Who believes "the Exorcist" never really happend to anyone?!?

Question

Some people on here are saying that what happened to "emily Rose" in "the exorcist" never actually happend to anyone. I just want to know WHY they think that, because Im a preachers Daughter and it shocks me to see that people dont believe that this can happen to others. What is your opinion on the exorcist?

Heres an article cleary explaining the real "Exorcism."
http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/emilyrose.php

-and I KNOW that if your a christian, this cant happen to you because the holy spirit protects you! I know I know you idiots! Sheesh...

I just want to know the opinions of Christians here okay? Dang

Answer 1

simple, because some people just dont believe in souls, devils, demons......

Answer 2

The story "The Exorcist" is based on is entirely different than the story "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" is based on.

"The Exorcist" case was documented by media. So ya can't say it's false.

The film itself can't be considered truth, in any sense. It only uses a handful of real events from the actual exorcism it's based on.

In 1949 a boy, whose name has been held secret for years, began exhibiting very strange behavior.

He was eventually exorcised by Father William Bowdern.

The church went into overdrive to protect the identity of the boy so that he might live a "normal" life without the stigma of what he endured when he was just 13 years old.

The closest you will ever get to the truth of this story is found in Thomas Allen's book "Possessed."

Father Walter Halloran, who was very young at the time, was the last of those involved in this story to pass on.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18767-2005Mar8.html

"The Exorcism of Emily Rose" is based on the case of Annaliese Michel. This case happened in Germany.

http://www.fotofetch.com/

I'd like to address Salahud's comment that Christians are the only ones ever possessed. This is not true. Many cultures and many faiths have possession.

I've also seen atheists and pagans come to Christianity after suffering with something they did not understand until as a last ditch effort they went to a church, had either an exorcism or a deliverance and were then freed.

Demons are discussed in the Quran. There are videos of Islamic exorcisms on YouTube. There are exorcisms in Judaism and Hinduism.

Shall I continue?

Answer 3

Did you read the article? It says she was epileptic and all of her signs were that of Schizophrenia but the family CHOSE to rely SOLELY on exorcism. This in no way proves that what happened to that girl was an actual possession.

The first unofficial diagnosis was made by an older woman who accompanied Anneliese on a pilgrimage.

An exorcist from a nearby town examined Anneliese and concluded that she was demonically possessed. After two failed requests, the rite of exorcism was finally granted by the Bishop.
(cut n paste)

I'm not sure why anyone would automatically think this is true based on an old woman and a Bishop who didn't even know the girl. Later in the article, it claims that this Possession didn't happen till AFTER the 1st movie "The Exorcist" was released and everything she did "bares a striking resemblance to the growling, barking, and inhuman voice of Linda Blair from Friedkin's film."

So it's very easy to think that this did NOT happen.

Answer 4

SEE Demon-Haunted Brain
If the brain mediates all experience, then paranormal phenomena are nothing more than neuronal events
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=00079AC8-53A5-1E40-89E0809EC588EEDF&catID=2


Read this also:
"So-called demon possessions are actually psychological disorders of the mind"

A guy told me of an archbishop who carried out an exorcism ritual on a young man who was apparently 'demon-possessed' and spoke in a foreign language. He also mentioned that the movie "The Exorcist" was based on a true 'demon-possession' event.
Those so-called 'demon-possessions' are actually psychological disorders of the mind caused by neurological trauma to the brain. In ancient times, such occurrences were attributed to demons, ghosts, spirits, jinns, etc. Many people, like the erstwhile broadcaster, still believe in the real existence of spirits that can trouble the mind. However, those 'spirits' are merely trauma experienced by the brain due to some injury. Simply put, 'demons', like dreams, are artefacts of the brain. The apparent strength of a 'demon-possessed' person is due to the extremely high levels of adrenalin (the fight or flight hormone) produced by a frightened brain. Even the foreign language that sufferers appear to speak has been discovered to be a brain disorder known as Foreign Accent Syndrome.

Nowadays, medical treatment is available for what was formerly called 'demon-possession'. The real reason exorcism seems to work is that the exorcist who shows no fear is able to empathize with the sufferer, thereby making the sufferer feel loved and wanted. As the attitude of the sufferer improves, the immune system reacts positively and the brain and body produce bio-chemicals to restore the normal mental state of the person.

The danger of the exorcism ritual, especially by an untrained ignorant exorcist, is that it may further traumatize the sufferer, worsening the problem, and so cause more harm than good. Some exorcists scream at the sufferers, throw water on them and even beat them. A few years ago a young woman was beaten to death by a self-styled exorcist.

In my opinion, a 'genuine exorcist', if I may use that term, is one who has been trained in the appropriate medical and physical sciences (abnormal psychology), who does not believe in the literal existence of demons, and who has a scientific appreciation of the religious and cultural practices of exorcism. I am certain that the learned archbishop who 'cast out the demon' knew exactly the true medical nature of 'demon-possession', but he was only using ancient rituals to assure the victim and his loved ones. He knew that exorcism works because of the placebo effect, not because of any literal 'demon' being cast out from the sufferer.

Many health workers, ignorant of abnormal psychology, are frightened of non-existent demons, and many religious workers are similarly ignorant of the true nature of 'demon-possession', which, in all cases, is a natural psychological disorder treatable by medical science.

Does evil exist? Yes, the evil that commits murder on the basis of myths.

Answer 5

It is fiction and special effects. There are some extremely disturbed people who explain their problems, or whose parents explain their problems as "possession". There are no such things as demons or demonic possession. The person on whom the story is based was an epileptic who also suffered from schizophrenia. The story was all dressed up with phony details of possession and exorcism.

Answer 6

We know what exorcism really is. We just don't believe that people become possessed by demons. The majority of people don't even believe in demons. We believe that there are people who are very severly mentally ill, and maybe they THINK they have been possessed by demons. We also believe that there are people who fake possession to get attention.

Answer 7

Here we go again.
The 21st Century name for "demonic possession" is Paranoid Schizophrenia. Given the proper medication, therapy and compassionate care, "possession" can be treated.
"Exorcism" works mainly by replacing one delusional set with another. It can be done, but it takes time. Since it doesn't treat the underlying chemical imbalance-based illness, the original delusion set re-emerges. I guess you could call that being repossessed. At any rate: There are no gods, no demons, no devils. It's just plain old mental illness.

Answer 8

Call the Vatican, Roman Catholics perform like 10,000 a month,if You enter the Clergy exorcism is a required course.

Answer 9

Once I went to a party and the vodka was really bad and ended up puking blood and green stuff worse than in the exorcist for a whole day, so yes it does happen to people.

If you don't believe try downing 2 or 3 bottles of cheap vodka and report back...

Answer 10

Because some of us have a hard time believing in demons, much less demonic possession.

There are numerous reasons why that girl could have suffered through what she did. I'm sure if it had happened recently, rather than when it did, we might have a better idea what went wrong.

Answer 11

Nobody's ever been possessed by demons, since demons don't exist; but many people believe they or others have been possessed, despite a total lack of evidence.