Exorcism

[MiserereNobis]

I know that the LDS church accepts demonic position (it would be hard for any church that accepts the NT to not), but I was wondering what role exorcism has in the LDS church today. Is there a specific rite? Have you or anyone you know been involved in an exorcism?

While exorcisms in the Catholic Church were much more common in the past, they still continue today. Here is an excellent book that reports on multiple contemporary exorcisms as well as providing the theological framework with which to understand them: Hostage to the Devil.

[Calm]

I don't think there is a specific rite, it would involved a priesthood blessing though.

[MiserereNobis]

I don't think there is a specific rite, it would involved a priesthood blessing though.

Would this be the same type of blessing one would receive if one were sick, with an anointing? Or is it a more simpler laying-on-of-hands blessing? Are there any guidelines for what to say or do?

[Calm]

I will let a priesthood holder who has a better idea of what goes on answer as I've never had a personal experience with one, but have known people who have....have had a time when I wish there was someone who could have performed such a blessing, such a great feeling of darkness I felt. Turns out later there was a peeping Tom discovered in the vicinity and we think due to the shape of the bushes by the window of the basement bedroom I slept in that he may have been laying down there looking though from time to time at visitors. It was very strange as I felt safer with the lights off, turned them off and got in bed and covered myself up and just shook and prayed for some time. Too scared to even go upstairs, only my grandma up there anyway, didn't want to upset her. Eventually went to sleep. Never felt that way again anywhere though.

[altersteve]

Would this be the same type of blessing one would receive if one were sick, with an anointing? Or is it a more simpler laying-on-of-hands blessing? Are there any guidelines for what to say or do?

I've never done it, but it's most likely by the laying on of hands, in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood. No fancy rituals, crucifixes, Bibles, or holy water are necessary.

[KevinG]

I've never done it, but it's most likely by the laying on of hands, in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood. No fancy rituals, crucifixes, Bibles, or holy water are necessary.

Careful with the no fancy rituals needed stuff. We do consecrate olive oil and use it to anoint those we bless. To each his on symbolism!

[Calm]

Amen.

[altersteve]

Careful with the no fancy rituals needed stuff. We do consecrate olive oil and use it to anoint those we bless. To each his on symbolism!

Well, by "fancy rituals" I meant the kind of stuff you see in horror movies. But I agree with you. I didn't mean to word it that way. My apologies.

[CV75]

I know that the LDS church accepts demonic position (it would be hard for any church that accepts the NT to not), but I was wondering what role exorcism has in the LDS church today. Is there a specific rite? Have you or anyone you know been involved in an exorcism?

While exorcisms in the Catholic Church were much more common in the past, they still continue today. Here is an excellent book that reports on multiple contemporary exorcisms as well as providing the theological framework with which to understand them: Hostage to the Devil.

In this and other situations, an effective priesthood blessing can be administered with or without consecrated oil; by and individual priesthood holder or two or more in unison (such as giving a child a name adn a blessing). The preisthood can also be used by a Church member to dedicate his home.

[Flyonthewall]

I think, and I'll admit I have no experience in this area, but it could be as simple as a priesthood holder commanding the spirit, in the name of Christ, to depart. Others, as Jesus taught, do not go out save by fasting and prayer...and whatever else may be needed.

[bdouglas]

When I was 15 I witnessed what Catholics would call an exorcism. I'd been raised in the church but still had never given it much thought, or whether there was even such a thing and God and the Devil. I do not think I will go into the specifics of the incident, or of what I witnessed. It had a profound effect on me, and all of these years later I can remember it very clearly. I once related the incident, detail by detail to an LDS counselor, and I don't know whether he believed me or not. Some of what I witnessed would be considered frankly unbelievable by a secular-minded person, but yet I know very well what I both saw and heard at the time, even though I was only 15. I was with my father, and he is also the individual who conducted the "exorcism"...or it was he who cast out the...what?...the devil...not the devil but a devil, I guess. I asked him about it afterwards and he was loathe to talk about it with me (that's a whole other story), but years later he did show me the typed report of the incident that he'd sent to Elder Spencer Kimball (this report was 20 or more pages long), and also a letter Elder Kimball sent back to him counseling him to be quiet about the incident.

I consider myself moderately well-educated, and in some ways I guess I am secular-minded; but still I have no doubt that what I witnessed that night was not schizophrenia or any other type of mental illness but real demonic possession. I don't think this should surprise anyone...or anyone who believes in God. If there is a God, there has to be a Devil...otherwise God has no meaning.

