Chilling: Inside a Demon House

[Michie]

PITTSBURGH–

It’s called “The Demon of Brownsville Road,” and a Pittsburgh family claims this creature terrorized them for years, until exorcists forced it to leave.

The true events that transpired inside the historic house are now the subject of new book.

The Cranmer family says they’re publishing their nightmarish story to hopefully help other families avoid doing battle with a demon.

From “bleeding walls,” to “broken metal crosses” the family claims they experienced a hellish situation. And Adam Blai says, possessions can get worse than that. Blai has his Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and is an expert demonologist and advisor to the Roman Catholic Church; performing and training priests in exorcism.

Blai was also a skeptic until he entered the house on Brownsville Rd.

Continued- Chilling: Inside a Demon House | FOX8.com

 

[AvilaSurfer]

I've read some scary stuff written by reformed Satanists.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

For a minute I thought you said, "Reformed Satanists!" i was trying to imagine a Reformed Satanist in the style of Calvin! "We believe Satan sends us to hell and burns us by faith, not by our bad works or lack of hurting people enough and spreading terror."

I've read some scary stuff written by reformed Satanists.

 

[Michie]

For a minute I thought you said, "Reformed Satanists!" i was trying to imagine a Reformed Satanist in the style of Calvin! "We believe Satan sends us to hell and burns us by faith, not by our bad works or lack of hurting people enough and spreading terror."

Ha ha ha!

 

[Sword of the Lord]

For a minute I thought you said, "Reformed Satanists!" i was trying to imagine a Reformed Satanist in the style of Calvin! "We believe Satan sends us to hell and burns us by faith, not by our bad works or lack of hurting people enough and spreading terror."

Oh wow

 

[Nani-Day]

For a minute I thought you said, "Reformed Satanists!" i was trying to imagine a Reformed Satanist in the style of Calvin! "We believe Satan sends us to hell and burns us by faith, not by our bad works or lack of hurting people enough and spreading terror."

I always wondered why it's always the catholic priest that exorcises the demon(s). Are they the best at it or is it just what comes to mind first. Even people from other denominations call the catholic church.

It's like everyone's a protestant, atheist, or anti catholic...until their house gets haunted. I wanna study this.

 

[Michie]

I always wondered why it's always the catholic priest that exorcises the demon(s). Are they the best at it or is it just what comes to mind first. Even people from other denominations call the catholic church.

It's like everyone's a protestant, atheist, or anti catholic...until their house gets haunted. I wanna study this.

I think it is because the RCC holds the fullness of faith & if you believe Jesus established the RCC, He gave the RCC the authority & power to loose & bind.

Gurney- You think satanists argue theology?

 

[Tigg]

Read your links. Read Adam Blai comments. So what is Theresa Caputo's seen on TV? She speaks to the dead or is it demons? Her dead never seem to be in hell or purgatory. Just following loved ones around I guess. No message of pray for me or nutten. So is it demons? And if so why would they give messages of comfort? Just awondering. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

The Orthodox don't call anyone! Every single priest in the Orthodox Church is an exorcist. Have you ever seen an Orthodox exorcism? Wow! Talk about hardcore! Youtube it!

I always wondered why it's always the catholic priest that exorcises the demon(s). Are they the best at it or is it just what comes to mind first. Even people from other denominations call the catholic church.

It's like everyone's a protestant, atheist, or anti catholic...until their house gets haunted. I wanna study this.

 

[DiligentlySeekingGod]

I found some videos on YouTube about this story but I'm not sure if any of them are worth watching.

 

[Nani-Day]

The Orthodox don't call anyone! Every single priest in the Orthodox Church is an exorcist. Have you ever seen an Orthodox exorcism? Wow! Talk about hardcore! Youtube it!

I've been so focused on Catholicism lately that I almost forgot to do research on the orthodox. I might be invading your forum next. *runs off to youtube*

 

[Gwendolyn]

The Orthodox don't call anyone! Every single priest in the Orthodox Church is an exorcist. Have you ever seen an Orthodox exorcism? Wow! Talk about hardcore! Youtube it!

I've been trying to find information about how Orthodox priests are trained to face oppression or possession. Sadly the only Orthodox priest I know is so busy that he never has time to respond to any of my questions.

