The Metropolis

Internet Causing More Demonic Possessions, Say People Who Believe in Demonic Possessions

Chuck Ansbacher | Tuesday 5 April, 2011 16:06

When you say the word “exorcism” out loud, usually the movie The Exorcist springs to peoples’ minds. Sure it’s a bit old, but as far as movies that scare the pants off of you go, its spot is forever secured in the history books. But when you Google the word exorcism? Movies barely make it to the front page. Incredulously, the results are all about actual, real life exorcisms. I say incredulously because, well, I don’t believe in them. That is to say, I don’t believe in demonic possession. That is to say, exorcisms seriously happen?

That is to say, yes. This week in Rome, a six day conference is being held on the subject of exorcisms. The internet, these fan fiction devotees claim, is responsible for a sharp rise in Satan worshipping. That, of course, leads to more exorcisms having to take place, which in turn necessitates a week long meeting on the scary trend.

“The internet makes it much easier than in the past to find information about Satanism,” said Carlo Climati, a member of the university who specialises in the dangers posed to young people by Satanism.

“In just a few minutes you can contact Satanist groups and research occultism. The conference is not about how to become an exorcist. It’s to share information about exorcism, Satanism and sects. It’s to give help to families and priests. There is a particular risk for young people who are in difficulties or who are emotionally fragile,” said Mr Climati.

The object of seminars was to scrutinise the phenomenon of Satanism with “seriousness and scientific rigour”, avoiding a “superficial or sensational approach”, he said.

The conference in Rome has brought together more than 60 Catholic clergy as well as doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, teachers and youth workers to discuss how to combat the dangers of Devil-worship.

Fragile young people are the worst.

I think it’s safe to say that the internet has led to a rise in just about everything. From anorexia to masturbation to plain old reading the news — if you can do it from the comfort of your own home, the internet has made more of it happen. The only thing the internet hasn’t led to an increase in is shit that doesn’t exist suddenly materialising and becoming real. For example, the internet hasn’t led to me owning more cats, even though I spend at least an hour a day looking at pictures of them. It also hasn’t led to me staying in more fancy hotels, eating more fried chicken, exercising more often or going to more Australia, even though a lot of my time on the internet is devoted to thinking about such things.

Similarly, the internet hasn’t led to more Satans actually existing. It may make it more easy to read about Satan, but just as watching way to much porn does not equate to having way too much sex, reading about the devil does not equate to being possessed by the devil. In fact, if that analogy holds any water it’s probably more along the lines of the opposite.

That isn’t to say that people who watch lots of porn on the internet don’t think about it all the time. It can become an obsession, or so I’m told. And while the same kind of obsession is then conceivable for web based Satan worshippers, that doesn’t mean more priests need to be trained to perform more exorcisms all of a sudden. It just means that some people need to chill out with their internet habits, go have an IRL experience every now and then, and probably get a few more cats.

Catholics at a six day conference about exorcisms, take note.

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