Demons Excorcism: Abusive Bat Shittery Or Misunderstood Exhibition Of Self?

[TheBluegrassSkeptic]

Okay, first of all, I will NEVER buy into the whole angels, demons, and visitation debate. EVER. Shit ain't real. I think people are being taken advantage of emotionally, and in this case monetarily. What I find more disturbing is that these young girls have been taken advantage of by their own father, and even worse, it is reeking of suspect due to the possibility of a reality show.

 

Here's my thing. There are those who see exorcism as a form of emotional recovery. Should we find a way to incorporate this in a more secular manner into therapies available? I mean, we already do crazy methods like "rebirth".

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Fc0iDsY6zBk

[mcdaddy]

I'll admit it, I only turned on the vid because the girls were hot. And I'll admit I don't understand this shit. But half the population is possessed? gimma a F'ing break. whats your take on why this happens Zomb?

[norton65ca]

Bob Larsen is certifiable. He's also a swindler, a snake oil salesman and a basically nasty piece of work. I do feel for his children though.

[stryper]

Children mimic what their parents do. Once they start to think for themselves they usually break out on their own taking pieces of what they learned as kids with them.

 

In my opinion, these girls need to GTFO of the parents sphere of influence.

 

However, the celebrity they have gained from what they do will probably prevent that.

[florduh]

Norton's right - Larsen is scum.

 

The current Christian exorcism craze is no different than removing a hex from someone who believes he has been cursed by a witch, gypsy, voodoo practitioner, etc. Superstitious belief in possession or curses seems more common than I would hope in the 21st Century. Psychology still works though, and people suffering symptoms from an imagined curse or possession do get relief if they believe the curse or demon has been neutralized by magic. People sure are gullible!

[mcdaddy]

So when these people like that one lady say that she's been raped by demons, whatever, do you think they're always making it up out of whole cloth 100% of the time, or that they're literally insane?

[TheBluegrassSkeptic]

So when these people like that one lady say that she's been raped by demons, whatever, do you think they're always making it up out of whole cloth 100% of the time, or that they're literally insane?

I think, neurologically/psychologically speaking, they are unstable, and probably believe it happend or have fantasies of such and this is the guilt projecting itself forward. That is why I wonder if they need to just secularize this on some level and put it in treatment options alongside rebirth and such..

[TheBluegrassSkeptic]

I'll admit it, I only turned on the vid because the girls were hot. And I'll admit I don't understand this shit. But half the population is possessed? gimma a F'ing break. whats your take on why this happens Zomb?

 

I think, like many studies, there are some who are so indoctrinated or in denial of their issues, they actually need this sort of attention in order to deal with their neurosis. I think this is why you will see an individual go through multiple exorcisms throughout their lifetime and never fully "recover". It's their way of showing guilt and assholes like Larson take advantage of it.

[mcdaddy]

The human brain is a crazy, crazy thing...

[LivingLife]

Buffy the Vampire slayer was hotter and these folk are channelling Hollywood

 

[mcdaddy]

Screw SMG. Kristy Swanson was MUCH hotter.

[freeasabird]

Screw SMG. Kristy Swanson was MUCH hotter.

 

Yes I would.

[Exevolt]

Excorcisms/possessions = in my book. I forgot where I saw it but a guy went to a village in BFE that had turned away legit medicine to pay mass monies to a group of witch doctors who'd cure them of ailments and constantly curing those of demon possession and trolled a little girl who was "possessed" and pointed out the witch doctors lies that was causing harm to the village.

[Guest Babylonian Dream]

Buffy the Vampire slayer was hotter and these folk are channelling Hollywood

 

That's because these real life exorcists are just knock offs of the real hollywood character.

[FeelHappy]

I'll admit it, when the woman said she's held down and raped by demons repeatedly, I laughed....does that make me a bad person?

[TrailBlazer]

To the credit of the protestant churches I've been familiar with, they've taught that Christians cannot be demon "posessed" because they are safe in Jesus name, however Christians can be demon oppressed.