Anyway, the article is interesting. However, I must state that there is no official teaching that says that human spirits hang around after death, OR that if they do, they are in purgatory. That is a popular opinion, but it isn't hard theology.

I also found it weird that the article said the psychologist performs exorcisms. He can't, unless he is a priest. He can perform deliverance prayers like everyone else, though.

I've never experienced anything remotely supernatural, so most of the time I'm not sure much of it is real at all. But when it comes to demons... I'm inclined to be open about the possibility because I trust the Church.

I read memoirs of exorcists and demonologists. I guess it's a way of trying to find faith again. If demons are real, then God is real, because mentions of God are the only thing demons seem to respond to. That's my current line of thinking, anyway.

 

[Rhamiel]

I always wondered why it's always the catholic priest that exorcises the demon(s). Are they the best at it or is it just what comes to mind first. Even people from other denominations call the catholic church.

It's like everyone's a protestant, atheist, or anti catholic...until their house gets haunted. I wanna study this.

there are Pentacostals and Baptists who focus on what they call "Deliverance Ministries"

One reason is that Catholics get all the attention is that for a long time, Protestantism totally ignored demonic possession and infestation, so for like probably 50 years, it was just assumed that Catholic priests were the ones to help people, also, the fact that Catholics will help anyone who has this problem.
Even though for a long time, we kind of ignored this problem too, we did not totally drop it like the Protestantism did.

also, movies and books have helped cement this role in the popular imagination.

I would say that Catholic theology of sacramentals help deal with these issues.
Protestantism seems focused mostly on ideas, salvation by faith alone, baptism only for believers.
well demon haunting is not just ideas, it is a spiritual reality that has an effect on the physical world, either with poltergeist activity or control of the physical body of a person, Protestant theology is not set up to deal with the physical, Catholic theology is about salvation of the whole world, spiritual and physical

 

[Rhamiel]

I've been so focused on Catholicism lately

well that is only natural

 

[Michie]

there are Pentacostals and Baptists who focus on what they call "Deliverance Ministries"

One reason is that Catholics get all the attention is that for a long time, Protestantism totally ignored demonic possession and infestation, so for like probably 50 years, it was just assumed that Catholic priests were the ones to help people, also, the fact that Catholics will help anyone who has this problem.
Even though for a long time, we kind of ignored this problem too, we did not totally drop it like the Protestantism did.

also, movies and books have helped cement this role in the popular imagination.

I would say that Catholic theology of sacramentals help deal with these issues.
Protestantism seems focused mostly on ideas, salvation by faith alone, baptism only for believers.
well demon haunting is not just ideas, it is a spiritual reality that has an effect on the physical world, either with poltergeist activity or control of the physical body of a person, Protestant theology is not set up to deal with the physical, Catholic theology is about salvation of the whole world, spiritual and physical

Protestants have never ignored demons or demon possession. The are quite aware of it & always have been. I'm curious where you heard that?

Their theology absolutely acknowledges it & deals with it. It's prevalent in the NT & they follow suit. But it does not always work as they do not use sacraments, etc. in doing so.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Looking for "official teachings" in the Orthodox Church? GOOD LUCK!

I've been trying to find information about how Orthodox priests are trained to face oppression or possession. Sadly the only Orthodox priest I know is so busy that he never has time to respond to any of my questions.

Anyway, the article is interesting. However, I must state that there is no official teaching that says that human spirits hang around after death, OR that if they do, they are in purgatory. That is a popular opinion, but it isn't hard theology.

I also found it weird that the article said the psychologist performs exorcisms. He can't, unless he is a priest. He can perform deliverance prayers like everyone else, though.

I've never experienced anything remotely supernatural, so most of the time I'm not sure much of it is real at all. But when it comes to demons... I'm inclined to be open about the possibility because I trust the Church.

I read memoirs of exorcists and demonologists. I guess it's a way of trying to find faith again. If demons are real, then God is real, because mentions of God are the only thing demons seem to respond to. That's my current line of thinking, anyway.

 

[topcare]

Protestants have never ignored demons or demon possession. The are quite aware of it & always have been. I'm curious where you heard that?

