from: AMERICAN ATHEISTS
subject: AANEWS for December 2, 2000

A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S
#850 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12/2/00

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In This Issue...
   * Scaring the devil out: Exorcism makes a comeback
   * Resources
   * About this list...

    AN EXCESS OF EXORCISMS? GULLIBILITY, FRAUD AND POPULAR
   CULTURE FUEL A NEW FASCINATION WITH DEMONIC POSSESSION

The Prince of Evil is back.

Once consigned to the theological dustbin, the curious ritual known as
exorcism is enjoying a renaissance, not only within theological
circles but popular culture as well. A recent piece in the New York
Times is only one of many news reports suggesting that exorcism -- the
driving out of demons from "possessed" victims -- is back in vogue,
even in the Roman Catholic Church which has recently attempted to
modernize its hoary views on the subject.

-- The Archdiocese of Chicago has appointed a full-time exorcist, the
first in its 160 year history. New York City has four, including the
Rev. James LeBar. According to Fordham University sociologist
Michael W. Cuneo, the number of exorcists in the American Catholic
church has risen to ten from only one a decade ago. His forthcoming
book, "American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty"
refers to an "underground network of exorcists," and a "bewildering
variety of exorcisms being performed."

-- Exorcism is a growth industry, thanks in part to the re-release of
the 1973 screen hit "The Exorcist." The stage had already been set,
though, due to pop-culture fascination with "Satan's Underground," the
subject of numerous -- and questionable -- books, documentaries and
lectures during the 70s and early 80s by self-styled experts who
warned of a proliferation of cabals of powerful devil worshippers .
The concurrent fascination with Satan prompted a rash of demon
possession claims; from 1989 to 1995, over 300 potential exorcism
cases were examined in New York alone, but the Archdiocese says that
rituals were performed in only about 10%.

-- Exorcism is no longer the exclusive terrain of the Roman Catholic
Church. Protestant Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Charismatics and
others have jumped on the exorcism bandwagon, and the ritual is now
incorporated into emotionally charged "prayer meetings" and "healing"
gatherings. That development, along with unorthodox activities within
its own ranks, prompted the Vatican to issue a new document last month
under the imprimatur of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
warning of potential "abuses" in faith healings, exorcisms and
"anything resembling hysteria."

The Vatican statement, issued with the approval of Pope John Paul II,
warned that exorcism rituals should be performed under close
supervision of the local bishop, and should not be incorporated into
the celebration of the Mass, healing services or prayer meetings. It
affirmed the new guidelines issued last year, cautioning exorcists to
not confuse psychiatric illnesses for satanic possession; and the
document states that any exorcism rituals should avoid the venue of
"sensationalist and hysterical" movements where crowds gather "in
expectation of a miracle."

                   The Problem With Emanuel Milingo

The case of former African Archbishop Emanuel Milingo underscores the
growing fascination in the exorcism ritual in Third World nations, as
well as problems faced by ecclesiastical authorities attempting to
control access to the controversial ritual. Milingo has caused an
uproar within the confines of the Vatican because of his role as what
some characterize as "an exorcist witch doctor." His colorful Masses
combined with exorcism rituals have reportedly sent thousands of
excited spectators into convulsions of group hysteria that would be
the envy of any Bible belt preacher.

"The Lord has asked me to fight the good fight against Satan and his
allies," Milingo recently told the British Daily Telegraph newspaper.
"Demons exist among us. They are like wild cats who tear chickens to
pieces and whom the farmers cannot catch."

Milingo is accused of combining his prowess as an exorcist stage
master with claims of being able to "heal" cancer, AIDS and other
terminal illnesses. "Thousands converge on his services to witness
people reportedly possessed with demons, writhing in agony on the
floor while Milingo conducts his mass exorcism -- dancing, singing and
shouting," notes the Telegraph.

