Sunday, June 15, 2008

Those Wacky, Tacky 'Demonologists'


Be Ye Warned:
Christian Dogma Ahead



You know I find the current trend of self made 'Demonologists' funny as Hell. I mean that in a strictly Theological sense, by the way.

To be honest, having had quite a bit experience with this area of paranormal phenomena in a trained professional Christian setting, this would be the last area that I would try to "learn as ya go". Many who call themselves Demonologists today have only the most rudimentary level of training: mostly book knowledge or having trained with someone who has had only book knowledge and have been involved with a paranormal investigation team.

You know I really dig the Sci-Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters, it is entertaining and creepy and it sure beats the poorly made movies the cable channel usually puts out. My 8 year old son and I watch it religiously (ha ha) every week and we are now sure that the old house we live in is haunted. I find the skeptical approach of Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson to be a wise approach to the paranormal. Doubt and debunk until you can have good evidence that something funky this way comes. That was how I was trained while at Seminary in relation to paranormal phenomena. Unfortunately their popularity has spawned a host of copy cat groups that have neither the training nor the ethical fortitude that the T.A.P.S. team have. Now I'm not disparaging these offshoot investigative teams as a whole, there are many among them who have had years of experience and even some good substantive training. But specifically in the area of Demonology many members of these teams are ill equipped for the task at hand. They risk harming themselves and others.

I saw such an example on a cable television show that was one of the many that try to copy the Ghost Hunters 'unscripted' reality formula. I will not name it because I am sure that there are those connected to the show who take the task seriously but what I saw really alarmed me. In most episodes the team makes many investigations and seems to almost always tie the possibility of paranormal activity to demonic activity. This conclusion is mostly done by feeling rather than substantive proof. Specifically disturbing was when confronted with a possible paranormal phenomena that might have a connection to a depressed woman, the immediate response from the lead investigator was to assume it was a case of demon possession. He went about preforming his own tests to see if he could elicit a response from whatever demonic spirit that might be infesting the young lady.

In the words of the late great Peter Boyle as Frank from the show "Everybody Loves Raymond", Holy Crap. And I mean that in a strictly Theological and scatological sense by the way.

When it comes to a possible demonic encounter rule #1 is unless there is a direct supernatural or physical manifestation that you witness with your own eyes, you should always rule out every other possibility before you assume it might be a demonic possession. I can't tell you how much harm one can do to someone with a fragile psyche or mental illness by even mentioning the possibility of demonic activity for the cause of their malady. You could cause extreme mental duress or exacerbate an existing mental condition. And you could be sued.

But it seems this practical rule of thumb is either being ignored or has never been taught to many fledgling 'Demonologists'. Not only have I observed this lack of logical inductive reasoning in knock off reality programming but also in the content of web sites of self proclaimed experts. I have also observed it in the actions of other clergy. I don't know if it's inexperience or being caught up in the excitement of the moment but many are too quick to label anything unexplained or eerie 'Demonic'.


I attended Nyack College in Rockland County NY in the early 80s. It is a sponsored and accredited Liberal Arts College of a progressive Evangelical Denomination, The Christian and Missionary Alliance. At that time there was an independent student group that people labeled the 'Ghost Busters'. They felt called to preform exorcisms whenever the need arose. I was able to sit in on a few of these 'Power Encounters' and the results were less than positive. I witnessed some bizarre things but nothing that I would qualify as paranormal. They seemed to focus on people with personal issues and those with mental illness. I sat in on three of their 'encounters'.

One was the son of a prominent minister who had a 'demon' of homosexuality. They 'cured' him by casting out the demon and he was happy that he could finally fit in with the culture of his father's fundamentalist church without the risk of being outed.

Within a month the kid was a wreck because he was sure his recurring sexual urges were actually signs that he was again possessed. He dropped out of college, forsook his family and his personal faith because he felt that God had forsaken him.

The second time I observed them I didn't stay for more than five minutes. A young man had an uncontrollable twitch during which he would make grunting sounds. I was sure it was Tourette's Syndrome and pleaded with him to not go through with the 'encounter' but rather see a physician. He really thought it was a demonic issue though and after a few minutes of their trying to cast out the demon I just had enough and left the room.

