Make no mistake, demonic possession is an absolute reality. It is also a growing problem. Contrary to what many modern Christians want to say, a demon is not a metaphor for an evil addiction. Nor is it a metaphor for a vice. A demon is a freely thinking entity created by God. Many traditions have their own idea of what a demon is. Today, I am going to share the Catholics Position on Demons and the possibility of demonic possession.
The church has always maintained that God’s creation is not limited to humans. The Church today maintains there are 9 ranks of angels which are as follows: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities Archangels, and angels (guardian angels). Each rank is characterized by its role in serving God. Like humans, Angels were once tested. Unlike humans, they were NOT created in God’s image and likeness.
Now a demon is an angel. Only it is an angel that has fallen. Like humans, Angels had one test but unlike humans the choice they made was everlasting. The circumstances of the fall of angels are somewhat of a mystery. Islamic and Christian tradition maintains the fall had to do with obedience to God, much like man today. In the Islamic tradition, Iblis, who Christians understand to be Satan refused to prostrate to Adam when God commanded him to. This is echoed in Christians extra canonical texts. Other sources for Christianity, such as the book of Enoch believes one group of angels called the watchers were responsible for looking after Humans, but fell and rebelled when they lusted after women. This is echoed in St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, where he recommended women should cover their hair, “because of the angels” (1 Corinthians: 11).
Now when the angels fell, even though they disobeyed God, they are still awaiting their Judgement. Their judgement will be in proportion to the evil they cause humans. We know that they still await judgement. Catholics infer this from the example of the Gerasene demonic who was possessed by the angel Legion. In the narrative, the Demon exclaims: “What have you do to with us Jesus, Son of the Most High God. I adjure you, do not torment me!” Here Jesus spares the demon by not sending him to hell, rather, casting him into pigs (unclean animals) who drowned. We see this again in Luke 4:34 where the demon says: “What have you do do with us, Jesus son of the Most high God, have you come to destroy us?”
Now, all demons maintain their rank even after they fell. We know that this is the case because in the Book of Jude, which references the extra-cannonical assumption of Moses, Michael says to Satan “The Lord Rebuke thee”. Michael the Archangel cannot rebuke Satan on his own accord, because Satan still outranks him and therefore Michael does not have the authority to curse him in his own name.
The reason exorcism is possible is because Jesus outranks all angels since he is God incarnate. This is why the second Jesus says to any demon in the gospel narratives “Come out of Him!” they IMMEDIATELY leave. It is also why when we invoke the name of Jesus a demon has to leave. Exorcists do not cast out demons on their own authority, rather, they do by the name of God himself. This is one of the reasons the name of Jesus (Yeshua) is so powerful.
In the Catholic exorcism ritual, there are many important factors for casting out a demon. First of all, to be an exorcist one has to be appointed by the Bishop of the Diocese. Exorcism is considered an office, and only people who exemplify extreme virtue are recommended. This is because real exorcism (not evangelical smoke and mirrors microphone exorcism where the minister becomes overly dramatic and acts) is EXTREMELY dangerous. It is also EXTREMELY rare. It is important to understand before anyone can undergo an exorcism, the person must undergo Physical and Psychological evaluations to rule out any mental illness. The Catholic Church REQUIRES THIS BECAUSE DEMONIC SYMPTOMS CAN MIMIC MENTAL ILLNESSES SUCH AS SCHIZOPHRENIA. Nearly all exorcisms today require a PSYCHIATRIST PRESENT DURING THE EXORCISM.
Now there are many symptoms of demonic possession. The symptoms are characterized by the following criteria:
- The person exhibits extreme physical strength. A child possessed by a demon may easily be able to outdo several grown men. There have been cases where people possessed by a demon would remain in one spot and could not be moved whatsoever despite efforts by several people.
- Aversion to the Holy: A person possessed by a demon will show an EXTREME hatred for sacred objects or even utterance of anything holy.
- Knowledge of the impossible: A person possessed by a demon may be able to speak foreign languages that the person possessed could not possibly know. Several cases have had American children speaking Aramaic, Arabic or latin–languages that are not used much today in america. Demonically possessed people often reveal the exorcists sins or sins of anyone in the room. This is why it is required that the people involved in the exorcism receive the sacrament of reconciliation before this.
4)Supernatural abilities: Such as levitation or ability to move objects with the mind.
Hollywood does a great job of sensationalizing exorcism. But it needs to be noted that there are limitations of the demon:
- A person who is demonically possessed is not morally culpable
of any acts committed while they are possessed because sin requires free will. - A demon cannot kill anybody UNLESS God allows the demon.
- The demon’s power is INFERIOR to the exorcists authority given to him through the Church (Catholics view the church as the Body of Christ)
Also, Demonic possession can be cured through prayers of deliverance. Prayers of deliverance can be offered by any lay person (not necessarily the exorcist, but any person). However, prayers of deliverance are not an exorcism. It is extremely dangerous for a lay person to do an exorcism, because unless they are given the authority, the demon is not required to listen because a human does not have the authority over a demon ESPECIALLY A HIGH RANKING ONE. We see this in the acts of the apostles, when some lay people try to cast out a demon and it refuses to leave and hurls the wannabe exorcists away. The demon exclaims:
‘I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul (St. Paul of Tarsus), but who are you?’ -Acts 19:15
Some people are gifted by God as a Charism to cast out demons. We see this in Luke 9: 49, where the Apostles (the first Bishops of the Catholic Church) exclaim: "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us. Where Jesus replies “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”
The reason some people are gifted with this ability is because God is not limited by his church and if God wants to grant this charism to somebody he is free to do so.
