The Exorcist II and Evil

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Meggie

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I acidentally watched the Exorcist II on TV last night as the lounge in my dorm has cable. It was an older movie but the actress looked like Amanda Bynes. I didn’t know until after the movie what it was because I didn’t bothor to look at the channel.

I am rather confused. I know media mis-represents Catholocism and things but what do people say about this movie? There was a priest and everything in it.

However I was not as frightened by this movie as I was by the last Joan of Arcadia…

What is evil? I know its real…but what is it? Is it something you hear or feel or sence? Is how some people say that you can hear demons when you play records backward or they feel a chill or sence something wrong? If evil can be conquered than why does it keep fighting? If evil is conqured than why is their hell in the end…because if there is no more evil than how can evil exist?
 
Linda Blair was the actress…Richard Burton was the priest…and Exorcist II is the worst movie out of the whole series. Of course the catholicism was misrepresented because it was made in Hollywood. If you want to watch scary, I recommend the first, third and the new one called Dominion: the prequel which is due out May 20 on limited release…supposed to be the scariest yet. So scary that it was scrapped by the company and replaced by Exorcist: the beginning.

I can’t really answer you questions about evil though…sorry
 
The first Exorcist was a terrific film… William Peter Blatty, the screenwriter, is a very devout Catholic.
 
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Meggie:
What is evil?
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The Devil is evil, isn’t the name obvious, and he was once an angel in Heaven, and he has lost it for eternity.
He doesn’t want you getting there either, doesn’t it say in the Bible that he waged a war with the children of God ?
A wise old man told me one time, “that the reason the devil wants to ruin you is not because he loves you, but because he hates God so much”. how sick.
Anyway heres a link to the real stroy behind the Exorcist movie.

catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0137.html
 
Hi All!

I read the book also, many years ago. I was terrified. Had a hard time sleeping for awhile. Eventually I burned the book…and prayed…and became peaceful.

Interesting subjects, I have been hopping around on this site (great site by the way!) and have been reading and posting on another subject in regard to demonic attacks.
Seems that modern day mind set even among Catholics is that evil and the devil are this obscure entity that shouldn’t be of that much concern. Maybe to put it another way, we have become too intellectually sophisticated to believe that in fact if he does exist his activities are very limited and too “hoky poky” for the intelligent modern mind…HOW CRAFTY AND SLY HE IS!!!

God Bless
Teelynn
 
People often speak of evil as if it’s some kind of tangible substance (some might say “energy”). I think this is totally wrong. First of all, it is a dangerous attitude for Christians to take because it gives breathing room to a philosophical objection to the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient God because of the existence of evil (it’s called “the problem of evil”). Evil is not some quantity of impersonal “stuff” (like water). It is simply the absence of the will of God. Where there are people who are disinterested in the will of God or who are actively opposed to the will of God, there you will find a way of acting, believing, and living that we call evil (to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the degree of opposition to God’s will). I think evil should be thought of as an adjetive, not a noun.

I hate to be cliche about it, but a good example of the way this works is the relationship between light and darkness. Light IS a substance (or, more accurately, an energy) that has true existence. Darkness, however, is simply the absence of light - it is not “self-sufficient” but is dependent upon no light being present.

I do not mean to diminish the existence of Satan or of demons, however. They do exist, but I try not to think of the devil as a red guy with horns and hooves. This is a caricature. What does one say a demon looks like, anyway? A demon (an angel) is pure spirit, and has no body.

BTW - The Exorcist II was just about the worst movie in the history of bad movies (with the exception of the Blair Witch Project (and it’s sequel) and Exorcist: The Beginning. I really hope Exorcist: Dominion is better.
 
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Meggie:
What is evil? I know its real…but what is it? Is it something you hear or feel or sence? Is how some people say that you can hear demons when you play records backward or they feel a chill or sence something wrong? If evil can be conquered than why does it keep fighting? If evil is conqured than why is their hell in the end…because if there is no more evil than how can evil exist?
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Evil is that which is opposed to God and God’s ways. People often don’t understand when things like birth control, or homosexuality( to name a couple of examples) are referred to as evil, but both fit the description of evil in that they are opposed to the way and truth of God.

There are evil entities as well. Satan is alive and well and busy. He and his minions (demons) are behind the deception that draws souls away from God’s truth. They keep fighting to take as many souls with them as possible. Hell is for Satan and those who utterly reject God’s mercy and truth. Satan is much smarter than us and edept at making what is wrong appear right.

This is a short attempt at an answer. Hope it helps some.*
 
And BTW - “the problem of evil” basically says that an omniopotent, benevolent and omniscient God cannot exist because if he does, then that means that he created evil, and a benevolent God wouldn’t create evil. This philosophical position presupposes that evil is a quantifiable thing, rather than the absence of something., and if evil IS a quantifiable thing that exists unto itself, rather than as a way of describing the absence of the will of God, then the theory is correct. This is why I think it’s dangerous for Christians to sit around and talk about evil as if it’s something they can keep hidden in a box or tied up in their cellar. Evil is one of the ultimate outcomes of free will.

Sorry to keep rambling about it. There’s just so much one can say on the subject.
 
Absalom!:
People often speak of evil as if it’s some kind of tangible substance (some might say “energy”). I think this is totally wrong. First of all, it is a dangerous attitude for Christians to take because it gives breathing room to a philosophical objection to the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient God because of the existence of evil (it’s called “the problem of evil”). Evil is not some quantity of impersonal “stuff” (like water). It is simply the absence of the will of God. Where there are people who are disinterested in the will of God or who are actively opposed to the will of God, there you will find a way of acting, believing, and living that we call evil (to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the degree of opposition to God’s will). I think evil should be thought of as an adjetive, not a noun.

