I took the photos above in a major pharmacy store. It was displayed in the midst of other ghoulish, Halloween paraphernalia available for purchase. Though based on a true story, much of the film “The Exorcist” was fiction, an unrealistic portrayal of what really goes on in an exorcism. What I’m about to describe isn’t a movie, it really happened in Tucson, Arizona, not far from Phoenix, where I live. A man attempted to exorcise a demon from a six-year-old child, living on Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation. He held the youngster under a faucet of hot, running water. The water poured in the throat of the child and caused serious burns over much of his body. By the time an ambulance was called and took the child to the hospital, he was dead. The man who performed this “exorcism” said he had to do it to save the child from the devil; but this wasn’t an exorcism to deliver the child from evil. It was an act of murder, instigated by the demons in the man who killed the youngster in the name of exorcism.
There are many reasons why the exorcism I just described was evil:
- TRUE EXORCISM RESULTS FROM THE COMMAND ISSUED BY A CHRISTIAN EXERCISING THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST. Many religions, such as Islam and Buddhism, have exorcism rituals. But the supposed expulsion of demons isn’t effective, or it appears to work, only to leave the victim in a worse condition later. The authority to trample Satan, given in Luke 10:19, is only available to true followers of Christ.
- DEMONS ARE SUPERNATURAL BEINGS AND INFLICTING PAIN ON THE PHYSICAL BODY OF THE HOST HAS NO EFFECT ON THE DEMONS. Many pagan rituals of exorcism require self-flagellation or the inflicting of pain by the so-called exorcist. The only pain a demon feels is the torment from hearing the word of God or the revulsion toward scared objects, such as a cross, anointing oil, the Bible or holy water.
- AN EXORCISM IS AN ACT OF CONSENT WHEREBY THE POSSESSED INDIVIDUAL REQUESTS THE EXORCISM. No legitimate exorcism can ever be performed on an unwilling person. The host of the demon must exert his or her will against the evil invader. An exorcism is a mutual process whereby the exorcist and the possessed individual completely agree on resisting evil in the name of Jesus.
- TRUE DELIVERANCE COMBINES THE FAITH OF THE EXORCIST AND THE ONE BEING LIBERATED ACCORDING TO SPIRITUAL AGREEMENT DESCRIBED IN MATTHEW 18:19. Christ promised to answer the prayers of “two or more” of his followers. Those ministering to the possessed cannot impose their purposes on that person unless there is full consent of all those involved.
- A CHILD HAS DIMINISHED CAPACITY FOR CONSENT, AND NO DELIVERANCE SHOULD BE ATTEMPTED WITHOUT THE COOPERATION AND PRAYERFUL PARTICIPATION OF THE PARENTS. I have performed exorcisms on children but only with the full consent of the parents and their active participation. Parents have biblically mandated authority over their children and can speak for them in an exorcism. But deliverance should not be attempted on a young child unless an adult family member cooperates. An exception would in the case of legal guardianship.
The devil seeks for ways to discredit the reality of demonic possession and the ministry of deliverance. If he can’t cause neglect or negation of this calling, he’ll attempt to defame it by evil exorcisms. But no matter how many ill-advised or even fatal evil exorcisms occur, it doesn’t deny the reality and need for boldly confronting the forces of hell by prayers of deliverance.
