The Dark Side of Exorcism

The topics of possession exorcism are inherently deeply complex, controversial, and interpreted by hundreds of cultures and religions at different and varying levels of belief and understanding. Volumes have been written about the subject throughout the centuries, from the religious to the historic, from the scientific to the sensational. The realm of possession and exorcism has been seriously approached and studied by theologians, psychiatrists, scientists, historians and scholars, writers and filmmakers, all with different interpretations about the phenomena, its validity, and meanings. What, if any, are the conclusions?

Hollywood continues the trend of bombarding us with countless movies about possession and exorcism, many supposedly based on true accounts; a time-tested ploy to guarantee wider audience appeal. While the phenomenal success of The Exorcist will probably never be equaled in modern cinema as a cultural phenomenon involving the paranormal, Hollywood will continue to crank out exorcism movies as long as people continue to pay to see them. They know that “scary sells.” Producers of such films are not interested in fact finding, depicting actual events, the consequences of misinformation, or anything else that may defer a paying movie goer to enter the theater or pay to see the films in another medium. The only thing of concern to them is box office figures. When the numbers drop, so will the films. So has always has been the nature of movies in America.

So while the Devil is the star in many modern-day movies, many don’t realize the true history of possession and exorcism. While good frequently seems to triumph over evil in films and literature, we don’t very often have the opportunity to hear about tales of exorcism gone awry and the more sordid details of its origins. While doubtless many who believe in possession have been helped by exorcism (or deliverance or some other mystical form of healing), there are many who have not been so fortunate. While the answer of whether demons actually exist can probably never be proven or disproved, regardless of faith, one must ultimately conclude that for the time being, until science and medicine has the technology to unlock more of the mystery of the unknown, facts will speak for themselves.

Our ancient ancestors, devoid of the enormous mass of technology, knowledge, and media that we have at the mere touch of the button today, naturally drew a majority of their beliefs from inherited fears and superstition. Fear of evil spirits is abundant in almost every religion and dawned alongside man’s natural and inherent fear of the dark and the unexplained. Throughout the ages, the unknown and the mysterious have garnered an undeniable, deeply rooted primal fascination in all of us, despite how technology continues to advance at an exponential rate.

Over the centuries, nearly every society and culture in the world have created or inherited their own groups of Gods, deities, spirits, demons, monsters, curses, and an array of different religious beliefs that are drawn from every conceivable part of the human psyche; from the simple and mundane to the utterly exotic and bizarre. Almost every religion also has its own specialized and ritualistic ways to expel unwanted spirits and entities them from either a besieged person, property, and in some instances, animals. Some religions denounce the possibility of possession all together.

The oldest recorded beliefs in possession come from the Sumerians, settlers of one of the first recorded civilizations in the ancient near east, now modern Iraq. The Sumerians believed all diseases of the body and mind were caused by “sickness demons” called Gid-Dim, and they had appointed sorcerers, or Ashipu, who read from cuneiform tablets that contained prayers to the Gods to protect them and various magical rites that were used to expel the possessing entities.

Shamanic cultures also have Shaman, or “witch doctors,” who called upon their Gods through ritual and dance to help rid the possessed of their unwanted spirits or demons.

Similar beliefs and rituals exist within the Voodoo, or Vodou, religions, which are still practiced today in places such as West Africa and Haiti. Here and in other religions, spirit possession is regarded as a normal part of their culture; even welcomed, lest of course when evil spirits are accidentally allowed to invade the host.

Demonic possession in the Roman Catholic religion is the belief that malevolent disembodied entities from another dimension, usually of a demonic nature, can gain control of a human being’s body and use it to for its own evil will and destructive purposes. The demonic (or inhuman spirit as it is sometimes called by demonologists, since it was unworthy of human life and thus deprived of it) perpetrates both an eternal rage and hatred against both the Christian God and all mankind. The possessing entity can only be expelled through the rite of exorcism, in which an ordained exorcist, a pious and humble man of great knowledge and experience, expels the demon or demons in the name of God and Jesus Christ only after careful investigation and permission from the acting Bishop of the local Diocese.

Demons, depending on your source of information, supposedly number in the millions. Many have a specific name, usually of a human flaw or frailty, such as Sloth, Lust, or Deceit, and other names derived from ancient Hebrew, Latin, or Aramaic. Demonic names such as Astaroth, Beelzebub, and Ba’al derive from scripture and occultists and are speculated these names have their roots in Pagan deities.

