Exorcism in African Traditional Religion and Islam: A Comparative Approach

The Journal of Christian Ministry, 2012

C.S. Lewis wrote, "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them" (Lewis 1962, 7). Some Christians focus too much on evil instead of keeping the focus on Jesus Christ. Many other Christians pretend evil beings do not exist or have no contact or influence with believers. Due to the influence of the enlightenment, Western Christians not only tend to do away with evil things, but also devalue the ministry of exorcism. For a healthy balance between these two great dangers in the church today, we need to better understand the function of exorcists. This study will investigate the topic of Christian exorcism and how Christian exorcism is practiced in North America today.

VCU News, 2019

I am interviewed by VCU News on the global exorcism boom.

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

The African continent displays rich diversity in geography, culture, history, and language. In spite of this heterogeneity in several respects it still has many similarities. These similarities are to a great extent evident in its rich cultures, but especially in its religious worldview. For that reason, the debate still rages whether the religion appertaining to the region should be referred to as African Traditional Religion (ATR), or African Traditional Religions. The arguments on both sides are compelling. A close examination of the worldviews held by a large portion of Africans however reveals amazing similarities. The African worldview associated with the religious beliefs of the people is one that contributes greatly to belief in the reality, power, and working of demons in the daily lives of its people. To better understand how a worldview contributes to belief in the demonic the religion and corresponding aspects of the African worldview will be examined.

Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2015

This research was conducted to examine the concept of liberation in Luke 4:16-22 against the understanding and practice of exorcism by some Nigerian exorcist and faith-healers. Using the liberation model as a method, the paper used the passage (Luke 4:16-22) as a recipe for exorcist and faith-healers in Nigeria. The study revealed that Jesus' concept of liberation (deliverance) in Luke 4:16-22 was not intended to exert violence on or exploit the victim of demonic oppression or illness. Furthermore, the passage showed a compassionate declaration of God's willingness to liberate or deliver the oppressed from their predicament with the power of the Holy Spirit. As far as liberation and exorcism were concerned, the Church in Nigeria was challenged to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit so as to avoid abuse and embarrassment of victims. The church is also admonished to be concerned and fight for the right and liberation of the oppressed in Nigeria.

Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2012

In this paper, we shall study the spiritual and socio framework of traditional African wo rooted in African cosmology, or a mere superstition. The study will expose the destructive impact of witchcraft on human and social development and the need for a reorientation phenomenon constitutes the greatest threat in the life of an African. We cannot continue to argue over the existence or reality of witchcraft when many people have openly confessed involvement in witchcraf Key words: African worldview; witchcraft in Africa; epistemology of witchcraft; psychology of witchcraft; Introduction Witchcraft is a constant problem in Africa. Africans of all classes, poor and rich, illiterates and the educated classes all have one or two bad experiences to say about witchcraft as a nefarious and destructive spirit that is hindering human and social development in the continent. Africans have unconsciously developed witchcraft mentality-which is a permanent condition of living helpl insecurity. Witchcraft has not only weakened the social bond, but it has forced the African to embrace pseudo spirituality and diabolic religious rituals. Spiritual vigilance and protection against vital aspect of socialization in Africa. The average African child grows with the fear of witchcraft. It cannot be denied that witchcraft accusation has led to breakdown of marriages, communal warfare and irreconcilable enmit between siblings, families and communities. The success of the witchcraft scourge in Africa is traceable to the spiritualistic nature of the African world view. The highest ambition of the African is to develop his or her spiritual capabilities to the ma and usage of spiritual power for good and evil is the highest achievement in the African world world-view is not only a religious phenomenon, but is characterized by the quest for spiritual power. Africans are specialists in the manipulation and control of cosmic forces. Mbiti (1969) writes: There is mystical power which causes people to walk on fire, to lie on thorns or nails, to send curses or harm, including death, from a distance, to change into animals (lycanthropy) power to stupefy thieves so that they can be caught red inanimate objects turn into biologically living creatures... (197,198). Even with the pervasive influence of witchcraft problem is far below the magnitude of the problem. Some scholars dismiss belief in witchcraft as mere superstition. In this paper, we shall demonstrate that belief in witchcraft in Africa is a reality. people are suffering in various ways from spiritual vulnerability that is associated with witchcraft oppression. Even though witchcraft is not a peculiar African experience, Africans have every right to expose any problem that is life threatening. All over the continent, Africans do many things to avert witchcraft attack and bondage, "…they wear charms, eat 'medicines' or get them rubbed into their bodies; they consult experts, especially the diviners and medicine men to count it is, it is a reality and one with which African people's have to reckon. Everyone is directly or indirectly affected, for better or for worse... (Mbiti 1969: 197,198). AFRICAN WORLD-VIEW African world-view is predominantly a religious phenomenon. It involves a re history to the supernatural (Hesselgrave, 1978: 151). There is a spiritual view of life and almost everything is given a religious interpretation. Imasogie (1986) has given a good picture of spiritual vulnerability in the Africa world "In light of our contention that the African world man….The African tenaciously holds and demons. These spiritual forces interact with human mediums for the purpose of carrying out their nefarious desires... the African lives in fear of those demonic forces and corroborated this view thus:

