DOCSLIB.ORG

Rethinking Demonic Possession

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Rethinking Demonic Possession ORBIT-OnlineRepository ofBirkbeckInstitutionalTheses Enabling Open Access to Birkbeck’s Research Degree output Rethinking Demonic Possession: The impact of the debates about the John Darrel case on later demono- logical thought, with particular reference to John Dea- con and John Walker https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/40033/ Version: Full Version Citation: Bhogal, Harman (2013) Rethinking Demonic Possession: The impact of the debates about the John Darrel case on later demonologi- cal thought, with particular reference to John Deacon and John Walker. [Thesis] (Unpublished) c 2020 The Author(s) All material available through ORBIT is protected by intellectual property law, including copy- right law. Any use made of the contents should comply with the relevant law. Deposit Guide Contact: email Rethinking Demonic Possession: The impact of the debates about the John Darrel case on later demonological thought, with particular reference to John Deacon and John Walker Harman Bhogal Department of History, Classics and Archaeology Birkbeck College, University of London Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy April 2013 1 Abstract The controversy that led to the conviction of the Puritan exorcist John Darrel for fraud in 1599 has mainly been viewed by historians in the context of the struggle between Puritans and the Church of England. Darrel’s activities have been seen as Puritan propaganda, whilst the authorities’ reaction has been seen as part of their campaign against Puritanism. Their clamp down on Darrel’s activities has also been seen as contributing towards increasing scepticism towards demonic possession in early modern England, especially in cases involving witchcraft. This thesis argues that the Darrel controversy cannot be read solely as a manifestation of the Puritan/establishment conflict, as it will demonstrate how the controversy was actually part of the broader re-assessment of the role of the supernatural in the contemporary world following the Reformation, and that anti-Catholicism, in particular hostility towards the Catholic rite of exorcism, played a significant role in informing sceptical attitudes towards demonic possession. Focussing upon the work of the Puritan preachers John Deacon and John Walker, it will also challenge the Puritan/establishment dichotomy over possession. Their work denied the possibility of possession in their own time by drawing on and elaborating existing medical, natural philosophical and theological arguments, particularly the doctrine of the cessation of miracles. Their work was significant because it was the first work that systematically explored the intricacies of the phenomenon of possession, and it offered an alternative way of thinking about demonic affliction, namely the category of obsession. Writings that appeared following the Darrel controversy demonstrate an awareness of Deacon and Walker’s arguments, and also reveal how the idea of obsession was absorbed into broader demonological thought, thus highlighting how Deacon and Walker’s work was much more significant than has previously been thought. 2 Acknowledgements I would like to begin by thanking my supervisor, Professor Michael Hunter, for his insight and questions that led me to focus and refine my work over the course of my research, and for helping hone my writing skills in order to do justice to the ideas and arguments I wanted to present. I am grateful to Professor John Arnold for stepping in as my supervisor following Professor Hunter’s retirement and for the encouragement and suggestions I received from him. Thank you to both supervisors for directing me towards studies that I might have otherwise overlooked. I benefitted hugely from my discussions with Dr. Stephen Clucas that allowed me to sound out my ideas and arguments, and I appreciate him showing an interest in my work. I am also thankful to Professor Philip C. Almond, for allowing me to read the manuscript of his work on cessationism in early modern England, which Professor Hunter made me aware of after I had written my own chapter on the topic. I would like to thank the Birkbeck, University of London, for organising workshops that have helped me develop my research skills, and for the funding offered so that I could attend various conferences and workshops over the course of my study. I would also like to thank those many people at these conferences that discussed my work with me and gave me invaluable feedback on my work. I would also like to thank the Institute of Historical Research for organising many interesting and useful seminars, and for offering courses that I found useful throughout the course of my research. I would also like to thank the staff at the Birkbeck Library, The Senate House Library, The Warburg Institute, University College Library, the British Library and the Surrey Heritage Centre and the National Archives. Thank you to all my friends who have provided me with much needed and much appreciated distractions that have kept me sane during my studies. The same goes for my sisters, brothers-in-law and my wonderful nieces and nephew. Finally, I would like to thank my parents especially, for all their support: not just financial but also moral. I cannot express adequately how much I value their confidence and trust in me and my decision to pursue this project. They have remained my constant source of support and strength. 