Their theology absolutely acknowledges it & deals with it. It's prevalent in the NT & they follow suit. But it does not always work as they do not use sacraments, etc. in doing so.

Indeed, when I was growing up in Protestant Churches I always heard about it and some Protestants quite literally see (figuratively not see with eyes) demons around every corner

 

[Michie]

Indeed, when I was growing up in Protestant Churches I always heard about it and some Protestants quite literally see (figuratively not see with eyes) demons around every corner

Exactly.

 

[Rhamiel]

Protestants have never ignored demons or demon possession. The are quite aware of it & always have been. I'm curious where you heard that?

Their theology absolutely acknowledges it & deals with it. It's prevalent in the NT & they follow suit. But it does not always work as they do not use sacraments, etc. in doing so.

last summer I read a book called American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty by Michael W. Cuneo. It was written from a secular POV and deals more with cultural issues then theological issues. He points out how interest in this ministry really started to take off in 1971 with the release of the book The Exorcist and another spike of interest when the movie came out 3 years latter. How at that time, many of the Mainstream Protestant Denominations (Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Methodism) had a strong push within them to view references to the Devil in scripture as only symbolic of evil in general, there was even a push for this within the Catholic Church at that time, but it was far less prevalent.
That fact many Protestant ministers rejected the idea of an actual Devil, coupled with the highly visible use of Catholic Priests as exorcists in movies, has led many Protestants from the 1950's through the 1980's to go to Catholic Priests to help them with their problems of demonic infestations, often on the recommendation of their own Protestant Ministers.

Since the 1980's this has been less common, but is still the case in some places.

Remember, for a long time, even the Catholic Church was kind of ashamed of the Rite of Exorcism, with many Bishops looking at it as an anachronistic throwback to the Middle Ages. You can see this mindset in the much more faith friendly book The Rite by Matt Bagilio (the book is SO much better then the movie) But even if the Church has been... apprehensive about it in recent years, it has been a lot more accepting of such phenomenon then the mainline Protestant denominations.

Also I have just heard antidotal evidence of people who have had poltergeist activity being told by Methodist or Baptist ministers to go down the street and talk to the Catholic priest because "he deals with that kinda stuff" again, not saying this happens in every case, but it is not unheard of.

 

[Michie]

I can guarantee you that book couldn't be more off in its assessment. The influence of satan & the various effects have never ever been ignored in protestantism. The RCC would be the place most would think it is ignored. It is never discussed. I'm just telling you to not take that book as the truth concerning demonic activity & protestantism. With the concentration of Scripture & especially the NT, I do not know how he comes to his conclusions. Turn on any channel for a protestant show...you'll always hear about keeping in your toes concerning satan & demons. There is even a show where demon possession & exorcisms are shown. What usually happens is they try an exorcism & if it does not work they point to the RCC.

last summer I read a book called American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty by Michael W. Cuneo. It was written from a secular POV and deals more with cultural issues then theological issues. He points out how interest in this ministry really started to take off in 1971 with the release of the book The Exorcist and another spike of interest when the movie came out 3 years latter. How at that time, many of the Mainstream Protestant Denominations (Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Methodism) had a strong push within them to view references to the Devil in scripture as only symbolic of evil in general, there was even a push for this within the Catholic Church at that time, but it was far less prevalent.
That fact many Protestant ministers rejected the idea of an actual Devil, coupled with the highly visible use of Catholic Priests as exorcists in movies, has led many Protestants from the 1950's through the 1980's to go to Catholic Priests to help them with their problems of demonic infestations, often on the recommendation of their own Protestant Ministers.

Since the 1980's this has been less common, but is still the case in some places.

Remember, for a long time, even the Catholic Church was kind of ashamed of the Rite of Exorcism, with many Bishops looking at it as an anachronistic throwback to the Middle Ages. You can see this mindset in the much more faith friendly book The Rite by Matt Bagilio (the book is SO much better then the movie) But even if the Church has been... apprehensive about it in recent years, it has been a lot more accepting of such phenomenon then the mainline Protestant denominations.

Also I have just heard antidotal evidence of people who have had poltergeist activity being told by Methodist or Baptist ministers to go down the street and talk to the Catholic priest because "he deals with that kinda stuff" again, not saying this happens in every case, but it is not unheard of.