Religious practices and basic data

Demonic possession, demonic oppression,
deliverance ministries, and exorcisms

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Quotations:

	"Certain rash people have asserted that, just as there are no mice where there are no cats, so no one is possessed where there are no exorcists." Georg Christoph Lichtenberg. ₁
	"...the gate to the carnal self is five-fold: sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch. A demon can come in through any of the five gates by tempting the guard at the door. If the guard allows the demon in then the demon has authority to move about freely. You gave him this authority by giving up your free will to stand and rebuke the temptation." Chris Ward. ₂

Overview:

Christianity has historically taught that Satan and his hordes of demons roam about the world attempting to harm, harass, and destroy humans. There are many dozens of passages in the Christian Scriptures that describe the belief that demons can indwell or possess a human being and cause them to behave strangely. Much mental and physical illness was attributed to this origin during the 1^st century CE. A major part of the Gospel message concerns Jesus' healing ministry of exorcism. He is recorded as having cured numerous sick people by banishing one or more demons from their body. In one memorable incident, he transferred a thousand demonic spirits from one person to a herd of pigs.

There is no consensus in North America about the existence of indwelling evil spirits, and effectiveness of exorcism:

Topics covered in this section:

Introduction

Bible passages about possession and exorcism

Beliefs and practices of:

	Roman Catholics,
	Conservative Protestants,
	Skeptics, Secularists, and religious liberals

Beliefs and practices of some isolated groups:

	A West African / Fundamentalist Christian syncretistic religion in the UK
	An exorcism / crucifixion / ritual murder in an isolated Romanian Orthodox convent

Other information:

	Is possession and exorcism still valid today?
	Demonic possession, demonic oppression, and Schizophrenia

Recent events in the media

References used:

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, "Aphorisms." Book review at: http://www.cscs.umich.edu/
Chris Ward, "Can a Christian be demon possessed?," (1999), at: http://www.logoschristian.org/

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Copyright � 1998 to 2014 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2014-JAN-20
Author: B.A. Robinson