Do Possessions Really Occur?

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lsume

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I'm just wondering because I heard that the movie The Exorcist was based on a true story. Is there biblical evidence to support this? I think I remember hearing/reading about Jesus casting demons out of people but I'm also pretty sure that if it still occurs today it's nothing like this and this is just Hollywood.









There is a fair amount to read on the subject in God’s Word. I have no doubt that it is very real. I’m not sure exactly what’s happening to many in America of late, but it seems like there is more hate for Christians than before the virus outbreak.
 
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Sabertooth

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There were no instruction left by the apostles in the New Testament on how to carry on and conduct healing of demon possessed people.
Jesus said,
"And these signs will follow those who believe:
In My name they will cast out demons;...
" Mark 16:17 NKJV

That applies to all "those who believe," not just the Apostles. And it didn't require their official sanction to continue, either.
 
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ViaCrucis

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Indeed, actual possession is incredibly rare. Ive heard andecdotally that one of the stronger diagnostic indicators is a severe and irrational fear or hostility in the presence of crosses, crucifixes, icons of the Theotokos, etc, even when these items cannot be seen by the person.

When the Eastern Orthodox baptize and/or chrismate someone, prayers of exorcism are said over the initiate. People who rejoin the Orthodox Church after having practiced an occult religion or certain rather dark ancient faiths like Hindu or Voudon are Chrismated.

This is standard in both East and West. As it's part of the most ancient practice of the Church, as we can see in the Apostolic Traditions of St. Hippolytus.

"At the time determined for baptism, the bishop shall give thanks over some oil, which he puts in a vessel. It is called the oil of thanksgiving. He shall take some more oil and exorcise it. It is called the oil of exorcism. A deacon shall hold the oil of exorcism and stand on the left. Another deacon shall hold the oil of thanksgiving and stand on the right.

When the presbyter takes hold of each of them who are to receive baptism, he shall tell each of them to renounce, saying, 'I renounce you Satan, all of your service, and all of your works.' After he has said this, he shall anoint each with the oil of exorcism, saying, 'Let every evil spirit depart from you.'
" - The Apostolic Traditions, 21:6-10

-CryptoLutheran
 
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Glorytothefather2245

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Lol,.. I sort of look for any excuse to play that song and I hope it isn't sacrilegious or anything but I pictured Jesus being silly and singing that He wasn't afraid of no ghost and that goofy dance at the end. XD Being silly isn't a sin and I have a feeling that He got into silly mood sometimes just like the rest of us,.. especially if He wanted to get a point a crossed. :p














Really? Wow, why would somebody do that to you?
You can acquire curses through generational which are curses passed onto you through your family blood line. Also by joining different areas of the occult can bring curses on you without you knowing it. And ungodly soul ties which is not a term you will find in the bible, but it means the joining together. An ungodly soul tie would be a man and woman having sex together and living together before marriage, where as a man and women living together and having sex with each other after marriage would be a godly soul tie. The Bible says when a man and a women are joined together they become one. So if you become one you share each others curses as well, and that is how generational passes can be passed on through family bloodlines. How i may have possibly got witchcraft used on me could have maybe been generational. But before i came to Christ i used to be into new age and i was an adulterer and etc. I came to Christ 3 months into my relationship with the girl i met. And the girl i used to be with used to take part in witchcraft activities when she was younger so she acquired the spirit of control which is witchcraft. She was a big time narcissist who was very controlling and manipulative. This is not some sort of speculation there is a lot behind spiritual warfare, spiritual warfare is also very real. I would encourage you to look up what spiritual warfare.
 
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zoidar

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I'm just wondering because I heard that the movie The Exorcist was based on a true story. Is there biblical evidence to support this? I think I remember hearing/reading about Jesus casting demons out of people but I'm also pretty sure that if it still occurs today it's nothing like this and this is just Hollywood.










I does, but it's not like the movies. There is a reason Jesus cast out demons.
 
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Anthony2019

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I don't think it happens very often, but yes, I believe they can and do occur.
It is not something that Christians need to be afraid of. I do not believe that someone who is a Christian can ever be possessed by a demon.
I do believe that the devil will try to attack us and deceive us. As the scripture states, our primary recourse is always resistance. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you".
Make the sign of the cross. As St.Athanasius taught us: "“by the sign of the cross all magic is stayed, all sorcery confounded, all the idols are abandoned and deserted, and all senseless pleasure ceases, as the eye of faith looks up from Earth to heaven.”
 
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Bruce Leiter

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I'm just wondering because I heard that the movie The Exorcist was based on a true story. Is there biblical evidence to support this? I think I remember hearing/reading about Jesus casting demons out of people but I'm also pretty sure that if it still occurs today it's nothing like this and this is just Hollywood.









Just because you haven't experienced it in someone's life doesn't mean it doesn't happen. But I think the devil "possesses" people's lives in less dramatic ways through the false gods in our culture. See the book Overcome Modern Idols on Kindle.
 