3 Table of Contents List of abbreviations 5 Introduction 6 Chapter One: 50 Possession before Darrel: the Place of Possession in Post-Reformation England Chapter Two: 95 Denham, Darrel and the Political Problem of Exorcism Chapter Three: 158 Introducing Deacon and Walker: Sources and Methodology Figure 1: Title page of the Dialogicall discourses 172 Chapter Four: 189 Possession Made Incompatible with Natural Philosophy Chapter Five: 235 Deacon and Walker and the Doctrine of the Cessation of Miracles Chapter Six: 292 Possession or Obsession? Conclusion 317 Bibliography 324 4 List of abbrevations BL British Library EEBO Early English Books Online ODNB Oxford Dictionary of National Biography SHC Surrey History Centre 5 Introduction In November 1597, a group of about 150 people gathered in Nottingham to witness the dispossession of a young man named William Sommers at the hands of the Puritan minister, John Darrel. Sommers’ symptoms of possession included extreme fits and contortions of the body, obscene and blasphemous behaviour, and a lump running up and down his body.1 Darrel had been called in because of his involvement in previous well-publicised cases of possession.2 Following the words of Jesus in Mark 9:29, where he instructed that ‘This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting’, Darrel attempted dispossession by these means. However, the Sommers’ case would prove to be deeply controversial. During the course of his possession, Sommers had accused one Alice Freeman of bewitching him. The Freeman family in turn accused Sommers of bewitching an individual called Sterland and in January 1598, Sommers was arrested. During the investigation, Sommers confessed to faking his possession. However, a few months later, he withdrew this confession only to reassert it a few days later. At this point, the central authorities decided to step in. Darrel was summoned to Lambeth by John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury, and imprisoned pending investigations of fraud; in May 1599 he was convicted of the same. The controversy has often been seen as a 1 Details of the case can be found in John Darrel, An apologie, or defence of the possession of William Sommers, a yong man of the towne of Nottingham: wherein this worke of God is cleared from the evil name of counterfaytinge, and therevpon also it is shewed that in these dayes men may be possessed with devils, and that being so, by prayer and fasting the vncleane spirit may be cast out (Amsterdam [?], 1598). This book was reprinted in 1641 as A true relation of the grievous handling of William Sommers of Nottingham being possessed with a devill: shewing how he was first taken and how lamentable from time to time he was tormented and afflicted (London: Thomas Harper, 1641) 2 For details on John Darrel’s cases, see Chapter Two 6 turning point in the perception of possession in early modern England: the authorities’ hostility towards dispossessions manifested itself in Canon 72, approved in 1604, which forbade the conducting of dispossession by prayer and fasting without an episcopalian licence. The fact that no such licences were ever issued indicates the official aversion to the phenomenon.3 The authorities’ reaction can be explained with reference to the conflict between the establishment and the Puritans. This is evident in the literature generated by the controversy. In his book A Discovery of the Fraudulent Practises of John Darrel, Samuel Harsnett, chaplain to the Bishop of London, clearly expressed concern at the propagandist potential of dispossessions. An unregulated practice, dispossession could be used to promote the exorcists’ Puritan agenda. Harsnett stated that if Darrel’s dispossessions had continued, ‘we should have had many other pretended signes of possession: one Devill would have beene mad at the name of the Presbyter: another at the sight of a minister that will not subscribe: another to have seene men sit or stand at the Communion.’4 On the other hand, the works produced by Darrel and his supporters protest against the apparent unfair execution of the trial, and express a sense of victimisation of the godly.5 3 Thomas Freeman, ‘Demons, Deviance and Defiance: John Darrel and the Politics of Exorcism in Late Elizabethan England’ in Peter Lake and Michael Questier (eds.), Conformity and Orthodoxy in the English Church, c.1560-1660 (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2000), p. 60 4 Samuel Harsnett, A discouery of the fraudulent practises of Iohn Darrel Bacheler of Artes in his proceedings concerning the pretended possession and dispossession of William Somers at Nottingham: of Thomas Darling, the boy of Burton at Caldwall: and of Katherine Wright at Mansfield, & Whittington: and of his dealings with one Mary Couper at Nottingham, detecting in some sort the deceitfull trade in these latter dayes of casting out deuils.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Demonic Influence and Mental Disorders - Chapter 8 of "Counseling and the Demonic" Rodger K
    Digital Commons @ George Fox University Counseling and the Demonic Graduate School of Clinical Psychology 1988 Demonic Influence and Mental Disorders - Chapter 8 of "Counseling and the Demonic" Rodger K. Bufford George Fox University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ counselingandthedemonic Part of the Counseling Psychology Commons, Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons, and the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Bufford, Rodger K., "Demonic Influence and Mental Disorders - Chapter 8 of "Counseling and the Demonic"" (1988). Counseling and the Demonic. 12. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/counselingandthedemonic/12 This Chapter is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School of Clinical Psychology at Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Counseling and the Demonic by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CHAPTER EIGHT DEMONIC INFLUENCE AND MENTAL DISORDERS Earlier we saw that demon possession was a widely accepted explanation for disturbed behavior from antiquity through the middle of the nineteenth century. The scientific revolution and the adoption of naturalistic reductionism around the close of the nineteenth century left no room for the supernatural or spiritual. Consequently, what had formerly been viewed as de­ monic influence became "nothing but" mental illness or mental disorders.1 The belief that demon possession is merely a misunderstand­ ing of mental illness has created considerable discomfort for persons committed to a biblical worldview; the Bible clearly states that demons are real and that they are evidenced in both 116 Demonic Influence and Mental Disorders powerful and dramatic ways, at least under some circumstances.
