Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: bobv@hprnd.rose.hp.com (Bob Vaughan) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Exorcism on 20/20 tonight, Friday 5 May 1991 Message-ID: Date: 10 Apr 91 08:22:12 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: HP Roseville Networks Division Lines: 37 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In soc.religion.christian, kan@bugs-bunny.rtp.dg.com (Victor Kan) writes: The priest they interviewed gave some of the criteria for being possessed. For those of you who never saw The Exorcist, this includes the possessed person speaking in languages never studied and clairvoyance. This ought to be a fun show, eh?! Maybe they'll ask the possessing demon about Buckwheat and how he's doing these days :-). I was able to watch this program and found it very interesting. I have a few observations I thought I'd share and see what other viewers thought. The whole topic was covered from a very Catholic perspective (understandibly). No mention was given that all Christians have the power to cast out demons (as oppossed to just priests or even specialist priest like "Father A."). Much of the exorcism centered around the "age old Catholic ritual" again not mention- ing that no special text or ritual needs to be followed (obviously you have to use the name of Jesus etc...). I also found it interesting that they implied that this is a fairly recent thing after centuries of non-practise. Perhaps this is true in the Catholic church, but outside the Catholic church it has been constantly going on for a long time. I had never heard that levitation was a common occurence so much so that the RC church uses it as one of their four criteria in determining if a person is demon possessed. Are there any scriptural examples of this? Those things aside, I thought the amount of investigation and preparation was very impressive. These people knew what they were doing. I found it interest- ing that the demon(s) often try to trick the exorcist into thinking they've succeeded by temporarily giving control back to the possessed person. Father A. didn't get fooled. What do other people think? Bob