runner, if you go to the atheist book string I posted a figure about the Catholic women in the USA, who have more abortions than any other group.

But they probably think of it as an exorcism not an abortion, since it must have been a demon that 'took' them.

God to see you justify your mobs actions by the actions of others.

That's a sure way to find 'the truth', eh?

I haven't read all the posts, so forgive me if I repeat someone else's observations.
I read that article and found it to be very easy to understand, and not at all sensational. I am surprised that some posters are so happy to discount the existence of something from which many people have admitted to have suffered.
Evil spirits exist as do good spirits. It is fortunate that God has provided us all with a guardian Angel, to protect us from evil; it is also fortunate, as was stressed by the article in question, that we cannot be overwhelmed by an evil spirit, unless we give them permission to enter into our spirit/psyche.
It is likely that earlier generations attributed many mental illnesses to demonic possession. As was clearly stated in the article in the Australian, this not the current position held by exorcists or medical practitioners. It appears that most candidates for exorcism volunteer for this treatment after medical treatment has been inadequate.

This is quite fascinating stuff, isn't it?

I once lived in a place where the local people
believed that epileptic fits were caused by
malevolent spirits that could 'jump' from one
person to another. They also believed that witches
lived amongst them, as did ghosts.

Of course, these were good Methodists who would
never countenance anything so pagan as an actual
rite of exorcism.

Funny, eh?

To get from the fantasies to the reality about exorcism, let me relate a real instance that occurred. In Melbourne, in the latter part of the 1970's, there was a case where a woman was beaten to death by frenzied Jesus Freaks who were convinced that she was 'possessed' (whatever that means). Their attempts at 'exorcism' (whatever mumbo that is)resulted in the death of a person at the hands of others.This would normally be regarded as a crime. I remember following this case, it was published in the now defunct, "Nation Review".

Surprise, surprise, the religious lobby got this case squashed, there was no punishment for the evildoers that beat another human to death. there was no uproar from any 'Right to Life'groups. but the fact is that an innnocent person was horribly beaten to death by people that she trusted, because they were professing ( and in this case, rabid) Christians.

Beware, religion can be a health hazard!

Epsilon

Let me predict a response to your post Epsilon, from one of the chosen people on this thread.

'They were clearly not real xtians, and were themselves filled with demons'.

Probably not, they were probably like Talisman's Methodists, probably Baptists in fact.

I seem to recall something sounding very similar happening far more recently, in NSW or Qld.

Then there were the 'alternative medicine' parents who starved their child to death as a cure in NSW.

Homeopathic sized food portions just do not cut it when you're hungry, do they?

Demons and magic potions, all part of the same curse.

This thread has me a little bit stumped.
It is known I do not believe in God.
Also that I once clutched that straw.
I am a firm believer we all would be better if man took reality and responsibility for his/her own actions.
And that every religion is based on control fear and rewards for total blind loyalty.
We can if we wish find lunatic fringe groups,they exist,may even use them as evidence but we are talking now about a few.
Mumbo jumbo is not just related to the fringes it is practiced in every creed.
Right wing Christianity has evolved ,so very different than the teachings of their God it seems unrelated,, yet mumbo jumbo open and on display is ignored by far too many.