In the fifteenth century, demonologist de Spina documented what he believed to be the hierarchy of classes and demons. Each sect of demons has a chief, a general, commanders, and a legion of warriors each specialized in inflicting a specific blasphemous act, thought, or sin upon their unwary human victims. Lucifer is usually the title most often given to the Devil, and he was the most beautiful and powerful or God’s Angels that had fallen; desiring power and straying from God, he was cast down into the pits of hell. He has many names; some disputed as being the proper names of higher Devils, but it is Satan for which he is most commonly, however, erroneously, known. Through deceit and man’s inherited weaknesses, the Devil tempts and influences us; his demons constantly barraging and strategically enslaving, oppressing, and whenever possible, possessing the most precious treasure in all existence; the human soul.  The Devil has its grips in everything from famine, war, crime, and politics, all the way down to innocent men, woman and children. They are always working, plotting, influencing, manipulating, we mortals; invisible but ever present. So is the belief of possession for the modern day Roman Catholic Church.

Jesus was one of the first recorded exorcists, as there are several references in both the Old and New Testament of him expelling demons from human beings. The majority instances occur in the New Testament. The most popular and often quoted in Mathew 8: 28-34:

Exodus, the second book of Moses, condemns theft, damage, trespassing, borrowing, fornication, bestiality, and idolatry as paths to and signs of devilry and witchcraft. It also tells us (xxii, 18): ‘Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.’ Deuteronomy also lists practices and abominations that are to be avoided including, ‘There shalt not be found among you a witch.’

It is generally accepted by most Biblical Scholars and theologians that Jesus did indeed have the power to cast out demons and gave the power to others who invoked his name; however, Jesus did not use nor need the rite of exorcism. In the centuries to come however, possession would become like a plague, and many who suffered from a yet undiscovered illness were labeled a witch or warlock and often accused of being in league with Devil and commonly put to death after confessions were extracted under torture in the cruelest and the most inhumane ways. Sadly, our ancestors believed that barbaric torture, prolonged agony and suffering were a sure way to rid the condemned of their evil agents before they finally and mercifully expired, usually as many accounts reported, “with marrow oozing from their bones” or “flayed of all skin until they were more bone than body.” Most met their demise at the stake, publicly burned alive only after hours or days of torture and agony that defies imagining. There was no mercy for woman nor children, nor the elderly or the ill, nor color or creed, if you were suspected; you were most likely condemned simply based on another’s fearful word or the subtle point of an accuser’s finger. Trials and punishments were dealt swiftly and brutally.

Ironically, many of the cruelest punishments and instruments of torture to weed out the Devil’s followers and afflicted were devised and sanctioned for use by the Church, mostly during the Inquisition. The Roman Catholic Church was notoriously known for being the creators of some of the most diabolical methods of torture for the bewitched or possessed, or those who refused to convert to the ways of the Church. The rack, thumb screws, whipping, crushing of legs and hands, baths of scalding water, hacking off of limbs, eyes being gouged out, tongues cut out, red hot pincers to tear off noses, breasts and genitalia, flogging, throat slashing, heads split open by axes and hammers, flaying skin, drowning, disemboweling, strangulation, and being burned alive were only a few of the Church’s abominable ways of dealing with those accused of witchcraft or being demonized. During the inquisition tens of thousands were killed, and accusations of being a witch or demonically possessed only added more carnage to the slaughter in another chapter of man’s continual inhumanity to man.

Reasons for becoming afflicted with demonic possession mostly stemmed from the belief in witchcraft and occult practices, shadowed today by “dabbling in the occult,” with the use of Ouija boards and practices such as seances, astrology, palm and tarot card reading, numerology, and table tipping. To the Church and its scholars, it was evident that witches were simply carrying out the will and acts of Satan, and any association or mere mention of such practices put one at risk of being accused of demonic worship or alliance. It is no surprise that reports of demons revealing themselves during interrogation sessions became more commonplace. Under the severe physical and psychological stresses of endless torture, one was likely to act out bizarrely and manifest behavior that could be evidence enough for the persecutors to prove their association with the Devil. Stripped of all clothing, human rights, and dignity on top of being pushed to the limit of human endurance with little or no chance or mercy, one can imagine confessions were easy to extract. Of course, this only fueled the belief that demons where actually present in the bodies of the suffering victims. It became a vicious circle spun by fear, ignorance and fanaticism.

