Exorcism by non priests and occult "exorcists"

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This is also a reflection of Fr. Dwight Longenecker own experiences with friends brought on by on the Latoya Ammons case

The Devil in Ordinary​

February 8, 2014 by Fr. Dwight Longenecker

Last week the exorcism of Latoya Ammons and her children was in the headlines and it got me musing about the demonic. An old puzzle in my own mind surfaced–the question of whether demonic possession is extremely rare or extremely common.

To illustrate my speculation I’ll tell you about a man I knew long ago I’ll call Gabriel. I met Gabe when I was working in London. He was slim, fit and good looking. He had impeccable manners and a delightfully charming manner about him. He was, in every sense, a man of the world. Gabriel had started his own software company which had become incredibly successful in a very short time. I saw him in the workplace. His personality was magnetic–especially to the ladies. Rumor had it that he had bedded most of them at one time or another. I’m thinking Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate (by the way–a movie with unseemly levels of sex and violence–not for the young or the squeamish)

When Gabriel heard that I was training to be a priest his usually smiling and charming face clouded over. Another demeanor took over–only for a very brief instant. When this happened I felt a sudden chill and disgust. Then he was smiling again and saying something anodyne like, “How very interesting! I hope that works out for you….”

Some time later I was having dinner with some friends who also knew Gabriel. James was a lapsed Catholic–his wife Sally was a devout Evangelical Christian. As Sally was cooking dinner James and I sat at the table having a glass of wine. James said, “So what do you think of Gabe?”

“Do you want to know what I really think?”
“Sure” said James with a big smile.
“I think he’s demon possessed.”

At that point Sally dropped the pan of potatoes and spun around. “Do you really think that!” she gasped.

I was taken aback by the intensity of her response. I had made my comment in an almost off hand manner. “Yes. I do actually.” I replied

“That is exactly what I have been thinking for a long time!” said Sally, “but I thought I was crazy to think that since Gabe is such a nice guy. I will continue praying for him.”
So this is what I struggle with, and I hasten to add that this post is speculation. I’m just wondering, is demon possession extremely rare or extremely common? What we see in movies like The Exorcist , The Rite and stories like the one last week from Indiana are very rare in our culture, but what if these unusual stories are only the display of one stage of demonic possession–what might be called infestation. In this stage the demon shows himself. So the paranormal manifestations are clear: horrible otherworldly voices, levitation, extreme hatred of the holy, preternatural strength, bizarre physical manifestations and so forth.
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People can be influenced by evil without actually being “demon possessed”. If you are going to call everybody who’s doing or thinking some evil "possessed’ then you’ll be exorcising people all day long. Unfortunately, some Evangelicals do go around with this view and they are the ones who are exorcising their children for listening to a Marilyn Manson record or violating their curfew, which doesn’t help anything.

I think the Church does a good job separating out actual possession cases from persons who are just living a sinful life or struggling with temptation or bad thoughts.
 
His reflection continues…
This display is always one stage of possession, but what if, in some people, the preternatural phenomena only lasts for a short time–maybe even just a moment? What if that display took place at a time when bizarre behaviors would not be unusual–say when everyone is drunk at a party or when everyone is being somewhat crazy at a drug fueled rock concert? What if the display happens only momentarily in private and no-one but the person is aware of it, and even he dismisses it as a dream or “I kind went crazy there for a minute.”

We know that the demon possessed are not always frightening raving monsters. The demons more often hide within the person. When this happens other signs may indicate demonic activity: an irrational blockage to the things of God, an irrational inability to understand matters of faith, an addiction to outrageous immorality and an implacable disgust and revulsion at anything to do with God or Jesus Christ.

If all this is true, then it is possible that very many people in our society are demon possessed, but like Gabriel, they are seemingly charming, successful and even delightful people–or they might just be the ordinary folks next door. They have no place for God or religion in their lives. They live totally for themselves and their own pleasure. Although they have a facade of niceness and good manners, one realizes that they have no morals and would do anything to promote their own way in the world. It would make sense–if Satan has so many under this sort of control–that he should not manifest himself in more obnoxious and obvious ways. Why stir things up with spooky and scary behaviors when they’re already walking with him?

If my speculation is correct, then there may be millions of people going around leading seemingly ordinary lives who are, in fact, controlled by the evil one. They are addicted to greed, selfishness, promiscuity, pornography and all sorts of perversions. They are given over completely to the things of this world, but hey, that’s just normal right?

The only time their problem reveals itself is when they are challenged by Jesus Christ and his church. First they drift away from Mass, then they turn away with an irrational and stubborn resistance, and if pushed they will become aggressive or even violent against God and his church.

I wonder about these matters, and then I argue with myself and say, “The thought is too frightening. Surely that can’t be true. Surely the opposite is true. These are just ordinary nice folks. Sure, demon possession exists, but it is extremely rare….

