Here’s one to think about, from the New Oxford Review (paid article)
Amid widespread confusion and skepticism about the subject, the chief goal of this article is to document a contemporary and clear-cut case of demonic possession. Even those who doubt such a phenomenon exists may find the following example rather persuasive. For clergy, or indeed anyone involved in the spiritual or psychological care of others, it is equally critical, however, to recognize the many and infinitely more common “counterfeits” (i.e., false assignations) of demonic influence or attack as well.
Saw the link in an article at World Net Daily, which has a few more quotes
“The exorcism began on a warm day in June,” Gallagher recollects. “Despite the weather, the room where the rite was being conducted grew distinctly cold. Later, however, as the entity in Julia began to spout vitriol and make strange noises, members of the team felt themselves profusely sweating due to a stifling emanation of heat. The participants all said they found the heat unbearable.
“Julia at first had gone into a quiet trance-like state. After the prayers and invocations of the Roman Ritual had been going on for a while, however, multiple voices and sounds came out of her. One set consisted of loud growls and animal-like noises, which seemed to the group impossible for any human to mimic. At one point, the voices spoke in foreign languages, including recognizable Latin and Spanish. (Julia herself only speaks English, as she later verified to us.)
“The voices were noticeably attacking in nature, and often insolent, blasphemous and highly scatological. They cursed and insulted the participants in the crudest way. They were frequently threatening – trying, it appeared, to fight back – ‘Leave her alone,’ ‘Stop, you whores’ (to the nuns), ‘You’ll be sorry,’ and the like.
Did you ever see “The Exorcist“? I mean the first one, not the ridiculous sequels. It is the only film that has ever affected me quite so strongly. Four of us saw it at the theater right after it came out. It was the first time in my life that I had been confronted with an overwhelming depiction of evil, and it scared me silly. To this day the music, Tubular Bells, makes the hair stand up on my arms. Major creeps.
Have you ever had the opportunity to talk at length with a missionary come back from an overseas post? Ever heard some of the unexplainable stories of things they have seen? You will not likely dismiss out of hand the idea that real evil exists. And I’m not talking about the stuff you see the so-called reverends on TV doing, exorcising “the demon of smoking” from some poor sap. That is all bogus.
But when I hear fools like Jeremiah Wright calling down God’s wrath and damnation on America, it makes me shudder all the way to my soul… brother, you’d better be on your knees praying God DOESN’T damn America. You think we have problems now? You haven’t seen anything… how dare you pray FOR it! Evil exists. A blind man denies it, but only a fool calls for it to be turned loose.
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