Supposed cases of mass outbreaks of demonic possession became popular in the 1600s, particularly among convents where dozens of nuns would mysteriously become afflicted simultaneously. Many recorded incidents apparently resulted from scandals evolving around sexual allegations of rape, ritualistic orgies, and occasionally animal and human sacrifice with the fear of, or praise of, Satan as a catalyst.

Another explanation accepted by many historians is that these nuns may have suffered from mass sociogenic illness, also sometimes known as mass anxiety hysteria and mass motor hysteria. This illness is used to describe a medical condition that spreads within a social group but does not seem to have a common organic cause. Sociogenic illnesses may be psychosomatic in nature, or may be defined by individuals with disparate illnesses that are wrongly linked to a common cause. Robert E. Bartholomew PhD in article for The British Journal of Psychiatry describes this scenario:

“Coupled with a popular belief in witches and demons, this situation triggered dozens of epidemic motor hysteria outbreaks among nuns, who were widely believed to have been demonically possessed. Episodes typically lasted months and in several instances were endured in a waxing and waning fashion for years. Histrionics and role-playing were a significant part of the syndrome. Young girls typically were coerced by elders into joining these socially isolating religious orders, practicing rigid discipline in confined, all-female living quarters. Their plight included forced vows of chastity and poverty. Many endured bland near-starvation diets, repetitious prayer rituals and lengthy fasting intervals. Punishment for even minor transgression included flogging and incarceration.The hysterical fits appeared under the strictest administrators.Priests were summoned to exorcise the demons, and disliked individuals often were accused of casting spells and were banished,imprisoned or burned at the stake. Witchcraft accusations alsowere a way to settle social and political scores under the guise of religion and justice. These rebellious nuns used fouland blasphemous language and engaged in lewd behavior: exposing genitalia, rubbing private parts or thrusting hips to denotemock intercourse. Community members often attended the spectacles in a daily theater-like atmosphere while priests would try to exorcise the demons.”

If sociogenic illness was indeed responsible for these outbreaks, one could reason that it was also at play in many other recorded cases of demonic possession, including those of the modern day.

One of the more notorious stories out of this era was the sordid tale of Father Louis Gaufridi, whose secret sexual affairs with many nuns of the Coventry in Aix-en-Provence of southern France in 1611 lead to two of them becoming possessed. Sister Madeleine Demandolx de la Palud and Sister Louise Capelle accused the young, attractive Father Gaufridi of bewitching them by stealing their virginity during liaisons that lasted for several years. Both women, while undergoing violent public exorcism by the grand inquisitor from Avingnon, Sebastian Michaelis, identified their personal Devil as Father Gaufridi, along with 6,661 other demons that inhabited their bodies. They had convulsive fits, spoke in deep, booming voices, and spat and frothed at the mouth while spewing obscenities. With no other proof, Father Gaufridi was tortured until he confessed, and then was publicly strangled, disemboweled, and burned at the stake. Sister Madeline was herself imprisoned for having a bruise pattern on her body she suffered during the exorcism that in the eyes of the inquisitor resembled a demonic mark.

In 1669, in Mora, Sweden, a learned Bishop Hutchinson appealed to townspeople who were condemning a hundred innocent woman supposedly responsible for bewitching three hundred children who became “possessed by Devils and flew through the sky and about the heavens.” The good Bishop investigated many such claims in all the hysteria of the past decades. He appealed to the townspeople:

“Is it not so plain to see that the people have frightened their children with so many tales that they could not sleep without dreaming of the Devil, and they made the poor women of the town confess what the children said to be true? Can not one but see through such a veil?” 

It did not matter; eighty five were tortured and burned alive at the stake. Association with the Devil was not taken lightly. While today, we may think we have become more intelligent and civilized, this type of mindset still exists and the ramifications of this can be just as damaging. Our own short American history is also full of similar witch-hunt and persecution efforts, lest we forget the nineteen innocent men and woman hanged as witches and one Giles Corey pressed to death with stones, refusing to confess his alliance with the Devil during the witchcraft hysteria that swept through Salem, Massachusetts in 1692.

Interest in demonology and witchcraft then took somewhat of an underground hiatus for quite some time. The Catholic Church, still reeling from the atrocities committed during the inquisition, began to keep reports of demonism and exorcism a closely guarded secret, the information privy only to a certain few. The new age brought science and medicine and a better understanding of the complexity of the world, yet the fascination of what could not be explained continued to remain.

