tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post7520726043980099361..comments2024-03-27T17:15:37.606-04:00Comments on Triablogue: The Exorcism of Emily RoseRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17809283662428917799noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-21475099349361229772010-02-23T08:58:55.370-05:002010-02-23T08:58:55.370-05:001.I agree with you that the Roman ritual of exorci...1.I agree with you that the Roman ritual of exorcism is full of hocus pocus. Trying to exorcise evil spirits through magic incantations.<br /><br />2.I evaluated Fatima a long time ago.<br /><br />3.I agree with you that we should try to rule out mundane causes first. But there are ambiguities and complications. Diagnostic techniques are still limited. To some extent, possession can mimic natural disorders while natural disorders can mimic possession. <br /><br />4.I expect that phenomena like possession occur wherever you find unbelievers. It diminishes to the degree that a country has been evangelized and discipled. It is prevalent or resurgent to the degree a country or region is cut off from Christian influence. And, of course, some individuals, cults, and religions explicitly traffic with the dark side (e.g. voodoo, necromancy).<br /><br />My prima facie presumption is to reject possession in the case of Christians. You can’t serve to masters, and if one is possessed, then the evil spirit is the master. <br /><br />At the same time, I think that Christians can be subject to various forms of demonic harassment. <br /><br />There’s also the possibility that occultic powers are hereditary. If so, then you might be a Christian who never dabbled in the occult, but because you inherited occultic powers, you still suffer from a degree of spiritual malaise. A cloud that hangs over you. <br /><br />5.There’s the question of whether psychotropic drugs restore a chemical imbalance, or whether they mask an underlying condition. Mental illness is still mysterious in many cases. Psychotropic drugs can provide symptom relief, but do they always get to the nub of the problem? Of course, our knowledge of the brain is still quite primitive. <br /><br />All and all, it's best to take a flexible approach. Experiment with different working theories. Keep our options open. Approach each situation on a case-by-case basis.stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16547070544928321788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6789188.post-27674580730402033492010-02-21T16:31:43.941-05:002010-02-21T16:31:43.941-05:00Great stuff. Raised as a charismatic, I was consta...Great stuff. Raised as a charismatic, I was constantly afraid of demons and the occult. Upon becoming Reformed, I realized that God is in fact more powerful than any demon, ghost or even the devil. Finding that there are varying theories on the name "Lucifer" also made mention of the name in exorcism claims laughable. Also, the fact that the Roman Catholic Church, with its idol worship, spurious mystical claims and mind-boggling superstitions is the one claiming most of these exorcisms makes their possibility as remote as the appearance of Fatima.<br />Oliver Sach and other neurologist's books have presented the brain as a much more complex subject than we tend to assume. Chemical processes and pathology/deficiency can often produce the strangest symptoms. There's a case of a woman who, due to a brain injury, has lost all concept of "left". Nothing to the left of her midline exists, to find the left side of her plate of food she has to turn all the way around from the right until it comes into view on the right side. Such cases provide good basis for believing most claims of symptoms of possession as manifestations of physiological disorders, rather than actual demonic possession.<br />That of course brings up a few questions, as Reformed believers, do we believing in in ongoing possession? Does the binding of Satan (for amil/postmils) suggest that it doesn't happen any more. <br />Or perhaps such disorders could be caused by demonic activity, thus altering the idea of possession as less of an actual 'demon living inside a person' and more of ongoing attack? When one encounters the person struggling with advanced Tourette's syndrome, is not the first impression one of possession? Yet medical professionals explain the symptoms as an excess of dopamine in the body, a result of tumor or simple genetics. The manifestation is often exactly what we'd expect of demonic possession, the grunts, vulgar outbursts, uncontrollable movements and the like. Yet the condition can be often managed with pharmaceuticals. Possession, physical disorder, or... something between?Lockheedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05433104440503646253noreply@blogger.com