How do you explain non-Catholic exorcisms?

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yawnernonner

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Why do Protestants (at least believe) that they do exorcisms that actually work?
I have listened to Protestants in person saying that they have cast spirits out of people by simply praying. Some of these stories have “big fish”-style embellishments, and some don’t. They are told in sincerity, if not with a helping of delusion. Presumably, the fact that their works are effective would be a barrier to conversion: if they are supposedly able to cast spirits out of people, why would they want to convert to a religion where exorcism are slow and
How would you refute this to a person who believes that they have cast spirits out of people? History that proves the Church is distant. This stuff, though a delusion, is immediate and concrete. It appeals to the animalistic brain that doesn’t think abstractly. You can’t use devils as an explanation, for such would be blasphemy to them (and could potentially be actual blasphemy).

Is it perhaps real, and a gift of God to people that He knows otherwise would never be healed because of the dry and Protestant void they are in?
 
It’s like alternative cancer treatments: was there really cancer to begin with? No one knows.

It makes for good theater and cash generation though.
 
I can imagine a demon coming out in order to lead people away from the true Church.
 
Perhaps some Scriptural support is in Mark 9, “38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. 40 For he that is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward.”
 
There were pagan cults in Jesus’ time that had secret knowledge. Some of their secret knowledge was the names of some of the more powerfull demons. They could use those demons because the weaker demons would flee. When the Jews accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzubub it was because they had bought the names of demons from the Pagans. Every Rabbi was supposed to be able to cast out demons. So when Jesus say’s " and by whom do you cast out demons" It was in reference to this practice.

I don’t think anything you say to someone who is or thinks they are casting out demons will change their thinking.
 
yawnernonner said:
Why do Protestants (at least believe) that they do exorcisms that actually work?
I have listened to Protestants in person saying that they have cast spirits out of people by simply praying. Some of these stories have “big fish”-style embellishments, and some don’t. They are told in sincerity, if not with a helping of delusion. Presumably, the fact that their works are effective would be a barrier to conversion: if they are supposedly able to cast spirits out of people, why would they want to convert to a religion where exorcism are slow and
How would you refute this to a person who believes that they have cast spirits out of people? History that proves the Church is distant. This stuff, though a delusion, is immediate and concrete. It appeals to the animalistic brain that doesn’t think abstractly. You can’t use devils as an explanation, for such would be blasphemy to them (and could potentially be actual blasphemy).

Is it perhaps real, and a gift of God to people that He knows otherwise would never be healed because of the dry and Protestant void they are in
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I would say the majority of them are simply natural phenomena, perhaps even fraudulent.

Then a smaller percentage are some sort of demonic deception.

Then an even smaller percentage are Christ legitimately working through Protestant Christians and casting out devils.

Christ is not bound by His Church - His people are bound by His Church, but he is not. God and his Grace can be active in people outside the Church, in other children of Abraham (Muslims and Jews) or even in other children of Adam (you can clearly see a life of Grace in some people from other faiths like Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs. Would anyone argue that the Dalai Lama is not a man who is under the influence of Grace?)
 
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This is how I view it, In some places in the world, If a Catholic priest is unavailable, I believe with the right training that even lay people can be involved in” deliverence ministries”
 
Mtdobbs said:
believe with the right training that even lay people can be involved in” deliverence ministries”
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I’d absolutely agree.

I’d also argue the medieval view that in the absence of a priest, and in an emergency, a layperson can hear the confession of a penitent person. The layperson can’t grant absolution the same way as a Priest, but he could hear a confession and then pray that God absolve the person of their sins and accept their confession. And I have absolute faith that God would hear such a prayer and grant it.
 
I agree with Spyridon, God is not bound by his own Church. There is nothing to say that God couldn’t not easily work through a Protestant pastor to deliver someone from demonic attack. Do I think it will be as effective as a Catholic with the fullness of the faith? No, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be efficacious.

I think the Church has great wisdom in only allowing ordained priests to conduct exorcisms and only with certain conditions. There is ALOT of reasons this is a good thing and it greatly curtails the possibility of abuse. However it can also make the situation worse due to how long it can take. However just because a lay person cannot perform a full exorcism does not mean that they cannot pray for the person or (in more extreme circumstances) defend themselves or another from spiritual attack.

I think the Conjuring movie did a good job of portraying this (Hollywood stuff aside) the two Catholic laypersons where investigating claims of demonic activity and were in the process of getting an exorcism approved by the diocese, however during one night they were trapped in the house and the lead actor prayed and defended the people from demonic attack through prayer. He did not (that I remember) use the formal exorcism since he knew he could not, but in the extreme circumstances he had to do something.
 
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