Devil Or Delusion?

Feature, By Christian Taylor, 1st August, 2008

And so religion month draws to a close on Same Same. In this, the final article in the series, we look at the scandalous and largely outdated practice of exorcisms. Devil or delusion? You decide.

Few religious rituals have attracted the curiosity and the controversy that exorcisms have. To a bystander they can resemble cruel and unusual punishments, and in some cases, they’ve even resulted in death. They have been, and sometimes still are, practiced within a number of religions, including Judaism, Hinduism, some parts of the Christian church, as well as the Islamic faith. But what is the truth behind exorcisms? Are they really a tug of war between devils and gods? Or is there a scientific basis for the phenomenon?

Anthony Venn-Brown [second picture] has experienced the trauma of an exorcism first hand. Once a happily married father of two and an evangelist preacher for the Assemblies of God Church, Anthony is now, amongst other things, the driving force behind Freedom2 b[e], a group that provides assistance for gay people torn between their sexuality and their faith.

While studying at a Bible College in New Zealand he told his principal that he’d been having ‘homosexual thoughts’.

“Like the diagnosis of a terminal disease you don’t want to hear from a doctor, the principal suggested that maybe I had demons in my life and that exorcism was the only way to be released from their power,” writes Anthony in his book A Life Of Unlearning. He told Same Same that exorcisms are extremely complex.

“What makes them complex is that you’ve got to be in a mental state to believe that an evil power has actually possessed you,” says Anthony. “If you’re ready to believe that, you’re not in a good place. If you’re desperately looking for a solution to a problem, whether it’s an addiction or an obsession that causes you great stress, you’ll give control. You’ll be open to suggestion.”

Anthony was at his most vulnerable when he was subjected to a series of exorcisms during the seventies, a time when the craze was sweeping through the churches. When he was introduced to the pastor who would conduct the exorcism he tried to smile and look appreciative, but instead burst into tears, his mind racing with questions like ‘What’s going to happen? How long is this going to take? Is it going to be painful?’ He was told that before things could commence, he had to confess all of his sins. A number of people sat around him, praying and speaking in tongues.

“Exorcisms can be very dramatic,” says Anthony. “There can be physical manifestations – hands contorting, face tightening, screaming. You can feel physical sensations in your body too. It feels involuntary. You’re also asked to do a lot of breathing to expel the demon, and because you’re vulnerable you attribute a lot of these feelings to demonic forces, when they’re actually symptoms of hyperventilation.”

Anthony says that the more they yelled at him, the stronger the sensations became, until his hands, fingers and face became contorted and tight and he fell off the seat onto the floor. “In some cases, some people have such a low sense of self, that they’ll perform for the attention, even if they don’t realise it consciously. All of a sudden everyone’s interested in them.”

There are scientific explanations for many aspects of exorcisms. Sometimes the symptoms are associated with mental illnesses, like hysteria, mania, psychosis, Tourette’s syndrome, epilepsy, schizophrenia or dissociative identity disorder.

Australian documentary maker John Safran [fourth picture], however, suffers from none of these conditions. In 2004, during the making of John Safran Versus God, a TV series where he travelled the world tackling different religions head on, John was exorcised by an American man named Bob Larson. The footage is incredible. Shot over four days, it features John in various states of rage, sometimes thrashing about, sometimes screaming, seemingly possessed. He was initially a skeptic, but now he’s not so sure.

“I remember the very, very start and then you’re lulled into this thing,” said Safran during an interview on Triple J’s Today Today program, “I don’t know whether it was hypnotism or exorcism or something else.”

Safran says that there was a psychological and physical dimension to it, almost a torment. “He was pushing up against me with a bible, pushing and pushing and pushing… He definitely knew how to prod at you, and how to find out little bits of information and prod at them. The whole time he was trying to convert me to Christianity, standing me in front of this room full of people and putting the most enormous pressure on me.”

Safran said that he received an overwhelming response to the episode, including criticism from a number of health professionals, who said that it was irresponsible for him to screen footage like that without explaining to viewers what was really happening. His defence was that he truly didn’t know.

“That’s why I left it ambiguous… The most honest thing was to leave it up in the air,” says John. “It certainly wasn’t a fake.”

Funnily enough, many people report feeling relieved after an exorcism. “You obviously feel really good [afterwards] whether it’s a religious or a non-religious experience, probably because you’ve spent the last four days screaming,” says John.

Anthony also felt a sense of relief, although it was short lived, and followed by a serious wave of depression.

“Afterwards I thought, ‘At last I’ve dealt with this thing!’ But that feeling only lasted for about a month or so.” When the demons – in this case, Anthony’s homosexuality – began to creep back in, he contemplated ending his life. “It was horrific, the dissonance it caused… I don’t know of any other dissonance that can be as destructive as when your sexuality and your belief structure work against each other. I felt it every single day.”

Anthony says that exorcisms still happen in some circles, although they’re certainly not mainstream anymore. Just this year it was revealed that Mercy Ministries in Australia were using exorcisms to try to cure young girls of eating disorders. Last year in New Zealand a mother of two was killed during her family’s attempt to exorcise a Maori curse – she drowned in a lounge as up to 40 relatives watched. During the same exorcism ceremony, a 14-year-old nearly died and needed emergency treatment to save her sight after relatives scratched at her eyes to remove the devil. Then there are the claims from the exorcists, some say that objects such as nails have been spat out at them, others claim that people have coughed up black liquid or they’ve levitated. Of course, where fact ends and fiction begins is anyone’s guess.

“Funnily enough, some people may find exorcisms of benefit,” says Anthony. “They could provide temporary relief for some people in certain circumstances. I guess it all depends on how your belief structure is set up. If it’s not impairing the growth of the person, or their development, it can be another form of therapy, even if it’s unconventional. That being said however, if someone out there is in a church that still practices exorcisms, they really should consider moving to a more progressive organisation.”

Watch the footage from John Safran’s exorcism here:

You can read excerpts from Anthony Venn-Brown’s book A Life Of Unlearning by clicking here.

Other articles in the religion series:
God Loves You.
The Burning Times Revisited.
Constant Cravings.

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