Friday, October 12, 2012

The Truth about Exorcism





Religion is a subject that many people don’t talk about for various reasons. For some people, religion and their beliefs are something that they consider sacred. For others, religion represents hurt because of bad past experiences. For me, I don’t believe in religion. I am a follower of the Lord and Son of GOD, Jesus Christ. I have seen many things that people do not believe in, and a few things that have expanded my mind. I have dealt with demon possessed people, I have seen and experienced miracles, I have been in “haunted” houses, heard growling in empty rooms, and seen a demon. I don’t say these things to brag. I say them only to preface my blog. For the next few weeks, I promise to bring you things that you don’t believe in a way that is non-threatening and non-eccentric. Ladies and gentlemen welcome to “The Other Side”

This week’s edition of “The Other Side” is the first in a two part series on exorcisms.

We’ve all seen movies about exorcisms. “Demon” possessed girls in beds spit out green slime with their heads turning around in an inhumanly possible way. Well, don’t discount the stories quite yet. Exorcisms are not just Hollywood stories. They aren’t a new thing at all. References to exorcisms have been made in every major religion in America. A few references are made about exorcisms in the Christian Bible. The book of Luke (chapter 9:verse 37-43) recounts the story of a man who brought his child to Jesus to have a demon expelled from him. The child is said to have been thrown into a screaming fit by the demon possessing him. His body was described as being racked with convulsions; and he had foam coming from his mouth.  In Islam, exorcisms and all forms of fighting off of evil are called Ruqyah. Ruqyah is a ceremony that is performed on people who believe that there are evil spirits attacking them or possessing them. Much like the Christian exorcism, people performing Ruqyah on others call to Allah for His help with expelling the evil from a person. Ruqyah is usually performed by a white-gloved therapist. The demon possessed person must be lying down. The therapist then chants verses from the Quran, and has the patient to drink Holy water. In Hinduism, the Vedas are employed to aid with exorcisms. There are four Vedas or four Holy books in Hinduism. The Atharva Veda is the book that deals with exorcisms. Mantras, which are chants, are sung during Hindu exorcisms. And, Yajnas, which are sacrifices, are performed during the Mantras being sung. In Judaism, exorcisms are performed by rabbis (priests) and minyans (groups of ten adult males). During the process, the 91st psalm of the Christian Bible is said three times. After that, the rabbi blows a ram’s horn. In Jewish exorcisms, the exorcists attempt to heal the afflicted and the afflicter. The rabbi wants to heal the demon as well!  
                I’ve heard stories about exorcisms in the church that I grew up in. The stories were crazy too. I heard about women who were demon possessed slithering on the floor like snakes when the name of Jesus was said. I’ve heard of people oinking like pigs during exorcisms. I’ve heard accounts of Hollywood-esque projectile vomit coming from the mouths’ of demon possessed people. I thought that all of the stories were untrue until I had an experience with an exorcism. I happened to be around a girl who was being attacked by an evil spirit. How do I know she was being attacked? When the thought came across my mind, I touched her forehead and said Jesus. She puked all over the place. The story is longer and more intricate than that, but that’s a short summary. Exorcisms are very much real and dangerous. If you believe that you or someone that you know is demon possessed, prayer is the best method of expelling a demon. For more information on exorcism, check out this link.

Next week, I’ll be interviewing a pastor, a man with a Doctorate degree in eschatology (the study of the end of time). He has had experience with performing exorcisms.

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