Is Society’s Interest in the Occult to Blame?
By Kimberly M. Aquilina | Nov 14, 2014 From Head Lines & Global News
“The Exorcist,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” “The Rite,” “Fallen,” “The Last Exorcism,” “Amityville Horror, “The Shining ” and even the romantic “Ghost” are all movies that span decades with one common theme: demon possession. Many religions believe demon possession or spirit channeling is possible.
The idea is scary. It makes for a good movie, but is society’s increased interest in the occult opening a door for the devil? Are school shootings, sniper attacks and suicide bombings occurring on the devil’s playground?
The word “occult” comes from the Latin occultus, meaning hidden or concealed. The mysterious, clandestine, prohibited world seems like a secret society that one has to be specially selected for in order to be granted access to the knowledge. According to Aleteia, a 2005 Gallup poll learned that three in four Americans believe in the occult.
The International Association of Exorcists met in Rome in June 2014. Valter Cascioli, a psychiatrist and spokesperson for the group, said that “the number of disturbances of extraordinary demonic activity is on the rise,” according to Catholic World News. Cascioli called the situation “a pastoral emergency.”
The Catholic Church for years seemed to deny exorcisms and demon possessions, but the number of exorcisms performed is on the rise.
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