His faith in God and himself was shattered after that experience. He was in constant fear of the demonic, for the intense psychological drama of the 'exorcism' convinced him that the source of his problem truly lay in the spiritual realm and not the physical.

Next was a student who was seen to frequently walk alone in the woods of the State Park that surrounded our campus, a place where it was long rumored to be active with satanic cults and demonic forces. He exhibited odd behavior and would have uncontrollable fits of rage for no apparent reason. I asked a good friend of mine to sit in with me at the 'exorcism' and tell me what he thought of the proceedings. During the preliminary interview before the 'exorcism' the leader grilled him about his activities in the woods behind the college. He just enjoyed the peaceful night air and the serenity of the forest. They asked him if he was involved with any occult or satanic practices or rituals. Nope. They then asked him if there was anything he felt guilty about that Satan could have used to enter into his life. He said he had masturbated three weeks ago. That was it! And they exorcised the spirit of masturbation from the man. They asked him if he felt any better. "Not really" he replied. They then asked him if he had the urge to masturbate anymore. "Not right now!" He said giving the 'exorcist' a disgusted expression.

Right after the 'encounter' and when the 'exorcists' left, my friend who had observed with me went up to the evil masturbater and shook his hand. "I don't know how you do it, man. I can't go three days let alone three weeks!" I grunted an Amen in fidelity. Later that semester the student's father took him to a psychiatrist and he was diagnosed with manic depression and a chemical imbalance. With treatment he was a changed man. But he still loved to walk alone in the woods at night.

Extreme examples? You bet. I'm sure many of you reading this are aghast by this exhibit of rabid fundamentalism run amok, as well you should. I could go on-maybe not with as egregious examples as these, but just as damaging. Now some might nitpick that I am blurring Demonologists with Exorcists. However most novice 'Demonologists' that I see in the current rush to paranormal investigation try to communicate with the entities they encounter. That in and of itself falls into the realm of Exorcism, for the first job of the Exorcist is to in some way communicate with the evil spirit he wishes to evict. Without addressing the spirit, it cannot be expunged.

Of course most intelligent Demonologists would not link homosexuality, masturbation or Tourette's to demonic activity. But the point is that unless you see visible paranormal activity involved with the situation then you are being as blatantly ignorant as the examples above. Certain activity can indicate the possibility of possession, but in those cases the activity is so psychologically dominant and damaging that it is obvious something spiritual is going on. But even then, that doesn't mean it's demonic.

And what's worse, if you do proceed without concrete evidence you run the risk of actually inviting a demonic presence into your midst. Most evil spirits love attention. They are up for a party if you invite them. And like many unwanted guests they don't like to leave when the party is over. And sometimes you don't find out until much later that you have the unwelcome guest to begin with.

If you go around looking for a demon behind every bush, you will find them.

I've noticed that many who immerse themselves in Demonology often get caught up in darkness. It's an obsession that manifests itself in almost every facet of their lives. I've known people who become so paranoid that they get themselves 'tested' to see if they are under demonic influence. A professional Exorcist I trained with told me that in his 40 years of experience in dealing with these type of people over 95% of them have at least one 'demon' either residing in them or attached to them in some way. Most had multiple infestations. Paranoia reached such a fever pitch in some of my friends as they took Demonology and Exorcism classes that they even worried that their new born infants and toddlers were possessed. We have all read stories of late that show what a horrible direction that line of thinking can take you.

For when you take an inordinate amount time exploring evil, evil itself will explore you.

But when you get right down to it Demonology itself is a shaky science. I don't care who you are or what religious or world view you claim-Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Wicca, Aethiest or any other, much of what we know about demons (or angels for that matter) is just conjecture. In fact the Biblical hierarchy of Angelic and Demonic beings that many Christian and non-Christian Demonologists hold dear has classes of these beings that are taken out of context from the Biblical source itself.

I'm talking about demonic classification of Principalities and Powers.

In the New Testament the Ancient Greek word translated Principalities is Arche, a derivative of the Greek word meaning one who holds political power. A politician.

The word translated Power in almost all instances is the Greek word Exousia which holds the meaning of the authoritarian rule of government. The law.

