Possession
FRENCH PSYCHOLOGIST P. Janet describes a man possessed by a demon: "He murmured blasphemies in a deep and solemn voice: 'Cursed be God,' he said, 'cursed the Trinity, cursed the Virgin'... Then in a higher voice and with eyes full of tears: 'It is not my fault if my mouth says these horrible things, it is not I .... It is not I.... I press my lips together so that the words many not come through, may not break forth, but it is useless; the devil then says these words inside me, I feel plainly that he says them and forces my tongue to speak in spite of me.' The demon twisted his arms and legs and made him endure cruel sufferings which wrung horrible cries from the wretched man." (Nevroses et idees fixes)
This description reminds us of some New Testament examples of possession. Among them is one recorded in Mark 9 (R.S.V.):
And one of the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.And he answered them, "O faithless generation,
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how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me."And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.
And Jesus asked his father, "How long has he had this?"
And he said, "From childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us."
And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible to him who believes."
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"
And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again."
And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up and he arose.
And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"
And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer."
A German observer presents a patient's own description of such an experience (J. Kerner, Nachricht von dem altester Kirchengeschichte):
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The Evil One who was hidden within me began to rage again. I was obliged almost without ceasing to utter cries, weep, sing, dance, and roll upon the ground where I went into horrible contortions. I was forced to jerk my head and feet in all directions, howl like a bear and also utter the cries of other animals, things which had, moreover, all happened before on previous occasions.I strove vigorously (on the doctor's instigation) to repress the fits, but only succeeded at the end of fourteen days and solely by the help and prayers of a dear and very pious woman.
I am never absent, I always know what I am doing and saying, but I cannot always express what I wish; there is something within me which prevents it. In the most furious fits I dare not offer the slightest resistance, for I should only make myself more unhappy; it is therefore voluntarily that I give myself up to the power of the Evil One, and let him rage, for it is only so that I can once more get a little rest.
The reality of demon possession is taught in both Old and New Testament. Demons are invisible, but real, spiritual beings who are under the control of Satan, "prince of the devils."
This was a special sickness, not a term loosely used; for many diseases can produce seizures. Demonism is distinguished from other diseases in Matthew 4:24, "They brought [Jesus] all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.
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Centuries of enlightenment in the Judeo-Christian religion may explain why demon possession is seldom diagnosed in the United States and Canada today, even by Christian psychiatrists, although it is recognized in pagan cultures.
The greatest care must be exercised not to describe mental conditions as demonic in origin. But this does not mean that even today some may not be "bound by Satan" through possession by demons.
Some years ago, I had a pastoral relationship with a man who was then, and had been for several years, under a psychiatrist's care. He had been institutionalized on two different occasions, was in deep depression, and had tried to commit suicide three times by bizarre means. Each time he was discovered and saved, rather remarkably.
His illness culminated in an act of violence in which property was destroyed, although no one was injured.
Papers were prepared for his commitment to a state hospital.
When I talked with him, he said, "You know that group therapy and shock treatments aren't going to help me."
I said that I knew no such thing; I wasn't a physician or psychiatrist.
"Well, they won't. You know what's the matter with me."
"How can I know?" I replied.
"You do."
"What is wrong with you, do you think?"
"You know."
"No, I don't."
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"Yes, you do."
I had begun to suspect that he meant demon possession, so I asked, "Do you want me to pray for you?"
"Yes, please do. It's my only hope."
I prayed that God, who knows all things, would rebuke the demon, if indeed my friend was possessed. I told God that I didn't know whether he was or not, but I was praying this at his request. And I asked God to deliver my friend by the blood of His Son, shed on the cross to redeem sinners and defeat Satan.
He was not committed to the state hospital. In a short time he took up the responsibilities and cares of job and home again, and weathered some great crises (not related to his mental illness) without depression or suicide attempts.
That was years ago. Today he is normal in every way.
I merely report an incident that may or may not have been demonic in origin, but from which I believe God delivered my friend.
G. Campbell Morgan, minister of Westminster Chapel in London, believed that demonic activity is responsible for the upsurge during this century of spiritualistic phenomena (witches, sorcerers, mediums, etc.). Dr. Morgan felt that where one of these terms is employed, "demonized" man or woman may properly be substituted.
Possession follows a variety of patterns.
The possession of persons Jesus healed was involuntary. They were in bondage not of their own choice.
Voluntary possession (sometimes referred to as
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"selling one's soul to the devil") may not be susceptible to help.
Robert Lewis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde chronicles a classic case of possession in literature. Mr. Hyde became a person with a new self-consciousness, different from that of Dr. Jekyll. In this type of possession, the appearance is changed, the voice often changes, personality undergoes radical change for the worse. Harmful acts may be committed, either against the possessed person himself, or against others, blasphemies and obscenities may be spoken.
A different kind of possession is found in the person who is a spectator, watching his own actions during a seizure. He may speak of himself in the third person.
Voodoo is a fairly recent branch of occult religion, although its roots are in African religions. It is found mainly in Haiti.
It thrives among the poor and disadvantaged. Voodoo doesn't promise riches or pleasure, but rather aims at removing the nagging miseries of life: for instance, sickness and misfortune, which are considered divine judgments.
A priest or priestess demands absolute submission to his authority for adherents to voodoo. Worship is carried on in a sanctuary.
One significant characteristic of voodoo belief is that spirits can incarnate themselves in people they choose. Any voodoo worshiper can therefore enter into contact with the unseen world. The person becomes a mere receptacle for the spirit, a
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shell of flesh to contain it. Voodoo priests believe they can bring this about.
Thus people can be changed into animals, even.
Trancelike states are often a part of voodoo worship. Spells are cast on an enemy; a special spell is "sending of the dead," by which a dead person is sent to prey on an enemy. This may cause sickness and death.
Our light and frivolous approach to the unseen spirit world today, our craze for horoscopes and mediums, fortune-tellers and Ouija boards — turning it all into one big game — may be an open invitation to Satan and his demons to come out into the open in our society, to fill the vacuum of spirit that exists.
To turn from light is to turn to darkness. To turn from God is to turn to Satan. To turn from love is to turn to fear.
Friedrich Nietzsche described the cultus in which demonism grows, in this section from Joyful Wisdom:
Have you not heard of that madman who, on a bright morning, lit a lantern and went out into the market place and cried unceasingly: "I seek God!"And at that minute there were many present who did not believe in God and, therefore, they made mocking laughter.
"Has He gone astray?" said one of the crowd.
"Has He run too far, like a child, and got lost?" asked another.
"Or perhaps He is hiding."
"Or is He frightened of us?"
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"Maybe He has gone on an ocean voyage.""Or did He emigrate to another country?"
Thus they shouted and laughed confusedly to one another.
The madman threw himself among them and his gaze penetrated them through and through. "Where has God gone to?" he asked loudly. "I will tell you. We killed Him, you and I. We are all of us His murderers.
"But how did we do this? How could we drink the sea to its dregs? Who has given us the sponge to erase the whole horizon? What have we done by cutting ourselves off from that which bindeth earth to its sun? Where shall it now revolve? Where shall we move? Away from all suns? Do we not fall headlong without ceasing? Backwards and sidewards, forwards, in all directions. Is there still an above and a below? Do we not stray as though in endless void? Does not the empty space blow into our faces? Has it not become colder now? Does not night come on ever more and ever more night? Do we not have to light lanterns in the forenoon?
"God is dead. God will remain dead. And we killed Him! How shall we console ourselves, the most murderous of all murderers?"
