[granville1]

I don’t believe that anyone has ever been possessed by a demon. The New Testament’s portrait of possession is just that – a portrait. Most of the “possessed” in the NT are obviously mentally/neurologically afflicted. The ones that are not so obviously physically afflicted, e.g., the “Legion” demon in the Gadarene pig scene, are symbolic of the writer’s intention in identifying for the reader who Jesus was. Jesus, as God’s messianic agent, has “power on earth” to forgive sins, perform healings, teach with new authority…and to cast out demons.

Possession in Buddhism has a similar etiology, with the exception that, far from being feared and considered to be damned spirits, Buddhism customarily regards “possessing entities” as ignorant, suffering sentient beings – and seeks not so much to exorcize them as to educate them about their own Buddha-nature and their karmic status, and thus to set them on the road to Enlightenment.

Concerning modern possession cases, I have not encountered a single one in the literature that demands a supernatural explanation. The most I grant is that some cases do seem to involve paranormal events. But paranormal events do not necessarily signal a truly supernatural status.

Any number of theodicies have been created in Western religions to explain possession. The NT is clear that Jesus, whose world view seems to have been wholly mythological, saw himself as a combatant in a dualistic cosmic war between Satan’s Kingdom on the one hand, and God’s Kingdom on the other. His exorcisms were seen by him, his disciples, and the early Church, as tokens of his battle against Satan and Satan’s reign on earth. Each of Jesus’ successful exorcisms was seen as beating back Satan’s hold, and as opening a space in which God’s Kingdom’s “seed” could be planted.

The later Church seems to have held to this view: people are possessed by evil spirits because, as the Johannine Jesus said, the “Prince of this world” is always actively opposihng God and his kingdom. One of Satan’s most effective weapons in this war is the possession of people by “Satan’s spirits”. People become possession victims because of the messy state of cosmic dualism: the world is under Satan’s sway, though eventually God will re-establish his rightful sovereignty. At least that is the myth’s central claim – and its best hope.

[ManInKhakiExorcist]

Recycling a post I made at the IMDB (it’s in response to a poster there, and is not directly aimed at any here, so ignore the “quesion 1” and “question 2” mentions — these questions were pretty much what is being asked above, though):

As with other bad things like natural disasters and murder, where “good” people suffer, I believe, based on Biblical Christian theology, God allowed this to happen to Regan MacNeil. He allows things to happen to “good” people (“And Jesus said to him, What sayest thou me good? No man is good, but God alone.” Luke 18:19). With Regan MacNeil, He didn’t, however, select or target her; Satan did that, and Pazuzu (as one culture of humanity knew the Demon, while a child from a totally different one knows “Captain Howdy”) infested and possessed Regan. God allows such a terrible thing to happen because He knows Regan is not the primary target, but the human beings surrounding her possession; her family, friends, servants, doctors, priests, and a police detective, and who knows whomever else indirectly or in the short term and long term.

And the motivation for that is is love. Love for humanity. God works in mysterious ways, but the Holy Spirit through which He works touches and compels believers to seek to know Him better and non-believers in their own time to consider the choice set before them and to act on it: To pursue or reject Christ. Once that choice is made, the believers have a higher standard at which to live their lives, and, like non-believers, are given trials that are divinely designed to test and spur Christians on in their walk with Christ (With God, all things are possible, including trials (he doesn’t give us tasks beyond our means WITH HIM; but our sinful flesh, purchased with the blood of Christ’s sacrifice, causes us to fail when we deny Christ); Christ told us up front that following Him would not be easy. Non-believers given the choice do not have the higher standard their believing fellow human beings do, UNLESS once it happens that by the end of life they’ve genuinely accepted Christ (the proof being a life change) living as a Christian, “like Christ”, in more than name alone; living for God, and in turn for others. As for agnostics, individuals on the fence as Chris MacNeil is presented, they’re in fact wasting their time if they consciously choose to remain agnostic, avoiding choosing a side; everyone’s free to accept or reject Christ, and whichever of the two roads we take — assuming we wholeheartedly subscribe to it (“for Jesus Christ” or “against Jesus Christ”) — the abundant living we find ourselves acquiring from choosing whichever path, it’s just too compelling to keep up the charade of “I don’t know”. If we keep finding ourselves “not knowing”, we ought to make an effort to find out and choose one of two sides. Because if there is no God, all the things Christianity denies and warns humanity about can be flushed down the toilet. On the other hand, all the positive things God has in mind for us (namely Salvation from sin, Heaven, numerous and untold blessings), these things can be ours if we choose it over the alternative. There is no middle ground with God. (Revelation 3:16: “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”)

Note: God had the ultimate physical safety of Regan in mind, setting Damien Karras and Lankester Merrin on a path to her bedroom to ultimately drive out the enemy, and even then God doesn’t make her a believer, in Christ, or necessarily anyone else; that’s “a different story for another time”. But the choice was put before them. By the end of each our lives, those of us are presented with this choice, whether directly, indirectly, specifically or generally, it will be a question we will consider dozens and hundreds of times no matter what we ultimately choose for ourselves. God’s trials can be any number of things, it’s mindboggling.

But let me close this answer to your first question with this: The rich or the poor, the city slicker or jungle dweller, anyone at all who might find themselves faced with the choice to choose or reject Christ… We are all told to “be prepared” for Jesus’ return. God loves everyone; if we’re not for Him, we’re for something else, but Christ specifies we’re “against [Him]” (Luke 11:23); so we must “get right with God”. In the world depicted in The Exorcist, He just happened to choose Regan MacNeil. Recognizing how devout Blatty is, maybe he also figured the upperclass and demonic possession makes for a better story. But the real message, I think, is: Everyone could use, and needs, Christ.

And as for question 2: I agree with the sentiment of that scene. If we are so crushed and full of despair in our trials, we doubt this life; we’re disillusioned. But more than that, we find it easier and comfortable, convenient, to doubt God’s love, and His existance. Satan relishes this. He perceives God’s “great divine plan” to have failed. In reality, limitless God KNOWS we’re imperfect, sinful, creatures incapable of genuine, holy, God-pleasing living WITHOUT Him. So he gives us great patience, and sooner or later, if we’re lucky enough to recognize His love for us and choose to accept (or maintain) belief in Christ, living an active life for others with God at the center, he answers what prayers of ours he as our heavenly Father (who truly, thoroughly knows what’s best for His earthly children, His creatures collectively known as humanity) chooses.

I know it’s preachy, but it’s a theological film that takes evil seriously. And as an admirerer of it, so do I.

God bless.

M.I.K.E.

Ps. I’m also a believer in science and evolution; macroevolution is pretty interesting; what I don’t see happening, though, are one kind of animal evolving into a completely different one; genuine hybrids (ie.fish-chimpanzees) are unheard of, unlike creatures with appendages, or things “left over”, where the animal is still the same fish or whatever (just with some “extras”. And as for mental afflictions frequently diagnosed as demons. Who’s to say there isn’t in fact a demon, in some, many, or every case, pretending to react to the Holy water”, causing us all to think a)it’s a demon, b)it’s this-or-that mental problem, etc.? I adore The Exorcist, novel and film, and Legion and Dominion, too… but I don’t know that the Hollywood way is the way the enemies of Christ manifest themselves in our, real world.

[magus]

Why do you feel that human beings are possessed by evil spirits?

I have my reasons and theories on the subject, but what are yours?

[Author]

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