2011

It is possible that if you surveyed people from all over the world Christianity would be considered a universal religion, with a Western personality. And no matter where you are in the world it is likely that if you were to make a reference to Christianity you might automatically include a reference to the American church. It is hard for people to separate the West from Christianity. Yet, the World Economic Forum tells us that more Christians live in Africa than in any other continent in the world (Kazeem 2019). Additionally, The Pew Research Center concludes "By 2060 six of the countries with the top ten largest Christian populations will be in Africa" (McClendon 2017). The world's eyes have stared far too long at Western Christianity. Opoku Onyinah commands our attention to Ghana and African Christianity in his writing Pentecostal Exorcism: Witchcraft and Demonology in Ghana.

The workshop "Occult Afflictions and Public Health: Views from Africa and the African Diaspora", aims to stimulate an interdisciplinary discussion on the intersection between public health and spiritual healing and illness. It will offer new perspectives on the realities of public health within African countries and among the African diasporas by illuminating the omnipresent yet overlooked issue of occult afflictions-conditions and illnesses that are deemed to be caused by invisible forces such as ancestors, demons, jinns, spirits, witches, and other intangible entities. Occult afflictions have always constituted vital health and social concerns for people living in Africa and in other parts of the world. As evidenced by the continuing massive presence of a wide variety of spiritual healers in urban and rural African milieus, the proliferation of spiritual healing centers, the increase in deliverance and exorcism within Christian and Muslim communities, and recent therapeutic experiments in Western mental health care institutions, public interest about this issue has clearly increased in the past few decades (e.g.

Despite the spread of Western medicine worldwide and despite the view of Orthodox Islamists and Salafists of healing rituals as un-Islamic innovation (bid’a), the traditional healing rituals and exorcism are still practiced in Muslim societies especially among folk people. This study examines cultural and social factors surrounding traditional healing rituals such as saintly visitation, religious incantation (ruqiyyah), bodily remembrance of God (dhikr/zikr), and exorcism-spirit cult (zār) among others that are used by Muslim communities in Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates for treating problems of sickness, altered states of mind and spirit possession. The paper seeks to explicate not only the debate and different views people have concerning the causes of illness including physical, social, psychic and spiritual elements, but also the most common and acceptable rituals for treating them. Rather than being seen as events as such, healing rituals are viewed as processes, using Victor Turner’s terminology, in which patients, healers and participants experience divergent forms of transitional phases. Keywords: ritual, healing, symbolic transformation, psychic energy, Muslim communities

Battle Creek, Michigan : The Peebles Medical Institute + The New Alexandria Library of Texas, 1904

This deep book into demonology offers a comprehensive analysis of spirit phenomena, occult practices, and demonological traditions across cultures and time periods. Blending historical, anthropological, and theological perspectives, Peebles investigates the prevalence of spirit obsessions, examining their manifestations in spiritualism, shamanistic rituals, exorcisms, and occult traditions in both Eastern and Western societies. The book explores the intersections of supernatural belief systems with human psychology, emphasizing how spiritual practices, societal fears, and cultural rituals have sought to address spirit attachments and demonic possession. Drawing from firsthand accounts, historical documentation, and metaphysical theories, Peebles provides a critical yet empathetic lens on the effects of spiritual interference on individuals and communities. This study delves into the ethical and existential implications of spirit interactions, highlighting their influence on consciousness, morality, and the human quest for meaning. By juxtaposing Oriental mysticism with Occidental occultism, Peebles offers readers a unique comparative study of global esoteric traditions. The book serves as both a warning against the dangers of unbridled spiritual engagement and an invitation to deeper inquiry into the metaphysical forces that have shaped human history and belief systems. Tags: demonology, spiritism, occultism, spirit obsessions, Oriental occultism, Occidental occultism, supernatural, paranormal, J. M. Peebles, spiritualism, exorcism, possession, hauntings, ghosts, poltergeists, demon possession, spirit attachment, mediumship, séances, witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, divination, clairvoyance, telepathy, astral projection, karma, reincarnation, chakras, auras, esotericism, mysticism, metaphysics, theology, comparative religion, mythology, folklore, animism, shamanism, voodoo, paganism, sacred rituals, protection spells, banishing rituals, spirit entities, astral realms, psychic phenomena, demon banishment, spiritual protection, spiritual cleansing, occult symbols, occult texts, religious studies, spirit interactions, afterlife, death rituals, spiritual healing, ancient wisdom, spirit guides, energy work, psychic attacks, occult practices, black magic, white magic, exorcism techniques, ceremonial magic, spiritual oppression, possession cases, paranormal investigations, occult rituals, demon summoning, religious occultism, psychic mediums, ghostly apparitions, spiritual manifestations, 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Current Sociology 63 (4), 2017