In all instances of the use of these words together the meaning is associated with the political persecution of the Church in the 1st Century AD by the Roman Empire. (Ephesians 3:10, 6:12; Colossians 1:16, 2:15 and Titus 3:1)

The use of these words together might be comparable to the 1960s and 70s term "The Man" that was used in connection with anyone associated with political or judicial authority.

Only once in Romans 8:38 does the term Power have supernatural connotations in the original Greek and the word translated there is Dunamis which literally means miraculous power. But not evil miraculous power, in the context it likely means the supernatural 'miracles' worked by spiritual con men who in their self aggrandizing spectacle tried to glorify themselves instead of glorifying God. The 1st century's version of a Televangelist.

In fact the only time the Bible directly classifies a type of evil spirit the term is unrecognizable as such in many English versions of the Bible. In Genesis 6:4 the Hebrew word Nephilim is usually translated 'Giant' or 'Mighty Men'. But the term Nephilim is a derivative of the Hebrew word for 'fallen' giving the term Nephilim the rather different denotation of "Fallen Ones". In this context the sons of God (the term usually given to any type of angelic beings) mated with the daughters of men and their offspring were 'The Fallen Ones'. Just what that means we are left to guess, but the connotation has strong implications. (shameless plug Actually these implications are the background for the latest book I am writing, "The Ashes of Molech" my first true fiction novel)

Which is why Demonology is associated with the Occult. We truly know next to nothing of what we face. We can know how to deal with it, but what it truly is in a substantive way we can only guess. Oh you can ask the spirits themselves during an exorcism. They will tell you all sorts of things. Funny how it is usually exactly what you want to hear. But in truth we know nothing except that which has been handed down to us through Medieval tradition based on flimsy Scriptural interpretation.

Which is why I get goosebumps when I see some self made 'Demonologists' and 'Exorcists' practice their trade on unwitting victims. Not because I fear the evil beings that they could unknowingly unleash, but rather I fear the Hell that they could be subjecting their victims to. It is something I know first hand. You see many years ago I was a victim myself. I had myself 'tested' by a self made 'Exorcist'. At the time I didn't know any better but his methods amounted to nothing more than a bastardization of free association in a 'spiritual counseling session'. At the time I had no real serious spiritual problems, but afterward I was oppressed for years. It wasn't until I understood what had happened to me that I was able to be free of the spiritual harassment by demonic forces that was unleashed upon me that day.

It's something I would not wish on my worst enemy.

Interaction with the Demonic should only be done by those who know what they are doing, by those who have actually had some professional training as well as education on the subject.

Or else you never know what you might bring home.

Until next time,

Pastor Swope

22 comments:

Saint Oran Speaks said...

Great post! I have been intrigued by the number of "ghost hunters" out there- -and there are HEAPS of people getting into this as a business, but very few places to study parapsychology.

I'm actually a bit shocked at the lack of spiritual preparation taken before attempting to confront a true beasty. At least Dean and Sam from the show Supernatural bring a mojo bag, their Winchester Colt when they have it, but most importantly, some SALT!

Though I'm not too-too interested in demons and exorcisms, I believe that just about anything is possible. A healthy mix of caution, curiosity and calm can help narrow things down. Jumping to conclusions might not be the best response-- reason, and some process of elimination is the way to go-- but that's not to say I am a skeptic.

I KNOW energy exists is many many forms, and I don't take chances with unknown entities.

I am an automatic writer-- have been since I was a teen. I would say that my spiritual practice has a strong Christian foundation (though people with traditional Christian beliefs might think otherwise). I ALWAYS begin a session by asking the question, "Do you believe that Jesus Christ walked upon the earth and died so that we may have everlasting life?" I expect the answer to be phrased in the same way, sealed with an "Amen." Words have GREAT power.

Anyone, ghost "buster" or otherwise, messing with a spirit of any kind, might want to come up with some kind of cypher or phrase or some kind of hoop the responder has to leap through to make that connection. I think it establishes some kind of "bottom line." Maybe not a "neutral" space I suppose, but at least the human in this equation is not just a "lamb to the ectoplasm slaughter."

Connecting to the unknown can be like having a party-line on your phone-- anyone can call you! I prefer to have an "unlisted number." I prefer to screen my calls. . .

