirit is really present?” and “How do I pray for deliverance?” Desperate for relief, Frank decided, while he was jogging one night, to pray for deliverance.

“If I had known what was going to happen, I would have picked a more private place,” Frank says. After reciting the recommended prayer, he doubled over, dry heaving, by the side of the road. His lungs felt like they were leaping out of his chest.

With a doctorate in astrophysics, Frank (not his real name) considers himself a man of science who relies on research and analysis to make sense of the world. Despite the occult overtones, his body’s violent reaction to the deliverance prayer struck him as an obvious case of cause and effect. He became convinced that he—like the poor souls he’d just read about—was infested with evil spirits...

Full article

[jordyn]

As things get more chaotic in a culture they began to fervently believe in supernatural interference, ancient cultures turned to sacrifice to please gods and we blame devils for making us do it. If the will is strong then the devil has nothing to possess...it'd be nice if an exorcism could cure my bad habits.

Aspects of this article that leapt out at me:

1. Frank is the only "successful exorcism" carried out by the exorcist, Father Gary Thomas. And even Thomas's definition of "successful" is open to interpretation (see next point)

2. "Close to two dozen demons have “oppressed” Frank, according to Thomas. “Demons don’t travel alone,” Thomas says. “They travel in packs called gangs, and you have to get their names to get rid of them.” Frank and Thomas say they have spent the last two and a half years trying to get the demons to surrender their names, and then exorcizing them one by one. This doesn't really sound as though "the power of Christ" is working as described.

3. It sounds rather like Frank is undergoing a form of psychotherapy similar to primal therapy: "Frank describes his experiences with exorcism as neither quick nor painless. During each session, he spends an hour and a half screaming and thrashing in a church confessional. His face contorts, his throat growls, his stomach throws up, his body strains to punch a wall. “At the end, I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. My voice hurts from screaming like a stuck pig, and I’m drenched in sweat,” he says. Despite his physical exhaustion, a peaceful sensation pervades Frank after each exorcism. Then the feeling fades." Would a 90 minute aerobic session instead have the exact same result?

4. Frank had psychological issues which were not being treated; he didn't think he was possessed until he read a book about possession. To paraphrase Lichtenberg: "No one is possessed where there are no exorcists..."

If the will is strong then the devil has nothing to possess

Simply put and oh so true!

he didn't think he was possessed until he read a book about possession.

As we said so many times here, its easier to blame the demons, than admit u got mental issues and get on therapy.

[jordyn]

i like my mental issues, if you cause yourself more chaos then they do, there's nothing for them to manipulate. Another joy of being human, we can be more confounding than anything supernatural.

if you cause yourself more chaos then they do, there's nothing for them to manipulate

Rather like cutting off your nose just to spite your face.

[jordyn]

it's only cutting off your own nose if you're in control of your neurosis, if it's the typical ocd, you have no control...if you can't figure yourself out, how will they? I still think people give this all too much credit, we're not victims unless we let ourselves...besides, my perky nose goes well with my face and since i don't have these hassles anymore i must have figured out something right, a good begining guidance? *winks