His critics charge that the Archbishop is inventing his own exorcism
rituals, though, which are rooted more in African witchcraft than the
traditional, sanctioned rites of the Catholic Church. Pope John Paul
II was an early supporter, and described the Archbishop as a
"lightning rod for the devil." As Milingo continued to incorporate
prayer healing spectacles and other theatrics into his exorcism
routine, though, he fell from grace with the Vatican and was
eventually stripped of his ecclesiastical title. Priests in Zambia
accused him of engaging in "black magic," and Milingo eventually found
himself the subject of a formal church inquiry and even a round of
psychiatric examinations.

"It was like going back to the Inquisition," declared Milingo. "They
were worried that paganism may lay beneath my Christian skin."

Last year, the Vatican attempted to banish the image of the devil as
an impish figure with horns and a pitchfork in favor of a "more subtle
and sophisticated" force in the universe that exercises harmful
influences through "deception, falsehoods, lies and confusion."
Cardinal Jorge Medina announced that the church had concocted a new
formula for exorcism which placed more recognition on psychological
disturbances and medical problems such as schizophrenia and epilepsy
-- conditions which in the past had been misinterpreted as symptoms of
demonic possession.

"One must be very careful," Medina declared at a Vatican press
conference, "since ordinary people tend to confuse psychosomatic and
psychological problems with demonic ones." The new ritual ordered
exorcists to avoid references to "The Prince of Darkness" and instead
use more generic terms such as '"the cause of evil." It was a
revision of the 21 current exorcism rituals which had been used by the
church since their approval by Pope Paul V in 1614.

Despite the symbolic upgrade, many elements of the old exorcism ritual
linger. Exorcists are still required to sprinkle holy water over the
victim, and wave the crucifix -- an evocative symbols for Christians
of the power of Jesus Christ over the devil. They also looks for
clues to demonic possession, like "speaking with a great number of
words from unknown languages" and "a vehement aversion toward God, Our
Lady, the Cross and holy pictures." The procedure also requires that
priests look to mental health professionals as what church officials
describe as "the first port of call" before agreeing to perform the
exorcism rite. Even then, the approval of the local Bishop is
necessary.

                                 A Hoary History

Exorcism is inextricably linked to claims of demonic possession and
the force which in modern times has come to be associated with the
devil. In diverse theological systems, the devil has been known under
a constellation of names and descriptions, including Beelzebub, the
Old Serpent, "Legion," Lucifer, Apollyon, the Prince of Darkness and
Satan. Folkloric and less flattering descriptions include Old Nick,
Old Clootie, Old Teaser and even a comparison to "the holes in a
Gruyere cheese," the simple absence of good.

The Oxford English Dictionary has nearly 13,000 words spread out on
several pages describing the devil, beginning with: "In Jewish and
Christian theology, the proper appellation of the supreme spirit of
evil, the tempter and spiritual enemy of mankind, the foe of God and
holiness, otherwise called Satan." As a symbolic figure, Satan
evolved from the "adversary" in the ancient Hebrew religion to a more
aggressive figure including that of the Archangel Lucifer who commands
a celestial legion of sub-demons. Early Christians believed in an
immanent apocalypse -- expected to occur within their own lifetime --
where the final confrontation between God and Satan would take place
at the battle of Armageddon. Depending on how one interpreted
theological scripture, Satan would be vanquished into an eternal lake
of fire.

Throughout history, the devil became a repository of blame for
everything from war and famine to barren women and sour milk.
Historians have noted that often, communities under stress fell victim
to social hysteria in the form of witch hunts, obsessive fear of
demons and other ill omens.

In the eighteenth century as the Enlightenment swept Europe and
America, Satan was relegated to the status of a superstition delusion
or folk myth. Christianity, and particularly the Roman Catholic
Church, continued to believe that the devil was the preeminent force
for evil in the universe. While the church persisted with rituals
designed to purge victims of demonic possession, though, the devil was
gradually considered to be less significant. Mr. Cuneo observes that
by the 1960s, "exorcism was all but dead and gone in the United
States."