If the responder pauses too long, or if the practitioner gets a response like, "Let me talk to my Lawyer," or "Can you repeat the question," they should seriously high-tail it out of that experience. I'm being a little cheeky here-- but I'm pretty serious about this. There's more unknown than known in this Universe-- why not-- proceed with curiosity and caution? Works for Doctor Who.

Again, thanks for the post. Your POV is very interesting. I'll be back and I'd like to add you to my links!

Have a great week!
the gilded butterfly

hopebird said...

Glad you posted that. I too watch TAPS and I enjoy that they debunk and also when they scare each other or their own selves. Sometimes, there are even moments that are truly spooky.

I am an active member of a FUMC with a more open attitude about the charismatic aspects of our Christian Faith. However, I also, am disturbed by the emphasis on the demonic that is so prevalent in some evangelical churches and among those with marginal faiths. Sometimes I wonder if those people who pursue so avidly the demonic really and truly believe that evil exists or even have a clue how vulnerable they are. They perform exorcisms as if the prayers and exhortations they utter are some kind of "magic spell" that automatically conveys the power of God.

If you constantly study and meditate on evil, well......garbage in, garbage out. Those that truly practice battling demons must surely spend more time on truth, love and the study of the Word.

Pastor Swope said...

Thanks you Saint Oran Speaks, your kind words are greatly appreciated. Dr. Who's methodology is always right (unless it was that funny incarnation with the bow-tie that got the show canceled in the 80s!)

Hopebird, I think you hit the nail on the head when you say some Christians use prayers and exhortations as magic spells. Not just with exorcisms though, in general many Christians act like God is their lap dog when it comes to prayer and faith. Like the "name it and claim it" ideology that has crept into many churches over the last century. And when prayers are not answered the way we wish, we complain and lose faith. It's as if we forget the book of Job is in the Bible.

cc said...

Another fascinating entry! I've really been enjoying your blog. For me this entry was timely as I just listened to James Long (exorcist with the United States Old Catholic Church) on the EERIE Radio podcast. I don't know if you've delved into the world of podcasts but you might want to check the EERIE podcast out sometime if not. http://www.eerieradio.com/

(sorry, this probably sounds shill-ish, please try to think of it as, "You know I think you'd get along with my friends, you should hang out with us sometime!")

Bruce Duensing said...

A wonderful post which I enjoyed reading. If you go to a discussion board called Department 47, and go to
the "alien" section, and click on the thread.."Alien Agenda, The Threat"you will find that we are in the midst of a discussion regarding not aliens but the paranormal...somehow you have become intertwined in this discussion
which you may want to join.
Best Wishes

cryptidsrus said...

Great post!!!

Ultimately the reason Demonology is emphasized in television shows is simple---money and ratings. To earn money, one has to have ratings-and to get ratings, one has the scare the hell out of people. Demons are scarier than ghosts. Even whwn other explanations are possible, producers go for what brings the most viewers in.

Anonymous said...

A most interesting post. It has also been one of my many interests the way some people look at anything paranormal as being a work of the Devil. Or the so-called "Christian" denominations who see every type of mental or physical illness as a sign of possession.

I feel anyone who goes looking for demons, devils, whatever without knowing how to protect both themselves and those around them is just asking for trouble. I can shield myself, to some extent, but in no way would I even think of trying an exorcism, even if I knew it was a true case of demonic possession.

hopebird said...

I just remembered a book I read in the last year by M. Scott Peck, a psychiatrist who is also a Christian. Its called: "Glimpses of the Devil: A Psychiatrist’s Personal Accounts of Possession, Exorcism and Redemption". It would be worthwhile for anyone to read who would like a foxhole viewpoint on how grueling, awful, scary and sometimes unsuccessful the effort to exorcise evil can be.

Thank you, Pastor Swope, for bringing up some interesting topics. I have enjoyed every one of your articles.

There is so much unknown to our universe and I believe our human curiosity is a God-given gift. However, while maintaining an open mind, I do try to keep my brain from falling out. Its a fine line sometimes.

Anonymous said...

It's funny you should mention the Christian and Missionary Alliance church in your blog about fanatic demonologists. I grew up in the C&MA and had a childhood friend whose father was a pastor in the church. He and his wife had a habit of adopting older, "special needs" children (mostly for social appearance) and actually had one teenage boy exorcized for masturbating! I had to laugh at the irony of your post because that is the good old C&MA church for ya!

Pastor Swope said...

The CMA like any organizations has the bad mixed in with the good. I know a lot of good people in the denomination. I also know a lot of fruitballs. I actually had a board member/Elder leap over the table at me and attempt to strangle me during a board meeting. Why? I dared to ask that a new member and his family have his band preform in our church's morning worship. You see they had preformed in a few bars a couple of years earlier and the board member/Elder didn't want out 'reputation' sullied.

Anonymous said...

GREAT..I too am amazed and saddened by the number of people claiming to be demonologists and going into peoples homes and "releasing" the demons or performing excorsims....that is an equation for trouble for both the home owners and the so called demonologists....who in their right mind would WANT to be a demonologist???? You HAVE to be called by God,well educated in the topic ( a few books don't count as well educated people) AND trained by an experienced demonologist as well as have experience. You must also have a very deep faith in God. I feel awful for the people who are being duped by these folks as well as for the ones who get hurt playing demonologist...if you think there is a demon in a house or person for Goodness sakes contact a well know and respected clery/demonologist..they are there to help...this is a very important topic and I am glad you talked about it

Anonymous said...

Love your blog. One attention seeking self-proclaimed "expert" in excorcism is doing great harm in my opinion. He preys on sexually abused women and while some have a cathartic release, it is only the beginning (often)of a series of recovered memories. Such catharsis needs processing and counseling by someone specially trained. Something like post truamatic stress syndrome may arise along with repressed memories following the catharsis. If the persona is not ready, a complete breakdown and disassociaton is possible or excacerbation of other mental/emotional/physical illnesses.This is not because of supernatural, but rather normal response to extreme stress. The so called "Expert" I have in mind, is less than truthful concerining the details of his life, is known to use contreviersial and dangerouse techniques and is utterly lacking in any credentials or training in family counseling or counseling. He espouses that just being Jewish, Black, N.American and so on condems one to curses and demons. Racist as well as ignorant he manages to have a huge following and tries to self-promote on radio and television. He also promises "Satanic cult" victims safe haven, when in fact, he has no such infra structure, safe homes, counselors what ever to help them. Many Fundamentalists think he is great. I think people are checking thier brains in at the door in some churches. Just like one said, focussing on evil and scarey re=inforces it and even draws it into your life. This man is a dangerous charlatan with some deep seated fear issues going on. you well know who I mean! Thanks for the good Christians who are coming out of the woodwork to call out people like him!

jennifer renee said...

"you had me at 'name it and claim it'"
how about "speak it into existence?"

gotta love it. preaching is rarely about the love of Christ and christian living.

the latest sermons i hear are: how to make more money... how to keep 3 houses and 5 sports car... you get the picture....

Anonymous said...

Thanks for a great article. It may be just from all of the media attention paranormal investigation has been getting, or it may be my own experiences when I was younger, but I have been feeling somewhat 'called' to help those who may be under spiritual attack or experiencing unexplained activity. As a Christian, I find a lot of the stuff that investigators are doing to be non-biblical and in a way, non-christian, so I have been having trouble reconciling my longing to learn more with my faith. After reading your article, it seems that I should be focusing more on building my faith and knowledge. It also brings to light the thought that I should look into first developing a career of counseling in the not-so-spiritual sense first. If I am truly being called to be a demonologist, exorcist, or whatever, I can see that it is going to be years before I can consider myself ready. This post came as an answer to a prayer for guidance. For that, I thank you and I thank God.

Pastor Swope said...

Thanks Anonymous,
Praise the Lord! Exorcism is in essence helping a person with spiritual issues, so I think God is going to use you greatly!

Anonymous said...

Pride comes before the Fall. The one thing that I have found in common with all these demonology websites is the fact that people like yourself claim that book smarts get you no where in this field. Sorry to say it but you don't have to be a christian to be a demonologist. I agree that experience goes a long way and knowledge of evocation magick is the only way to be a successful demonologist. I have worked many grimoires and have found that it's all on the will of the operator to successfully evoke and banish demons.

