Archive for December, 2008
Posted by owner on
December 17, 2008
Barbara Corcoran, a regular on NBC’s Today show, recently reported how realtors are turning to the occult to move properties that won’t sell. Popular methods of riding properties of “bad energy” include Smudging, a Native American purification ritual that’s performed to the ringing of bells and waving of incense. Also popular is calling in a Feng Shiu practitioner. Corcoran herself used Smudging after a 5th Avenue aparment in New Yortk failed to sell after two years to rid the property of the “bad energy” caused by the constant fighting of a couple who went through an accrimoneous divorce. “It works if you believe,” she said, and told Matt Lauerthat the very next couple she showed it to put in a full price offer.
Some realators are also using “ghost busting” approaches. All one needs is to purchase a voodo kit from Dennis Voodo.com, which includes statues of St. Francis and an eastern deity which can be buried on the property.
It doesn’t take a prophet to predict that as econcomic conditions worsen many will be looking for supernatural aid. And that all too many will turn to the occult rather than to Christ.
Posted by owner on
December 17, 2008
Exorcism in the Ancient World
People who lived in cultures that readily acknowledged the possibility of demon possession or sickness caused by demons struggled to find defenses against their evil oppressors. These defenses typically involved incantations and calling on gods or goddesses to purge the demon from the sufferer. What a contast from the New Testament’s direct approach of commanding demons to depart in the name an power of Jesus.
An incatation from Ancient Babyon
A source named Maqlu, written in cuneform, contains the most significant of the Babylonian magical incantations, and undoubtedly reflects traditions dating back to 3000-2000 B.C. in Mesopotamia. One incantion recorded there is:
Be off, be off, begone, begone,
Depart, depart, flee, flee!
Go off, go away, be off, and begone!
May your wickedness like smoke rise ever heavenward!
From my body be off!
From my body begone!
From my body depart!
From my body flee!
From my body go off!
From my body go away!
To my body turn back not!
To my body approach not!
To by body near not!
On my body abut not!
By the life of Samas, the honorable, be adjured!
By the life of Ea, lord of the deep, be adjured!
By the life of Asulluhi, that magus of the gods, be adjured!
By the life of Girra, your executioner, be adjured!
From my body you shall indeed be separated.
Another incantion from the same source includes instructions for the priest to follow while reciting the incantation.
You [the priest] recite the incantation,
“Evil demon, to your steppe”
all the way to the outer entrance;
then you encircle the entrance with parched flour.
You then enter into the house, and at the
place where you performed the ‘burning’ you
libate water and recide the incantation,
“I cast an incantation upon the assemblage
of all the gods.”
Thereafter you encircle the bed with flour
paste and recide the incantation,
“Ban, ban” and the incantation,
“adjured is the house.”
An incantation from Ancient Egypt
This spell, a charm for driving away the demon causing a headache, is particularly interesting because the magician, after calling on the gods to expel the malevfolent spirit, then threatens to harm the gods if they do not do as asked! In essence the speaker tells the gods, We can do this this easy way–or the hard way.
“As for the head of [name], born of the woman [name], it is the head of Osiris Wen-Nefer, on whose head were placed the three hundred and seventy seven divine Uraei, and they spew forth flame to make thee quit the head of [name]. born of the woman [name], like that of Osiris. If thou dost not quit the temple of [name], born of the woman [name],I will burn thy soul, I will consume thy corpse!I will be deaf to any desire of thine concerning thee: If some other god is with thee, I will overturn thy dwelling place; I will shadow thy tomb, so that thou wilt not be allowed to receive incense, so that thou wilt not be allowed to receive water with benificent spirits, and so thou will not be allowed to associate with any of the Followers of Horus. If thou wilt not hear my words, I will cause the sky to be overturned.and I will cast fire among the Lords of Heleopolis. I will cut off the head of a cow taken from the Forecourt of Hathor! I will cause Sebek to sit shrouded in the skin of a crocodile, and I will cause Anubis to sit enshrouded in the skin of a dog! Then indeed shall thou come forth from the head of [name] born of the woman [name]! I will make for thee the magic amulet of the Gods, their names being pronounced to this day.”
This incantation was to be recited over a piece of fine linen which had the names of several gods inscribed on it, and the cloth was to be placed o the temple of the man who had the headache.The papyrus sheet on which the spell was inscribed contained pictures of the gods to be copied onto the linen; two jackals, four seated gods with human heads, four Eyes of Horus, and four serpants.
