Here are some additional pieces to follow up on the stories in the last podcast regarding possession and exorcism.

The latest exorcism death comes to us from Texas where a 60 year old man killed his 59 year old wife. His claim is that he was attempting to perform an exorcism when the devil entered HIS body and the devil killed her. He told the police he was pinning her face down on the carpet when she died. When the police arrived he’d wrapped the body in the a sheet and placed a cross and a sword on the body. I haven’t seen any reports on the autopsy yet in regards to what actually killed her, suffocation sounds like a real possibility. Hubby was charged with murder. I believe this was the 4th exorcism death I have seen a report on in the last month.

The other part of the story from the show was in regard to the Catholic Church and their renewed focus on exorcism and satanic fear mongering. This story from the BBC struck my curiosity… during the reign of Pope John Paul II enrollment in the religious orders fell 25%, and just between 2005 and 2006 it dropped an additional 10%. So, the ranks and influence of the Church and its full time adherents seems to be hemorrhaging and has been for sometime. It could be suggested that the Vatican may be trying to spice up the prospect of a life within the Church. In this day and age with the knowledge we have of science, the evolution of myth and archetypes, with the politicization of religion and zealotry on the upswing in some circles the Catholic Church doesn’t have the presence it once had. They are seeking the resurrection of the bogeyman.

Additionally, the Washington Post picked up the story on the possession treatment center in Poland we covered in the last show. Here’s their piece on that one. There is a bit more detail in this one than the originally translated Polish article I mentioned, and it offers a bit of a larger picture.

Rev. Amorth, who is considered the “Exorcist In Chief” for the Vatican says, “People don’t pray anymore, they don’t go to church, they don’t go to confession. The devil has an easy time of it,” Amorth said in an interview. “There’s a lot more devil worship, people interested in satanic things and seances, and less in Jesus.”

According to Rev. Jankowski, one of the folks working at the center those at risk include “include people who turn away from the church and embrace New Age therapies, alternative religions or the occult. Internet addicts and yoga devotees are also at risk.”

Yoga is potentially Satanic, but raping children isn’t on their list for some reason. However a woman who was seeking a divorce and began to hate her husband is most likely possessed as the story linked indicates.

They are resurrecting the bogeyman to validate themselves. This message is filtering down to those who… don’t have a real good sense of discretion, and as I said this is the 4th exorcism death I have seen in a month.

– Prof. Gruntsplatter