Pastor Swope said...

Anonymous,

Book smarts?
Magic?
Sorry, This is not Harry Potter.
Pride coming before a fall?
I like to keep myself grounded, and since you do not know me that was an ignorant comment.

While I have NEVER said that Christianity has a monopoly on exorcism, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims and most other religions confront demonic encounters their own way. I suggest you read more of my articles.
Your comments reveal a bigotry toward Christianity, I understand that you may have been offended by Christians in the past. Not all are judgmental.
On a side note, modern Wicca and paganism is a product of the 20th century. It has no great wealth of knowledge through history of trial and error in these matters that faiths such as Judiasm, Christianity, Buddhism and Islam have, since most of it was just made up in the early 20th century and the 1960s. Not to negate its value as a religion, or your faith in what you believe. But ignorance when dealing with demonic creatures can be disastrous. And I have seen many 'demonologists' and 'exorcists' who have no idea what they are doing fall victim to severe mental illness.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for the post and the warning toward wicca and its youth. It seems few realize wicca is an outgrowth of men like crowely who deliberately sought to invoke demonic entities as a way to gain personal "power". I've too often seen the faith of wicca lead people down paths that end in total life disruption and, once, full blown possession. It truly is a dangerous path.

Thank you as well for calling the "demonologists" on the carpet here. Its not something to do for fun or kicks or to self agrandize. Its a real calling and often a very heavy burden to bear, even with proper study, training and faith and dedication to the Almighty. Most who try rarely possess discernment and do often end up exasperating emergent or latent mental illnesses and when the do confront the incredibly rare, real, demon they often make the issue at hand significantly worse for themselves and others. Its especially sad that in the quest for ratings and money some are pushing this as "cool" or a "career".

Pastor Swope said...

Thanks Anonymous,

I was only talking about paganism's recent origins in all its facets, from druidism to Asatru. Especially when dealing with spiritual warfare against malevolent entities. But I was not speaking about the religions themselves. I have some friends who practice Wicca and they are good people. Some Wiccans focus on things that are darker and more to the teachings of Crowley and others of his sort, but most are just gentle people with caring hearts. Many are former Christians who have been disenchanted with the church for reasons other than theology.

Anonymous said...

Pastor

I have to say, that some of your message was comical - but in many sorts of ways I found it to be a bit discouraging and almost humiliating (at least to the degree that a man of God's calling) would consider flaming demonologists.

There are many facets of demonology - but those that are book smart are not true demonologists. Demonology has never been part of or connected to the church as a function until rome adopted it's function, not from the Christians , but from the Egyptian belief system. Demon is found 0 times in scripture (at least any scripture that holds true to the meaning) - the originating word Daemon is where the word demon came from, and Daemon comes from Greek Mythology as mainly benevolent spirits.

A practicing demonologists primary roots are in the arcane and have deep ties to not only scriptural understanding, but many aspects of the occult.

Jesus did not teach us about demons while He walked upon the earth - he taught a select few how to command devils (which means by account of the old english word, evil,foul, or unclean spirit). It was no typo when And I do not know any Christian minded person who would ever feel comfortable to draw a lottery on understanding or the study of "demons" to begin with.

Mixing religions , jumbling the meaning of scripture, or not taking into consideration that your implications to demonologists are somehow suppose to be bound to the church fundamentals - is rude at best. But even more so, unpious to what work real demonologists can do when not bound by a bunch of bible thumping cross wielding christian ravers who like to point out the sin soaked and tell them they have demons..

Give me a break

Pastor Swope said...

Anonymous,

then you should wonder why I addressed it thus.

Demonology is not some arcane art, it is all pretty simple and available to look up demon names on the internet and think that you have accomplished something. However most of those names and titles are just made up.

From what you are talking about, it seems that you really have no real understanding of the nature of religion, philosophy or psychology. I suggest you actually attend classes on these subjects and not just fish what you like from the swimming pile of ideas called the internet. I also would suggest a Bible if you would try to talk about Jesus Christ on an intellectual level, because most of our modern concepts of demons and spirits comes from the teachings of Jesus and the religious and philosophical ideas from the New Testament era.

