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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