Or is it?
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Tis_Bearself said:
I think the Church does a good job separating out actual possession cases from persons who are just living a sinful life or struggling with temptation or bad thoughts.
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I agree Tis the Church is doing good. The Devil in the Ordinary, I feel is a good reflection for us a Catholics to be aware that the subject of demonic possession, obsession and infestation is an ocean in size. What needs to be stressed, however, is that all forms of the devil’s influence in human lives are more prevalent than most people imagine. Just so you know I am Latin Catholic. 🙃

Though not all diabolically afflicted people are living a sinful life. Seems to be a misnomer on this forum and I guess it is because there is the emphasis on that the afflicted person has sinned or been tempted. Spiritual legal rights can be given to evil spirits, people, buildings, objects, or family lines.

If one was to purchase or rent a home whereby explicit permission was given for evil to have authority over the building by the previous owner , then if that home is not blessed prior or around moving in that home will have an infestation of evil spirits.

Rights to an object, whereby through occult means the right for evil spirits to attach to to an object is another common way that a person allows evils spirits into a their home or life. It could be a gift, food or even be left behind by a visitor or through a break in.
 
While I don’t dispute the truth of what you say, there is an unfortunate tendency for people to get carried away with it and start seeing demons or possession everywhere. In my culture (which is not at all Latin Catholic), we are cognizant of the existence of the Devil and demons, and we do not object to things like house blessings, but we also don’t worry about “allowing evil spirits into a home or life”. A quick prayer to Jesus and also to Mary, St. Joseph, St. Michael, St. Benedict, maybe flick some holy water and one does not have to worry about this 99.999% of the time. Trust in God for his protection against evil.
 
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Loud-living-dogma said:
Maybe lead poisoning
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A simple blood test would have shown if that were the case. And if the person in question did go to a local doctor he’d certainly be aware of the possibility, since the patient wouldn’t have been the first.
 
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So did they do a blood test? Did they see if there was any sort of contamination of the house?
Did the mom or grandmother ingest any drugs, or give any drugs to the kids?
Did they go to any shamans, or New Age practitioners that gave them any drugs or substances to ingest?
 

Skeptical analysis​

Physician Geoffrey Onyeukwu had been skeptical of the entire incident and failed to witness any paranormal incidents. In his medical notes he wrote, “delusions of ghost in home” and “hallucinations”.[5] Ammons’ children had a history of “irregular school attendance” with a complaint filed against Ammons in 2009. In 2012, she blamed her children’s continued irregular attendance on the purported demonic activities.[4]

According to skeptical investigator Joe Nickell, police chief Charles Austin was “an admitted believer in the supernatural, including ghosts”. Nickell reported that the photo published by the Indianapolis Star and captioned “Photo by Hammond Police” was, according to the Hammond police chief, not an official photo and was not taken by Hammond police authorities. Nickell also interviewed a number of witnesses and concluded that there were a number of non-supernatural explanations for the claimed supernatural events.[4]

Charles Reed, the landlord, stated he had never experienced any supernatural events at the house. His prior tenants also claimed to never have such experiences. At the time, Ammons was behind on lease and used the claimed paranormal activities to avoid payments. The tenant who moved in after Ammons had not noticed any paranormal events, either. Reed believed the events were a hoax.[4]

The children were interviewed by psychologists, and several professionals concluded “the children were acting deceptively and in accordance with their mother’s beliefs”. Tracy Wright, a psychologist, noted that the youngest son “acted possessed” whenever he was challenged or was asked “questions that he did not wish to answer”.[4]

Ammons haunting case - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
I agree with you Tis, those that are complacent in such and find themselves affected.

Deuteronomy 7:26
26 Do not bring an abhorrent thing into your house, or you will be set apart for destruction like it. You must utterly detest and abhor it, for it is set apart for destruction.

2 Samuel 7:29
29 now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you; for you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

Pax Christi Tis
THT
 
Anyone concerned with people who are quick to believe in demon possession?
"The guidance states that such abuse includes the belief that children are witches or possessed by a spirit, demon or the devil, as well as “ritual or muti murders where the killing of children is believed to bring supernatural benefits or the use of their body parts is believed to produce potent magical remedies”.

In other cases, the guidance said, magic or witchcraft is used “to create fear in children to make them more compliant when they are being trafficked for domestic slavery or sexual exploitation”.

Examples include the superstition that calling a wrong number can bring malevolent spirits into the home.

Children can also be scapegoated for misfortune which has befallen other members of the family, such as unemployment or poverty. "

www.telegraph.co.uk

Belief in witchcraft and demonic possession linked to 1,500 child abuse cases

Witchcraft and demonic possession are linked to almost 1,500 child abuse cases a year, the first Government statistics on the topic show.
www.telegraph.co.uk www.telegraph.co.uk
 
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I place my faith in the Church, that Father Michael Maginot after a minor Latoya minor exorcism on Latoya, on 30 May 2012. The Bishop Melczek then granted permission for Father Michael Maginot to perform a full exorcism. Two further exorcisms, the last in Latin. No further demonic issues where reported and Latoya’s children were returned back to her. The children receive ongoing funding by the government for healthcare, food stamps etc. Lotoya is in full time work.

