According to priests who perform exorcisms, requests for them are increasing. Does that mean possession is real and on the rise?
According to a 2013 Youguv survey, 57% believe in the devil, 28% don’t, and 15% don’t know. 51% from the same survey believe one can be possessed by the devil or some other evil spirit. 28% said they don’t believe, and 20% didn’t know enough about the subject to form an opinion.
Many years ago, we didn’t believe in negative entities. But after researching and experiencing the phenomenon firsthand, we now believe they are very common.
James Cloud, an Oregon priest, agrees: “If I hadn’t seen half the stuff I’ve seen in life, I wouldn’t believe it, either — until it actually happens.”
We don’t blame people for being skeptical of possession. After all, there are so many myths about it, and most people avoid the subject since the idea is terrifying, or think it’s only the subject of scary, make-believe Hollywood movies.
“[Many people] think reality’s very sanitized,” James said. “When people die, they go to heaven, bad people go to hell, the angels stay in heaven, the demons stay in hell — and that’s not the case. Throughout the scriptures, we see examples of angels interacting on Earth — devils and Satan himself interacting on Earth.”
Is possession really increasing, or just the awareness of it?
The author of this article said the exorcists he interviewed said they believe it’s becoming more common due to the popularity of magic, witchcraft, divination, and attempting to communicate with the other side.
“According to Catholic teaching, engaging with the occult involves accessing parts of the spiritual realm that may be inhabited by demonic forces.”
We agree that certain kinds of magic and witchcraft might open the door to negative energy, but we don’t believe divination, or channeling or mediums do so, as long as you protect yourself (such as by not attempting it under the influence of anything, avoiding drugs, and avoiding invoking the help of any spirits that aren’t of the Light). We’ve noticed that the priests who make that claim usually have little to no understanding of or experience with divination and communicating with guides of the Light.
While the increase in awareness of demonic influence might be the explanation for priests receiving more requests for help, behavior that can lead to negative spirit influence or attachment is also increasing:
Increase in Drug Abuse
Drug abuse, including prescription pills and pot, leads to a lowered vitality and opening oneself to negative energy.
Increase in Atheists
While we don’t believe that atheists will be punished for not believing, their strong views may lead to being a “ghost” after death: If they continue to totally reject any indication of a higher power, God, and so on, and refuse to go to the Light after death, they will become an earthbound spiritual hitchhiker. This is far less appealing than it may sound. It’s akin to aimlessly wandering around a strange country for eternity, wasting the opportunity to advance spiritually, which is the ultimate goal of your soul.
More Acceptance of Satanism
No matter how Satanists try to deny or justify it, we believe they are opening the door to being controlled by evil energy.
More Anger Over The Political and Racial Divide
We believe different demons target specific groups, including political and racially motivated groups. These spiritual troublemakers love to stoke the fires of conflict. Ever notice how most of the angry celebrities who yell the loudest about their perceived political enemies have or have had serious problems with drugs and or alcohol? Demons could be using them.
Many priests who perform exorcisms believe complete possession is rare. However, attachment, or occasionally being influenced by dark energy, appears to be common.
How do you know if someone is really being attacked by dark energy? Could it be something else, such as a mental imbalance?
“Many things that would almost mirror someone that’s being possessed or oppressed — many mental health conditions will do it too,” James Cloud said.
James is also an accredited mental health counselor, specializing in substance abuse treatment and recovery.
“I have to differentiate: is this substance use, is it mental health, or is it a legitimate issue that’s going on?” James said. “So, if I can rule out the first two then what I’m left with is something that’s potentially legitimate.”
James said once you remove bad spirits, you must use caution to prevent them from returning by “…standing your ground, standing firm, really honing your spiritual life.”
This isn’t easy with a world filled with drugs, alcohol, demonically and entity influenced people everywhere, lost souls and spiritual troublemakers wandering around, spells, and pacts with the dark side (intentional or not).
We recommend the free Spiritual Detox Script to clear spiritual clutter. Note that this isn’t a permanent cleansing; just like you need to cleanse your skin on a regular basis, you also need to do the same with your soul.
If you’re feeling depressed, angry, fearful, or having a tough time quitting bad habits and addictions, our Spiritual Detox™ MP3 can help. https://spiritualgrowthnow.com/spiritual-detox/
Copyright © 2020 Stephen Petullo, Scott Petullo