Faith through exorcisms?

[redhen]

There’s been lots of media attention on the protestant exorcism hucksters and the disasters with home grown exorcisms gone awry.

I was thinking though that if a non-believer saw a real exorcism and something or someone levitated during it, that would be strong evidence for the supernatural and might lead that person back to God. I think that would do the trick for me.

This might be a strong argument for conversions, so why have none ever been videotaped and shown?

None of Fr. Gabriele Amorth’s 50,000 exorcisms have ever been video taped? What a shame.

 

[promethius95945]

There’s been lots of media attention on the protestant exorcism hucksters and the disasters with home grown exorcisms gone awry.

I was thinking though that if a non-believer saw a real exorcism and something or someone levitated during it, that would be strong evidence for the supernatural and might lead that person back to God. I think that would do the trick for me.

This might be a strong argument for conversions, so why have none ever been videotaped and shown?

None of Fr. Gabriele Amorth’s 50,000 exorcisms have ever been video taped? What a shame.

First off, not all excorcisms are the same… MOST deal with those who are merely INFLUENCED rather than POSSESSED.

Second, it’s a matter of privacy. MUCH of what is said during an exorcism is a very personal matter regarding sin and a person’s history. Recordings of VOICE are often kept, but only as official record and are not (i believe) release-able without the permission of those involved.

Third, Demonic Possession is ugly. I would suggest reading Malachi Martin’s “Hostage to the Devil” (however none of his work after his fall from the church). Certainly there would be few who could stomach the foul nature of an exorcism and all of it’s grotesque battles.

 

[cheddarsox]

There’s been lots of media attention on the protestant exorcism hucksters and the disasters with home grown exorcisms gone awry.

I was thinking though that if a non-believer saw a real exorcism and something or someone levitated during it, that would be strong evidence for the supernatural and might lead that person back to God. I think that would do the trick for me.

This might be a strong argument for conversions, so why have none ever been videotaped and shown?

None of Fr. Gabriele Amorth’s 50,000 exorcisms have ever been video taped? What a shame.

50,000?!!! If he performed one a day starting from birth, he’d have to be 136 years old to have performed or taken part in that many. Or has he encounter large groups of people that are possessed and performed large group exorcisims?

 

[promethius95945]

50,000?!!! If he performed one a day starting from birth, he’d have to be 136 years old to have performed or taken part in that many. Or has he encounter large groups of people that are possessed and performed large group exorcisims?

I think we’re talking about cases of demonic influence or harassment for the large number of those… I’ve never heard of “group exorcism” of the fully and it doesn’t stand to reason that Father Amroth could have survived that many exorcisms when the average excorcist supposedly makes it through about ten full blown exorcisms of the truly posessed.

 

[Abbi]

Hey!
Well I dont think it would make much of a difference… at least not to the friends I have that are non-believers. I brought it up once, and it was sneered at, demons were compared to the tooth-fairy, and the people supposedly “possessed” or “influenced” were deemed imagining the occurances or mentally unstable. I have two friends that dabbled in the occult, and I can tell you that they are not mentally unstable or imagining - but it doesnt make a difference to athiests.

But maybe… you never know. It seems weird that use of the Bible and Jesus’ name stops the demons very effectively. I dont know how they would explain that.

Is it a little odd using Satan’s work to make people believe? I’m not sure. What do you guys think?