Exorcisms

Blazkovitz

Blazkovitz

New member
Do you believe in exorcisms and demonic possession?
It's a really controversial subject, but is there an official church position?
 
Obviously the Church admits the efficacy of exorcisms, otherwise she would not have officially appointed exorcists. There would be no other reason for exorcism than demonic possession.

Short answer, an emphatic yes.
 
Did anybody see such instance personally? As far as I'm concerned, possession happens only in horror movies.
 
Blazkovitz said:
Did anybody see such instance personally? As far as I'm concerned, possession happens only in horror movies.
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I have not, though I have known people whose mere presence made me quite uncomfortable, there was just something malevolent about them. I wouldn't go so far as to say they were "possessed", but they weren't the kind of people with whom I'd want to spend any time if I could help it.

The various well-known exorcists, such as Fr Ripperger, could tell us quite a bit.
 
I would encourage you to read up on both Fr Ripperger and Father Carlos Martins.

You can get a fair amount of research in as to what they have witnessed.

It doesn't matter if I have or have not seen anything personally. I am just an anonymous name on the internet.
 
And the most recent Catechism has this to say about exorcism:

1673 When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms and from him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing. In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism. The solemn exorcism, called "a major exorcism," can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.
 
HomeschoolDad said:
I have not, though I have known people whose mere presence made me quite uncomfortable, there was just something malevolent about them. I wouldn't go so far as to say they were "possessed", but they weren't the kind of people with whom I'd want to spend any time if I could help it.
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In my case, people who made me feel uncomfortable are usually bossy, parentalistic types, who are also devoid of emotion. This is not possession, but personality type.

I would think of demonic possession if I encountered unprovoked sadism or aggression.
 
Blazkovitz said:
In my case, people who made me feel uncomfortable are usually bossy, parentalistic types, who are also devoid of emotion. This is not possession, but personality type.

I would think of demonic possession if I encountered unprovoked sadism or aggression.
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I'm talking about people who, immediately upon meeting them, seem to have some kind of evil presence. It's a hard thing to describe, but I know it when I sense it. And once I get to digging and find out more about them, my initial discomfort proves to be well-founded.
 
HomeschoolDad said:
I'm talking about people who, immediately upon meeting them, seem to have some kind of evil presence. It's a hard thing to describe, but I know it when I sense it. And once I get to digging and find out more about them, my initial discomfort proves to be well-founded.
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I get what you’re trying to say about first impressions, but I’d still be careful with that kind of judgment. Sometimes intuition is right, but it can also be influenced by bias or limited info early on.
 
EdwardGeorge said:
I get what you’re trying to say about first impressions, but I’d still be careful with that kind of judgment. Sometimes intuition is right, but it can also be influenced by bias or limited info early on.
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Be assured that my first impulse is to assume that my intuitions are wrong, and that there is more to the situation than meets the eye. Nonetheless, when I do a bit of digging (by getting to know the person better and being around them), my instincts are usually right. Even animals and small children are often able to sense that kind of thing.
 
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