I came across this article a few weeks ago about the Roman Catholic Church looking for a few good priests. Apparently there is a severe shortage of trained exorcists in the United States. According to the article there are only about "five or six exorcists in the United States."
That is not good.
How does the Roman Catholic Church in the United States allow itself to let something as significant and important as trained exorcists dip to such low levels?
Follow up question -
Does the Lutheran Church still believe in such things?
I'm serious here. I do not take this topic lightly.
During the time of Luther, there was an acknowledgement that the Devil did exist. It was was firmly believed that the Devil and his minions were very active. Even in Luther's Order of Baptism (1523) there are minor exorcisms.
When I attended seminary, the question was asked in my Pastoral (Mal)Practice class about what a pastor should do if they came across a member that was suspected to be demon possessed. The response from the professor was none too helpful. The response consisted of having that individual seen by a psychiatrist to make sure that it was not mental illness (which made sense). If it was determined that it was not mental illness, than we as pastors were to contact our respective district president who would then "take care of things."
What exactly did that mean?
Was there some secret "black ops" team of trained exorcists that would just magically appear after that phone call was made?
Or did it mean that the LCMS was "sub-contacting" exorcisms to the Roman Catholic church? That their people would take over and "take care of things."
If there is one thing that should never "go out of fashion" in the Lutheran church is the fact that the Devil and his minions are just as active today as they were then. Some may not believe that. Others may want to refuse to accept that concept.
Again, I do not take this topic lightly. Personal experience leads me to firmly believe that this is a force that should not be ignored.
I guess I worry how, today, it seems that the Devil is thought of in more of an abstract way. It sounds great to talk about "the Devil" in a sermon in an impersonal way. A really neat "straw man" to blame things on. Yet, the Devil is much more than than. The Devil is a very real thing that people do struggle with.
I think there needs to be a renewed focus on this. Just as the Roman Catholic church is looking to add new exorcists to its ranks here in America, the Lutheran Church should not be that far behind in looking at topic and discussing it openly.
The thought I had then, I still have now.
I left that class wondering if the church of today really believed as the church of Luther. Especially those words "the power of the devil."
I have never knowingly worked with a demon possessed individual, however I have worked with a young woman who was seeing demonic apparitions and being accused, much like Luther was. I told her to tell them that they could accuse her of all her sins and not to deny any, but to tell the demon that none of his accusations would change the fact that she was baptized into Christ and forgiven. That night was the last time she was visited.
ReplyDeleteI hope never to need to do any work with the demonic beyond this. My suspicion is that we will see more demonic activity as a greater proportion of the population is unbaptized.
I myself have not seen myself any manifestations or anything like that. However, I did have one person, of sound mind, who witness (along with the rest of his family) some strange things - something manifesting as a child (laughter, things like that) in one of his daughters bedroom.
ReplyDeleteWhat we did was the rite of houseblessing in the context of a celebration of the Lord's Supper there in the room. We also put a crucifix up on the wall, and I instructed the family to engage in daily devotions and reading of Scripture there. After that, there were no more problems.
The Word, worship, and prayer. The presence of Christ. These would be the only tools we have.
Eric, where did you get the rite for the house blessing from? Also, why would you use it in the context of the mass?
ReplyDeleteRev. Palm,
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more about the increase in demonic activity as there is a decrease in Christian baptisms.
It is an interesting point that American culture is at. You can find at least three shows on cable TV dedicated to the super-natural. Kind of strange that the work of demons is now television entertainment.
There is only one show that I have seen where they do take seriously the powers they are dealing with as they conduct their investigations. A few of the shows that I have seen they have brought along a priest. Who's services were used.
These are strange times we are living in.
Sorry for my tardy reply.
ReplyDeleteI used the rite of houseblessing from the LSB agenda. I used it in the context of Mass precisely because the point is not simply to mess with the Devil but to establish that evil does not rule and reign in this place but rather Christ Jesus does. Nothing in this life is a higher expression and participation in this reality than our Lord's Supper.
This is my first encounter with your blog. This is an interesting topic for discussion.
ReplyDeleteI have had an apparitional encounter in my own life. It was while I living in the dorm at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. I later learned through another student that there have been demonized students at that seminary. He told me of one in particular who received no help.
One of the professors also spoke in class once regarding the movie The Exorcist. He said that the family was actually an LC-MS family. I cannot remember for certain who he said did the exorcism, whether it was an LC-MS pastor or an R.C. priest.
I find it interesting that the kingdom of the Anti-Christ should be so active in performing exorcisms. Is there a reason that they have such a great need for exorcisms amongst themselves? I am reminded of the question that the Lord Jesus put to the Pharisees:
“And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.” (Matthew 12:27)
These men were not true believers, but hypocrites. Nevertheless, by the power of the Word, they did cast out devils. While the church of Rome is not the true Church, they do know the power by which devils are driven away. Because they are only a pretend church, they also have much need of exorcisms.
Eric’s statement about the power of the Lord’s Supper is something the Lutherans have forgotten through their abuse of the Sacrament. By excommunicating the baptized children, teaching them instead to rely upon something else until they have attended sufficient “confirmation instruction” to be made fit for the Supper through their own works of “self-examination,” they rob the children and their families of the protection of the body and blood of Christ. Moreover, they teach the children and the “communicant members” to rely upon something other than the clear words of the Lord.
The one advantage that the apostate Lutherans have over the members of the church of Rome is the Pharisaic pressure to read the Scriptures. Rome has long taught their people not to read the Scriptures for themselves, but to rely instead upon their own prayers and the Rosary and such. Since the Our Father is part of this, there is considerable protection, even if the true faith is not actively present. But many RC’s let this practice lapse and rely only upon confession and the occasional false observance of the Holy Supper. Thus they may go for extended periods with no protection at all.
The so-called Lutherans have remained more constant in pressing people to read the Scriptures, and while the true faith is abused and even maligned, nevertheless the Word of God is more often present in the lives of these people so that the devils are less inclined to come near. Thus demonic oppression is far more common than actual possession.
However, in the last couple of centuries, since psychology has been divorced of theology, the concept of mental illness has been invented to replace the acknowledgment of those illnesses that were previously recognized as demonic influence, oppression, and possession. Now the signs and symptoms are subdued with various drugs and never really treated and cured by the only power that can effect the needed cure. The so-called Lutherans have accepted this fraud and as you, Exiled, have noted, it is taught in the seminaries.
Nevertheless, where the Scriptures are utilized, even when utilized by unbelievers and by pseudo-believers, the Word sends the demons away to lurk in the shadows. Even the Christian Scientists work miracles using the words of the Scriptures. This is why demonic possession is found much more commonly where the Scriptures have not been carried.
But in the Scriptures, how many times are there recorded instances of demonic possession in the families of the true saints, among those who abided in the Word and regularly partook of the sacrifices/Sacraments?