The length of the exorcism varies depending on a lot of factors including:
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Rank of the Demon: Some Demons are ones that have fell from the highest orders of Angelhood. These demons are extremely difficult to get rid of because of the power they were given. Typically, the most powerful demons will have a name that is biblical such as Belial, Asmodeus, Lucifier, Legion, Cain etc. The lesser demons will often go by names of vices such as Anger, Lust, Gluttony. Some demons will go by arbituary names such as Tortoise, Serpent, Rooster to symbolize The Devil’s INTENTION OF WANTING MAN TO BE REDUCED TO AN ANIMAL. Satan’s battle with God largely stems from pride and he wants to show to God that man is pathetic and nothing more THAN AN ANIMAL. The devil believes man is no better than an ape. These are not metaphors, just names the demons go by.
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The faith of the possessed person and ESPECIALLY the exorcist. If the exorcist lacks faith, the exorcism will simply not work
3)Circumstance that caused the possession: Some exorcisms can only work if the cause of the possession is identified
- Type of demon: Some demons will not even respond to a ritual and remain completely mute. They have to be removed through prayer and fasting. We see this in Mark 9: 29
Now the process of exorcism is pretty much the same every time. The exorcist has a Manuel with prayers invoking Saints and Angels and most importantly JESUS. Assuming the supposedly possessed person has been properly examined by a physician and psychiatrist, and they found no identifiable cause of this person’s ailment, and the person exhibits the signs of possession, the exorcism will take place, typically in the person’s home. Real exorcisms are undercover and taboo because interference can simply fuel the demon’s strength.
One of the most important aspects of exorcism is asking the Demon’s name. We see this with the Gerasene demonic who told Jesus his name was “Legion, for we are many”. The naming is of prime importance because and especially theologically, naming has been used as a means of control and authority over an individual. This is why in Genesis, Adam names the animals and eve, who is called “Woman” for she is “Bones of my bones and Flesh of my flesh”
The length of time to expel the demon can vary from almost immediate to years. People in a state of PERFECT POSSESSION cannot be cured because they have freely chosen to be in full communion with the demon. These type of people are extremely dangerous and may not even exhibit outward demonic signs. However, they will be extremely dangerous. An example would include Adolf Hitler, who the Vatican tried to exorcise from a distance away to no avail. This was reported by Vatican Chief exorcist, Father Gabriel Amorth.
Once a demon is expelled, it may come back with a vengeance if the person chooses to live a life of sin. Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 12:43.
The ways of becoming possessed by a demon are numerous. Jokes aside (and I know they are coming), the most common way is dabbling in the occult. The occult is a door to the netherworld and can allow demons to a means in. Examples include pagan witchcraft, ouija boards, Tarot, New Age Divination. Another method is by HEX, SPELL, OR CURSE. Just as God allows physical evil to be done to men by other men, he allows spiritual evil to be done to men as well. Some of the worst cases for Father Gabriel Amorth, (Chief Exorcist of Rome) were cases of hexes through Voodoo. Others include dabbling with Satanism or living a complete life of sin. Mary Magdalene for instance was possessed by seven demons before Christ healed her (Mark 16:9).
Philosophically speaking, a demon could be compared to a virus. Like a virus, there are many types of demons which have their own unique abilities. Their goal is to “infect” man spirtually, to keep him away from God through sin. Sin is nothing short of a deviance of God’s Love for us, and the demons know they can distract man pretty easily. Some are extremely dangerous while others seem to be more mischievous. Demons are extremely intelligent because they are minds that have existed well before the creation of man. Over the eons, they have acquired much information about man. However, their methods are monotonous and tempt man through his weaknesses. Their ace card is sins of the flesh because it is the only sin in which man’s body actually completely rebels against him.
Demons can be compared to suspended free floating ideas or thought. They are made of a similar substance. Much like ideas or thought, they cannot actually be seen, although their effects can. Like a Virus with nucleus, the Nucleus of a demon would be a “will”. These “wills” are ones that are antagonistic of Gods. Like a virus, they can “replicate” in a sense that they can cause more evil thoughts and possibly bring other demons in with them. When a demon possesses a man, the reason it can make him have such extraordinary strength is because it can tap into the areas of the brain that humans can only access when they are undergoing extreme “fight or flight.” They know how to do this because they are beings who have existed for eons, so their knowledge of the physical sciences completely supersedes ours. So much like the stories of a woman who can lift a car to save her child, demons can tap into this rather easily. Demons can also infest objects such as houses (boooooo). When you watch movies liek ghost busters or shows like ghost hunters, assuming there is real paranormal activity, IT IS NEVER CAUSED BY HUMAN SPIRITS. All “ghosts” are demons and anyone who thinks that their house is legitimately haunted needs to CONSULT AN EXORCIST IMMEDIATELY.
If you would like further information, some recommended reading is: “Hostage to the Devil” by Malachi Martin and “An Exorcist tells his story” by Father Gabriel Amorth. Even if you don’t believe in demons (and I know the atheists are about to make me the butt of their jokes) they are still a great read.