Your Opinions On Exorcisms

[Ghostly]

Well I just finished watching this movie called "The Last Exorcism" which basically about this preacher who wanted to prove that exorcisms were all lies and rubbish who meets with like this crew to make a documentary and they go to this place where there was "demonic possesions" but anyways lets just say he got more than what he bargained for.
I want to know what are your opinions on this?

I don't belive there is such thing as a demonic possesion and believe that it is just a really bad case of a psychological problem that happens to people who live in areas that usually don't have the same amount of education as someone who lived in a big city due to isolation or some other factor and exorcisms are probably a scam used by people to get money off people who don't know any better( then again, there is some really wierd stuff that happens), but that's my opinion on it. :/

[Z3ni]

Well.. I'm half/half on it.. but I think its mostly psychological, but how does it explain Emily Rose being able to speak Latin? Because she was never known to been able to speak it.

But I seen a show where this guy exorcises people.. like anyone can be exorcised, he just picks a random audience and exorcises them... atleast I remembered it like that. But then again we all have a dark side to us right?? RIIGHT!? lol

[Ghostly]

Originally Posted by Z3ni

But I seen a show where this guy exorcises people.. like anyone can be exorcised, he just picks a random audience and exorcises them... atleast I remembered it like that. But then again we all have a dark side to us right?? RIIGHT!? lol

OMG WOW 0_0 see that's an example of a person who uses peoples problems to gain money or fame, I guess it must be scary to live in isolated places( I guess that would explain why people would behave in such a crazy manner from all that loneliness) as those are areas where all that stuff happens

[Nazo]

The thought of exorcism makes me forcefully vomit pea soup.

(It had to be said SOMETIME.)

[zeratul]

Exorcism is fake. But the psychological aftermath can be real if the person really believes it.

[Flyers2011]

I believe that demonic possession is possible. Like in the case of Emily Rose or the boy that the movie "The Exorcist" was based on. I don't think it happens very often, though.

[Aya McCabre]

The only time I ever hear about exorcisms is when somebody dies.... which seems to be actually quite frequent. I guess there might be some benefit if someone volunteers for one (and isn't physically harmed by it) but that would be purely as a result of believing that they had been cured. It's unlikely to completely clear up psychological issues though.

Originally Posted by Z3ni

Well.. I'm half/half on it.. but I think its mostly psychological, but how does it explain Emily Rose being able to speak Latin? Because she was never known to been able to speak it.

There has been a documented case of someone being hypnotised and beginning to speak german when they had no history of learning or speaking the language. They did this consistently over several sessions (having been conditioned to believe that what they were experiencing was a regression to a past life) and when a native german speaker was brought in they discovered that she could barely speak it at all - just enough to fool non-speakers. Everything that she knew had been picked up from war movies. She wasn't consciously aware of how much she knew. So I guess the question is how much latin did she actually start speaking? Would she be able to understand and respond to questions from someone who had studied latin? Or was it like the other case and she was simply repeating words that she had subconsciously learned from hearing them around. If you think about it you actually hear quite a lot of latin over a lifetime......

[Zontar]

I do not believe in exorcisms and anything contrary to common sense (glasses flying across the room, etc) are obvious fabrications. As cool as it would be if it were true, there is just no way some of the things described in exorcisms actually happened.

[VampConspiracy]

My dark side is REALLY FREAKING APPARENT, what with the vampire-demon-monster thing I'm into. However, I do NOT believe any of it is actually true for reasons I don't want to get into on an open forum.

[maverick]

I believe in demonic possession and exorcisms.

[aidan]

seems a bit pointless to attribute something that can be explained naturally to something supernatural (which btw isn't an explanation)

like, i don't think digestion is jesus at work in my tummy and neither do i think psychosis is demons pushing buttons in my brain

#ohcontroversy

[maverick]

like, i don't think digestion is jesus at work in my tummy and neither do i think psychosis is demons pushing buttons in my brain

I don't think all "possessions" can be explained through the diagnosis of psychosis. That'd obviously be my first hypothesis. But psychosis doesn't explain all the crazy supernatural shit I've heard of.

