EXPLORATION

Possession • The Phenomenon of Demonic Possession

One would think that with the advent of modern medicine and psychology, that reports of possession would be on
the decline. They are not. Reports of demonic possession have continued to escalate around the world, even in the
United States.
The Exorcist
In 1994, Thomas Allen published a book entitled Possessed. The book chronicles his research of the documented
1949 exorcism that inspired the movie The Exorcist.
Apparently the boy (changed to a girl named Reagan for the movie) and his aunt, a Medium, had been regularly play-
ing with a Ouija board, which soon brought an unwanted presence and total change of the child’s personality. One
night, while his parents entertained company, the boy got out of bed and came down to the living room. A vase
began to levitate and was sent hurling toward a wall along with a piece of heavy furniture. That night, as the boy
slept, his parents checked on him. They watched, as the appearance of scratches seemed to welt up on his body,
even as he slept, and a bloody scratch wrote on the boy’s stomach the word “HELL.”
He was taken to Georgetown Hospital where a pediatrician told the parents, “I can’t give you a natural explana-
tion for this.” Eventually, several Jesuit priests (six in all) were sought in St. Louis to perform the exorcism, which
apparently lasted about 20 days. Allen, the author of Possessed, obtained the diary of Father Bowdern, one of
the exorcists. You can read the first hand account as Allen includes the diary in the appendix. The following are
excerpts:
March 14: A stool flew across the room and landed with a loud crash, but no one was injured. The mattress of
the bed shook, as on many occasions. The shaking continued for two hours.
March 16: Three large bars were observed to be scratched on the boy’s stomach. The marks were sharply
painful and raised above the skin similar to an engraving. The most distinctive marking was the word “HELL”
imprinted on his chest. They would appear as we read through the exorcism.
March 17: The new phase of the case emphasized diabolical spitting. He spit at Father Bowdern and tore his
shirt. He spit directly in the faces of his father, mother, and uncle. He fell exhausted after the ordeal.
April 7: During the praying, at least 20 scratches or brands appeared on the boy’s body, usually at the men-
tion of “Jesus.” The first mark was clearly the number 4; several times four strokes or claw marks of various
lengths appeared on his belly and legs. There was considerable profanity and crudeness concerning sexual
relations with priests and nuns.
The diary recounts many other inexplicable phenomenon, such as the levitating, shaking, and breaking of objects;
and apparently the boy was able to curse and speak in Aramaic, a dead language spoken in the time of Christ, of
which he had no prior knowledge.
According to the report, the boy was finally exorcised. Allen found that he is still alive, but chooses to remain silent
on the events. The case was witnessed, signed, and verified by 46 Jesuit Priests. On a creepy endnote, prior to

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EXPLORATION The Phenomenon of Demonic Possession 2

its demolition, the abandoned wing of the hospital where the exorcism was performed had been secretly utilized
in recent years by a satanic group for rituals. Allen’s research on the real “Exorcist” account was recently trans-
formed into a movie for ShowTime.
1. Have you ever sensed an evil presence whether unseen, in a dream, or in another person, that was abnormal or
supernatural? When? What did it feel like?

“Was I possessed??” From www.unsolvedmysteries.com:

One day I was playing the ouija board by myself and I think that the demon possessed me. I asked who it
was and it said “Brandon Glorioso.” And I was like ok. And I was being stupid and I asked it how much it
weighed and its said 316 pounds. So then I was like ok w/e and I was laughin the whole time, then I asked it if
it would possess me. I was “Can you do me a favor and possess me?” And then my eyes closed and my head
was down. Then I opened my eyes and my mom walked in my room. Then I started speakin latin to her. She
got scared and called my dad in the room. Then I started saying this thing. It was kinda like a poem. I said
something like “Hoc Est Corpus Meum, Hocus Pocus, Jesus is a crucified donkey” or something like that. And
my dad happens to be a Jesuit Priest. and we have like 5 bibles in the house. Then he called his other Priest
friends, and one came over cuz in an exorcism you have to have a counselor present. So he came over. And
they had to examine me. And the holy water thing worked on me. They said it burned me. I’m telling yall what
they told me. I was speaking Latin, and I had never learned that language. So they hand cuffed me to the
bed, and the handcuffs came loose...........And they told me I got loose, but I didn’t go anywhere. I just floated
up in the air above my bed, and fell. And when I had woken up, I didn’t remember a thing. Like I said im tellin
you what they told me.
2. From the above account, apparently some of the hallmarks of possession are poor spelling and bad grammar.
What would be the allure that would draw someone to communicate or connect with spiritual evil?

