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Possession and Exorcism 211
the oracle of Delphi), by taking drugs (e.g., peyote
among certain Native American groups) or wine
(Dionysus cults), by rituals involving body techniques
(such as hyperventilation, monotonous
drumming, dancing, chanting), or by fasting.
Once this altered state of consciousness is created,
the host is no longer in a regular state of wakefulness
and might, at times, not even remember the
experience of possession (the somnambulistic
type of possession).
Where possession is viewed as an evil phenomenon,
as in traditional Christianity, the practice of
exorcism has been developed to expel the spirit
from the host. “Exorcism” derives from exousia,
Greek for “oath.” To exorcise thus means something
along the lines of placing the possessing spirit
under oath—invoking a higher authority to compel
the spirit—rather than an actual “casting out.” This
placing under oath implies a kind of binding. In
Western religions in particular, exorcism is often
dramatic and even violent. Outside of the Christian
tradition, the possessing spirit is viewed as a neutral
entity that can be transformed into a benign one
through specific rituals and religious practices.
In the mid-nineteenth century, a movement
known as Spiritualism was based on the consultation
of spirits of the dead through séances and
mediums. Spiritualism, being founded on what
seemed to be a scientific methodology (the
séances), became the true religion to such reflective
individuals as Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of
Sherlock Holmes). Similarly, Spiritism, which was
developed in France by Allan Kardec, emphasized
the invocation of spirit guides who could help
with the healing of diseases that originated out of
a spiritual need.
In more recent times, especially in the
occult/metaphysical/new age subculture,
mediums have been redesignated as channels,
who focus on delivering metaphysical information
rather than messages from the dead. There
are a number of religious movements that are
based on the authority of channeled messages.
Most conservative Christians would view all such
mediumship and channeling as a form of
demonic possession. Typically, fundamentalist
Christians who are not charismatic also view
Pentecostal phenomena as demonic.
The societies in the areas around ancient Israel
were ardent believers in possession and regularly
practiced exorcism. Such phenomena appear to
have been far less prevalent in Judaism, although it
has been speculated that later writers may have
edited out references to such practices. Exorcism
is, nevertheless, mentioned in Hebrew scriptures
(the Old Testament). Early rabbinical literature
also makes reference to exorcism.
As portrayed in the New Testament, demons
constitute the infernal equivalent of God’s celestial
host. Although the story is not spelled out in the
Bible, a number of passages seem to allude to the
well-known story about Satan leading a celestial
revolt. By implication, demons were formerly
angels who were cast out of heaven with Lucifer
after the failure of his revolution. Defeated in the
celestial realm, the infernal host continues a kind
of guerrilla warfare against God’s people in the
earthly realm.
While angels go about helping human beings
and doing good, demons harass humanity and go
about doing evil. Many parts of the New
Testament recount stories of demons taking over
human beings. In Jesus’s day mental and physical
illness were often viewed as resulting from possession.
Because such a significant part of Jesus’s
ministry involved healing, he is frequently
portrayed banishing demons from those he
healed. Belief in the reality of demonic possession
and exorcism is still very widely accepted by many
conservative Christians, both Roman Catholic and
Protestant. The Bible contains so many accounts
of exorcisms that anyone who wishes to interpret
Christian scripture literally is compelled to accept
the reality of demonic possession and exorcism.
And while the larger society abandoned such
notions long ago, they continue to have currency
in our culture because of Hollywood’s ongoing
production of films—both feature and B-grade—
featuring possession and exorcism.
Because of the tendency of certain conservative
Christians to accept the biblical accounts
literally, as well as because of Hollywood’s fascination
with these notions, the New Testament
view of these matters still decisively influences the
way our culture portrays demonic possession and
exorcism. Perhaps the most familiar biblical