 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The following article has been submitted for publication by the Adsagsona Paranormal Society, is used with the permission of the author and is the opinion of the author, which may or may not reflect the opinion(s) and or view(s) of the Adsagsona Paranormal Society. You may link to this page, but if you would like to use this article on your site, please contact the APS Editor at editor@apsociety.com, and the Editor will get you in touch with the appropriate person.
If you'd like to submit an article for publication, please contact the Editor. While we do not pay for article submissions, we do give full credit for original, well-researched work.
Exorcism
By Chris N.
Exorcism is mainly thought of as the ritual of driving out Satan and/or his demons from a possessed person. It is mainly performed by the Roman Catholic religion, but some Protestant denominations also believe in this and practice it as well.
"Exorcism" comes from the Greek and means "I cause someone to swear'" referring to "putting the spirit or demon on oath". This is done by invoking a higher power to bind the entity and control or command it to leave the possessed individual.
According to the Catholic Church, possession is when a demonic entity takes over the physical and mental capacities of a victim. The soul remains free, therefore the demon or demons are acting through the person without their consent, so the person is morally blameless. This army of evil torments many unknowing souls to the point of destruction, either of self or of others.
The Roman Ritual of Exorcism lists symptoms of possession, and a person who has one or more of them is said to be possessed:
History
In the early days of the Catholic Church, the casting out of demons was widely accepted, and could be performed by anyone. Unfortunately, it was found that someone who was inexperienced or did not have faith based beliefs did not have sufficient ability to protect themselves during this ritual. Therefore, the act of exorcism was turned over to the church completely. Around the third century Pope Cornelius made exorcists a minor order in the church. He announced that an exorcist should be a priest, a deacon, or other trained members of the church. Pope Paul VI dropped the order in 1972. He felt there was no need for this ritual, and with advances in mental health treatment, it had become obsolete. In 1999, the Vatican issued a new ritual for exorcism, the first since 1614. Pope John Paul II admitted to performing at least one exorcism in 1982.
The Catholic Church is not the only religion to have rituals of exorcism, just the most well known. Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Shinto, and Shamanism all have their own rites of exorcism. All religions do not consider the purpose of exorcism as sending the spirit to hell. Some occultists do not consider spirits demonic, but that they have become confused and invade another person's body by mistake. Spirit exorcisms are cures of physical illness in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, the Orient, and tribal cultures.
Exorcism Today
Exorcists these days are getting harder to find. No one, religious or lay person, wants to believe that Satan exists. Many religions do not believe in possession, and many are afraid to believe that it can occur.
The Catholic Church's Roman Ritual of Exorcism outlines criteria to be met in order to be a successful exorcist. These call for the exorcist to be pious and have personal integrity. He must be aware of the deceit of Satan, and not let it lead him astray. The exorcist must be diligent, and not stop the ritual until the signs of liberation are seen. He must use the words of the Bible, not his own. He must be humble and remember only that through fasting and humility will the exorcist succeed.
The exorcist rarely works alone. He is assisted by at least three other persons. The first assistant is usually a younger priest who is in training to be an exorcist. His main duty is to monitor the ritual, helping the exorcist not to become distracted by the possessing demon, and to take over should the exorcist become unable to continue. The second person is usually a medical doctor. He helps with the possessed person by administering to them physically. The third person is usually a member of the victim's family and should be very physically strong, in case restraint is needed.
The Ritual
Although all exorcisms are different, depending on the exorcist and the possessed person, they have similar stages. The first step is to find out what type demon is possessing the person, and if possible, find out its name. Then the ritual is spoken by the exorcist and accompanied by his assistants. This procedure can be long and arduous, lasting from hours to days. Some exorcisms have been known to continue for months. Once the demon has been confronted, he is commanded to leave the victim's body, and to relinquish hold over this person. It's usually at this time that the victim, controlled by the entity, starts yelling, cursing, speaking in different languages, trying to attack the exorcists, causing noises and objects to move. The exorcist must quiet the demon at this time in order for the ritual to continue. The exorcist is in direct battle with the demon, attempting to force it to go where it needs to go, or return to hell. According to many accounts, it is at this time when many priests/exorcists die, either by physical trauma, heart attack or stroke, or physical collapse due to dehydration, starvation, and physical overexertion.
According to Catholic information, once the demon is exorcised from the body, all persons in the room feel the presence dissipate, occasionally with receding noises and voices. The victim may or may not remember being possessed or the exorcism itself.
Resources:
www.beliefnet.com
www.stmichael.pair.com
www.themystica.com
Return to the Articles Index.