3. Do you think it’s possible for a person to be possessed?

Hostage to the Devil

Catholic theologian Malachi Martin, who was a professor at the Vatican Biblical Institute for many years, did a
thorough investigation on the subject of demon possession. The book is called Hostage to the Devil, and it presents
five recently documented cases of demon possession; the exorcisms are transcribed in full, uncensored color.
One account is of a college student in New York City named Marianne (no last names are disclosed). Here is a brief
outtake from the transcript of her exorcism by Father Peter:
Marianne: lechah venichretha verith (speaking Hebrew fluently though without prior knowledge of the
language). A deal. Just you, Father Peter, and me. Peter the Eater. A deal Peter!
Let’s talk of the Un in the All-Holy. Aleph. Beth. Gimel. Daleth. Shin. Forget your Hebrew in all that hair and
skin?” What’s a little Hebrew between you and me?
Father Peter: In the name of Jesus, I command you, Marianne, to answer.
Marianne: (In a throaty voice neither male nor female) Forget it Peter! Don’t be a bore. This is the real
Marianne. The All-Holy goes with the All-Unholy.

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EXPLORATION The Phenomenon of Demonic Possession 3

Father Peter: The All-Holy cannot go with the all Un-Holy.

Marianne: Wrong, Peter pet, pet Peter. I know your fuddy-duddy medieval Principle of Contradiction. Esse et
non-esse non possunt identificari. Even know the Latin! That’s for now Peter.
4. What might suggest to you that there was something more than human evil present? What might be the criteria
for an exorcism, as opposed to sending someone to a psychiatrist?

5. What is an evil spirit? Where do they come from? And who’s Satan?

The gospel of Mark 5:2-19:

When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in
the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand
and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue
him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his
voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Have you come to torture us before the
appointed time?”
Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he
begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs;
allow us to go into them.” He said to them “Go!” and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The
herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see
what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of
demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did
not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he
has had mercy on you.”
6. This is the most detailed description of demon possession found in the Bible. What is similar in this story to
some of the other accounts? What’s different?

7. What does the evil spirit mean when it asks not to be tormented before “the appointed time?” And why does
Jesus send it into the pigs?

8. Exorcism was not an uncommon activity for a Jewish rabbi in the first century. So why do you think the dis-
ciples recorded this event?

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EXPLORATION The Phenomenon of Demonic Possession 4

What Are the First Signs of Possession?

*PunkStarChikk* From www.unsolvedmysteries.com:
After me and my friends have done the Ouija Board, my brother says he’s been feeling a little weird that
usual. He first told my friend that he heard a soft moaning like sound from a far off distance but in a whisper.
My friend and I aren’t sure if he is possessed of just a little paranoid of what happened with us while playing
the board.
I haven’t really found too much information of being possessed...Or that the stuff that my brother is feeling
doesn’t all fit into those signs. Here is what he has been feeling...
1. Hearing strange noises, such as the moan. 2. Wanting to do the board, by himself, at the last place where
we did the board...(if you haven’t read my second experience of the board, please read) 3. Not wanting to
have any protection. 4. Feeling cold sometimes. 5. Shaking at some points. 6. In Denial, unless he’s making
things up or not sure what to think, say..etc
My friend and I want to cleanse him by puttin him in the middle of the star, with 5 candles..know what im
talking about? He doesn’t want to, he fears something may happen or he believes that nothing is wrong.
What do you think? Should we wait a little longer to see if anything else happens, should we cleanse him with
the star,...what would u say?
I’m not sure if I am explaining everything I want to say in here, I feel that I am forgetting to say something or
don’t know how to explain things well.. Please reply if you know any advice. Thank you
9. In most documented cases of possession, there is usually some kind of involvement with the occult. Thus, the
idea of cleansing her brother by putting him inside a pentagram would come under the heading of “bad ideas for
getting rid of evil spirits.” What would you tell this woman?

10. In almost every documented case, demonic deliverance came through speaking the name of Jesus, in faith, that
He could protect or deliver. The true life Exorcist account ended when the boy uttered “dominus,” which is
Latin for “Lord” or “Christ.” How do you explain this?

11. While involvement in the occult may open one up to domination by an evil spirit, at it’s core, it is simply an evil
counterfeit of the reality we were made for. Look up Revelation 3:20 and write down what you think it means.

On your own this evening read through the booklet, The Four Spiritual Laws.

End

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