And your comment on mixing of religions underlays your inability to understand the issue on a fundamental level. Most pastors or people with actual degrees and multi-disciplinary research think the same way as I do. A little knowledge in this subject can do a lot more harm than good.

If you tell a professional person that you are a demonologist, they will think you are either a nutjob, a con artist. In professional circles, there is no such thing as a demonologist. We call it Theology. Systematic Theology to be exact, the systematic study of Scripture and comparison with other religions.

But what it really comes down to is this: If you are making claims to be a demonologist, you are probably working with people. That means you are touting yourself as a professional.

Do you have malpractice insurance?
If you do not, you are headed for a civil lawsuit or even jail time. For if you tell someone who has mental health issues that they have a demon..an intelligent entity that you cannot see or feel is inhabiting their house or person you and there is none then YOU ARE LIABlE FOR A LAWSUIT OR CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

I have seen it many times. People have their lives thrown apart by a novice "demonologist" who claimed a demonic presence is haunting someone. Most of these people have mental health issues that need addressing and bringing in an uncontrollable spiritual dimension to the fray can cause untold damage to the client. Even the mention that there might be something like a demon abiding in someone's house can cause severe emotional and psychological damage to an individual.

So yea, I may sound a little rough. But then again I have to clean up a lot of messes because somebody thought a little research qualified them as a "Demonologist".

So, you will excuse me while I sound harsh. I have seen do much damage to innocent people by those who think they have some 'special' arcane knowledge. When all in all they are full of themselves.

Anonymous said...

I got hooked on drugs I don't mean weed and coke I have been a full blown junkie overdosing on herion waking up with the needle still in my flesh. Almost went to prison because of my addiction to meth. But JESUS CHRIST MY SAVIOR still carried me out of that life. My addiction is (and always will be) part of me what makes me and theirs no reason ( or so I thought) why I'm still here. I would read on Facebook about people I grew up with dying tragically in freak accidents and wonder why I always woke up. Nothing ever made sense it's part of what kept me in a black hole of existence. Everytime I stopped using I'd be haunted by terrible night terrors always demonic in nature ( that's my personal feeling and belief as to what would wake me up just to be paralayzed) started with just being woken up and unable to move or scream and in a state of absolute fear to feeling someone next to me who'd whisper in my ear I could feel the hot moist air inside my ear, the worst was when the black shadow figure started showing up at these times. The figure started out lurking in the doorway half hidden to slowly getting closer and closer till he would stand over me till I managed to roll off the bed or shake myself awake. But for nine and a half years I'd go start getting high again. I was very naive when it came to the cruelty of human beings when I first got on the streets. Crazy was my opinion of myself so when I'd be around these people I'd get creeped out when theirs a bunch of us getting high and I could look at someone and see not them but an evil ( I say this trying not to go overboard, but it was demons or Satan himself) presence mixed in with their face laughing or leering back at me and before I was able to process what I was seeing it'd just disappear. I'm now slowly trying to get a life for myself something I never had since 8 was on drugs right after high school. I am slowly getting back into church and trying to find a place for someone like me in this world. I've always loved learning ( if I could be a professional college student and make a living heaven might be here on earth lol!) so I want to know everything about anything figuring out what to go back to college for ( they say 3rd times a charm) is so important and difficult. I came across this article and it was like hitting a brick wall that shatters to behold the yellow brick road. I've been debating psychology, world history and theology( well the 3 I keep debating on). Because of my past experience and the odd good vs. evil I've encountered ( and the fact I just never could die) I am meant to be an advocate of Jesus Christ in the ever present ever worsening demonic impact on the youth ( young girls mostly since that's where my experience lies.) of this world. Pastor you will never know what an impact this topic has had on me sorry if your not seeing where my ephiany is coming from. And to all who will read and want to bash me save your energy. I've been to a hell here on earth few make it back safe and in one piece from. This Was Something I Guess THE Spirit Was Moving me to share ( if by chance you read this and it helps you in any way big or small) praise GOD for it because it's to him all blessings flow. Thank you Brother in christ! My battle continues daily if you could keep me in your prayers it'd mean the world. Thanks