This study takes the documented growth in the ministry of exorcism within the Catholic Church as a significant challenge to some accounts of secularization. After clarifying how, according to Catholic doctrine, the devil can operate in people's lives, this study offers a sociological interpretation of exorcism. This interpretation is illustrated and tested by a sociological analysis of data collected, during a period of ten years, by a well-established Catholic priest in Italy who himself was well-trained and well-grounded in philosophical analysis. This sociological case study, as the very first undertaken on exorcism, offers fresh insights into the contemporary social significance of exorcism and provides challenges for future research. In the analysis of the data, we discover that only 5% of the initial consultations lead to a ritual of exorcism and that a rapprochement with rituals of deliverance is found for the large majority of the cases.

In the Holy Bible, we are face with some evil creatures that are considered as enemies of God, Jesus Christ, and Christians. Perhaps, the most significant and tangible declaration of presence of these creatures is in possessing human beings, and on the other hand, the role of Jesus and his apostles in the expulsion of them. In this article, we have first dealt with the concept of possession and exorcism, then, exemplums and implications existing on this subject in the Old Testament and New Testament have been mentioned in detail, and the subject is thematically classified. And at last, a brief chronicle of exorcism in the history of the Christianity has been presented This query indicates that, unlike religions such as Islam, in which issues such as exorcism fit within the realm of the popular and informal religion, in Christianity, especially Catholicism, the approach towards this issue, in the normative religion and the popular religion, is intertwined, and it is almost impossible to separate them. In fact, exorcism is the junction, sharing point, and even the rivalry between the normative and the popular religion. Therefore, the Catholic Church insists on monopolizing the rituals associated with it.

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies, 2015

The attempt to describe the historical developments regarding spiritual warfare in one short paper presents serious challenges. The time span to be covered is at least two thousand years if limited to the Christian church. The second challenge is the varied assumptions and hermeneutics with which different historians read events. Denominational stance and theological backgrounds decide a priori if belief in healing or deliverance is possible. Roman Catholics have been for millennia supporters of the miraculous. Protestants, who initially rejected the reality of miracles seem today to be divided on the topic. Some historical documents contain scarce information that can be interpreted according to one’s prior belief. Spiritual warfare is not a new term for missiological studies. As defined by Scott Moreau, spiritual warfare “encompasses Satan’s rebellion against God and the manifestations of that rebellion in the created order” (in Corrie 2007:369). It is an ongoing conflict and war ...

Pneuma, 2024

This volume offers an exegetical contribution that seeks to explain spiritual possessions by analyzing texts that speak about the experiences. The book is divided into two major parts: a) reading through multicultural and genre-specific lenses; and b) characteristics of spirit possessions in the biblical and multicultural perspectives.

Exchange, 2006

... Behrend and Luig write of the international proliferation of spirit possession cults and declare that 'the disappear-ance of spirits, as ... course, the identification of the work of demons is by no means lim-ited to 'traditional' spirit beings, as modernity and globalisation has resulted ...

Spirit possession has been broadly defined as "any altered or unusual state of consciousness and allied behaviour that is indigenously understood in terms of the influence of an alien spirit, demon, or deity. The possessed act as though another personality (…) has entered their body and taken control" (Crapanzano 2005, 8687). This definition has proven to be problematic, for the modalities of what is emically considered spirit possession differ according to societies and do not necessarily involve unusual states of consciousness (e.g. Cohen 2008). Consequently, socio-anthropological research has tended to focus on the particularities of possession in different contexts. Nevertheless, studies have highlighted the political dimensions of possession -or more general "occult" beliefs and practices related to spirits -as related to resistance to changes in socio-economic system as results of colonialism, modernization, capitalism, globalization and their related immoralities (e.g.