Due to modern Western civilization’s limited exposure to rituals such as exorcism, mostly due to the Roman Catholic’s stance on secrecy (demonic possession and exorcism taking the same private status of that of confessional) and their tendency to sweep such reports under the proverbial carpet much the same way they did with reports of sexual abuse allegations against priests, controversy and embarrassment over the topic thrived during the latter part of the twentieth century. The public was left relying mostly on our own sensationalized film and literature as our only means of learning about such secretive rituals. Through these agencies, one may be  inclined to believe that exorcism is a strictly a Roman Catholic practice that is not spoken about publicly and usually performed in secrecy after the most careful investigation and consideration.  The Roman Catholic Church has specific guidelines and criteria that must be met before an exorcism is sanctioned by the acting Bishop. Have all possible mental and physical illnesses and diseases been ruled out by qualified doctors and psychiatrists? Has the individual spoken in tongues or in foreign languages unknown to them? Has the individual divulged hidden knowledge or foretold of future events that came to pass? Does the individual exhibit super human strength or have a strong aversion to holy objects? Are there any outward manifestations surrounding the individual such as levitation, movement of objects or unexplained noises? Only after the criterion is met and then reviewed may the official right of exorcism be granted by the acting Bishop.

Mental illness and drug abuse can also lead to claims of possession, especially in deeply rooted religious families who are inclined to have more faith in religion than they do in modern medicine. Epilepsy, Schizophrenia, Hysteria, Tourette’s syndrome, and other illness and diseases can bear a resemblance to the supposed symptoms of demonic possession. Of course, this does not mean that the individuals involved are purposely being deceptive, but too often are those with such disabilities manipulated by a particular belief system in which their disability is looked upon as a curse or the work of evil external forces. When a disability is exploited as such, fraud can be tempting for the opportunists.

Perhaps this is why most often exorcisms are performed by renegade priests, deliverance ministers, charismatic healers, and other individuals who no longer (or never had) an official association with the Church. The exorcism continues whether it is sanctioned or not by anyone who feels they have the need to perform one. However, those puts power, imagined or not, into the hands of anyone and results are not always successful or pleasant, despite most intentions to do good. The Catholic Church, under scrutiny for the modern day awareness of exorcism, remains cautious and tight lipped on unsanctioned exorcisms that have gone awry.

In 1976, twenty-four year old Anneliese Michel, a diagnosed epileptic, died from malnutrition and dehydration in Germany after undergoing ten months of exorcisms performed by two catholic priests. In 1996, a five year old was beaten to death by three women during an exorcism to rid her of demons.  In 1997 a five-year old girl was poisoned during an exorcism when forced to swallow toxic chemicals and had her mouth taped shut. In 2003, an eight-year old autistic girl was accused of being possessed and was suffocated to death by her church member during an exorcism. In 2010, innocent 13 month old Amora Carson was beaten and bitten to death during an exorcism. In September 2012, two religious cult leaders were hanged in Japan after being found guilty of six murders during exorcisms. Deaths related to exorcism continue to rise as the awareness becomes more prevalent in the news, the Internet, and in main stream movies.

That is not to say there are not serious researchers that dedicate an enormous amount of time and effort in a sincere attempt to understand and explain cases of possession. These individuals and organizations do exist. An interesting observance is that the more sophisticated our investigative efforts and equipment becomes, the fewer instances of proof of the supernatural we appear to have. Opportunities seemed abound in the records that date back before we had the technology to record it. Now that we have home security cameras, camera phones, and the Internet, one would expect to have compiled a massive amount of scrutinized, trustworthy,  paranormal evidence in the past decade alone; however, the opposite appears to be true; we are left with very little that is credible, if nothing at all. With all of the exorcisms being performed over the world and so much talk of levitation, speaking in foreign tongues, the unexplained movement and manifestation of objects and other supernatural events that are purported to happen during the ritual, the question arises; why isn’t there any credible evidence?

Whether or not demons are real can be endlessly debated, but the fact that exorcism is alive and well and being practiced by different religions all over the world cannot. While science and medicine continues to advance and downplay the possibility of spirit possession, believers will always have their faith and exorcisms, sanctioned or not, will continue. It has been said that the Devil’s best weapon against man is making him believe he doesn’t exist. If that is truly the case, one has to wonder why belief in the Devil can make some of the most dangerous people of all.