[blackstrap]

I think, and I'll admit I have no experience in this area, but it could be as simple as a priesthood holder commanding the spirit, in the name of Christ, to depart. Others, as Jesus taught, do not go out save by fasting and prayer...and whatever else may be needed.

You have it about right.

[mapman]

You should totally read this blog post to see what different Mormons think about exorcisms. Make sure you read the comments, they are quite entertaining. This one is interesting too.

Edited September 16, 2012 by mapman

[CV75]

Have you or anyone you know been involved in an exorcism?

I have used the priesthood to disposess.

[MormonMason]

Someone I know gave a blessing to a person to cast one out. (The youth had been playing with witchcraft books and a Ouija board; I know about this event because I was there and witnessed the whole thing from beginning to end). The demon then fled downstairs and remained in the house. The senior companion then decided to go with his companion downstairs to cast it out of the house, as it was still somehow connected to the youth who lived there and was taunting him and threatening to possess the youth again as soon as the missionaries left.

As they were about to go downstairs the junior companion was lifted off the floor a few inches, turned 180 degrees, and was dropped back onto the floor. Totally freaked the junior companion out and he did not want to go downstairs (do you blame him?). After being talked into it and having it explained that the demon was trying to get them separated and violate a mission rule so he could harm whoever went down there alone because they violated a mission rule, he convinced his junior to go with him. It was not easy and took several minutes of convincing or he could not do it.

When they got down there, the entire basement of the house was in a mess. There were witchcraft and satanism books scattered around the room, a bible had a pair of scissors piercing all the way through, right between the eyes of a picture of Jesus in the middle of the inside of the book, a refrigerator had been moved across the room and the power cord ripped clean out of the appliance. And, there was a horrible smell and an ice-cold chill in the air like had been upstairs with the thermostat set to 90 and heater system blazing.

At any rate, the senior companion knelt and began to pray. During the prayer, the demon manifested himself to the junior companion and the youth who had been possessed and began walking toward them, causing another panic to try to interrupt the prayer. The senior companion then ended his prayer, stood up and raised his arm to the square, stated the authority he held, and commanded the demon in the name of Jesus Christ to depart. It fled out of the basement and a dog in the yard in the same direction as the demon fled then began barking frantically for a few seconds. As soon as the demon fled the smell was gone and the ice cold feeling in the air departed.

When the senior companion was asked why he was not unnerved by all this he said that he had experienced these sorts of things before. There was no ceremony or actual rite involved. Not that I saw, at any rate.

Edited September 16, 2012 by MormonMason

[Calm]

The senior companion then ended his prayer, stood up and raised his arm to the square, stated the authority he held, and commanded the demon in the name of Jesus Christ to depart.

A young lady asked my dad at seminary what one should do in this kind of situation and this is what he told her to do (raise the arm to the square and command the demon to depart in the name of Jesus Christ). A little while later she along with her sisters were about to be assaulted by a gang (this was in San Francisco) and she stood and did exactly this and they ran away. She credits my dad with saving her because of his teaching.

Now what actually caused them to run away, no one can really tell, it could have been simply shame; but my family has always found the story very interesting.

[MormonMason]

...

Now what actually caused them to run away, no one can really tell, it could have been simply shame; but my family has always found the story very interesting.

Possibly the demons that were motivating the gang members to do what they were about to do were driven off, resulting in them being confused about what it was that they were doing. It is likely that they came to themselves and realized that what they were about to do was wrong, and so they fled. Just my thoughts on that.

Either that, or they thought she was into some form of martial arts and thought they were about to get a whoopin'. Who knows but God?

Edited September 16, 2012 by MormonMason

[halconero]

Yes I have been involved. Won't go into specifics to say that the authority of the priesthood was used in the name of Jesus Christ. There the use of both the laying on of hands and raising the arm to the square.

[Storm Rider]

I know that the LDS church accepts demonic position (it would be hard for any church that accepts the NT to not), but I was wondering what role exorcism has in the LDS church today. Is there a specific rite? Have you or anyone you know been involved in an exorcism?

While exorcisms in the Catholic Church were much more common in the past, they still continue today. Here is an excellent book that reports on multiple contemporary exorcisms as well as providing the theological framework with which to understand them: Hostage to the Devil.