Early Jewish incantations
Alfred Edersheim (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, pp 775-776) identifies a number of magical formulae and incantations against demons that reflect first century practices, even though they were written down later. He notes that the exorcism formulae “mostly consist of words which have little if any meaning.” The following is an incantation against boils.
“Baz, Basiya, Mas, Masiya, Kas, Kasiaya, Sharha and Maria–ye Angels that come from the land of Sodom to heal paintful boils! Let the color not become more red, let it not farther spread, let its seed be absorbed in the belly. As a mule does not propagate itsealf, so let not this evil propagate itself in the boy of [name], son of [name].”
Here is a simple incantation to expell demons.
“Burst, curse, dashed, banned be Bar-Tit, Bar-Tema, Bar-Tena, Chashmagoz, Merigox, and Isteamam.”
[By the way, if you should read any of my Invisible War novels later, you'll recognize the names of Chashmagoz and Merigox, who are cast a members of Satan's counsel in the books!]
These few examples contrast significantly with the exorcism stories found in the Bible. The ancient magical literature makes it clear that people in antiquity were not only aware of demons and their powers, but were desperate to find release from their evil influence. Still, the writings on demonology from the ancient worled offer no hope at all. In contrast, the New Testament offers hope to every believer.
[adapted from my Every Angel in the Bible, Nelson, 1997]
Posted by owner on
December 9, 2008
I’m taking one, so no more blogging on demondope till the new year. And then? Then I’m launching a series on Spiritual Warfare. We’ll look at the conflict Christians have with the world, the flesh, and the devil. We’ll analyze each struggle and explore how the believer is the meet and overcome challenges from each source. I think you’ll find each post both fascinating and practical.
By the way. If you haven’t registered at demondope yet, please do so. I’ll be sending registered users Alerts to new posts, with brief descriptions of the postings, to everyone who is registered. And as an added bonus, registered users will be offered a FREE copy of the first of my Invisible War novels to be published, the Blind Prophet,due out early in the new year.
Also, feel free to forward this alert to anyone who might be interested.
Larry
Posted by owner on
December 1, 2008
Generally demon’s don’t hide in bushes waiting to pounce when some stranger wanders by. When we put it this way, it seems rather silly to assume the demonized are just random victims. It’s far more likely that there must be some some sort of precondition to demonic oppression or possession, something that triggers demonization. That leads us to significant questions. What kinds of things make a person vulnerable to demon possession? And, to what extent is a person responsible for his or her own victimization?
The answer to the first question is that several factors may make one person more susceptible to demonic attack than another.
Visiting the devil’s playground
Some folks choose to visit areas where the devil has established an active presence. You’re walking along and spot a New Age tea room that advertizes a palmist or psychic readings. Curious, you go inside, just for laughs. You didn’t know it, but you just entered the devil’s playground…an area where the ocult is actively practiced. That psychic may be one of many fakes. But if she’s real, there are demons about. And you’re in danger.
Kid’s are often fascinated by the occult. Never mind the extremes, as in the movie Jumangi. Some will want to try something harmless, like an ouiji board. Others will draw a pentagram on the floor, light candles, and try to raise a demon. Many young people today think Wicca is cool, read up on neopaganism, and take a shot [serious, or just for fun] at witchcraft. They’ve walked unknowingly into the devil’s playground, and there are demons about. [If you haven't seen my articles on Wicca's beliefs and practices, check them out in the archives.]
Non-christian religions are also the devil’s playground. The Old Testament identifies the gods of the pagans all around Israel as demons, and at the risk of being politically incorrect and guilty of what modern’s call “intolerance,” I have to say that demons lurk behind the faiths of modern world religions as well. [I guess I could get jailed in Canada for saying that!]
Satan has no qualms about people being “spiritual” — as long as the spirits involved are his!
So stay away from the occult and don’t dabble in non-Christian religions. Scripture marks both off as playgrounds of the devil.
By the way, I’d put many movies and TV shows that feature the occult in the playground category. Anything that misleads us about the supernatural is dangerous.
Spiritual longings
Surprising or not, “spirituality” can also make us vulnerable. The thorough-going materialist, whose interests begin and end with life in this world, is already firmly in the devil’s grip. There’s not much reason for demons to pay further attention to people like Esau, who already “despise” mankind’s spiritual birthright. No so with the Jacobs, who are aware that somehow there must be more to life.
One young woman longed for a deeper spiritual life, and heard about a group that would pray for her to receive the Holy Spirit. She joined them in a church basement, consciously opened herself up to the spirit of God — and the wrong kind of spirit entered. [Please don't misunderstand. I'm not attacking Charismatics who seek the Holy Spirit. I'm not even critical of them, although my own understanding of how the Holy Spirit works differs. But I am suggesting that we need to be careful. As Scripture warns, even Satan masquerades as a spirit of light (2 Cor. 11:14).
