Modern Day Exorcisms

When you hear the word “exorcism” what comes to mind? Is it the image of a young Linda Blair’s head spinning around in the 1973 horror film “The Exorcist”? Perhaps you think of it as an archaic practice by the Catholic church before we learned about mental illness. The practice of exorcism sounds like something that is so far in the past that it has become the stuff of lore. An embarrassing stain on organized religion. Stories to be re-told and embellished by the filmmakers in Hollywood. But did you know that exorcisms are still performed today? There are news articles from around the world reporting on the success and failure of this ritual. Successful exorcisms usually result in the “exorcised” person feeling a sense of peace; however, a failed exorcism usually has far more dire outcomes. A failed exorcism leaves the “exorcised” person dead.

So What is an Exorcism?

An exorcism is the practice of expelling demons and/or other unwanted spirits from a person or a physical space. An exorcist is the person who performs the ritual, which can be elaborate or not, depending on the exorcist’s spiritual beliefs. During the ritual, the exorcist can command the demon or spirit to leave or swear an oath in the name of a high power. When successful, the exorcised person or exorcised area is no longer disturbed or possessed by the unwanted entity.

Who Practices Exorcisms?

North American pop-culture and movies would have us believe that exorcisms are exclusively performed by Catholic priests; however, there are many organized religions that include this practice in their arsenal of spiritual tools. Here are just a few examples:

The Buddhists of Tibet practice a religious ceremony called ‘Gutor’. This is used to drive out the negativity, evil spirits, and misfortune of the past year. On this special day, families give their homes a thorough cleaning, eat a special meal, and take to the streets, carrying torches and chanting words of exorcism.

Lutheran pastors are equipped with handbooks that instruct what demonic possession symptoms look like. These signs mostly describe having knowledge of things that a person never learned, such as suddenly being able to speak in another language, or knowing secret things. Minor exorcisms are conducted as part of each baptism ritual.

Exorcism practices in Islam is also quite common. The ritual consists of the afflicted person laying down while a sheikh (ruler of a tribe or royal family member) places a hand on the person’s head and recites verses from the Quran. The verses both glorify and request assistance from God. The person being exorcised may also be asked to drink holy water (or it can be sprinkled on them). They may also have non-alcohol-based perfume applied to their bodies.

What are the Symptoms of Possession?

The symptoms of a demonic or spiritual possession can vary from victim to victim. Often times the symptoms can look like what we now recognize as psychological and physical medical disorders. For example, people who suffer from Tourette Syndrome can have vocal outbursts and involuntary twitching or movement. Those with Schizophrenia can have auditory or visual hallucinations, have delusions and paranoid thoughts, and can even have violent outbursts. People with Epilepsy can have unexpected seizures and go into convulsions.

So, if the possessed person isn’t levitating, but exhibiting some of the symptoms above instead, how can an exorcist be sure they are acting in the afflicted person’s best interest? At the end of the day, the exorcist should be doing everything in their power to consult with medical experts before any exorcism takes place. While there are many people of faith who would rather blame the devil for their issues, it is up to the spiritual leader to ensure they are not causing more psychological harm by entertaining the idea and delaying or preventing much needed medical treatment.

The Vatican’s Perspective

By 2005, the demand for exorcisms had reached an all-time high. The Vatican’s response to this was to simply train more priests in the practice. Friar Lampert, a pastor at St. Michael’s parish in Brookville, Indiana was one of them, and has since been tasked by the archbishop to travel the world performing this sacred ritual. By 2019, the average request for exorcisms was over 2,000 per year.

Since the church does have a protocol, of the 2000, only 200 cases were deemed worthy of further investigation last year. The process of elimination includes looking for signs of mental or physical conditions. The process for consideration looks for “four signs of the demonic” which are: possession, infestation, the presence of evil in a place or thing, and demonic mental or physical attacks. Once a case has been identified, Friar Lampert advised it is a matter of identifying the demons, driving them out, and following up with ongoing prayer.

A Story of a Modern Day Exorcism

Amy Stamatis

In 2006, Amy Stamatis, a medflight nurse working out of a medical center in Little Rock, was treating a burn patient. After she had completed her report, she left his room and found herself aimlessly wandering the halls of the ER. In that one instant, she had completely forgotten how to do her job. She said that her mind suddenly went blank. This was the last day she worked in the medical facility.

When Amy returned home, she proceeded to get worse. She couldn’t walk a straight line or pick out her own clothes. She told her husband that she thought she was having a nervous breakdown, at which point he took her from doctor to doctor, state to state, trying to get a medical diagnosis.

Doctors prescribed a variety of medications, including antidepressants, but nothing seemed to work to bring the Amy that her family knew and loved back. She claimed to be hearing voices. In one instance, while visiting the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, she managed to evade the doctors that were treating her. She climbed up to the 8^th story parking ramp and threatened to jump. Luckily, her husband and police managed to talk her down.