    [Show full text]
  • A Psychology of Possession
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Wales Trinity Saint David A PSYCHOLOGY OF POSSESSION DR PETER CONNOLLY Introduction : The Nature of Trance Although widespread, the phenomenon of possession does not appear in all cultures. This suggests that possession is a cultural artefact, either in the strong sense of being nothing more than a cultural creation or in the weaker one of culture moulding and shaping universal psychological processes in socially relevant ways. My own approach to understanding possession lies very much within the framework of the weaker version. The hypothesis I will seek to develop is essentially that the phenomena of possession are best understood in terms of the psychological processes associated with the term ‘trance’. I use this term deliberately and in full awareness of the reservations about its usefulness expressed by some psychologists. Among hypnosis researchers there are three broad approaches to explaining the nature of trance. The first is that which emphasises socio-cognitive factors such as role play and imaginative involvement in suggested experiences. In short, this approach explains away any feature of trance which provides it with a distinctive character. This view would be compatible with what I have called the strong version of cultural artifactualism. Another approach emphasizes that trance is a genuine altered state of consciousness which differs from ordinary consciousness in a variety of ways, most notably in that reflexive, executive or ego consciousness – what many hypnotists call ‘the conscious mind’ – is dissociated from unconscious processes. The third approach is more diffuse, combining the first two explanations and, depending on the writer, perhaps adding a few other elements to produce a kind of multi-variable theory.
    [Show full text]
  • Paranormal and Dissociative Experiences in Middle-Eastern Jews in Israel: Diagnostic and Treatment Dilemmas
    PARANORMAL AND DISSOCIATIVE EXPERIENCES IN MIDDLE-EASTERN JEWS IN ISRAEL: DIAGNOSTIC AND TREATMENT DILEMMAS Eli Somer, Ph.D. Eli Somer, Ph.D., is Director of tlle Israel Institute for involve involuntary behavior or influences by forces that are Treatment and Prevention of SU'ess and a Senior Lecturer notconsidered partofthe self. Persons manifesting both phe­ at the School ofSocial Work at the niversity ofHaifa, both nomena are usually good hypnotic subjects (Ackstein, 1982; in Haifa, Israel Putnam, 1989); amnesia is a central element in both cases (Ellenberger, 1970), and these two types ofexperience can For reprintswrite to Eli Somer, Ph.D., School ofSocial Work, be reproduced expel;mentally in hypnosis (Putnam, 1986; University ofHaifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel Richeport, 1992). Castillo (1994) reported that it appears that there are ABSTRACT two factors determining how a particular episode of posses­ Four Israelijewish persons ofMiddle Eastern cultural heritage pre­ sion will be perceived in the South Asian (Indian and Sri sentedfor consultationfollowing unsuccessful helpingattlmlpts deliv­ Lankan) cultural context. First, if the possessing entity is a ered by variousfolk and spiritual healers. Thefour patients suffered human personality, the episode will be perceived as a rare from the following DSM-IV defined problems: Post-traumatic Stress mental illness, and psychiau'ic treaunent will be sought. In Disorder, Dissociative Disordernot Othe>wise Specified, Schizophrenia most possession cases in South Asia, the possessing agent is - paranoid type, and Histrionic Personality Disorder coupled with manifested as a ghost, a demon, or a god. In the case ofbene­ a Conversion Disorder with Seizures. The patients construed their volent possession by a god or a goddess, treatment is usual­ suffering in cultural idioms implicating supernatural experiences.
