It is therefore conceivable that he may hide behind the facade of a psychosis. It should be noted, however, that Satan does not like to be revealed. Of course professional diagnosis must be made to determine the potential causes of certain behaviors which may be indicative of, for example, schizophrenia, multiple personality disorders or other mental illnesses described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV. In a discussion of the demonic, it is important to be sure that certain psychological disturbances, whether chemically caused or due to an imbalance from emotional distress or trauma, be ruled out before demonic possession is considered. This is commonly known as possession" (Aquinas, p. He does so by inciting a man to cogitate about a particular thing and impedes the use of reason. By its very nature "a demon intends to lead men to falsehood. The demon, he says, "creeps stealthily in through all the avenues of the senses, it gives itself shapes, it adapts itself to colors, it adheres to sounds, it appends itself to odors, it instills with flavors" (Aquinas, p. Augustine, can change the cognitive part of the person by changing his internal and external sensory powers. Moreover, a demon's influence, according to St. Though there are many demons, they describe themselves as legion in Mark's Gospel 5:10, "since there are many of us," they are all in effect minions of Satan who desired to rule like God over a multitude of angels (Aquinas, p. For example, in Ephesians 6:12, the Apostle says, "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places." Also vital to the description of a demon is that the demon by a free will act turned from good, the natural state of God's creation of which the demon is a part, to embrace evil (Aquinas, p. Saint Paul, for example, continually refers to the demonic forces present in the world and the damage they cause. Aiding reason, faith provides another vantage point for validating the activity of the spirit world. Surely, this description does not sit well with modern people since it presumes metaphysics which uses reason to know things that are not immediately available to the senses. Traditionally demons have been described as beings without bodies that possess intellect and free will (Aquinas, p. Finally, I will attempt to provide indications of demonic possession and the effects of demonic activity. After having done so I will illustrate / explain misidentification of demonic possession as mental illness or simply the free will actions of a bad person. In my discussion of demons, it is first necessary to define what a demon is and how it acts. The reality of demonic spirits is also well documented in non-Christian religions, notably Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Tao (Cramer, M., The Devil Within, 1979, p. The topic is also discussed by pagan philosophers as well as in the writing of the doctors of the Church (Aquinas, On Evil, pp. The Gospels are filled with stories of Jesus' encounter with demons. As a matter of fact, I would be displaying great hubris to entertain such doubts. However, now with more than 30 years of priestly experience under my belt and some growth in the Spirit's gift of knowledge infused through the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Orders, I no longer doubt the reality of malevolent spirits. Though I was aware that the teachings about demons, prayers to ward off the evil spirits and the official rite of exorcism have long been part of the official teaching of the Church, I doubted a modern priest could take such a pre-Enlightenment topic seriously. Earlier in my priesthood, I would not have been able to write this article and I certainly would have looked askance at anyone who broached the topic of demonology.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |