does your church do exorcisms? and or do you believe in possession?
542189
Yeah, I do believe in possession. I'm in Australia and do not know of any churches that have performed an exorcism. There probably has been but none that I know of personally.
69343
This is a tough one for me, I am a firm believer in what the bible teaches and there was an example of the preist Samuel coming back from the dead through a woman who communicated with the dead.It's in 1 or 2 book of Samuel and God warns against communicating with the dead so its cartainly possible to do it or He wouldn't warn against it but I think what most people see is some form of demonic activity because the most ghost activity seems to be from areas where something really horrible happened or the people were involved in the demonic things like witchcraft, ouija boards or Satanic worship.But I'm still not sure its that way in every case.When my brother died of cancer my own grandmother said to one of my aunts that he appeared to her and told her he was alright because she was really troubled and did not know if he had ever been saved (accepted Christ) and she's not crazy, she tell anyone except my aunt because she didn't want anyone to think she was crazy! So I believe it is certainly possible that ghosts come around for one reason or another and God must allow for some reason.
722363
is this a fear of churches??
1025915
Demonic possession is extremely rare.  Most cases of assumed possession is really severe mental disorders, or self hypnosis.  That is why (if you are catholic) if you say someone is possessed they send out a priest to perform tests and to see if the afflicted meet certain criteria for possession.  There must be very specific happenings and unexplained occurences that are dictated by the Catholic Church.  \n\nPersonally I do not believe in Demons or the Devil or their existance, they do not exist in my religion.  So if someone is "possessed" in my religion then it is a case of bad karma and unbalanced energies.
1090676
Its difficult to answer your question properly as you did not specify which Pagan religion, nor did you specify which definition of demon.  So, the most I can really say is:\n\nIt depends on the Pagan: how they define the term demon;  what they think of possession.\n\nIn some Pagan religions all spirits that are not Gods are demons, but demons are not necessarily good or bad.  In other Pagan religions, the view of demons is more similar to that of the Abrahamic religions.  And in still other Pagan religions, demons are not within the scope of their paradigm.\n\nIn some Pagan religions, possession by the Gods or trusted entities is seen as beneficial and a blessing.  In other Pagan religions, possession of any sort - whether by trusted entities or not - is seen as at best annoying and at worst maddening.  And for still other Pagans, they see tales of demonic possession as a testament to how backwards medicine was in the past - that most reports of demonic possession were attributed to those who were clearly mentally handicapped, mentally ill, suffering from siezures, etc.\n\nMix-and-match from column a and column b in any number and combination you choose.\n\n*shrug*\n\nHere's an interesting article though.\nhttp://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/d/demonic_possession.htm
75953
An exorcism is something that the Catholic church made up, just like they made up "possesion by the devil."
557440
i do...completly...before i was in the church i was atheist...when i looked at people in other churches i would see people obey some rule...not obey others...make up rule...ect...it made me think that there was no point to all of that...and i was right\n\nthe iglesia ni cristo is the only church that made any sense to me...they told me why people in other churches do what they do...and the church also wouldn't just except a practice just because everyone thinks it a good idea...the rules are written and that is what we use\n\nlet me give you a real life example of that...if all the cooks at a restruant decided that it wasn't a good idea to wash their hands after going to the bathroom...would it make it right...well, of course not...the words of god are even more important then that
988281
All of us are influenced by demons. We cooperate with them every day. I know it sounds goofy, but it's true. Pride is a big one. Vanity is another. We each have a guardian angel (given to us at baptism) that will protect us if we ask for help with prayers. Full demonic possession is another animal, but truly, spiritual warfare is active all around us, regardless of whether we believe it or not.
143060
Ofcourse they do. I lived in a supposedly haunted house for 4yrs. and I saw a ghost or two. I'm not being sarcastic. I too belive in the paranormal.
