The Temptation of Christ 1854 (wikipedia)

The roots of demonology are nearly impossible to trace.  A brief study of world religions both current and past turns up a variety of malevolent beings that behave in similar ways to how Christians perceive demons.  It is known for example that the grimoires, books of magic, used in Babylon and Sumeria refer to evil spirits that cause disease and other ills.  These texts also contained spells for driving them off and recommendations of ways to ward them off.  While this is the earliest written example of demonology it can also be reasonably inferred that traditions of malevolent spirits that were not of human origin go back even farther.  Beliefs found both among the Native Americans and   in Africa reference evil spirits that interact with human beings up to and including possession.

The forms of demonology most recognizable in the modern world really begin in Judaism.  While the names given for the spirits are different records do exist of rabbi’s performing rites of exorcism.  Of particular note here is the belief in dybbuks and Lilith.  Dybbuks are spirits of the dead who possess human bodies to fulfill specific goals.  These spirits can be either good or evil and ritual methods to remove them do exist.  Lilith herself is one of the most interesting figures in demonology.  She has been seen as: a fertility goddess, the first wife of Adam, the original old hag/succubus, mother of demons, Queen of Hell and wife, at least one of many, of Satan.  Originally, at least in Jewish lore, she was simply seen as a demonic figure known for sitting upon her victims in the night and choking the life out of them.   Later speculation arose that she was the original wife of Adam, who left the garden of Eden after growing tired of Adam’s demands she submit to him.  The story goes on that three angels were sent to fetch her back.  She refused, cursing them and again is believed to have become a demon with a particular taste for human children.  While no version of Lilith’s story appears in the Bible it’s worth noting that the screech owl, or night monster depending on the translation used, referred to in Isaiah 34:14 is often thought to be a reference to Lilith.

Read complete article here. {via The Examiner}

St. Anthony plagued by demons (wikipedia)

Read complete article here. {via The Examiner}

*****WARNING: MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY***** ’Legion’. Trailer for the upcoming horror/thriller movie.When God loses faith in Mankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Humanity’s only hope lies in a group of strangers trapped in a desert diner and the Archangel Michael (Paul Bettany). {source: Stevie Trailers}

Possession

Another controversial topic in the paranormal is possession. This is another subject that has been ignored by science and torn apart by doctors. Is this something that is the product of fantasy or explained medically? Or is it possible for entities to take over the body and mind of a living person? When dealing with possession there are actually many categories, for this article we will concentrate on evil control, that of the demonic.

Demonic possession is when the human body is taken over by demons or even Satan himself. There are 5 levels of possession. I would like to state that I am not a priest nor a demonologist, if you think you may be dealing with demonic possession seek help.

Read complete article here. {via The Examiner}

Interview with Exorcist Fr. Jose Antonio Fortea. This is a multi-part series with many subjects including, phenomena, possession, sin, witchcraft and more. {source: Dollyhot}

Negative?

Over the last several years, the viewing public has been inundated with paranormal television programs such as SciFi’s Ghost Hunters, A&E’s Paranormal State and the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures.  Investigative teams attempt to prove the existence of the spirit world and its coexistence with the living world. Although the media would seemingly have us believe that every other house on the block is inhabited by ethereal beings, a true haunting is more unique than one might think. Of course it is not the intention of individual programs, most notably Ghost Hunters and TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society), to create fear among the viewing public; but, more importantly, the goal of TAPS and other like-minded groups is to educate viewers on the true nature of ghosts. Sometimes, this message gets lost in the heavily saturated media that bombards us with clever editing.

Read complete article here. {via The Examiner}

It looks as though my buds may have been correct when mercilessly picking on my fear of the 1973 film The Exorcist. As many of you might have already figured out from older posts that The Exorcist scared about almost every possible bodily fluid out of me. I kid you not, while viewing the re-release a few years ago I broke out in a sweat and almost filled my popcorn bucket. It was another case of “based on a true story” that seemed to always get me. While my sympathetic buds would laugh and point, they would claim it’s a all fake, phoney-baloney if you will. And they might’ve been on to something. After reading The Real Story Behind the Exorcist: A Study of the Haunted Boy and other True-Life Horror Legends from Around the Nation’s Capital by Mark Opsasnick, my opinion about the infamous case has changed…dramatically.

The Real Exorcist

Opsasnick tracks down friends of the boy as well as clergy involved with the case for some pretty interesting insight. When asked about the boy speaking languages other than English, the late Father Walter Halloran who had assisted in the exorcism stated, “Just Latin,” and “I think he mimicked us.” Well I thought that was interesting since that’s often one of the many so-called signs of possession. Opsasnick also inquired about the change in the boys voice which Father Halloran responded with a “Not really.” So no demonic voice speaking ancient languages. Hmmm.

And if you’re wondering what happened to that demon boy, he is still on this planet living among us. Opsasnick does get to him, but things don’t go too well.

My only problem with the book is the length. I was expecting a bit more detail on The Exorcist story. The actual Exorcist chapter is only a little over forty pages. The rest of the book includes the investigations into the Tom Monteleone Contactee case, the Luzo-Brazilian Black Magic Cult, The Ghost of Crybaby Bridge, and the Goatman of Prince George’s County. And by no means are these stories filler, each is a very interesting study on how some of these urban legends are blown out of proportion.

Ed and Lorraine Warren discuss the 1988 Snedicker investigation, also known as the Haunting in Connecticut.

If you’re looking to get into investigation of the paranormal or even just interested in the subject, this interview produced by 13 Pictures and www.ghosttown.tv is a must watch. It features two of the most well known and respected guys in the field, Patrick Burns of Haunting Evidence and Demonologist John Zaffis.

Check out more of the ghostly projects at www.ghosttown.tv

Paranormal Field Investigators based in Adelaide, South Australia, caught up with Keith, Sandra & Carl Johnson from New England Anomalies Research for an informal interview. The Johnsons, who’ve been featured on Ghost Hunters and Paranormal State, discussed demonology, exorcism and how they got into the paranormal field. And make sure to check out Paranormal Field Investigators’ YouTube videos, they’ve got some really cool footage of investigations.

For more info on Paranormal Field Investigators.   
For more info on New England Anomalies Research.