Hello Pius, as you already know the LDS Church has very few rites or formalized ordinances. For the blessing of the sick or of healing, the counsel is the same. We teach our priesthood holders to do a few things: lay their hands upon the head of the individual, call the person by their complete name, state by what priesthood authority the blessing is being done, state that we do it in the name of Jesus Christ, if the person has been annointed with oil (which is done in all serious situations) the annointing is sealed upon them, and then a blessing is pronounced as led by the Spirit.

We do believe that possessions can and do occur. Although there is Church folklore, stories, etc., I think it is safe to say that for major events of healing, which includes possession, we do not publish them or discuss them too openly or often. There are always exceptions, but I speaking in general.

What is evident to me is that the Catholic Church and her priests have been stalwart servants in fighting against the Evil one.

Edited September 16, 2012 by Storm Rider

[Jude2]

We don’t talk about this much do we.

This is a little off topic;

Can sin cause mental illness or is it the other way around?

I’m struggling with really forgiving someone who caused a lot of pain in my life. She seems evil to me, when ever I see her my skin crawls like there is something evil in the room.

I’ve conclude that she is mentally ill and I will stay my distance until we see each other on the resurrection day then I can be sure she has been healed.

[Tacenda]

Someone I know gave a blessing to a person to cast one out. (The youth had been playing with witchcraft books and a Ouija board; I know about this event because I was there and witnessed the whole thing from beginning to end). The demon then fled downstairs and remained in the house. The senior companion then decided to go with his companion downstairs to cast it out of the house, as it was still somehow connected to the youth who lived there and was taunting him and threatening to possess the youth again as soon as the missionaries left.

As they were about to go downstairs the junior companion was lifted off the floor a few inches, turned 180 degrees, and was dropped back onto the floor. Totally freaked the junior companion out and he did not want to go downstairs (do you blame him?). After being talked into it and having it explained that the demon was trying to get them separated and violate a mission rule so he could harm whoever went down there alone because they violated a mission rule, he convinced his junior to go with him. It was not easy and took several minutes of convincing or he could not do it.

When they got down there, the entire basement of the house was in a mess. There were witchcraft and satanism books scattered around the room, a bible had a pair of scissors piercing all the way through, right between the eyes of a picture of Jesus in the middle of the inside of the book, a refrigerator had been moved across the room and the power cord ripped clean out of the appliance. And, there was a horrible smell and an ice-cold chill in the air like had been upstairs with the thermostat set to 90 and heater system blazing.

At any rate, the senior companion knelt and began to pray. During the prayer, the demon manifested himself to the junior companion and the youth who had been possessed and began walking toward them, causing another panic to try to interrupt the prayer. The senior companion then ended his prayer, stood up and raised his arm to the square, stated the authority he held, and commanded the demon in the name of Jesus Christ to depart. It fled out of the basement and a dog in the yard in the same direction as the demon fled then began barking frantically for a few seconds. As soon as the demon fled the smell was gone and the ice cold feeling in the air departed.

When the senior companion was asked why he was not unnerved by all this he said that he had experienced these sorts of things before. There was no ceremony or actual rite involved. Not that I saw, at any rate.

As much as these stories freak me out, it gives me hope of an afterlife and not being just six feet under when I die.

[volgadon]

As much as these stories freak me out, it gives me hope of an afterlife and not being just six feet under when I die.

In the 17th century, that was the main reason why these accounts were collected. Empiric evidence of an afterlife.

[The Nehor]

I know that the LDS church accepts demonic position (it would be hard for any church that accepts the NT to not), but I was wondering what role exorcism has in the LDS church today. Is there a specific rite? Have you or anyone you know been involved in an exorcism?

While exorcisms in the Catholic Church were much more common in the past, they still continue today. Here is an excellent book that reports on multiple contemporary exorcisms as well as providing the theological framework with which to understand them: Hostage to the Devil.

I have done it three times. I never used a rite as such. Once itmwas in the context of a blessing. Twice it was a commanding to leave, once of an area and once when I was attacked and went into convulsions and felt it trying to harm me. Very unpleasant.

[Calm]

We don’t talk about this much do we.

This is a little off topic;

Can sin cause mental illness or is it the other way around?

I think it can happen either way.

I’ve conclude that she is mentally ill and I will stay my distance until we see each other on the resurrection day then I can be sure she has been healed.

Best approach probably.

[mfbukowski]

I don't think there is a specific rite, it would involved a priesthood blessing though.

I haven't read the thread, but if you think about it there is a rite and it is taught in the temple.

But of course I won't discuss it.