Recap

Exorcising Demons

Bob Larson, an expert on cults and supernatural phenomena, returned for a discussion about exorcisms and demonic possession. He said he's been performing exorcisms for thirty years and has worked on thousands of cases, many of which are performed at public seminars. Additionally, he noted that there are more than 100 teams around the country that are trained to conduct such exorcisms. As Protestants, they don't require signs of the supernatural or permission from a church authority, as is done in the Catholic faith, he added.

People are not possessed by Satan himself, he explained, but rather by demons, whom there are "billions" of in number, as Satan uses them to mimic the omnipresence of God. Larson typically makes three requests to the demon that is inhabiting the person undergoing an exorcism:

Do you have a right to be there?

Is there a curse? (Many cases of possession relate to family curses, he said.)

Declare that you have released the person (done at the end).

People undergoing exorcisms can have dramatic physical changes, such as contortions in the face and body. In rare cases, people's eyes have even turned red, he reported. Larson shared a number of taped excerpts from various exorcisms he's conducted around the world, with the possessed's voice often taking on a guttural quality. In one excerpt, a woman named Mary from Flagstaff, spoke in German, though it was said she did not know the language.

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