    [Show full text]
  • Mark Crooks, on the Psychology of Demon Possession: the Occult
    On the Psychology of Demon Possession: The Occult Personality Mark Crooks** Institute of Mind and Behavior Abstract: The notions of possession within psychiatry, psychology, anthropology, parapsychology, and demonology are evaluated as to their relative de/merits. The sheer quantity of evidence as to the phenomenology (descriptive facts) of possession means it transcends any dismissal as anecdotal in kind (e.g., the academically archetypal Biblical possession case involving the swine stampede — a so-called “poltergeist,” here redefined as pan-demon-ium — following the expulsion of the Legion demons). Copious empirical data concerning possession are the same for all contending interpretations, so the prime question is which interpretation has the simplest, most comprehensive explanatory hypothesis. There is a great logical and empirical rigor that may be attached to the traditional conception of demonology. A stereotyped antithesis between science and superstition is suggestive but an alternative, actual dichotomy obtains between good and better hypotheses, which map the same evidential field of facts shared by Biblical demonology and its competing interpretations of possession. “Satan stealthily creeps on us, and by degrees allures us by clandestine arts, so that when we go astray we know not that we are going astray. Thus gradually we slide, until at length we rush headlong into ruin.”—John Calvin (1549). By Way of Introduction Utilizing the traditional criteria of empirical proof and explanation, demonology can be ** This manuscript was first published in The Journal of Mind and Behavior, Volume 39, Number 4, 2018. I dedicate this paper to my two intellectually empathic souls, Stephen Harrison and John Smythies, who both charitably supported me in my first philosophical and publishing endeavors.
    [Show full text]
  • Spirit Possession Perspectives on Pastoral Assessment and Care
    Theology ︱ Dr Marta Illueca Spirit possession Perspectives on pastoral assessment and care Most of us are familiar with hroughout the past two decades, symptoms that are characteristic of both demonic possession as depicted and despite widespread demonic possession, and mental health in popular culture, for example in T scepticism, there has been an disorders. Practitioners often fail to horror films such as The Exorcist. increase in interest from the academic discern what a patient needs, i.e., medical While these representations community on the phenomenon of attention and psychiatric diagnosis, or are usually exaggerated, they spiritual distress related to spirit or spiritual intervention. The consequences are frequently based on real-life demonic possession. In her graduate of misdiagnosis can compromise well- accounts of the phenomenon. work at Yale Divinity School, Dr Marta being, and lead to social stigma. Evolution of the knowledge about demonic possession. Despite widespread academic Illueca researches the topic of demonic Graphic design by Cynde A. Bimbi, CAB Graphics & Design, USA. scepticism, pastoral care and possession: spirit possession by an evil Dr Illueca notes that formal research mental health practitioners are entity. Her background in both medicine and empirical data are sparse, which possession, and how it differs from or microbial contamination. In the worst of demonic possession is described becoming increasingly aware and theology makes her ideally placed has led to a misrepresentation of those the mental health disorders with which cases the evil spirit controls and uses worldwide across cultures and continents. of the affliction, and the need to inform and advise on this topic.
    [Show full text]
  • Possession • the Phenomenon of Demonic Possession
    EXPLORATION POSSESSION • The Phenomenon of Demonic Possession What Do I Need to Know? What’s the Big Idea? As the leader of this study, you need to be careful with this topic. Demonic In this discussion, you will possession holds a certain fascination and curiosity, but immersing oneself in cover demons and demonic the topic is not spiritually beneficial. It causes us to wrongly focus on Satan possession, which the Bible and evil, and can plant seeds of fear that God does not want us to have toward says are both real. You’ll want Satan. So, when you’re done leading the study, just leave the topic alone. to demonstrate that Jesus has power and authority over The first part of the study deals with a few case studies of demon possession. demons. Read them through with the group. Here are some basic facts to know. Satan is a created being. Scripture tells us that he rebelled against God and led many angels with him in that rebellion (Isaiah 14, Luke 10:18). Evil spirits are fallen angels – not ghosts, dead, or damned people. In most cases of demon posses- sion, the evil spirit laid claim to a person’s life because they were involved in some kind of occult or satanic practice (Ouija boards, Spirit Channeling, etc.). In some cases, it was extreme drug abuse, or deviant sexual sin such as incest, that may have opened up a doorway. Demonic possession is not always black and white; there are degrees by which a person may be oppressed demonically.
