Can sprites really be dislodged by exorcism?

We all hear the expression exorcism in our daily lives by different people. We don’t realize 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 senior priests. Scholars perplex 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 point of view on exorcism. He has attended about 30 exorcisms in 17 years of his church reform. Although he is a gifted counselor and psychologist, he considers this process to be absolutely paranormal.

The word exorcism has been instigated from a Latin word exorcism which means binding by oath. It is primarily seen as a religious practice of banishing mischievous goblins and evil spirits from a person or a place that is considered to have been haunted by them. According to the condemnation of an exorcist, a succession of rituals are performed in which the entity is evicted, imposing it in the name of privileged supremacy. This practice is incredibly primitive and is a component of the credibility of many ethnicities and religion. In Christianity, exorcisms are accomplished rigorously by taking the name of Jesus Christ or by prayer with unfathomable conviction. Christians reflect on the individual as an exorcist while performing the exorcism. He must be an associate of the church or he must be sanctified by some extraordinary injunctions to cast out demons. The exorcist uses prayers, religious materials such as amulets, icons, etc. You can also ask God and angles on this task through prayer. Demon-possessed people are not considered evil or are not responsible for the evil deeds they perform. Therefore, exorcism can be used as a process of relief rather than punishment. The practitioner tries not to hurt the possessed person in any way.

In Islam, exorcism is identified as ruqya. It is considered a practice to restore the crush caused by witchcraft. In this practice, explicit verses of the Qur’an that normally exalt God are pronounced and the rogue goblin is expelled with the help of God. In some cases, adhan is also read, as it drives out undetected demonic entities such as jinn. Prophet Muhammad has advised his followers to read the three suras of the Quran predominantly Surat al-Ikhlas, Surat al-Falaq and Surat al-Nas. Josephus has given explanations of exorcisms performed using harmful root extracts and contributing with seizures. He clarifies that this type of exorcism was carried out by the Essene branch of Judaism. An unrestricted book Minchat Yahuda was printed by Rabbi Yehuda Fetaya in modern times that deals with exorcisms and some bottomless contemplations of Judaism. The book achieved a flamboyant triumph and was later decoded from Hebrew to English.

The credibility and practices followed in exorcism are emblematically linked to the Hindus. Of the four Vedas of the Hindu religion, the Atharva Veda obscures the underground of enchantment and alchemy. It is judged that in the tantric tradition, psychic influences are obtained through sadhana or yogic chastity. The Vedic and Tantric tradition accumulates mantra and vajna as the indispensable connotation of exorcism. The Vaishnava tradition uses the reading of scriptures from the Bhagavata Purana and rehearsing the name of Narasimha with a strident accent. Mahatmya Gita of Padma Purana believes that reading chapters 3, 7 and 8 of the Bhagavad Gita makes it easier for the imprisoned person to free himself from demons. A sacred practice called Kirtan, as well as offerings such as drinking holy river water and haranguing conches during puja can also remove evil. The Garuda Purana is one of the oldest puranic reserves that encompasses the knowledge of ghosts and information interrelated with mourning.

Buddhists also believe in exorcism, but there are different points of view depending on the Buddhist sections that diverge 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 route to eradicate all non-constructive contemplations from the psyche and archive them with immaculate deliberations. Some suppose it as a procedure to obtain the exoneration of evil spirits and immoral thoughts. In Mahayana Buddhism, evil spirits can be renewed into defensive spirits as described in the Dharma. The Tantra persecuted 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 possessions 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 patient thinks he is someone else and, as reports imply, about 29% of patients classify themselves as mischievous goblins. In another state of mind recognized as monomania, also called demonomania or demonopathy, the patient complains that he has been seized by goblins. A prominent 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 his familiarity, he has given his definition of evil to 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 has also forced his patients to recognize Christianity.

The literature is replete with references to lots of prominent exorcisms. Anneliese Michel was a woman of the Catholic faith who was supposedly in love with six demons. The Exorcism was completed with her in 1975 and two Hollywood films, namely The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Requiem, are based on the story of Anneliese Michel. Mother Teresa also allegedly underwent an exorcism under the supervision of the Archbishop of Calcutta, Henry D’Souza, as she was thought to be haunted by demons. At present we cannot say anything with certainty about the subsistence of demons and whether the practice of exorcism is accurate or not. Science does not sustain demons so much as exorcism. In the near future, we may get some solid verification on these two burning issues.