DCS case was formally dismissed in February 2013.

Pax Christi
THT
 
CS Lewis once said there are two basic errors regarding demons, the first is to pay them no mind, while the second is to become overly fixated on them. As we live in a culture that overwhelmingly favours the former it is quite possible believers sometimes overcompensate in the other direction. Such is human nature.

But even the most cursory glance at Scripture or the writings/lives of the saints makes it clear that the dangers of spiritual warfare are very real. Certainly Our Lord thought so. So I’d cautiously agree with Father L’s thoughts above: that it’s possible there is far more demonic activity around than most moderns guess. And again, generally demons do not go in for the dramatic stuff. They are subtle.

I’ll finish by saying that according to the one exorcist I’ve met and the several I’ve read or listened to, there are far more cases than get reported or handled. Perhaps this is “career bias,” the sort of mindset that would lead chiropractors to think most people have bad backs or dentists to think most need their teeth fixed, but it doesn’t make what they say false.

Just my two cents.
 
Loud-living-dogma said:
So did they do a blood test?
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So did they? Or not?
Loud-living-dogma said:
Anyone concerned with people who are quick to believe in demon possession?
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Your article of the UK Telegraph is about African witch doctors not about catholic priests.

THERE’S A DIFFERENCE IN CASE YOU DON’T KNOW!! (The UH Telegraph has a long history of anti-catholic bigotry in their editorial line. In this case “exorcism” is a purposed misnomer on their part, seeking to denigrate catholics. Because there’s no relationship between occultist African witch doctors and catholic prayers of liberation, i.e. the rite of exorcism.)
Loud-living-dogma said:
Physician Geoffrey Onyeukwu had been skeptical
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There’s no lack of reputed physicians witnessing exorcism and pretenatural phenomenon who went on record about what they witnessed.
Loud-living-dogma said:
it’s just that the accounts I read in those books are not convincing to me
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You probably didn’t read the right books, the better ones are written with care to avoid fueling voyeurs - thus they leave unsaid much of the obvious, read between the lines.
 
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Yes I realize that these folks in the UK are seeking out witch doctors, but I think when people are quick to jump on “possession” as an explanation for things, then credulous people will consult whoever they like, whether some abusive witch doctor, or whoever. They aren’t necessarily going to seek out a level-headed Catholic priest.b
 
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Here’s my take. I am aware of the different stages and categories of demonic activity in the lives of those they afflict.

The different categories are ordinary: Which is the everyday level of temptation and the like. Then there’s the extraordinary: That’s where infestation, obsession, oppression and possession.

I think many people in our culture probably suffer from these earlier stages of extraordinary demonic activity to various degrees. The problem lies in discernment and that’s where you need a priest of solid integrity and strong spiritual life to do the discerning.

As for house blessings: Before I move into a new place, I will ask the priest to bless the house. I’ve been an occultist before, you might be surprised what goes on in a home before you occupy it; so I understand that previous occupants may have been into some seriously messed up stuff; having done bad stuff and invited dangerous things into the home.
 
Too many people these days either entirely disregard the possibility of the demonic, since Westerners are often taught by secular society that evil is just a philosophical concept and thus relative; or they do believe and go to mediums, occultists and their fellow travelers when “ dark spirits “ afflict them.
 
I’m thinking extraordinary demonic activity happens far more often than what gets reported, IMHO. Now, I’ve read The Rite and books by Fr Gabriele Amorth and these authors caution against seeing the demonic in everything. However; I humbly believe that the lower stages: infestation, obsession and oppression; happen quite frequently.

I wonder if all the evil that’s arisen in American society is the result of demonic influences. I’m not going off the rails and saying all of it; human evil can get bad. But: my basic thesis in this point is: What if what we’re experiencing in our culture: The breakdown of the family, massive drug and crime problems and the breakdown of social norms; is the result of ordinary and extraordinary demonic activity acting upon and through unwitting people? Almost like a perverse mockery of how the Holy Spirit moves people to good.

The problem in our culture, IMHO; is that we’ve been trained to disbelieve in the the reality of demonic evil and what it can do.
 
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Michael16 said:
I’ve been an occultist before,
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Michael you were in the employ of the adversary at that point. let us make a clear distinction between what is good and right and just and Catholic, and what goes against our faith and tradition.
Our sins are confessed and left in the past.
We leave the discernment of activity arttributed to the devil, or to illness or environmental conditions to our Clergy.

We do not want to confuse those reading.

Bishop Barron and Bl. Fulton Sheen have some excellent youtube talks on the topic of the devil.
 
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I’m sorry, Gift. I don’t mean to confuse; just sharing some things. Again, I’m sorry and yes: I do defer to the clergy.
 
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