"It was just a fading ghost long past its prime," he said. "People
weren't running to get demons expelled."

            Jesus Freaks, New Agers And Hollywood To The Rescue

The resurgence of interest in exorcism and all things devilish
occurred at the confluence of several trends in American culture.

By the late 1960s, a "Jesus Freak" movement was coalescing out of the
alternative culture and political protest ethos of the time. This
period was also the birthing of a "new age" movement emphasizing
pop-spirituality, interest in personal therapy regimens, and social
transformation. In 1973, Hollywood producer William Friedkin released
the movie adaptation of William Peter Blatty's hit novel, "The
Exorcist," which in turn fueled a renewed interest in a cinemtatic
genre focusing on Satan, demonic possession and apocalyptic themes.

By the late 1970s, His Infernal Majesty had leapt off the movie screen
as was reportedly the object of adoration by a legion of devil
worshipping cultists dubbed "Satan's Underground." A series of
questionable documentaries on television suggested that Satanic cults
and churches had become "America's best kept secret." Talk show hosts
like Geraldo Rivera provided a televised, and often non-critical stage
for a bevy of self-styled occult crime experts, "former high priests
of Satan," and others who laid the responsibility for everything from
cattle mutilations to drug dealing at the cloven fee of the Prince of
Darkness. Satan had been transformed from adversary to buffoon and
historical dropout to a Hollywood star and modern day gang leader.

Despite its high tech veneer, modern culture remains a fertile
breeding ground for all things odd, occult, irrational and satanic. A
rash of films such as Arnold Schwartzenegger's "End of Days" and the
re-release of "The Exorcist," combined with a surge of Evangelical and
Pentecostal religious fervor, all seem to be elements contributing to
the revitalization of the devil and exorcism. Indeed, the hard shell
preachers and street evangelists who grew out of the "Jesus Freak"
movement and once focused on the evils of drug abuse, prostitution,
UFOs, the occult and other oddities now have a new cause -- the devil.
One example is the Rev. Bob Larson, the frenetic Denver evangelical
minister profiled in the recent New York Times piece on exorcism.

                              Casting Out Satan For Cash?

According to Times reporter John W. Fountain ("Exorcists and
Exorcisms Proliferate Across U.S.," Nov. 28, 2000) Rev. Bob Larson
claims to have 40 "exorcism teams" traveling across the nation in
search of evil spirits to drive out, and boasts an even loftier though
questionable objective.

"Our goal is that no one should ever be more than a day's drive from a
city where you can find an exorcist," declared the minister. Larson
will be holding one of his "Spiritual Freedom" conferences in Chicago
next month where he hopes to assemble another "exorcism team" to
assist those considered victims of demonic possession.

Larson is typical of the growing fascination with exorcism that is
reverberating throughout America's Pentecostal, Evangelical and
Charismatic subculture. His theatrical speaking style, religious
right politics and aggressive fund raising techniques have elicited
support from followers, and poignant criticism as well. When he isn't
on the road giving workshops and conferences, Larson is reaching out
with his Talk-Back radio program which is carried on the Trinity
Broadcasting Network. His prayer rallies offer a plethora of Bob
Larson Ministries products such as video tapes, books and
"demon-proofing" tools.

Rev. Larson practices "spiritual warfare," based on a belief that
people -- including Christians -- may be under the control of Satan
and his demons. His "deliverance ministry" makes use of prayer
healing and public exorcisms where Larson claims to actually "bind"
the demonic spirit.

"Christians can be put into a trance," Larson told a Canadian
newspaper. "A demon can look out of them, can speak out of them, and
to some extent make them do something that would be contrary to their
purposes as a Christian."

Larson's aggressive tactics have been endorsed by other "spiritual
warfare" evangelists like Neil Anderson, Derek Prince, Morris Cerullo
and Benny Hinn. One supporter at a Larson prayer rally insisted that
the evangelist is "one of a few gifted men of God who is moving and
cooperating in the fullness of the gifts, the power and the anointing
of the Holy Spirit."

