The reality of demons is mentioned in the teachings of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism to name a few. They are perceived as being part of the unseen world and a truth of each faith. Demons are not believed to exist in the confines of our own physical world, but are outside of it and time itself. Supposedly, because they exist outside of time, they have full comprehension of the ramifications of their rejection of the Creator, and therefore do not have the ability to repent.
We live in a very skeptical age. Dominated by social media and TV, ironically more non-religious than religious people believe in the idea of the existence of demons. For the religiously inclined, belief in demons carries a warning not to become to preoccupied with the topic, as that fascination in itself is a means to ensnare us, taking our focus away from the good and positive side of life. The non-religious tend to romanticize the idea of demons, often portrayed on TV ghost shows promoting the illusion of control simply by saying "go away, you do not have permission to enter me or bother me." The ghost hunters return for more, ignoring any spiritually unhealthy environments. But it is often professed by religious professionals that it isn't as simple as that. Demons are said to have a patience outlasting anything you can imagine, sitting, waiting and lurking for a particular moment of opportunity.
There have been instances in the most serious cases where a determination of "possession" has been made by those trained to discern such issues, who also have been trained in conducting the rite of exorcism as a course of action to take. One of the most sad conclusions to an exorcism case is that of Anneliese Michel, who some believe was possessed while others believe she was suffering from mental infirmities, including epilepsy. A total of 67 exorcisms were attempted on this poor girl over a period of 10 months. She was observed stating she was possessed by five demons who fought among themselves for control over her. Some of it seems ridiculous and hard to swallow. For instance she claimed the five demons were: Lucifer, Cain, Judas Iscariot, Adolf Hitler, and Nero. She eventually stopped eating, doctors reporting she eventually died of malnutrition and dehydration at only 23 years of age.
Take a few minutes to watch this captivating yet unnerving video made covering the possession of Anneliese.
(https://youtu.be/-H4gvQDGiak)
This second video shows what appears to be the girl pretending to be asleep. Wait for it at the end...
(https://youtu.be/6C3YuQnovkY)
This article is not an attempt to convince you of the reality of demons. Whether demonic possession actually happens in the world today is for you to decide for yourself. For those who have "felt" themselves in the presence of evil, no more convincing is necessary. Believing to have been in that situation myself, I have included a link on SoundCloud to an actual EVP I captured while investigating a family home where a teenage daughter claimed to be increasingly harassed through lucid dreams and even sleep paralysis. The cover picture of this article is a sketch of the demon she claimed to have awakened to as it sat on her chest and stared at her. Investigating in that room alone was by far the creepiest feeling I have ever experienced, and it necessitated my returning to the residence with a priest who I assisted while he conducted a deliverance and blessing ceremony to alleviate the oppressive situation. This EVP, although I didn't hear it live with my own ears, terrifies me to think what might have been present with me in that room and was responsible for giving me that previous, creepy feeling, speaking in a horrible, unintelligible and menacing tone of voice! Turn up your volume and listen to it here:
(https://soundcloud.com/moon-joey/throwback-thursday-negative-entity-evp-sketch-of-what-waked-the-client-from-sleep)
In reverse chronological order, here are some other real exorcism reports:
2015: "Laura," a 22-year-old female in Argentina, had her alleged demon cast out, being pinned to the ground by clergymen as they cast out demonic forces from her in a chamber at her church in Buenos Aires. The account is included in the book "Interview with an Exorcist" about Father Jose Antonio Fortea. This wasn't even considered a major exorcism but rather a lesser group of demons "similar to the ones that Jesus faced."
2010: A sad ending was had for the case of a 15-year-old boy, Kristy Bamu in London. His sister and her friend took it upon themselves to "exorcize" the alleged evil spirits. They tortured him with knives, sticks, metal bars et. al, until he reached the point of begging to die after which the pair drowned him in a bathtub. They were subsequently convicted of murder.
2005: A 23-year-old nun, Maricica Irina Cornici in Romania reported hearing voices. Believing the devil was speaking to her, an exorcism was attempted by a priest of her order, even after it was already known she was being treated for schizophrenia. Gagged and bound in a basement for three days without food or water, her eventual cause of death was determined to be suffocation and dehydration. The priest and four nuns who assisted him were found guilty of murder. The priest was sentenced in 2007 to 14 years in prison, while the nuns were sentenced to between 5 and 8 years.
2003: Eight-year-old Terrance Cottrell, suffering from autism, was killed in the exorcism/prayer service. The priest, while performing the exorcism, sat on the boy's chest. The official cause of death was "mechanical asphyxia." The priest was convicted of homicide.
1990: "Gina," a sixteen-year-old female believed to be possessed by demons, was part of a televised exorcism effort, both the exorcism and televising thereof authorized by the popular Cardinal John O'Connor, the archbishop of New York. Prior to this, the mother of the girl had reported witnessing her daughter floating off the ground when she walked. While being bound to a chair, and with her babbling unintelligibly. a priest addressed the demon allegedly possessing the girl, pressing a cross to her face saying, "You want pain? I'll give you pain." The priest continued reading the Roman Catholic Rite of Exorcism after which Gina was sent home. It was but days after that Gina was again hospitalized. This time she was given antipsychotic drugs and was subsequently released with no more reports of possession.
Let's not forget about the ouija board demon "zozo." I'm not trying to start an argument about ouija boards here, nor am I disputing that there is an actual demon named "zozo." As far as the ouija board is concerned, there is compelling evidence to suggest the ideomotor effect comes into play here. The ideomotor effect refers to the influence of suggestion or expectation on involuntary and unconscious motor behavior, in this case specifically pertaining to the movement of pointers on Ouija boards. If you still need further proof of this effect, have the ouija board participants wear a blindfold and document the results for comparison. Check out this video as reference:
(https://youtu.be/PRo8TytvIDw)
Finally, there are the adventures of Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of their more famous cases fighting the demonic was the former funeral home residence of Carmen Snedeker, made famous by the 2009 horror film "The Haunting in Connecticut, which even included the assisting priest allegedly being attacked and demonic sexual attacks on certain members of the family. Later, this case was claimed by others to be an elaborate hoax perpetuated by the family for monetary purposes, hiding the truth behind alleged family secrets that included delusions from Hodgkin's Disease radiation treatments, alcoholism, drug abuse and unsolicited sexual touching, et. al.
Continuing research suggests that those twice as likely to believe in the supernatural, that is ghosts, demons, etc. are religious believers that do not attend church regularly. They outnumber the two camps of belief at extreme ends, the sincerely devout and the nonbelievers.
Here is a final reminder that indicates a large difference between ghosts and demons. Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 states "For the living know that they are to die, but the dead no longer know anything. There is no further recompense for them, because all memory of them is lost. For them, love and hatred and rivalry have long since perished. They will never again have part in anything that is done under the sun." This seems to allege there are no ghosts... they cannot see you, hear you or talk to you and most importantly, harm you. BUT!!!!! Demons are said to have never been human, having existed since the beginning of time, intent on your destruction and will attempt to accomplish by any means up to the limits the Creator allows. They do not await reincarnation nor are they awaiting resurrection in the deep sleep referenced by Ecclesiastes.
Whether you base your decision on religion or science as to whether demons are real or not, just don't let the ghost TV shows be your source of research in making that decision... oh, and sweet dreams.
- MoonJoey