 

In the dorms of the AG college I attended, demon oppression was sadly, a common occurrence. There were ppl waking up screaming in the middle of the night "Jesus Christ" to get demons to flee and a few girls flew into the triple room I was staying in crying about demon attacks. Remedy? We prayed over some baby oil and anointed the devil out of everything in their dorm room so they would feel save enough to go back to sleep. Essentially the "there are no monsters under your bed so go back to sleep" treatment.

 

Nearly every person I encountered at the school who claimed to have encounters with demons I also knew to have some form of mental illness.

[hereticzero]

I'll admit it, when the woman said she's held down and raped by demons repeatedly, I laughed....does that make me a bad person?

Nope, I had a South Park moment myself.

[Positivist]

The human brain is a crazy, crazy thing...

Nearly every person I encountered at the school who claimed to have encounters with demons I also knew to have some form of mental illness.

I agree that the brain is highly complex; a bump here or a lack of re-uptake there can mean anything from a God-Buzz to insanity...standing naked on a highrise, sacrificed for the sins of the world. I've seen it all. It is odd that when people have these "experiences" they always are interacting with demons, angels, or God/Jesus himself; they aren't being raped by a non-spiritual entity. This obsession with spiritual figures makes me think it's related to the temporal lobe.

 

Raped by demons? I'd say something awry in brain neurotransmitters or other dysfunction (temporal lobe, with concomitant lack of frontal lobe inhibition? schizophrenia?), combined with attention seeking or childhood crap coming up.

 

Even if it is as real as real to them, I'm not going to hang my hat on it as evidence of spiritual entities....

 

My two cents!

[SoftIce]

"So it's possible that I... Could have... A demon inside me, and not know it?"

"..Yes."

 

Anyone else LOL at that scene?

 

This guy is a crook, pure and simple. What's worse is that he's doing it in the name of a figurehead of a religion that, in this guy's own holy texts (the guy in the vid, not Jesus lol), detested the very things he's doing (eg: charging people for shit like this.)

 

Now, i'm all for someone wanting to try different or unsupported methods of treating illnesses, as long as those methods don't actually damage the person, and they still visit a doctor and get treated medically for their issues as well. It could be the placebo effect, it could be that there's still stuff we don't know (agnostic here.). Either way, if doing some new age form of healing makes the person feel better, and the doctor says it's not harming them, I don't see a problem with it.

 

I am also okay with people charging for these new age type of healing. After all, they are most likely NOT based on the Bible, and thus should have no reason to be held accountable to Christianity's figurehead, and what he taught on money (going on the assumption that Jesus did say something vaguely similar to what was written down.)

 

So when this jackass revealed that he CHARGED people for this.(And 400 BUCKS PER session, and often saying that most people "need" more than one session). I could understand 60 bucks. Even 100. (Maybe for emotional counseling for those poor girls after going through that for like 3 hours?) But 400? Disgusting. I started raging.

 

But, his explanation for WHY he changed made me want to punch my monitor. Or blow something up.

 

"Now now, wait a minute. You're paid. So is anybody who has a responsible position in the public eye. And we have to fund what we do."

 

Yeah, but you see, the little difference there is that people who are paid are paid for LEGITIMATE reasons. Psychologists and psychiatrists have SCIENCE to back up their claims. This guy has NOTHING. He also has nothing close to a "responsible position in the public eye". Sorry dude, I think most people see you as batshit insane.

 

Now, I get that there are a lot of new age themed items and services that people can pay for, such as healing stones, reiki massage, etc. And I have no problem with these, as long as people make sure to visit actual doctors in addition. (In fact, I'm into a lot of new age-y type stuff, myself.)

 

But the main difference between going to, like, someone and getting a palm reading and going to someone like this guy is that he's basing his beliefs on the Bible, where Jesus SPECIFICALLY blew up at the 'Money Changers' in the temple. This should clue people that take the Bible as the word of God that JESUS WOULD NOT CONDONE CHARGING SOMEONE FOR 'HEALING' A PERSON IN HIS NAME. THIS is what fucking pisses me off. Has this guy even fucking READ the goddamned thing? Doesn't he know how pissed off Jesus was at people who were money changers, and how he disliked people that regarded wealth as something super good, and especially hated people that didn't help out those less fortunate than themselves?