528060
I didn't check out the GMA story, but don't really need to, to tell you that YES there are likely "phony exorcisms" performed by profit-seeking priests. (Which, by the way, I didn't know priests could collect money for exorcisms, but it doesn't exactly surprise me.) Wherever there is a "dollar to be made", people will be there, and money attracts ALL KINDS. Money corrupts some people, even sometimes "holy people". And power and privelege also corrupt sometimes, and the three seem to quite often go "hand-in-hand".\n-Tera (time4u420@yahoo)
101901
This is a good place to read on it:\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorcism
1018227
Absolutely. The thing most people don't seem to realize is that there are things that go on within the spiritual world that are much more real and involved than the world we see around us. I have known several people who have seen things like what you are talking about. One of my best friends grew up as a missionary kid in the Ivory Coast. The people of one of the nearby tribes had this tradition called the Speaking of the Dead in which the men of the tribe would hoist a newly deceased person over their heads and ask it questions and depending on which way the body would cause the men to lean, they would have their answer. It was sort of like the "ouija board" concept. One of the missionaries was standing about 20 feet away watching this take place and when they asked the body a question the body literally lunged out at the missionary and then fell to the ground a little bit short of where he was standing. There are demons out there. Satan is very real and whatever was possessing that body did at all like what was possessing the missionary, which was the Holy Spirit. The demons in this world know they are defeated and therefore hate Christians. Christians, because of the blood of Jesus Christ have power and authority over these spirits that are all around us. Believe me... it IS real. \n Whenever people talk about ghost stories... things they've seen or heard... I have no doubt in my mind at all that what people see is real. Theyr'e not ghosts, however. They are simply demons who are trying to stir up as much confusion regarding the "afterlife" as possible. The more confused people are about what is possible to happen to them after death, the less likely they are to make a decision. \n I have also known someone who cast a demon out of someone else. My high school algebra teacher, a very wise and Godly man, had a troubled sister about ten years ago that became possessed by a demon. He rebuked that demon in the name of Jesus Christ and it fled from her. There is power in the name of Christ. Trust me. I've seen it.
1005260
I go to a church where they cast out demons. It's called a "deliverance ministry". Just last week, there was a woman there, who had about 12 different demons expelled from her.  I think maybe people have been desensitized to the reality of demonic spirits by all the horror movies they've seen over the years.  They've come to believe that they're just a part of sensationalized fiction, rather then reality.  But in fact, there are probably thousands of people in America right now, that are possessed by evil spirits, and they don't even know it.  They've opened the doorway to darkness by getting involved in occult practices, such as witchcraft and satanism.  T.V. Shows like "Charmed", have made witchcraft look like harmless fun, when in fact, it is a very dangerous practice.  It's all a part of Satan's plan to destroy the minds of our youth, and send them to hell.  That's because the Devil is already doomed to spend an eternity there, and he wants to take as many young people along with him as he possibly can.
1066790
Yes I have had experience of spirits too and I am a Christian. Many Christians are spiritually sensitive and can sometimes see through the veil that separates heaven and earth, the spirit world and us.\nThe bible does indeed say that spirits exist and I think that the whole existence of our world would not be possible without God who is spirit and created all the spritual worlds first.\nJust look in the Bible it does say that there is more to this than just God and us. In fact it says "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual rulers, the authorities and (something like) dark powers". Look it up, I'm sure e-Bibles can bring it up for you!\nI have had experience of spirits, me and my dad both smell the same perfume and that was heavy and like roses that apparently my great grandma used to wear. I told my mum and she told me he used to smell it as well although I am too scared to tell him!\nHe might think it's weird, we have both had scary experiences at night while in bed but the difference is he has had it many times and me only a few. The first time I ever did I prayed and was saved from the terror that surrounded me. It was like pure evil in the room and I had never been as scared. So I prayed and saw that God was faithful to me and that the God I had learned about in Sunday School was real! I Have been a Christian ever since and Thank God whenever I get it  (about twice a yr but it's unpredictable) I can call on his name and KNOW that he will save me and never leave me to their mercy to suffer and be terrified.  I don't know how my dad can stand it, NEVER do ouija boards ppl my dad did and again although he only mentioned it once, it can seriously cause you problems if the spirits don't want to leave as they sometimes dont. \nI belive they are fallen angels, that angels that rebelled against God with satan and were expelled from heaven. This of course made them very angry and want to get revenge. So they see people as the way to get to and hurt God by trying to destroy them and make them do evil so they will be condemned along with the evil one on the day of judgement. We are innocent in this dispute and so God has given us a second chance in the form of his son our messiah who saves us but only if we turn from our evil ways. The holy spirit restrains evil from engulfing us and keeps our world relatively peaceful even tho we do evil, that is how merciful God is!\n\nThe devil is also jealous of us for being able to have a loving relationship with God because he cannot and has lost his chance. Who knows what he did that was so bad he couldnt be given a second chance but to rebel against God when you already have a favoured position as Archangel then that seems kind of impossibe to do so it must have been a BIG deal.