Last year my wife invited a high school friend to accompany her on a vacation. On the trip the friend kept wanting to visit New Age shops and look at crystals. A few days into the vacation the friend started talking about her "spirit guide," and informed Sue that all she had to do was ask and she could have a spirit guide of her own. Needless to say, the vacation was cut short. [If you're not familiar with spirit guides, check out the article posted earlier on demondope.]
Augustine pointed out that we were created for fellowship with God, and that there’s an emptiness in our lives that can only He can fill. The danger is that sensing our emptiness we look for spiritual reality in the wrong places.
Trauma
While involvment in the occult is generally recognized as a potential trigger for demonization, the role of trauma less understood. Still, the literature makes it very clear that traumatic experiences, either brief and intense, or persistent over time, are often a factor in demon possession.
Under pressure we humans seem to be more open to possession than when life is proceeding normally. There are a number of pressure situations described in the literature . . . everything from lonliness to sexual abuse . . . that make a person desperate for some kind of escape or assitance. One child who was desperately lonely was “befriended” by demons who filled the void in her life, only to gain control later and make her life miserable. More than one person who has been sexually or physically abused has bought into the lie that she is now “dirty” and worthless. Satan, the father of lies, and his demons, seem able to fasten on such lies and by constantly repeating them gain a foothold in the victim’s life.
In my Invisible War novels I develop the theme that demons delight in and feed on human anguish. While this notion isn’t developed in the literature, on demon possession, it offers a possible reason why so many who have experienced trauma seem to be plagued later by demons. Human suffering and anguish may be like a bright light shinning in darkness that alerts demons to our vulnerability. If so the “perfect peace” granted to those whose mind is stayed on the Lord is the best antidote.
Family influence
It’s clear from the literature that demonization often is a family affair. When parents or grandparents have have been involved in the occult, demons seem more likely gain a grip on descendants. Missionaries have reported cases where children have been dedicated to demons before or at birth, and expected to carry on the family tradition as a local wise woman or witch doctor.
It’s often important to identify the triggering factor when attempting to help a person who is demon possessed. Fascinatingly, demons seem to be quite legalistic, and will claim a right to be present in the person. [This is something I'll discuss in a future article.] That claim can often be refuted when the person doing the deliverance or exorcism understands the basis of the so-called “right.”
So who’s responsible?
This is an important question to ask, because some initial cooperation by the demonized individual seems to be a constant element in demon possession.
This element is easily recognized when the person has engaged in occult activities or invited a “spirit guide” to enter. It’s not so easy to understand in cases when the trigger event is trauma or family influence.
To sort this out, let’s be clear about one thing. We cannot and should not blame a person who is possessed for his or her situation. To say that there seems to be some initial cooperation is not to say the person understood or consciously chose to be involved with demons. Rather, coerced by the pressure or pain of what seemed to be an impossible situation the individual responded in some way that gave the demon leave to establish a presence.
Go back to the young child who was desperately lonely. In the case I’m thinking of a preschooler was regularly left alone by parents who worked many hours each day, who failed to provide her with any other companions, and who ignored her when they were home. Out of her extreme loneliness she was vulnerable when a demon, drawn by her pain, whispered a promise of companionship. In time the demon was joined by others, and as an adult she still relied on their “voices” to dispell her lonliness.
There was in her case, as there seems always to be, some initial cooperation which gave the demons tacit consent to be involved in her life. This initial cooperation wasn’t anything like “informed consent.” But it was enough to enable the demons to establish their presence. Over time the beachheads demons establish may grow and grow, taking root in more of the personality.
There is no “blame” here. We can’t say that a victim of demon possession is responsible for his or her condition. But it’s important to understand the initial cooperation, for often exorcism of the demon(s) will require repentance, confession of the unintentional sin that provided the initial opening, and a conscious renounciation of the demons who–despite tormenting the victim–still meet some often-unrecognized need.
Summing Up
It’s important to understand what situations seem to make us vulnerable to demonic attack. It’s important, first, so that we can avoid those situations, or deal with them appropriately. But its also important to understand the potential trigger points, for when seeking to help the demonized we may need to identify the point at which the victim’s initial cooperation provided the “legal right” for the demon to enter his or her life. Only when this is understood can repentance, confession, and conscious renounciation of the demon(s) take place, and the foundation of the possession be destroyed.