The Catholic Church investigates demonic possessions in a very solemn, bureaucratic, forms-in-triplicate manner that has to go all the way to the Vatican. If an incident passes their "hoax" test for demonic possession, I'm generally inclined to believe it.

[NickT]

It's an utterly ridiculous concept and potentially harmful in my opinion.

[Zontar]

Originally Posted by maverick

I don't think all "possessions" can be explained through the diagnosis of psychosis. That'd obviously be my first hypothesis. But psychosis doesn't explain all the crazy supernatural shit I've heard of.

The Catholic Church investigates demonic possessions in a very solemn, bureaucratic, forms-in-triplicate manner that has to go all the way to the Vatican. If an incident passes their "hoax" test for demonic possession, I'm generally inclined to believe it.

Still though, the Catholic Church regularly "confirms" supposed cured cases of cancer when considering the requisite three miracles for a person's sainthood. Besides the obvious holes in science, I'm not inclined to believe that if God had worked miracles he would arbitrarily choose who to save and who to let die...

[maverick]

Originally Posted by Zontar

Still though, the Catholic Church regularly "confirms" supposed cured cases of cancer when considering the requisite three miracles for a person's sainthood. Besides the obvious holes in science, I'm not inclined to believe that if God had worked miracles he would arbitrarily choose who to save and who to let die...

^ True. (And I don't think curing cancer should count as a true miracle, since cancer can remiss on its own. To me, supernatural events should include statues weeping blood, demonic possessions, spontaneous stigmata, stuff like that.)

Basically, I'm from Missouri - show me.

[Chip]

There's a lot out there that science can't explain. I used to be 100% logic driven, with the everything-can-be-proven-or-disproven-by-science mindset. But over time, I've found, at least for my own experiences, that isn't the case.

That said, I believe there are an awful lot of frauds who either make money doing exorcisms (or, as they are sometimes called in other traditions, demonic extractions). And there are an awful lot of people who are disempowered and in a victim mindset for whom blaming something external to themselves, such as a demonic possession, is an awfully convenient way to avoid responsibility.

I know a handful of people who do extractions, and similar rituals (soul retrievals, etc.). The people I've met that are genuine about it don't charge for it, rarely talk about it, avoid publicity and visibility, and are incredibly humble.

And... I've worked with people whose entire personality, experience, attitude, and sometimes health issues changed near-instantly (and permanently) after such an extraction or soul retrieval, and after other attempts at healing had failed.

So I'm inclined to believe that they can definitely be legitimate, even though I also believe the majority of people offering them are charlatans more interested in money or self-aggrandizement than in true spiritual healing.

[maverick]

And... I've worked with people whose entire personality, experience, attitude, and sometimes health issues changed near-instantly (and permanently) after such an extraction or soul retrieval, and after other attempts at healing had failed.

^ Even if it's a psychologically-based placebo effect, I don't knock what obviously works, for all intents and purposes.

[Just Adam]

Exorcisms are born out of iggnorance, fear and control through fear. The demon banishing I'll leave that for Hollywood but sadly the acts are very real and very clever.

Exorcisms are the same mental tactics of pray the gay away lot. It's brainwashing. Like if put in a govt rehabilitation centre. Your broken down and rebuilt under their ideals. Once the mind gets to a certain state of exhaustion it will snatch anything it can to secure sanity. That's all an exorcism is people making you believe you got the devil in you and you must repent your wicked ways ... Blah blah blah

I'm not a believer....

Surprised the daily mail doesent have a segment for how they can banish the evils in your life.

What business have demons with mortals? And why doesn't the Christian God protect his followers from such possessions when he is supposed to be all-powerful and all-knowing?

[kroozz]

well I don't believe in demonic possessions but I also know that just because I don't believe in it doesn't mean it doesn't exist..and I don't believe in it 'cause I've never seen one(not that I want to see one) all I know about demonic possessions comes from movies or stories online..