by R. Dominicus Petrus

One of the most interesting points, if one actually studies demons, or rather, demon lore, is that, by and large, the ‘gods’ of the people that were conquered became the ‘demons’ of the conquerors. So, it is with the Aryans that drove out the Dravidians from Northern India, as well as, all the various kingdoms of the ancient Middle East. Baal, Ishtar, Astarte, Marduk, etc., etc., ad infinitum, were all, before the advent of Priesthood in Israel, bonafide, respectable gods.

Even the Israelites themselves made offerings to Azazel, a desert ‘demon.’

In some aboriginal cultures, the recognition of evil spirits is prevalent. The fact that a coherent science is lacking is the more to their detriment. Many times the cures to rid the afflicted of demons are far more deadly than the disease itself and, of course, (they believe) all diseases are caused by demons.

We have many in this very culture who are not unlike those aborigines. To varying degrees, they believe everything is caused by demons. Smoking, drinking, dancing, going to movies, as well as, all physical and emotional maladies. And, if the demon is not exorcized immediately, then the fault lies with the afflicted. He or she did not have enough faith.

The Catholic Church has had a long-standing principle in force. That all natural causes of an affliction be ruled out first. There are psychiatric and physical illnesses that do mimic some of the outward symptoms of possession.

Some of the ones that are harder to rule out, but not impossible, are speaking in a language that the person has no possible way of coming in contact with and therefore couldn’t know, especially, ancient, dead languages, like, Hebrew (not so dead, really), Aramaic, Latin, Summerian, etc. The sudden onset of Clairaudience, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, etc., with no previous history of said abilities.

Now, the funny thing about all this is, that all of the last two paragraphs come from ‘Christian’ ideas about the Devil, Hell, Soteriology, Eschatology and Teleology.
I think one of the main problems comes from the fact that many in the religious community see their way as the only way and that any approach to ‘God’ outside ‘their’ way is from the Devil, be it Humanistic or Theological.

I have seen many people pass through an exorcism. Many people have had the devil or demon cast out of them for all kinds of reasons. Of the many that I’ve observed, probably less than a dozen actually had any kind of spirit dwelling in them, other than their own, that is.

I’ve personally participated in a few. One of which lasted several days, most of which I had been left to deal with the demonic alone. Everyone else ran out of the house. Every few hours they’d call up on the phone to see if I was still alive. C’est la vie!

One of the main reasons we are in the midst of a religious war is because a few idiots think that their view of ‘God’ is the right and only one.

I guess here is where I really part company with many of the ‘religious’ out there.
First, the word ‘demon’ was used in reference to a tutelary spirit. A tutelary spirit is, well, a mentor, a teacher. And, just like human teachers, there can be some good and some bad. I don’t want to get too much into my own opinion about this and there certainly isn’t enough room in this article for that anyway.

Anyway, when, let’s say, a follower of Santeria, or Voodoo, or Candomble (all from the same West African religious tradition) becomes a caballo and is montado, that is, possessed by his or her ‘god,’ ‘loa,’ I will not call that a demon in the Christian sense of the word, as others would, but rather another manifestation of ‘GOD’ in revelation and NOT the Devil.

If there is any Devil, it is that of religious intolerance.

There is hard, scientific evidence that strongly indicates that spiritual forces outside of man and outside of his control do exist. Much of the established scientific community will not acknowledge the evidence because it would mean turning their entire world-view inside out. Much the same way that certain of the religious community refuse to acknowledge Darwin. Evolution is an established, scientific fact. It’s called a Theory only because the mechanisms that brought it about are little understood and, therefore, still must be referred to as theoretical. The evolutionary evidence is well established and, in the hands of true scientists irrefutable.

Good or Evil or, in many cases, Neutral, these forces do exist. They are not understood at all by man. And to pass them off with a simplistic, pat answer from Religious Answers 101 is not only a grave mistake, but can be exceedingly dangerous. It is also why the majority of exorcisms that are performed never work and can never work and why when many do seem to work, there is deception afoot.