Demonic possession

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Another version of this is practiced in the religion of [[Vodun]], often misspelled as "Voodoo."  In Vodun, religious leaders and practitioners seek to be possessed (or "ridden") by the ''loa'' is order to bond more closely with them.  Moreover, it is felt within Vodun that a loa can better affect the world, and thus be more helpful, by having a body to temporarily reside in.  For those from more rationalistic, less passionate religions, the possesions of Vodun can be quite frightening, but to practitioners it is a great gift to be possessed. (While labelled as demonic by most Christians, in practice it is not much different from the possession by the Holy Ghost that occurs at Pentecostal churches.)
 
Another version of this is practiced in the religion of [[Vodun]], often misspelled as "Voodoo."  In Vodun, religious leaders and practitioners seek to be possessed (or "ridden") by the ''loa'' is order to bond more closely with them.  Moreover, it is felt within Vodun that a loa can better affect the world, and thus be more helpful, by having a body to temporarily reside in.  For those from more rationalistic, less passionate religions, the possesions of Vodun can be quite frightening, but to practitioners it is a great gift to be possessed. (While labelled as demonic by most Christians, in practice it is not much different from the possession by the Holy Ghost that occurs at Pentecostal churches.)
  
The belief in posession is probably a holdover from more ancient animist religions which held that all illness and anti-social was caused by posession of a person by an evil spirit. Animistic religions also conduct rituals, often in the form of dance, in which the dancer wears a mask representing a particular spirit. The dancer is subsequently posessed by the spirit in question, leading to the possibility of communication with the spritual world.
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The belief in posession is probably a holdover from more ancient animist religions which held that all illness and anti-social behavior was caused by posession of a person by an evil spirit. Animistic religions also conduct rituals, often in the form of dance, in which the dancer wears a mask representing a particular spirit. The dancer is subsequently posessed by the spirit in question, leading to the possibility of communication with the spritual world.
  
 
==References and notes==
 
==References and notes==

Revision as of 15:47, 14 February 2008

Pseudoscience Alert
This topic is a pseudoscience, and is not accepted by the scientific community as a valid discipline.
Although it may use scientific terminology, it does not use scientific methodology.
Remember: just because it sounds right doesn't mean it's actually right.

Demonic possession is the phrase used by religious people to describe other people who are either mentally ill, under the influence of a narcotic, or those who simply don't buy their bullshit.

This belief is found in many religious systems from Christianity to Vodun. Those who believe in demonic possession believe that ghosts or spirits exist and can possess human bodies. Further they believe, depending on their religious belief, that some or all of these spirits are evil spirits, hence demons. Usually the promoters of this belief then go on to say that a person can open themselves up to possession by evil spirits by committing particular "sins", or through involvement in spiritism, black magic, or attempted communication with spirits through Ouija boards or seances or the like.

The remedy for demonic possession is, of course, an exorcism, usually conducted by a preacher or priest, and often without the presence of a mental health professional or, indeed, medical assistance of any kind.

This belief often serves as a convenient substitute for seeking real treatment and genuine scientific explanations for many conditions, particularly mental illness.

At the most extreme, a few in the professional exorcism industry, mostly from the "word of faith" branch of Pentecostal Christianity, will claim that all manner of everyday things are caused by demonic possession, from nicotine addiction to being overweight. Their prescription for their true-believing victims is multiple "exorcisms" to cast out the "demon of nicotine", the "demon of fat" and so on, along with frequent invocations of the name of Jesus to "bind Satan".

At the other end of the spectrum are those who purposely set out to become "possesed" by a "spirit", such as for the purpose of channelling or in pursuit of lycanthropy or some other such irrational belief.

Another version of this is practiced in the religion of Vodun, often misspelled as "Voodoo." In Vodun, religious leaders and practitioners seek to be possessed (or "ridden") by the loa is order to bond more closely with them. Moreover, it is felt within Vodun that a loa can better affect the world, and thus be more helpful, by having a body to temporarily reside in. For those from more rationalistic, less passionate religions, the possesions of Vodun can be quite frightening, but to practitioners it is a great gift to be possessed. (While labelled as demonic by most Christians, in practice it is not much different from the possession by the Holy Ghost that occurs at Pentecostal churches.)

The belief in posession is probably a holdover from more ancient animist religions which held that all illness and anti-social behavior was caused by posession of a person by an evil spirit. Animistic religions also conduct rituals, often in the form of dance, in which the dancer wears a mask representing a particular spirit. The dancer is subsequently posessed by the spirit in question, leading to the possibility of communication with the spritual world.

References and notes

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