Exorcism Lives!

Devils, imps from hell, demons, and others of such ilk have had a tough time lately--and things can only get worse for them. Until the 1960s, they could carry on their satanic responsibilities with almost no interference because there simply weren't enough exorcists to get the job done. The shortage meant that people could be possessed by the devil (or his or her buddies) and had to struggle without any chance of rescue. They suffered by growling like animals (experiencing a profound change to gutteral speech), exhibited violence toward loved ones, spoke in unknown languages, emitted a foul aroma, and changed in many, many, many other ways. Not only individuals but entire families might be affected and experience levitation, spontaneous movement of objects, and the appearance and disappearance of animals. Truly, ugly stuff.

Why weren't there enough exorcists? Because you, I, the person on the street--we all thought the notion a crock, so it made no sense to provide them. But wisdom comes to us from an unlikely source. The 1973 movie The Exorcist exposed us to the dangers that threaten us: that Beelzebub's minions might at any time inhabit our bodies and produce incalculable harm and misery. Hollywood, understanding the significance of our danger, spread the word through hundreds of follow-up movies in which negative spirits were exorcised and the spiritually enslaved became free. But despite increased awareness there still weren't enough exorcists to cope with the growing demand. (The re-release of The Exorcist last year exacerbates the shortage.)

Never let it be said that religionists shirk their responsibilities when it comes to fighting the devil. In addition to fighting war, poverty, famine, abortion, same-sex marriage, and the rest, certain religions have risen to the challenge by providing more exorcists. In Chicago, Illinois, the Roman Catholic Church now has a full-time practitioner of that ancient skill. In New York, there are four, including a chief exorcist. Some of you perhaps chuckle at this. After all, Christianity is an ancient religion and if it persists in following hoary beliefs--oh, well. However, the Vatican in 1999 released revised exorcism procedures, believing the danger is real and current.

Still, the church approaches the problem from a rational perspective: it no longer accepts mere claims of possession or peculiar behavior as sufficient grounds to make the case that a demon inhabits the victim. Each alleged claim is carefully examined, and physicians and psychiatrists must attest that there is no medical explanation for the evil actions presented for consideration. Because of its concern, the Vatican has lately required that only bishops can give final approval for an exorcism.

Some people improperly conclude that exorcism is the exclusive province of Catholicism. Not at all. In Israel, some rabbis specialize in this arcane skill. Evangelical ministers and Episcopalian charismatics are eagerly part of the boomlet in casting out the devil. In Denver, Colorado, for example, there is a ministry devoted entirely to exorcisms. It has forty exorcism teams across the country and anticipates a time when no person would be more than a day's drive from relief. Further, hundreds of exorcists, representing a variety of Christian religions, as well as an assortment of faith healers, perform hundreds of "unofficial" exorcisms in an attempt to relieve sufferers of their misery. And don't conclude that exorcism is peculiar to the United States, it's practiced around the world. Mexico is an excellent example, as a recent headline attests: "Superstitious Mexico embraces exorcism."

There is an odd quality to the notion that physicians must examine the sufferer to determine there is no illness --mental or physical--before explanatory demon possession may be invoked. This raises the curious prospect that many exorcisms in the past were provided for sick people--not those demon possessed but instead physically or mentally distressed. Despite their enthusiasm for the notion that evil personified could kidnap a body, exorcists' ministrations missed the mark; the sufferer continued to suffer. As science provides better explanations for bizarre human behavior, the potential for exorcism diminishes. Still, there always will be some cases for which there is no immediate explanation extant. And, triumphantly, the religionists will declare: "If you don't know, we must be right!" (Of course, there will always be those who believe that science is the work of the devil and eschew medical treatment.)

It is part of the glory of Western civilization that we insist upon explanations for and melioration of our problems. Those characteristics thrust us forward into explorations of everything and are part of the development of science. Medicine, now firmly ensconced in scientific understandings, explains illness and provides cures. But where science has not yet gone or can't go, we face the physician's shrug. Doctors would help if they could, but no one knows the cause of X and there is no known cure.

Faced with the limits of knowledge in desperate situations, for many the demand for results takes precedence and leads them to seek anything that promises surcease from their misery. Alternative medicine provides explanations, cures, and hope. Exorcisms attempt the same. Science is a better alternative--at least it has a chance of being right.

Bertram Rothschild is a retired clinical psychologist. His e-mail is [e-mail].