We all hear the expression exorcism in our day to day by different people. We don’t notice the term, but have we ever tried to get the literal meaning of what exorcism means? There are figures of heated discussions about the true meaning of this term among researchers and high priests. Scholars puzzle us by saying that it can be a psychological progression or a spiritual process. David Tyndall, a distinguished Christian clergyman and Bible scholar, has a different view of exorcism. He has attended some 30 exorcisms in the 17 years of his reform to the church. Although he is a gifted counselor and psychologist, he considers this process to be absolutely paranormal.
The word exorcism comes from a Latin word exorcismus which means binding by oath. It is fundamentally considered as a religious practice of banishing mischievous goblins and evil spirits from a person or a place that is considered to be haunted by them. According to the conviction of an exorcist, a succession of rituals are carried out in which the entity is evicted, imposing it in the nickname of privileged supremacy. This practice is incredibly primitive and is a credible component of many ethnicities and religions. In Christianity exorcisms are rigorously accomplished by taking the name of Jesus Christ or by praying with unfathomable conviction. Christians reflect on the individual as exorcist while performing the exorcism. He must be an associate of the church or he must be sanctified by some extraordinary commands to cast out demons. The exorcist uses prayers, religious materials like amulets, icons, etc. He can also ask God and the angels in this task through prayer. Demon-possessed people are not considered bad or are not responsible for the bad deeds they do. Therefore, exorcism can be used as a process of relief rather than punishment. The practitioner tries that the possessed person is not harmed in any way.
In Islam, exorcism is identified as ruqya. It is considered a practice to restore the damage caused by witchcraft. In this practice, explicit verses from the Qur’an that are normally God-exalting are spoken and the mischievous spirit is dislodged with the help of God. In some cases, it is also read as adhan, as it expels undetected demonic entities such as jinn. Prophet Muhammad has advised the followers of him to read the three surahs of the Qur’an efficiently Surat al-Ikhlas, Surat al-Falaq and Surat al-Nas. Josephus has given explanations of exorcisms performed by the use of extracts of noxious roots and by the contribution of confiscations. He clarifies that this type of exorcism was carried out by the Essene branch of Judaism. Rabbi Yehuda Fetaya printed an unrestricted book Minchat Yahuda in modern times dealing with exorcisms and some bottomless contemplations of Judaism. The book achieved an ostentatious triumph and was later decoded from Hebrew to English.
The credibility and practices followed in exorcism are emblematically linked with the Hindus. Of the four Vedas of the Hindu religion, the Atharva Veda obscures the secrecy of enchantment and alchemy. In the Tantric tradition, psychic influences are judged to be obtained through yogic sadhana or chastity. The Vedic and Tantric tradition accumulates mantra and vajna as the indispensable connotation of exorcism. The Vaishnava tradition uses the scriptural reading of the Bhagavata Purana and rehearses Narasimha’s name in a strident accent. Gita Mahatmya from Padma Purana believes that reading chapters 3, 7 and 8 of the Bhagavad Gita makes it easier for the trapped person to be free from demons. A sacred practice called Kirtan, as well as offerings such as splashed water from the sacred rivers, as well as haranguing shells during puja, can also expel evil. The Garuda Purana is one of the oldest Puranic reserves that includes information related to ghosts and mourning.
Buddhists also believe in exorcism, but there are different views according to the Buddhist sections, each of which diverges from each other. Some take it as an inclusive mystical process while others judge it as an element of literature. Some Tibetan Buddhists take exorcism as a way to eradicate all unconstructive contemplations from the psyche and file them away with immaculate deliberations. Some suppose it as a procedure to obtain exoneration from evil spirits and immoral thoughts. In Mahayana Buddhism, evil spirits can renew themselves into defensive spirits as described in the Dharma. The Tantra pursued in Buddhism for exorcism is titled Vajrakilaya tantra.
The scientific perspective on exorcism is incredibly different. According to DSM-IV or ICD-10, exorcism is not a legitimate medical or psychiatric verdict. People who believe in demonic possession sometimes illustrate warning signs revealed by patients suffering from mental illnesses such as hysteria, mania, psychosis, Tourette syndrome, epilepsy, schizophrenia, or dissociative identity disorder. A mental disorder called dissociative identity disorder is a condition in which the sufferer thinks they are someone else, and as reports imply, approximately 29% of sufferers classify themselves as naughty goblins. In another state of mind known as monomania, also called demonomania or demonopathy, the patient complains that he or she has been captured by goblins. A Noted Psychiatrist Psychiatrist M. Scott Peck claims that he has performed two exorcisms. He believes that the Christian notion of exorcism is authentic. He exploited the strategy that is somewhat different from that used by the Roman Catholic Church. After the familiarity of him he has given his definition of evil to the DSM-IV. Peck’s work was found to be controversial with that of Malachi Martin, a Roman Catholic priest and a former Jesuit. Other critics rejected Peck’s verdicts, saying his work resembles dissociative identity disorder and that he too has forced his patients to acknowledge Christianity.
The literature is overloaded with references to numbers of outstanding exorcisms. Anneliese Michel was a woman of Catholic faith who was supposedly in love with six demons. The Exorcism of Her was completed on her in 1975 and two Hollywood movies namely The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Requiem are based on the story of Anneliese Michel. Supposedly, Mother Teresa also underwent an exorcism under the supervision of the Archbishop of Calcutta, Henry D’Souza, as she was thought to be haunted by demons. Currently we cannot say anything with certainty about the subsistence of demons and whether or not the practice of exorcism is accurate. Science doesn’t support demons as well as exorcism. In the near future, we may get some solid verification on these two hot topics.