    [Show full text]
  • Demons Handout.Pdf
    Satanism and the Occult In House Swept Clean, Darrell McCulley suggests different ways in which demonic activity can occur. He argues that demonic activity does not necessarily mean full bodily possession as in the 1949 exorcism case. There are many ways in which demons manifest themselves. Demonic activity can be found in 1. Miraculous healing or signs, 2. Parlor tricks, and 3. Direct communication. Many people have reported healing through a spiritual medium. Such mediums treat people with elixirs and potions. McCulley suggests that such reports are based on demonic activity. Why would a demon want to heal someone? To create credibility in a spiritual medium. 2 Thes. 2:9-12- what will Satan use to deceive us? Parlor tricks refer to levitating objects, mysterious noises, apparitions, or objects moving without any physical cause. Many think it is their dead loved is coming back and doing it, but what to God’s Word say? Job 7:9-10 and Hebrews 9:27. Demons also have direct communication through mediums. Unlike, parlor tricks, this method goes beyond manifestations to the point of relaying information. The dead do not come back to us, except on the Great Day of the Resurrection. Demons may relay hidden information, but it is always false or half truths. They will pretend to be your loved one, think of the damage and impact this can have on someone! Acts 16:16-18; 1 Cor 10:19-20- what connection do you see here between demons and practices such as divination and the magic arts? We do not know all the reasons why demons possess an individual or why they harass particular people.
    [Show full text]
  • The House Swept Clean : a Biblically Balanced Pattern for the Diagnosis
    Concordia Seminary - Saint Louis Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary Other Student Publications Resources for Ministry 1-1-2002 The house swept clean : a biblically balanced pattern for the diagnosis, exorcism, and pastoral care of the victims of demonic possession Darrell Arthur McCulley Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.csl.edu/osp Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation McCulley, Darrell Arthur, "The house swept clean : a biblically balanced pattern for the diagnosis, exorcism, and pastoral care of the victims of demonic possession" (2002). Other Student Publications. 1. https://scholar.csl.edu/osp/1 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Resources for Ministry at Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Other Student Publications by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The House SweptA biblically balanced Clean pattern for the THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE, CHAPTER 10, VV 17-20: The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons diagnosis, exorcism, and pastoral care submit to us in your name.” He replied, “I saw Satan fall like of the victims of demonic possession lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit (NIV) ©2002 by Darrell Arthur McCulley to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Exorcism and Possession from the Greek Orthodox Perspective
    WESTERN ETHNOCENTRISM: A COMPARISON BETWEEN AFRICAN WITCHCRAFT AND THE GREEK EVIL EYE FROM A SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION PERSPECTIVE By Anastasia Apostolides Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in the Department of Practical Theology Faculty of Theology University of Pretoria Supervisor: Prof Dr Yolanda Dreyer August, 2007 Declaration I, the undersigned, declare that the work contained in this dissertation is my own original work and that it has not previously, in its entirety or part, submitted for a degree to any other university. __________________ Anastasia Apostolides Acknowledgements I would like to thank the following people: Prof Yolanda Dreyer for her invaluable time and guidance. Thank you for allowing me the freedom to explore a controversial subject. Prof Van Aarde for his kindness and encouragement. Your input has been much appreciated. You have taught me to approach all matters of theology with much humility. Retha Kruidenier for never complaining to do endless searches. Thank you for your friendship. My husband Dr Zeno Apostolides for his friendship and willingness to enthusiastically discuss a matter that is non-scientific. 95 Summary This dissertation can be summarized as follows: ethnocentrism occurs because there is a lack of insight to the fact that religion is socially taught. Ethnocentrism should not be enforced on our understanding of other cultures. A comparative study was done between African witchcraft and the Greek evil eye to see if these two cultures still believe in what Westerners term superstitions, due to similar reasons. The study illustrated that these cultures still believe in these so-called superstitions because similar reasons.
