The New Catholic Encyclopedia states, "Ecclesiastical authorities are reluctant to admit diabolical possession in most cases, because many can be explained by physical or mental illness alone. Therefore, medical and psychological examinations are necessary before the performance of major exorcism. The standard that must be met is that of moral certitude ( De exorcismis, 16). For an exorcist to be morally certain, or beyond reasonable doubt, that he is dealing with a genuine case of demonic possession, there must be no other reasonable explanation for the phenomena in question". [17] Obsession, the following and outwardly torment of an individual at diverse hours to either weaken or cast diseases upon the body, as in the Book of Job. They may also enter a home or life that is full of negativity. This can happen without explicit permission. Among the many miracles recorded in the synoptic Gospels, special prominence is given to the casting out of devils or demons ( daimon, daimonion). Thus, in St. Mark, the first of all the wonders is the casting out of the devil from a demoniac, the man "with an unclean spirit" ( en pneumati akatharto) in the synagogue at Capharnaum. And St. Peter thus describes the mission and the miracles of Christ: "Jesus of Nazareth: how God anointed him with the Holy Ghost, and with power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by the devil" ( tous katadynasteuomenous upo tou diabolou— Acts 10:38).

Regarding cases of persons who simultaneously manifest psychiatric disturbances and extraordinary phenomena, human deliberation does not have sufficient resources to justify a priori the exclusion of a probable demonic possession. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a careful interdisciplinary examination that includes specialists in both the medical and spiritual fields. In this situation, the exorcist — assisted by medical specialists — determines the real causes and various components of the person’s illness. Kleśa-māra, or māra as the embodiment of all unskillful emotions, such as greed, hate, and delusion. When she initially stumbled upon demonic obsession rhetoric, Klepper was doing research for her second book on European medieval religious culture, " Pastoral Care and Community in Late Medieval Germany: Albert of Diessen's 'Mirror of Priests,'" which focuses on a Latin manual for German parish priests written by Augustinian canon Albert from Bavaria in the 1370s.Wahlen, Clinton (2004). Jesus and the impurity of spirits in the Synoptic Gospels. p.19. The Jewish magical papyri and incantation bowls may also shed light on our investigation. However, the fact that all of these sources are generally dated from the third to fifth centuries and beyond requires us to exercise particular ... We faced other challenges, too, enough to where we began to feel like we couldn’t catch a break. The words of St. Teresa of Avila seemed apropos to us: “If this is the way you treat your friends, Lord, no wonder you have so few!” The possibility of demonic oppression

Some theologians, such as Ángel Manuel Rodríguez, say that mediums, like the ones mentioned in Leviticus 20:27, were possessed by demons. Another possible case of demonic possession in the Old Testament includes the false prophets that King Ahab relied upon before re-capturing Ramoth-Gilead in 1 Kings 22. They were described as being empowered by a deceiving spirit. [6] Invoking the supernatural and the supranational: Tappu, trance and Tamil recordings in Indo-Guyanese 'Madras Religion' and the politics of sonic presence". The belief in spirit possession is part of the native culture of the Sidama people of southwest Ethiopia. Anthropologists Irene and John Hamer postulated that it is a form of compensation for being deprived within Sidama society, although they do not draw from I.M. Lewis (see Cultural anthropology section under Scientific views). The majority of the possessed are women whose spirits demand luxury goods to alleviate their condition, but men can be possessed as well. Possessed individuals of both sexes can become healers due to their condition. Hamer and Hamer suggest that this is a form of compensation among deprived men in the deeply competitive society of the Sidama, for if a man cannot gain prestige as an orator, warrior, or farmer, he may still gain prestige as a spirit healer. Women are sometimes accused of faking possession, but men never are. [62] East Africa [ edit ] Maʻrūf, Muḥammad (2007). Jinn Eviction as a Discourse of Power: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Modern Moroccan Magical Beliefs and Practices. Brill. p.2. ISBN 9789004160996. Snodgrass, Jeffrey G. (2002). "Imitation Is Far More than the Sincerest of Flattery: The Mimetic Power of Spirit Possession in Rajasthan, India". Cultural Anthropology. 17 (1): 32–64. doi: 10.1525/can.2002.17.1.32. JSTOR 656672.The Coast Veddas, a social group within the minority group of Sri Lankan Tamil people in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, enter trances during religious festivals in which they are regarded as being possessed by a spirit. Although they speak a dialect of Tamil, during trances they will sometimes use a mixed language that contains words from the Vedda language. [106] Southeast Asia [ edit ] Leicht, Reimund (4 September 2023). "Mashbiaʿ Ani ʿAlekha: Types and Patterns of Ancient Jewish and Christian Exorcism Formulae". Jewish Studies Quarterly. Reimund Leicht. 13 (4): 319–343. doi: 10.1628/094457006780130466. JSTOR 40753414.

To research this, Klepper traveled to Bologna, Italy in 2022. She searched libraries at the city's university, which houses one of the oldest medical schools and one of the most prominent law schools that teaches Christian Canon Law and secular law, for records of demonic obsession. When she found nothing, she headed to Germany to see if there were any relevant manuscripts there, and she has also searched at the Huntington Library in California and the Bodleian Library in Oxford.Dart, Jon Anderson (1990). Dharmadasa, Karuna N.O.; De Alwis Samarasinghe, S.W.R. (eds.). The Vanishing aborigines: Sri Lanka's Veddas in transition. New Delhi: International Centre for Ethnic Studies in association with NORAD and Vikas Pub. House. p.83. ISBN 978-0706952988. I believe that our Lord responded to these increased efforts to turn to him for deliverance for supernatural forces of evil. While an outsider might say it was all coincidence, we as Catholics don’t believe in coincidence. Nothing happens in this life that our Lord does not allow and ultimately will for our good. Kehoe, Alice B.; Giletti, Dody H. (September 1981). "Women's Preponderance in Possession Cults: The Calcium-Deficiency Hypothesis Extended". American Anthropologist. 83 (3): 549–561. doi: 10.1525/aa.1981.83.3.02a00030. Guenedi AA, Al Hussaini A, Obeid YA, Hussain S, Al-Azri F, Al-Adawi S. Investigation of the cerebral blood flow of an Omani man with supposed 'spirit posession' associated with an altered mental state: a case report. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2009; 3:9325. Jinn are much more physical than spirits. [30] Due to their subtle bodies, which are composed of fire and air ( marijin min nar), they are purported to be able to possess the bodies of humans. Such physical intrusion of the jinn is conceptually different from the whisperings of the devils. [31] Since jinn are not necessarily evil, they are distinguished from cultural concepts of possession by devils/demons. [32]

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world." - 1 John 4:4 (NLT)

References

Kinnard, Jacob (2006). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practice. Gale Virtual Reference Library: Gale. The works of Jean Rouch, Germaine Dieterlen, and Marcel Griaule have been extensively cited in research studies on possession in Western Africa that extended to Brazil and North America due to the slave trade. [119] [120] In Mozambique, a new belief in spirit possession appeared after the Mozambican Civil War. These spirits, called gamba, are said to be identified as dead soldiers, and allegedly overwhelmingly possess women. Prior to the war, spirit possession was limited to certain families and was less common. [66]