Others disagree. Some fundamentalist and evangelical Christians are
increasingly skeptical, even embarrassed bout the "spiritual warfare"
ministries which, like Rev. Larson's are thought to be "cashing in"
on the renewed interest in the devil and exorcism.

"There is a lot of mythology around occult and demonic activity being
uncritically accepted by Christians today, which gives too much credit
to the devil," says theologian Ellio Miller of the Christian Research
Institute. "You end up with a superstitious world view, in where
there is literally a devil under every bush."

David K. Barrett, a professor at Criswell College in Dallas, Texas is
also critical of Larson. "His practice is more like Dungeons &
Dragons than anything scriptural." Another critic dismissed Larson's
prayer meeting theatrics as a "traveling ectoplasm show," a reference
to the interest in ghosts and spirit communications popular in the
nineteenth century.

Others accuse Larson of ethical and financial impropriety. Two
respected Christian magazines, World and Cornerstone have run
extensive investigative reports on Larson and his ministry, focusing
in part on his constant appeals for funds to cover financial
emergencies. Critics have also noted that while the evangelist claims
an annual salary of only $69,000, he received over $1,200,000 for the
years 1990-1993.

"There are a variety of other allegations," noted one newspaper
report, "involving doctored radio shows passed off as live broadcasts,
callous treatment of troubled callers off the air and questionable
real estate transactions."

Colorado resident Kenneth Smith operates an internet web site critical
of the Denver evangelist (http://www.freespeech.org/boblarson/) which
links to articles and recent news. Among the charges: Larson's books
have been "ghostwritten," and cash flow for his exorcism ministry
seems to be "at a minimum." Perhaps the New York Times article will
help.

                               An Enduring Theme

Belief in a devil, and the concept that human beings might fall under
the sway of demonic forces, have deep historical roots. Ancient
societies in the Middle East feared that bodily diseases were often
the work of evil spirits. Early peoples invented rituals for curing
possession. In early Christian times, those under demonic influences
-- energumens -- were placed under the supervision of clerical
exorcists.

Hebrew and Muslim theologies also included belief in a devil. One of
the most complex elaborations of demonic hierarchies is found in the
Islamic faith, which teaches that demons, or jinns, were created
before Adam. Like the Biblical tale of Lucifer, the Muslim theology
tells of Iblis, the greatest of the fallen angels, who had five sons
and gave rise to a lower rank of inferior demons, the ghul.

The exorcism rituals practiced today in the Christian religion find
their roots in the New Testament, and the stories where Jesus claimed
authority over demons and expelled them. In 398 c.e. (current era)
the fourth Council of Carthage prescribed the rite of ordination for
an exorcist and established formulae and procedures for the ritual.
These were elaborated in subsequent documents and councils, and
formalized again in the 1614 Roman Ritual. Three hundred and
eighty-four years later, with the approval of Pope John Paul II, the
Vatican released another 84-page guide published entirely in Latin.
Despite the pretense of modernization, "De Exorcismus et
supplicationibus quibusdam" reaffirmed the belief in demons, "angelic
creatures," and the hope that human beings "will be freed from the
snares of the Devil."

An important theme in these new guidelines involved control and
authority over the exorcism ritual. With exorcism thriving in many
Third World nations, and the ritual finding a wide audience in
Pentecostal and Evangelical Protestant circles, the monopoly enjoyed
by the Vatican over the devil and his casting-out could be in
jeopardy. The staid and reclusive Exorcist of Blatty's novel now has
competition from hard-shell preachers, renegade clerics any anyone who
has the audacity and imagination to challenge the Prince of Darkness.

For further information:

http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/p&g2.htm
("Rumors of Satanism plague Procter & Gamble," 8/12/99)

http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/apoc1.htm
("Omega Code stokes fears of end times..." 10/26/99)

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/28/national/28EXOR.html
("Exorcists and Exorcisms Proliferate Across U.S.," 11/28/00)

                                                  **

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