    [Show full text]
  • UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara the Game
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara The Game of Exorcism: A Spatial Analysis of Religious Practice A Thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Religious Studies by William Samuel Chavez Committee in charge: Professor Rudy Busto, Chair Professor Christine Thomas Professor David Gordon White June 2018 The thesis of William Samuel Chavez is approved. __________________________________________ Christine Thomas __________________________________________ David Gordon White __________________________________________ Rudy Busto, Committee Chair June 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to several members of the UCSB Religious Studies Department for their wisdom and assistance with the research that produced this thesis, specifically David Gordon White, Richard Hecht, Christine Thomas, José Cabezón, Vesna Wallace, and Juan Campo. James Brousseau, Aaron Ullrey, and Greg Hillis have each developed my thinking for what became Section IV. My wife, Stefany Olague, also read numerous drafts, accompanied me at conferences, and always encouraged me to push forward in my career. She is my best friend and it is through her love and care that I was able to complete this adventure. The foundation of this thesis started during my final year at the University of Rochester. Thus, I am still indebted to Joshua Dubler and Nora Rubel. Finally, my current advisor has been nothing but supportive of this project. I am a better scholar because of his guidance. I cannot remember his name right now but it will come to me. iii ABSTRACT The Game of Exorcism: A Spatial Analysis of Religious Practice by William Samuel Chavez The academic study of exorcism is theoretically weak and limited because the scholarship is largely disjointed, partitioned into sets of case studies described, analyzed, and theorized according to specific cultures and histories.
    [Show full text]
  • What Is Spirit Possession? Defining, Comparing, and Explaining Two
    What is Spirit Possession? Defi ning, Comparing, and Explaining Two Possession Forms Emma Cohen University of Oxford, UK abstract Reviewing anthropological analyses of possession forms cross-culturally and drawing from recent advances in cognitive psychology, this paper attempts to explain recurrent features of spirit possession. Spirit possession concepts fall into broadly two varieties: one that entails the transformation or replacement of iden- tity (executive possession) and one that envisages possessing spirits as (the cause of) illness and misfortune (pathogenic possession). The cross-culturally recurrent features of these divergent conceptual structures may be explained, at least in part, with reference to distinct processes of human psychology, one set of which deals with the representation of person-identity and another that deals with notions about contamination. keywords Comparative anthropology, person-identity, spirit illness n 1976, Erika Bourguignon, one of the foremost anthropological scholars of spirit possession, published a book entitled Possession in which she Ipresented a cross-cultural analysis of possession beliefs and behaviours. Bourguignon parsed the broad range of possession phenomena into two types. Both types entail the belief that a ‘person is changed in some way through the presence in him or on him of a spirit entity or power, other than his own personality, soul, self or the like’ (1976 : 8). The two types were labelled ‘pos- session trance’ and ‘possession’. Possession trance isis expressedexpressed iinn aalteredltered sstatestates of consciousness; in possession, such trance states are absent. This particular method of carving up the domain proved useful for assessing the frequency and distribution of possession, possession trance, and trance (an ‘altered state of consciousness’ entailing no associated possession belief) in cross-cultural survey of a world-wide sample of 488 societies (Bourguignon 1968).
    [Show full text]
  • WASP: Different Kinds of Demonic Spirits
    WASP: Different Kinds of Demonic Spirits Knowing Your Enemy We will attempt to take you in to the heart of the different kinds of strategies demons use against people. For the most part, demons are known by their function names. The function name will tell you what the demon specializes in, whether it be external or internal to a person. For instance, a spirit of lust will specialize in areas of lust, sexual perversion and sin with the goal of causing someone to act on it. This is how many people end up engaging in fornication, adultery, or pornography. This is what you call a person coming under direct demonic influence. In most of these cases, the person is not under full demonic possession. God holds people responsible for their actions, regardless of a demon’s involvement of influence and compulsion. Both Adam and Eve were responsible for their actions in the Garden, even though the devil himself tempted Eve to disobey and eat the fruit off that forbidden tree, followed by her persuasion of Adam to do the same. God punished both for their actions, despite outside influences1. Satan has not changed his tactics and strategies. He uses both demons and other people to cause us to fall into various types of sins. But whether under direct influence from demons or other people, the choice will always remain with the individual as to whether they will succumb to temptation and sin against God. Unless dealing with a case of temporary possession or extreme mental illness, most persons have all senses fully intact enough to know right from wrong; good and evil.
    [Show full text]