 

And what is this bullshit about 'we have to fund what we do'? Those girls enjoy shopping on a regular basis and living in a fucking gorgeous house (if that backdrop behind Rin at 18 seconds is actually part of their 'humble abode'). They also apparently have horses. No, I don't think they are in danger of running out of 'funds' any time soon. To think people that claim to live by what Jesus taught really live like this, while there are people living in cardboard boxes not knowing when their next meal will be, disgusts me like nothing else. They are some of the worst hypocrites I've ever seen.

 

These girls also seem snotty, full of themselves, and arrogant (what a surprise, also sad to know that Rin is home schooled...so much for any decent education for her.) Then again, with a father like that, I could easily see a gullible young kind/eventual teen swayed into that kind of thought.

[Guest wester]

Witch and demon exorcism has a long history which tacks most perfectly with cultural misogyny and hatred and fear of women's

power. Depriving women of their power in service to the church patriarchy helps to alienate people from their natural, sustaining environments.

[Positivist]

OK, I just watched it. I agree with Norton--Bob Larson has serious problems. Not only has he discredited himself throughout his public life, he also lacks any sort of credentials.

 

I personally think he has a fetish for young women, and I think it's a real turn on for him working with these girls. It's not natural for a middle aged ( or older) man to hang out with young women. He's getting his jollies. It wouldn't be a draw for him or anyone else if it was three guys he was "mentoring".

 

More on Bob Larson, the King of Self-Aggrandizement, King of Fear, and King of Self-Delusion:

http://c.web.umkc.edu/cowande/ccp/larson.htm (from University of Missouri-Kansas City)

 

Even the fundamentalist Christian 'Research' Institute thinks he's off the rails:

http://www.equip.org/articles/an-examination-of-the-teachings-of-bob-larson/

 

A telling video, with Bob caught with his hand in the cookie jar:

http://ancientchristian.blogspot.ca/2012/01/bob-larson-unreal-exorcist.html

 

I think Bob Larson is a sorry case of someone who gave their life and mind to fundamentalist fringe Christianity. While prior to conversion he apparently wanted to go to medical school (he never even finished first year of an undergraduate degree), after his dramatic conversion he truly went off the deep end. Now he's in so deep he could never leave. He strikes me as someone who could have done something valuable with his life (medicine) but instead, he placates his ongoing sense of grief and delusion with absurd demonic obsession.

[mcdaddy]

Pos, those are his daughters. If he gets his jollies watching them, then he's uber-sick..

[ConureDelSol]

Ugh, this reminds me of a conversation my dad and aunt had recently. My aunt is absolutely convinced that people who rape and murder babies and do other such horrible things MUST be possessed by demons. Because she probably just doesn't want to believe that humans might actually be in control of themselves when they do things like that...

 

Then my dad promptly corrected her and said that most of the population isn't actually possessed, but that just by being NEAR a demon they can implant evil thoughts and suggestions into your mind.

 

I think I strained an orbital muscle trying desperately to avoid letting them see me do a extremely dramatic eye-roll.

[Exevolt]

To the credit of the protestant churches I've been familiar with, they've taught that Christians cannot be demon "posessed" because they are safe in Jesus name, however Christians can be demon oppressed.

 

In the dorms of the AG college I attended, demon oppression was sadly, a common occurrence. There were ppl waking up screaming in the middle of the night "Jesus Christ" to get demons to flee and a few girls flew into the triple room I was staying in crying about demon attacks. Remedy? We prayed over some baby oil and anointed the devil out of everything in their dorm room so they would feel save enough to go back to sleep. Essentially the "there are no monsters under your bed so go back to sleep" treatment.

 

Nearly every person I encountered at the school who claimed to have encounters with demons I also knew to have some form of mental illness.

If that ever happened to me I would of had to go Samuel L. Jackson on them.

[TheBluegrassSkeptic]

From an emotional stand point though, is this doing a person harm (ie the woman raped by demons) IF this relieves her symptoms? I often wonder at the psychology behind this, because there is psychology behind this. Acknowledging one's fears (regardless of how irrational) and then confronting them. Some people really just have a "divine" intervention, even if man made, in order to have relief.