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Pavel Mosko

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[STAFF EDITED DELETED QUOTE]


I know there just isn't much good stuff on the web for folks that aren't willing to spend money on books.

The most I know about came in watching a Netflix series on the Unabomber aka Ted Kaczynski who was exposed to some kind of experiment while in college.



"Psychological study[edit]
As a sophomore, Kaczynski participated in a study described by author Alston Chase as a "purposely brutalizing psychological experiment" led by Harvard psychologist Henry Murray. Subjects were told they would be debating personal philosophy with a fellow student, and were asked to write essays detailing their personal beliefs and aspirations. The essays were turned over to an anonymous attorney, who in a later session would confront and belittle the subject – making "vehement, sweeping, and personally abusive" attacks – using the content of the essays as ammunition, while electrodes monitored the subject's physiological reactions. These encounters were filmed, and subjects' expressions of anger and rage were later played back to them repeatedly.[26] The experiment lasted three years, with someone verbally abusing and humiliating Kaczynski each week.[27][28] Kaczynski spent 200 hours as part of the study.[29]

Kaczynski's lawyers later attributed his hostility towards mind control techniques to his participation in Murray's study.[26] Some sources have suggested that Murray's experiments were part of Project MKUltra, the Central Intelligence Agency's research into mind control.[30][31][32] Chase[33][34] and others[35][36] have also suggested that this experience may have motivated Kaczynski's criminal activities."


Ted Kaczynski - Wikipedia
 
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Redwingfan9

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I'm just wondering because I heard that the movie The Exorcist was based on a true story. Is there biblical evidence to support this? I think I remember hearing/reading about Jesus casting demons out of people but I'm also pretty sure that if it still occurs today it's nothing like this and this is just Hollywood.









Leaving aside the issue of this movie, scripture is clear that demon possessions occur. Jesus ordered demons out of a number of people, including Legion who then possessed a herd of pigs.
 
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KayJoy

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I know there just isn't much good stuff on the web for folks that aren't willing to spend money on books.

The most I know about came in watching a Netflix series on the Unabomber aka Ted Kaczynski who was exposed to some kind of experiment while in college.



"Psychological study[edit]
As a sophomore, Kaczynski participated in a study described by author Alston Chase as a "purposely brutalizing psychological experiment" led by Harvard psychologist Henry Murray. Subjects were told they would be debating personal philosophy with a fellow student, and were asked to write essays detailing their personal beliefs and aspirations. The essays were turned over to an anonymous attorney, who in a later session would confront and belittle the subject – making "vehement, sweeping, and personally abusive" attacks – using the content of the essays as ammunition, while electrodes monitored the subject's physiological reactions. These encounters were filmed, and subjects' expressions of anger and rage were later played back to them repeatedly.[26] The experiment lasted three years, with someone verbally abusing and humiliating Kaczynski each week.[27][28] Kaczynski spent 200 hours as part of the study.[29]

Kaczynski's lawyers later attributed his hostility towards mind control techniques to his participation in Murray's study.[26] Some sources have suggested that Murray's experiments were part of Project MKUltra, the Central Intelligence Agency's research into mind control.[30][31][32] Chase[33][34] and others[35][36] have also suggested that this experience may have motivated Kaczynski's criminal activities."


Ted Kaczynski - Wikipedia
Interesting. Thank you for sharing. What he experienced does fit with at least some of what MK Ultra victims have endured. Most SRA/MK victims are multigenerational and were born in. For these, trauma begins before birth to ensure splitting of the mind.
 
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KayJoy

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In response to the OP, demonic possession does still occur. I have seen people who were demonically possessed. It can be very dramatic...spitting, foaming, snarling, throwing up, screaming, facial features change, etc.
 
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bbbbbbb

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When I first glanced at the title of this thread I thought, "Duh! Of course people have possessions." Of course, however, that is not the intended topic.

I worked once with a young lady who, I became quite convinced, was possessed by a demon. She came about it by way of an offbeat Hindu cult.
 
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April_Rose

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I assumed that it was a reference to
"17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name
  • they will cast out demons;
  • they will speak with new tongues;
  • 18 they will take up serpents; and
  • if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them;
  • they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:17-18 NKJV





Ah,... He probably should have worded that differently then.
 
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Gregory Thompson

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I'm just wondering because I heard that the movie The Exorcist was based on a true story.

The basis of the logic goes like this.

If TV is untrue

The Bible is Still True.
 
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Blade

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One day the came back saying"The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."

Its also written "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" Peter and John told them why do you look at us as if we did this.. its FAITH in that name.

Yes was going on before Christ came and still happening today. Doubt empowers the enemy. Theres this preacher John Hagee. Over the years I have heard him a few times. You should hear his testimony when he 1st started out about a woman that was possessed. At that time he had never encountered a demon possessed person.

