The Devil Made Me Do It

[WinJStar]

So, I am watching this crazy film right now called, "The Rite". It is all about exorcisms and priests being trained to exorcise (stars Anthony Hopkins, but that is ). So, it got me thinking. The movie Exorcist came out years ago and we all have heard of or experienced first hand paranormal activity. Depending on your religion, you may believe in heaven and hell. You also may believe in the devil.

Have you ever seen any of these documentaries on possessed bodies? How do you explain it if you don't believe? People can suffer from the delusion they are possessed confusing psychosis with the devil.

Do you believe in demonic possession? Exorcisms?

I have no idea if this belongs in the poli pit, but it is certainly debatable. If you do believe, then why? Is this taught or is it something you have come to believe on your own? Can spirits whether evil or not enter other bodies?

There are horrible crimes made every day and the plea is insanity - "the devil made me do it". What do you think?

[batgirl218]

I really don't believe in being posessed or anything like that, however out of body experiences due to trauma are very much real. Being an (if I must choose a catagory) Atheist I don't really believe in any of the hell/heaven/devil/god stuff. I think the insanity defense doesn't prove you were possessed, it just proves you were unaware of your activities at the time of the act...which I always tend to think is a stretch unless there is a psych review done up BEFORE he has committed these crimes. It ranks right up there with finding God on death row. Yeah NOW you're sorry, yeah THEN you were insane for a split second with no prior psychological episodes.

[skyguy2007]

The mind is an amazing thing!

[Moab]

No God, No devil.

[barbie4]

Yes i do believe in demonic possession and exorcisms. My dad was a minister and I have been in church where I saw it.
There was a very small lady wanting to be prayed for because she was so jealous it was causing her problems. When they prayed for her she passed out . Her body started shaking and she was moaning and grawling ,sounding like an angry dog . It took six men to hold her down. The spirit started talking with the ministers in a mans voice. They opened the windows of the church so the demon could leave and not go into someone else.I was young and so scared I went under my seat to hide. After about an hour the demon had left her, she was so happy that she started praising and thanking God.
I do believe God and in the love of God ! Once I felt his love so strong and became so aware that Jesus was real, I was so happy I could not control my happiness. I was raising my hands and praising God for feeling such love, and I loved everyone ! I still feel the love but not as stronge as that time.

[SuddenMoves]

The wind began to switch The house, to pitch And suddenly the hinges started to unhitch Just then the Witch To satisfy an itch Went flying on her broomstick, thumbing for a hitch!
The house began to pitch The kitchen took a slich It landed on the Wicked Witch in the middle of a ditch Which was not a happy situation for the Wicked Witch!

[billynomates]

I know a lot of people who hear 'voices' in their head. We also know people who suffer violent mood changes for no apparent reason,as Jess says the majority of people regret their 'insane' moments when they really regret is beind found out. But in a v small number of cases? I dunno

[batgirl218]

I do believe people can be found insane I just find it.....a little too convienent when the guy who went into a shopping mall killed 27 people with an assult rifle and two days before he's getting the needle 'he's found God', or 'He was temporarily insane'. If you are that far gone, you need years of therapy and medication and all sorts of write ups and shit done. Plus most of these cases would be found out before hand. You can't be so far gone to do something terrible to humanity and keep it under wraps from friends family etc.. Getting arrested and caught and yadda yadd yadda doesn't magically open all the doors in your mind to for you to come to realize 'Mom didn't hug me every night before I went to bed'.