Demonic Possession

[scorpiogirly]

Do you believe?

I've been watching a lot of podcasts on YouTube lately with exorcist from the church.

I'm torn. Do you believe?

Yes. But in the Church of England, it’s not a free for all on which priests can do deliverance ministry and those priests are trained thoroughly in things like safeguarding and mental health.

This.

Yes I believe , I also belive in the afterlife and that we do not simply end , spirits are always around us . The reason why I’m so sure if it is because ( I might need to change user name after this ) I see them often , I’ve always seen them since I can remember as early as a my memory go as a toddler . I’m not a gosh whisperer by the way , I have no communication with them and I never say this to anyone because people think I’m crazy

Yes or become very suspicious of medical support, professional help

Or believing they themselves can help others

Can not really predict how their delusions will manifest but its not reality

its an extremely cruel illness and can be so difficult to manage without the added complication of misunderstanding and suspicion

Was chatting to some random drug addict/beggar the other day and he was absolutely emphatic they exist and tell him things he couldn't otherwise know; where the drugs are, where the money is.

Would explain an awful lot of things. Look up Jerry Marzinsky

My (sadly now late) stepdaughter was plagued all her life by serious mental illness. When she was in her twenties, some well-meaning idiot of a minister suggested possession and took her to a 'deliverance' service. Anyone with half a braincell about mental illness can probably predict what happened next.

From then on, she was plagued with the idea that she was demonically possessed. In her better moments, she knew this wasn't the case, but even then, she was frightened it might be true. When she was ill, the devil became a massive feature. Her dog was looking at her with devil's eyes. She turned family photos to the wall because the devil was watching her through the eyes.

I don't think the brainless moron who did that to her made her illness worse in one sense. She would have been ill anyway, but it gave a terrifying twist to her illness, and it gave her a reason to resist treatment. (The pills won't work. It's the devil).

To answer the OP's question. No, I don't believe in it. It's a nonsense that has been used to abuse and torture children and adults. To this lay minister, I would say, 'Stop it. Now. You are doing more harm that you know.'

No. It is either evil people trying to excuse their evil actions. To give a reason for being terrible.

Vulnerable people being misunderstood (epilepsy, schizophrenia) or other things we can't explain yet. Look at the scientific progress and things we laugh at now, that people fully believed in the past?

Or used as a tool against women for control.

I grew up in the church. I saw people collapse on the ground being "struck by Christ", everyone speaking in tongues etc.

My father and the church leaders performed an exorcism on my mother. Why?
Because she was beginning to speak out about 30 years of physical and sexual violence.

I never used to. Until I witnessed a priest ( properly ordained in Roman Catholic Church) calm a very disturbed person with the ritual of exorcism. They apparently did not relapse , as far as I know( it was many years ago).

Exorcism in the Church is not undertaken lightly, it is very draining for the celebrant and his assistants (speaking from my experience). It does not involve shouting, physical violence or restraint.

It's nonsense. A way for scientifically ignorant cultures to explain mental illness.

Placebo effects are very powerful.

Thing is, if this were true, I would agree with you.

But there's lots of evidence from research with faith healers (of physical disease and disability), that what actually happens is a brief "conscious mind over matter" remission - think people in a wheelchair who are briefly able to stand or walk - followed by a profound relapse of their symptoms from having over-exerted and caused more damage.
I do not believe that they ever would be fully cured by this - as pp have said, it just becomes something to fuel further future delusions.

Of course I don't believe, I'm neither an idiot nor some reckless abuser of children and adults with mental health conditions.

Lol. Funny how you only feel these lingering malevolent spirits after you've been told the stories about the place.
Almost as if you're susceptible to suggestions.....

I believe narcissists are possessed, or that they have a different spirit to us. They steal, kill, lie and destroy. They all play by the same rule book so they're predictable. It's odd they they all act the same one way or another so I think it has a spiritual element. Master actors.

I've seen this from several viewpoints because I was raised strict Irish Catholic, went to a convent school and grew up in a very superstitious household. I am now a atheist but I had a huge interest in the paranormal and spent 25 years " ghost hunting" and being part of the paranormal community.

My experiences led me to become completely sceptical and very disillusioned with the whole demonic entity phenomenon. Watch any ghost hunting program or attend any paranormal event, it will be moments before demons are mentioned. You never heard this 25 years ago.

The rise of ghost hunting programmes like Most Haunted, organised paranormal events and Hollywood films like The Conjuring ect have all contributed to the rise in the belief of demons, especially among young people and popular culture, but none of it is based on any historical fact and for want of a better term, it's just for the tourists.

So in short, no , I don't believe in demons. A demon has never ever possessed a person with no religious belief or superstition. It's a method of control exerted by the church, a way to excuse the evil that mankind has always been perfectly capable of committing, and now a way to sell movies and paranormal events.

I do think drugs are a gateway to the demonic. I cant explain it but I do.

That's simply not true

and they are not always predictable if they were it would be a lot easier to work/manage relationships/have dealings with some who is narcissistic

It still is used for that.

They are always scheming. Always. Even when it appears as though things are calm on the surface. They have zero empathy, and enjoy when your life falls apart. They are evil.

Many people who have observed narcisstic rage have stated that they have witnessed the narcissists eyes turning black. If you search 'narcisstic rage black eyes' on YouTube, you will see many videos on this topic. The comments under the videos are interesting.

No, of course not. Ridiculous idea. I also don't believe in any religion or god/gods.

Brilliant! Made me 😃

I don't understand how people would differentiate between mental illness and a demonic possession. Is it really obvious like in the Exorcist with projectile vomiting and spinning heads?

Are you sure this isn't sleep paralysis? I get this too. In between awake and asleep and convinced there is evil in my house. I feel like I am being physically swung around my room. It's terrifying.

I was briefly involved in a pretty extreme form of Christianity in my teens, and attended a church where demonic activity was seen as an everyday thing, having all sorts of malign influence on people and events. I was very committed in my belief back then, but even then I found it a troubling belief system, and I could see it was harmful. The church was well into "spiritual warfare", and attempting to free people from demonic influence.

Seriously, if you come across anyone who thinks this stuff is real and acts like it's part of normal life, be extremely wary of them and take everything they say with a very large pinch of salt. It can lead to very irresponsible behaviour and serious harm.

Happy to name and shame those responsible - Revelation Church in Chichester. Horrible bunch of extremists who have hurt a lot of people over the years.

Of course it's not. That stuff has never happened.