C.M. Johnson - Possessions & Exorcisms

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12

[Possessions]

[&]

[Exorcisms]

People who are said to be

possessed often do not act, speak,

or even look like themselves.

2 Urban Legends

Introduction

What do we do when someone we

know starts saying and doing odd

things? What if a friend spoke in a

language she did not know? What

if she put rocks in her mouth? You

might think she was sick. Or you

might say it was a possession .

The concept of possession has

been around for a long time. Nearly

every religion around the world has

stories about possessions. Often

the spirit is cast out in a ritual called

an exorcism.

Some people are glad to host a

spirit or two. They get to ask about

life after death. They ask about

loved ones who have died. People

even say that some spirits want to

make art. They say the ghosts use

them to write books and music. But

other spirits seem to arrive with more

evil things in mind. Then it is time for

the exorcist.

Religious symbols are often used

in exorcisms.

Did you know?

In Santeria, a religion that

blends African and Catholic

beliefs, spirits are invited to

possess people at a joyous esta .

possession: the idea that people

can be controlled by a spirit

esta: a religious

celebration or party

Hauntings

Father Arnold Renz (right) was appointed to carry out the Rite of Exorcism on

Anneliese Michel, with the help of local parish priest Father Ernst Alt (left).

Best Recorded Sighting

The Catholic Church is famous for its exorcisms. In 1976, one of them

ended badly.

Anneliese Michel was born in Germany. As a teenager, she had

seizures . She was often unhappy. She went to many doctors, but

nothing worked. Then she got worse. She said she was hearing voices.

A priest named Father Ernst Alt said Anneliese was possessed by

demons. Anneliese agreed. She said the spirits made her eat spiders

and ies. They made her urinate on the oor and lick it up. Once, she

got under a table and barked like a

dog for two days.

seizure: abnormal movements

or behaviors related to unusual

electric activity in the brain

4 Urban Legends

Alt and another priest did the Rite

of Exorcism on Anneliese many

times. After almost a year of the

rites, Anneliese weighed pounds

(31 kilograms). She thought not eating

would rid her of Satans hold. At the

age of 23, she died. She had starved .

The priests were arrested for not

taking good care of Anneliese. So

were her parents. They were all found

guilty. Some people said they should

have talked to a doctor. They should

have made her eat. During the trial,

recordings of Anneliese speaking in a

beastly voice lled the room.

Rite of Exorcism: a process in

which an appointed priest uses

prayers, rituals, and holy water to

order a spirit to leave a person

starve: to die from a lack of food

Did you know?

The 2005 movie

The

Exorcism of Emily Rose

is based on the story

of Anneliese Michel.

Anneliese Michel ate

bugs and coal, and bit o

the head of a dead bird.

Hauntings

Ti m e l i n e

Demon or spirit possession has been part

of human culture for thousands of years.

BC

In ancient Iran,

the prophet

Zoroaster casts

out spirits with

holy water.

First Century AD

In the Christian gospels,

Jesus casts out demons.

Middle Ages

(5001500)

Spirits are seen

as the cause of

mental illness.

1614

The Vatican puts out

a guide on exorcism.

1692

Girls in Salem Village,

Massachusetts, say

they are possessed by

the devil.

6 Urban Legends

1800s

A religion called

Spiritualism is popular

in the United States.

People invite spirits to

possess them.

1949

A boy is said to have

been saved by exorcism.

The Washington Post

runs the story.

1990

The movie Ghost

shows a welcomed

spirit possession.

1999

The Vatican updates its

exorcism guidelines. The new

guide says exorcism should

be used only when mental

illness has been ruled out.

2012

Researchers study cen,

a type of spirit possession

in Uganda. They nd it

is related to stress from

being a child soldier.

Hauntings

The tools a shaman uses during an exorcism can

include drums, rattles, and herbs such as sage.

Evidence for and Against

If an exorcism works, does that mean the spirit was real? Some people

think the rite can work on the very religious. If people have faith in

spirits, they can also trust that a shaman or priest can tell a spirit what

to do.

What causes people to act oddly in the rst place? Psychiatrist Richard

Gallagher treats mental illness. He also spots possessions. Gallagher

says these are rare. He says that most people who think they hear or

see demons are ill. But once in a while,

a patient starts to speak in awless

Latin. Then the doctor does not know

what to think.

shaman: a spiritual leader

and healer who attempts

to speak to the dead

8 Urban Legends

Rosemary Brown

In the 1960s and 70s, a British

woman named Rosemary Brown

said that several dead composers

had contacted her. They wanted

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