“The Incident“

In November of that year, Amy was sitting on the ledge of a window sill when she fell two stories down and onto a brick patio. She became paralyzed from the waist down and was hospitalized. Her home town church held a prayer service for her and her family. When Cindy Lawson (a Pentecostal who happened to be in attendance) heard of Amy’s story, she felt compelled to pay her a visit. Amy’s story didn’t make sense to her. Having performed multiple exorcisms in the past, she wondered if there was something else plaguing the former nurse’s body.

The Exorcism

Upon first sight of Amy, Cindy reported that she could see the demon inside. A friend of Amy’s was sitting next to her. She claimed that Amy (or whatever was inside of her) began to growl at Cindy. Cindy approached the bedridden woman, brought out her anointing oil, and smeared it on Amy’s forehead. She then spoke these words:

“Lord, in the name of Jesus, I command that these demons release her and come out of her and that she comes to her right mind, in Jesus’s name.”

When Cindy was finished, Amy’s face became relaxed. Everyone in the room believed that the spirit of the Lord had entered.

To this day Amy Stamatis believes that the return of her mental state was a direct result of the exorcism. She said that as a medical professional, she never would have believed the story if she hadn’t lived it herself.

Fatal Exorcisms

Nun Dies at Convent

Maricica Irina Cornici grew up in an orphanage. Like so many impoverished youths, she had no place to go when she reached the age of adulthood, so she joined the convent. Little did she know, there would be no peace for her there.

By the time she was 23, Maricica began hearing voices. She claimed that the devil was speaking to her, telling her that she was sinful. Maricica was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in the northeast city of Vaslui in Romania. Her attending doctor diagnosed her with schizophrenia. She was given medication and released to the Holy Trinity convent in a nearby village. They instructed the nun to return in 10 days for re-assessment. Sister Cornici never made it back.

At some point during her time at Holy Trinity, Sister Cornici had a relapse. The priest who served the convent jumped into action. Father Corogeanu convinced 4 other nuns that Maricica was possessed by the devil. Corogeanu and the nuns restrained Sister Cornici, chained her to a cross, and shoved a towel into her mouth. The young nun suffered multiple wounds to her hands, ankles, and stomach. She was left chained up without food or water. When the nuns went to check on her a number of days later, they called an ambulance, but it was too late. Sister Cornici was dead.

Father Corgeanu was quoted to say:

“I don’t understand why journalists are making such a fuss abut this. Exorcism is a common practice in the heart of the Romanian Orthodox church and my methods are not at all unknown to other priests.”

In reaction to this horrible event, the Orthodox Church condemned the actions of Corgeanu and the nuns. They banned him from the priesthood and excluded the sisters from the church. Two years later, Corgeanu was tried and sentenced to 14 years in prison. One of the nuns was sentenced to 8 years and the other three each received a 5-year sentence.

Janet Moses & the Mākutu lifting

Janet Moses was a 22-year-old woman who lived in New Zealand. She was going through a particularly rough time in her life. She lost her beloved grandmother and separated from the father of her two children. Janet’s family grew concerned for her, saying that she was acting “like a lion”. To drive this message home, the family stole a concrete statue of a lion from a hotel and brought it home.

When Janet’s behavior did not improve, the family consulted with Timi Rahi, a kaumatua (tribal elder). Rahi instructed the family to return the stolen lion, prayed for the girl, and sent his blessings. He also told the family that it was up to them to ensure Janet’s well being. The family took that to mean that a mākutu lifting (ceremonial lifting of a sorcery or witchcraft curse) needed to take place. Though none of them had ever seen or performed this ritual before, they were willing to improvise. It is also unclear as to why anyone thought Janet was cursed, but this family was on a mission to save Janet, even if it killed her.

The mākutu lifting took place at Janet’s late grandmother’s house. The family filled the bathtub where Janet was held under water and brought back out. Each time she came to the surface, family members picked at the demons they saw in her eyes. The neighbors in the apartment below claimed they heard loud, rhythmic music and stomping throughout the night. By morning, Janet had drowned. It took the family 9 hours to call the police.

At the trial, the family’s defense was that Janet was a willing participant and gave her consent to perform the ritual. They called on 101 witnesses who provided insights into cultural and religious practices. After a 29 day trial, the jury took 20 hours to come back with their decision. The five family members were convicted of murder; however, none of them were jailed. The judge sentenced them to community service.

Reflection

When I began my research for this article, I expected to find stories of exorcisms from a time when the lines between science and magic were blurred. I was surprised to see how prevalent these rituals are in modern society. When performed as a last resort and in a controlled, non-threatening environment, I can see how an exorcist can bring comfort to a troubled person. But with so many cases of people dying during the process of exorcism, I wonder – who is more troubled, the person who thinks they are possessed by demons or the person who thinks they can extract them?

Do you believe that exorcisms are real? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorcism https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/afterlife/exorcism5.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4107524.stm https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nun-dies-after-convent-exorcism/ https://www.nysun.com/foreign/romanians-sentenced-in-nuns-exorcism-death/48934/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wainuiomata_m%C4%81kutu_lifting https://abc3340.com/news/nation-world/interview-with-an-exorcist https://katv.com/news/local/i-could-see-the-demons-an-exorcism-in-arkansas