Demon Possession In The U. S.

DEMON POSSESSION IN THE U.S.

ARTICLES ON POSSESSION

1. Most people in the U.S. don’t think that demon possession – as pictured in the Bible – is still going on today. This is because behavior that resembles possession is not treated as a spiritual phenomena, but as a mental or physiological one.

2. But the truth is, I believe demon possession is widespread and is on the rise. The Catholic Church, due to its subset ministry of exorcism, is monitoring its rise.

3. SOME RECENT ARTICLES (with brief excerpts):

a. “US Exorcists: Demonic Activity on the Rise” National Catholic Register, Patti Maguire Armstrong, March 11, 2017

“INDIANAPOLIS — There is an alarming increase in demonic activity being reported by those who work in exorcism ministry, said the exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Although steps are being taken to increase the number of exorcists, demand is still outpacing supply.

“As the acceptance of sin has increased, so, too, has demonic activity,” Msgr. John Esseff said. “The bishops saw the need for more trained exorcists because so many cases were being referred from all over the country to the dioceses that had exorcists.”

The Pope Leo XIII Institute graduated the first class of 55 exorcists, priests and deacons from its two-year program in 2015. The training involves 10-day sessions given at Mundelein Seminary in the Archdiocese of Chicago, twice a year for two years. A second class of 52 will graduate this fall.

“There is also still some resistance of the reality of Satan,” in the Church, among priests and bishops, he added, “as if there is just evil and not the devil.” “The only one that can overcome Satan is Jesus,” Esseff said.

“It’s not the exorcists that have the power,” Father Lampert said, “but the power and authority of the Church that comes from Jesus Christ. If people would build up their faith lives, the devil will be defeated.”

b. “Exorcism: Increasingly frequent, including after US protests”

By David Crary, Oct 31, 2020 Crux Magazine

More broadly, Andrew Chesnut said, “Exorcism, in its traditional form...is increasingly widespread around the world, though there are no official statistics.” He says the driving force behind the surge since the 1980s has been the spread of Pentecostal churches that highlight the conflict between demons and the Holy Spirit, especially in Latin America, Africa and parts of Asia, including the Philippines.

c. CBNNEWS.COM, “New Barna Survey: More Americans Believe in Satan Than Believe in God” 04-24-2020, Steve Warren

51% believe in a biblical God and 56% believe in Satan.

SIGNS OF DEMON POSSESSION

1. Even if no statistics are kept on demon possession, the same types of manifestations associated with them may be clearly seen in our society.

2. The New Testament noted 9 characteristics of spirits, which manifested specific types of behavior.

9 CHARACTERISTICS OF DEMONS

1. EVIL (wicked, violent) Mt. 12:45, Mt. 8:28, etc.

2. LYING SPIRIT (seducing, deceiving- 1 Tim. 4:1; of error- 1 Jn. 4:4)

3. SICKNESS (Spirit of infirmity, deaf & dumb) Luke 8:2, 13:11.

4. OF FEAR 2 Tim. 1:7

5. OF BONDAGE, Romans 8:15, "douleia" – makes you a slave!

6. SPIRIT OF DIVINATION, Acts 16:16. NIV "a spirit by which she predicted the future." This lady was a medium, channeling spirits.

7. UNCLEAN, Matt. 10:1, this word means “impure, foul, lewd.” ‘Lewd’ has sexual connotations. Merriam Webster gives its synonyms as “lascivious, nasty, obscene, pornographic, porny, profane, raunchy, smutty, vulgar,” etc.

8. SUICIDAL, Matt. 9:22, etc.

9. MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES, Mark 5:9, Mk. 16:9.

THESE 9 MATCHED WITH U.S. BEHAVIOR: AS A CHART

NINE SIGNS OF THE DEMONIC FOUND IN U.S.

Category of spirit.......Text...........Expression.....# US INVOLVED*

EVIL, VIOLENT............Mt. 8:28.....VIOLENT........1.2 million

LYING, SEDUCING.......1 Tm. 4:1...OC-CULT........24 million

SICKNESS, INFIRMITYLuke 8:2....SOMATIC........15 million

SPIRIT OF FEAR..........2 Tm. 1:7...PHOBIAS........41 million

BONDAGE addictions...Rm. 8:15 ALC/DRUG........45 million

DIVINATION...............Act 16:16 SPIRITISM........330,000

UNCLEAN....................Matt. 10:1 PORN/SEX.......40 million

SUICIDE.....................Mk. 9:22.....SUICIDE.........1.3 million

MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES.................................5 million

PEOPLE IN MENTAL FACILITIES/YEAR................2 million

IN PRISON FOR VIOLENT CRIMES.......................1.7 million

EXPLANATION AND SOURCES FOR THESE FIGURES:

1. It is NOT ASSUMED that ALL of these are demon possessions, but that they are expressing behavior that MAY BE associated with possession.

2. Examples: Crazy-violent people, a cultic spirit on them, experiencing illnesses when there is no physical basis for them, delusional with fear, controlled by addictions, yielding themselves to spirits, filled with destructive lust from pornography, trying to kill themselves, multiple personalities speaking to their minds, mentally insane without a physical basis, etc. Sadly there are MILLIONS of people like this, but the medical profession wouldn’t admit that any of them are “possessed.” We Bible believers think that’s what some are.

3. Instead of spiritual assistance, these people are mostly drugged, put into mental institutions, or told their behavior is ‘okay’ because it’s associated with some syndrome. They're told, “Just learn to live with it.” I think Jesus would have a different answer for some of them.