Exorcism: Reality or Myth?

A scene from the classic horror film The Exorcist

The advent of modern psychology was supposed to do away with the so-called myth of demon possession and the subsequent need for exorcism. That was considered ancient superstition and the outmoded thinking of simple-minded people.

Psychology and its close cousin psychiatry claimed to have all the answers to aberrant human behavior. Hallucinations, disembodied voices, nightmares, unusual sensations, paranoia and strange behavior could now be explained by early childhood experiences or chemical imbalances inside the brain.

Thus, it became cruel to suggest that someone's erratic behavior could be the result of demon possession and or oppression. The folks who believed in that stuff were simpletons and cretins who were too ignorant to understand modern science. Mentally ill people needed therapy and treatment rather than witchdoctors and exorcists.

But along came the 1960s counterculture and hallucinogenic drugs. And along with the drugs came the eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism that opened doors to the spiritual realm.

Millions of people who had been extremely skeptical of the supernatural became convinced that it not only existed, but that it offered them a plethora of benefits from inner peace to holistic healing to material prosperity.

In reality, those people tapped into a dark and sinister spiritual realm ruled by Satan and his demons. The devil and his fallen angels willingly promoted the con to people who were completely oblivious to what they had encountered. And in some cases, they took possession of the bodies, souls and minds of their ignorant dupes.

They didn't always enter people through drugs and eastern mystical practices. They also entered through occult devices such as the Ouija Board. That was the device that an adolescent boy named Roland Doe (a pseudonym) used to try and contact his deceased grandmother.

Doe didn't make contact with his grandmother, but he did make contact with a powerful demonic spirit that took possession of his soul. After Doe became possessed, he began speaking Hebrew, a language he had never learned. And the furniture in his house began rearranging itself. And deep, guttural voices came out of his mouth; voices that were impossible for his adolescent vocal chords to produce.

Though you may not be familiar with Doe's story, you're probably familiar with the classic horror film, The Exorcist, that was released in 1973. That movie was based upon Doe's experiences. Did psychology have an answer for Doe's behavior? Of course not.

And it doesn't have answers for a host of bizarre behaviors that people are exhibiting these days; behaviors that are rapidly increasing. Such as? Such as the type of behavior that a troubled young boy displayed before Jesus Christ cast a demon out of him.

Christ encountered the boy's father one day when he greeted Jesus from a large crowd that had gathered to hear the Messiah preach. The man pleaded with Christ: "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not." (Luke 9:38-40) 

After Christ rebuked His disciples for failing to deliver the boy from the evil spirit, He cast out the spirit and healed the young man. That was just one of the many exorcisms that Christ performed during His ministry in ancient Israel.

In fact, Christ gave His disciples and all of His followers the authority to cast out demons. Shortly before He returned to heaven after His resurrection, He gave these commands:

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well. (Mark 16:15-18)

Certainly, we see very little of that today. Even much of the Christian church has turned away from Christ's commands to utilize God's power to deal with emotional and behavioral problems that are rooted in the demonic. Many churches offer psychological counseling, completely ignoring the fact that God's power is more than sufficient to deal with spiritual problems.

Is every emotional malady related to demonic oppression and possession? Of course not. But some are, and they can't be treated by godless methods that don't work. Some churches are finally starting to figure that out and are returning to Christ's commands.

And naturally, those churches are being ridiculed as backwards, ignorant and "anti-science." Obviously, the devil counts on you not knowing your rights as a Christian. Ignorance is one of Satan's most powerful weapons. And you can't defeat him without God's weapons. Unless, of course, you don't mind losing.