Just something you never seek out. I wonder how many believers know the authority they really have. The enemy loves places like USA where doubt comes 1st. Now 3rd world nations.. they know these things.
 
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Contenders Edge

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I'm just wondering because I heard that the movie The Exorcist was based on a true story. Is there biblical evidence to support this? I think I remember hearing/reading about Jesus casting demons out of people but I'm also pretty sure that if it still occurs today it's nothing like this and this is just Hollywood.











I've never really seen the Exorcist and don't really know much about it but the Bible makes very clear that there are evil spirits and unseen forces working in the shadows and attempting to influence and direct the course of every culture, society, nation, people, and the entire world and in some cases, as the Bible repeatedly points out, these entities can even possess people and upon studying the accounts of demonic possession from the Gospel of Matthew through the book of Acts, we find that there are different types of demons causing conditions within people that they otherwise would not have, causing them to behave in ways that they otherwise would not, and even giving them abilities that they otherwise would not have.

If it happened in the days of Jesus and the Apostles, then there is no reason to think that demonic possession cannot take place in this day because as long as there is a Devil and his demons roaming to and fro about the earth and this entire universe, there will still be demonic and satanic activity afoot and an agelong spiritual warfare and battle for the souls of men between God and Satan to wage.

But what is most troubling is how so many in the body of Christ either make light of the this ongoing warfare taking place behind the scenes and in the shadows or deny it altogether because those who underestimate the formidability of our adversary or even deny that he even exists will be the first to be discouraged and fall away from the faith when faced with hard and evil times.
 
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hluke

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Yes, demon possession has happened, but don't let movies or other sensationalist views influence or potentially frighten you.

In traditional Christian practice while demon possession is recognized as something that can happen, mainstream churches also recognize that it is extremely important not to assume the supernatural when a natural explanation is a better fit. Bizarre behavior is more likely to be a symptom of mental illness or some sort of psychological disorder than demonic possession. Actual demon possession is extremely rare--it always has been.

So as a Christian two things are important to keep in mind:

1) You have no reason to fear demon possession, do not fear the devil as the devil is a defeated dog beneath the victorious heel of Jesus Christ our Lord.

2) Actual demon possession is extremely rare, don't allow sensational reports and rumors, or videos on the internet, or Hollywood movies make you think it something it isn't.

There are various so-called "deliverance ministries" out there in the world, I would avoid these and regard them with absolutely no credibility. These are in many if not most cases snake oil salesmen, hucksters, frauds; and even when there might be sincerity there is a monumental lack of understanding on the subject and so mental illness is conflated with demon possession, and actual harm has come from "exorcisms" gone wrong. I say "exorcisms" because it's not an exorcism if there's no demon to exorcise. Many such "ministries" preach false teaching, they argue that demons are the cause of every ache and pain, illness, or even the cause of why a person is financially unstable--it's pure nonsense that should be avoided completely.

So, again, don't let any of that sensationalist tripe influence your thought processes.

In historic, mainstream Christian practice exorcism is something taken seriously--seriously enough to not sensationalize it, or treat it like a television show, or try and make a profit off of it like some potion-seller at a traveling show. Christ has called His Church to care for the well being of our neighbor, to love our fellow man, and so we have a responsibility to care for the bodily needs of our neighbor, but also the mental needs of our neighbor by encouraging mental health, and also the spiritual health of our neighbor.

-CryptoLutheran
What makes you believe they are 'extremerly rare'? There is so much witchcraft in the world more than ever and if anything demonic possessions are increasing. And what do you mean by 'actual demonic possession'? Demons manifest in a profound way and a subtle way. I think it's absolutely dangerous to label 'deliverance ministries' a fraud. Some are definitely questionable money grabbers, but I can guarantee if they werent operating you would see people roaming around possessed in your local city. Deliverances are done discreetly, and openly. Since being delivered myself, I have witnessed and know of many accounts, publically and privately.

And many films are surprisingly accurate, despite seeming to be exaggerated. I suggest you do some further research. And I hope if you saw a demon possessed man on the street, you'd at least take some consider praying for them. We have that power and authority under Christ to cast out devils; all accounts of possession are serious, and thus should be taken seriously, but I understand that there are some inevitbale misunderstandings. Indeed, confidence and faith should be higher than caution.

Who gives people mental illness?
 
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hluke

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There is a fair amount to read on the subject in God’s Word. I have no doubt that it is very real. I’m not sure exactly what’s happening to many in America of late, but it seems like there is more hate for Christians than before the virus outbreak.
It's because of witchcraft. The spiritual realm is more profound than the physical realm. Those who don't have Christ are susceptible to all kinds of evil

2 Pet 5:8; Eph 6:12; Col 1:16; Eph 2:1-3; 1 Joh 4:1-3; 2 Joh 1:7
 
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