L
leather_couch
Guest
Topics of the demonic and evil are probably well worn territory in the CA forums, and many people have their views and experiences. Still, I figured it would be best to go to an expert so-to-speak. I’ll begin by saying, I’m not possessed, nor do I know anyone who is. That said, I think I’m a bit confused and disheartened by the information that is out there about what seems to be a very serious subject. In popular media - books, movies, documentaries, etc. - there is a good deal of discussion about demonic possession/oppression, but most, if not all, seems quite sensational and at times far fetched and exploitative. It seems to me that a lot of what we are dealing with is either showmanship or serious mental and neurological problems. To make things more curious, various exorcists seem to have different opinions on what exactly constitutes possession. Some claim only demons can possess/oppress, while others seem to think it could be disembodied spirits. In the case of the exorcism of Annaliese Michel in Germany in the 70’s the young woman identified an entity named “Hitler” as one of her oppressors/possessors. It turns out her problem may have been entirely the result of her epilepsy and psychological trauma. With that said, is it possible that these are not real things, but physical and mental phenomena. Could the skeptics be right? As a Catholic, it seems a bit strange to me that the devil and his angels would want to be so obvious as to come out in the open. That said, it seems like some of the accounts by some of the Church’s exorcists match more with what the Gospels record rather than popular culture, where there isn’t as much levitation as there is agony and torment on the part of the sufferer that is attributable to demonic entities. Any thoughts?