474140
Demons have existed and inhabited our earth since Bible times, so it's logical that they are still among us today. I think of them as messengers of Satan, similar to the way angels are messengers of God. Most people are not directly affected by their presence, but many are without even realizing it. \n\nLike Satan himself, the job of a demon is to corrupt God's people and create doubt in the holiness and power of God. For example, there are numerous accounts on haunted houses, with plenty of legitimate witnesses testifying to what they saw. Demons will take the form of a ghost or deceased relative, because if someone believes in a world of ghosts unable to cross over, that person may doubt the existence of God, who is in charge of taking care of our souls after death. Fortune tellers and those who practice witchcraft may also be able to communicate with demons, who may not always represent themselves as a negative presence (therefore people might not realize they are speaking with an evil force).\n\nMore rare and serious instances of demonic presence are possessions. Possessions can range anywhere from the extreme, like in "The Exorcist", to symptoms that resemble mental illness. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is cited numerous times casting out demons, such as in Matthew, chapter 8, in which one man is possessed with many demons.\n\nIn order to be possessed, one needs to allow a path into their soul, such as practicing witchcraft. The only sure way to protect oneself from demonic possession is to have a firm faith in the Holy Trinity and avoid cult practices which invite evil forces. In certain places, I have felt a negative presence and God has always protected me. Everyone has probably experienced a similar feeling, without being able to put their finger on what it was, like that feeling you are being watched when no one is there.\n\nMy beliefs come from years of reading the Bible and other Christian materials and talking about it with Christian pastors. My religious affiliation is Lutheran, but I'm not sure if all Lutherans have the same beliefs I do, although I have talked with some who do. Good luck with your paper and feel free to quote me. :)
61935
The reason why you have not heard about exorcism associated with other religions is because it is a Christian practice that Jesus originally intiniated.\n\nExorcism is based around the principle of having power over an evil prescence. Without a deity/god that holds power, exorcism is pointless and powerless.\nMany people in third world countries have been possessed by spirits/demons because of their occultic native practices. It was when Christian missionaries/workers started evangelising these peoples when the spirits/demons were driven out.\n\nNOTE: If a person is possessed and is successfully exorcised, they are set free by God, not by the individual who exorcised them. God uses the exorcist as an instrument in helping the possessed gain freedom.
923179
I'm Christian and I believe that being able to communicate with ghosts is a gift not a curse.\nIn fact Christians should know this because in the bible it says that one of the gifts from the holy spirit is a 6th sense. I'm not sure where it says this but I do know that it does say it because I read it. I would love to be able to speak to spirits and I think that anyone who can is truly blessed. Besides, I think that it's the Catholic Christians who say that it's a curse, but I'm not certain. Now that you have me thinking you should also ask; If you can speak to the dead than does this mean your possessed? I mean come on. These Christians must have a lot of sins that they need to cover up if they feel the need to tell someone that they're being influenced by the devil. After all isn't it true that your more likely to tell someone what their doing wrong when in fact it's you who's doing something wrong?