Foreword: On any given day we receive news feeds regarding Exorcisms gone horribly wrong; many like in the cases mentioned in this article which are no more than ritual based physical abuse. Typically these cases are in other countries and in communities in which the cultural tradition has no prohibitions against doing great physical harm to the supposedly possessed person in the name of exorcising a demon from him or her; the bottom line being get the demon out regardless of the cost or consequences. Reputable deliverance ministers find this practice reprehensible and campaign against philosophies that allow for physical abuse in the name of exorcism. We reiterate constantly that demonic possession is very rare, that the Rite of Exorcism is only to be used after a thorough psychological and medical examiner, and then only as a last result when all other avenues have been exhausted. We never advocate for “beating the demon out of the victim” as we believe that the patient should never be victimized twice—once by the demon and never by the clergy.
We publish this article in the hopes that it builds awareness of how an exorcism investigation should never be conducted.
Extreme and violent ‘exorcism’ practices lead to record number of ritual child abuse cases
by Ruth Gledhill, from Christian Today
Police officers and clergy in London were today advised how to recognise the signs of abuse suffered by children accused of witchcraft or “spirit possession”.
The event, designed to raise awareness of child abuse linked to faith or belief, follows a year when the Metropolitan Police Service received a record 27 allegations relating to ritual child abuse.
The allegations ranged from child neglect through common assault, actual bodily harm, administrating noxious substances to sexual assault offences.
Out of the 27 investigations, one case has resulted in an arrest for rape and one in a charge for rape. Examples of the referrals include a child forced to drink unknown substances to rid them of demons, dunking children in a bath to wash away evil spirits, a pastor who swung a child around banging their head to drive out the devil and parents removing children from school and taking them out of the country to attend an exorcism ceremony to remove the evil spirits.
Other examples in previous years include chilli peppers being rubbed into the child eyes to remove the evil spirit.
Police, clergy, teachers and other agencies at the central London event were given a checklist of signs to look out for.
Children accused of spirit or devil possession or of witchcraft have displayed behaviour “consistent with distress”, they were told. “They may appear isolated, quiet, withdrawn and sad. Significant numbers come to notice of teachers because of signs of neglect. Children come to school hungry, unkempt, dirty and in unlaundered clothes. Some come to attention because of injuries or because of aggressive behaviour or truanting,” a spokesman for the event said. Read the rest of the story at Christian today
Saint Michael's Journal 