I hate to be cliche about it, but a good example of the way this works is the relationship between light and darkness. Light IS a substance (or, more accurately, an energy) that has true existence. Darkness, however, is simply the absence of light - it is not “self-sufficient” but is dependent upon no light being present.

The same thing is true with “cold” and “hot.” Heat is an energy (the rapid movement of tiny particles of matter). Cold is simply the lack of heat (movement).

I do not mean to diminish the existence of Satan or of demons, however. They do exist, but I try not to think of the devil as a red guy with horns and hooves. This is a caricature. What does one say a demon looks like, anyway? A demon (an angel) is pure spirit, and has no body.

BTW - The Exorcist II was just about the worst movie in the history of bad movies (with the exception of the Blair Witch Project (and it’s sequel) and Exorcist: The Beginning. I really hope Exorcist: Dominion is better.
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Meggie:
…because if there is no more evil than how can evil exist?
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Sorry, I missed this in my earlier reply. I understand this more than I am able to explain it. God is outside of time. Evil was conquered through Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, but that sacrifice is still playing out so to speak. (Hence, the perpetual sacrifice of the Mass/Christ’s sacrifice made present) It is why you will hear Catholics say that they were saved, are being saved, and hope to be saved when asked if they are “saved” Again, a short answer from the understanding I have gained along the way. Still learning…
 
There was a documentary on A&E several years ago about the the demonic possession that was the basis of the original The Excorcist. There were interviews with several folks on both sides of the issue, whether the child’s behavior was merely psychological, or whether the child was genuinely possessed by a demon. Those that argued that the child was actually possessed were more persuasive, primarily because of an extensive interview with one of the priests who was at the child’s bedside through much of the possession.

Does anyone know the name of this documentary? It was on A&E around 1997…

I would love to see it again.
 
I don’t get it…so the movie is based on real stuff?

And what about Hell, if Jesus conquered evil then how come there is a hell?
 
Jesus’ conquering of “evil” simply means that spirits with evil intentions have no power over us that we do not give them. Jesus came and gave us an “elevator to heaven” (cheesy metaphor, I know, but it works), but if we don’t get on it, then we have succumbed to evil. Does that mean that Jesus didn’t “conquer evil?” Nope. Hell, ultimately, is a choice that an individual makes (in opposition to the victory that Christ won for us).

Also, just because Christ won a victory over “evil” doesn’t mean that there are no longer evil people or spirits. It only means that those individuals will ulitimately be powerless.
 
There is a definite spiritual battle going on constantly and will go on until Christ comes again. Just because we can not see it or touch it or smell it does not mean that it does not exist. The most cunning strategies that Satan has (I believe it was John Paul 11 who said " If you no longer believe in Satan then you are no longer a believer") is to lull the typical Christian into believing that he is immune to evil forces and it is just his fallen nature that gets him into trouble. That the influence of evil is far removed from his intelligent sophistication. True sometimes and maybe most times because of man’s fallen nature we “open the door” so to speak for him to enter. But enter he will if given the opportunity. No he will not be victorious in the end. It is Christ Jesus that is victorious. But don’t be fooled into believing that there is no battle until that point. Believe that and he has you exactly where he wants you. Jesus told us to “pray constantly”.
 
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Meggie:
I don’t get it…so the movie is based on real stuff?

And what about Hell, if Jesus conquered evil then how come there is a hell?
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There has to be a hell, because we have been given the wonderful gift of free choice. If we didn’t have this gift, we would be like robots, performing as programmed. That’s not love. God loves us, so he gave us a conscience and a free will.

To every action we have a choice to make. If we want to live in a perfect union with God our Father, then we need to make the Highest choices. There are many possibilities to every equational choice. In order to make the Highest choice, we need to be responsible for ourselves and read the Gospel left for us to teach us Gods ways. When we make a choice that doesn’t aline itself with the Gospel and therefor God, we are choosing to seperate ourselves from God. It’s impossible to say who goes to hell, because of God’s wonderful Grace for us- he will sometimes forgive someone who seemed to be destined to go to hell upon their death, because he could see in their heart they were truly sorry for what they had done.

As a side- I’d like to mention preoccupation with these movies about the devil is not good for the soul. What a man thinketh, so he becomes. Do not spend your time thinking about these movies and watching them. That is like precious time wasted- marveling at the devils powers. It’s one thing to be aware that he is out there trying to steal souls away from God, and praying to God that he keep you on the right path- it’s another to find amusement in the devils power.

I only say this, because I was one who preoccupied myself with these movies at a time in my life, along with Stephen King, fascination with quiji boards- it leads to other things, and none of them are from God.

Next time you feel like watching a movie like the exorcist, open a book, a Good Book. Just a suggestion…
 
The first exorcist was the most frightening movie that I have ever seen in my life! It gave me nightmares. I understand that it was based on a real occurance but that the victim was a boy not a girl.
 
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sarcophagus:
Linda Blair was the actress…Richard Burton was the priest…and Exorcist II is the worst movie out of the whole series. Of course the catholicism was misrepresented because it was made in Hollywood. If you want to watch scary, I recommend the first, third and the new one called Dominion: the prequel which is due out May 20 on limited release…supposed to be the scariest yet. So scary that it was scrapped by the company and replaced by Exorcist: the beginning.

I can’t really answer you questions about evil though…sorry
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There are no good ones in the series besides the original. The second was too artsy and lame, the third was too slow, and if you read The Exorcist book, it quotes it too much, and it also permanetly disturbed me, and the first didnt. Exorcist the Beginning was terrible, but i heard Dominion is a very good one.
 
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