Teenager died from ‘suffocation’ in exorcism

[Still Waters]

A teenage girl thought by her father to have been possessed by an ‘evil spirit’ died from suffocation during an exorcism, it has been reported.

Tomomi Maishigi’s father and a monk performed a ‘waterfall service’ on the 13-year-old where she was allegedly bound to a chair by a belt and placed face-up underneath a water pump for five minutes at a Buddhist church in Kumamoto, south Japan.

The pair - 56-year-old monk Kazuaki Kinoshita and the girl's 50-year-old father Atsushi Maishigi - were arrested yesterday on charges of inflicting injury resulting in death.

According to the Mainichi Daily News, her father held the girl down under the falling water while the monk chanted sutras in the early hours of 27 August.

When the victim fell unconscious, they called an ambulance but she was later pronounced dead.

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[WoIverine]

Nice, so they waterboarded her, brilliant. Exorcism? Come on, at least they could've called a priest or something, or taken her to a shrink prior to drowning her.

[Anotheryahoo]

I wonder if the drowning her had anything to do with it? Its amazing that all these things that are happening in the 21st century. Man is crazier then a tree full of monkeys and we see proof of it every single day.

[Lysippos]

Sad.

This is just one of the cases that shows religion causes more pain than happiness.

Please dont bite my head off because of this statement.

[Toadie]

Where is the like button for the above statement

[AdealJustice]

Very very sad indeed. When will people get it... There is no such thing as demons, especially ones that can posses you. Religion doesn't cause make.... the blind followers do. its the 21st century.... when will people learn there lessons regarding exorcisms -.-...

[Cryptozological Mascot]

Wow. That is really sad, but I'm surprised that in a site called "Unexplained Mysteries" there are people who are so quick to dismiss the possibility of posession. As far as religion causing more pain than happiness, I totally disagree! What causes the pain are the doctrines that greedy men have embedded into them. Many religions are actually quite beautiful in themselves, yet the single evil thread that ties many of them together is the paradigm that people of other faiths are corrupt. Still though, I completely agree that this poor girl needed medical attention: personal religion is good to have, unless it causes harm to a person. Much like that of the infant whose parents refused to see a doctor for it and anointed it in oil when it became ill.... they're on trial as I type this and hope that the jury finds them guilty...

[AdealJustice]

Wow. That is really sad, but I'm surprised that in a site called "Unexplained Mysteries" there are people who are so quick to dismiss the possibility of posession. As far as religion causing more pain than happiness, I totally disagree! What causes the pain are the doctrines that greedy men have embedded into them. Many religions are actually quite beautiful in themselves, yet the single evil thread that ties many of them together is the paradigm that people of other faiths are corrupt. Still though, I completely agree that this poor girl needed medical attention: personal religion is good to have, unless it causes harm to a person. Much like that of the infant whose parents refused to see a doctor for it and anointed it in oil when it became ill.... they're on trial as I type this and hope that the jury finds them guilty...

Lol demonic posession... im a skeptic on this issue. But honestly its interesting but from what i read too many people get hurt trying to get rid of these "Demons"... than they do while they are posessed. Lol isn't religion all about doctrine? How can you have on without the other? Lol religion is a man made innovation.

[Toadie]

Nothing a few pills will sort out

[star energy]

It's so hard to imagine anyone hurting a little 13 yr old child like that. Hundreds of times? Almost all of her little life was abused. She fought back but lost her life anyways. After 100's of times, sooner than later she surely would have died. Torture or Exorcism?

[Swamptick]

The Japanese are at it again. Of course, had this been a thread about a Christian exorcism, all of you hypocrites would be foaming at the mouth. Lemmings all.

[rashore]

Geez, this reminds me of some of the awful things they used to do to patients in asylums to "cure" them of their disorders.

It's a crying shame... Poor girl

[zenfahr]

A Buddhist should have known better. It seems that if they did this a hundred times, then it was out of enjoyment of the girl suffereing. A Buddhist attempts to allieviate suffereing, through logic and compasion. Through self sacrifice and meditation. not cause more of it. If it did not work the first, second, or third time, well then its time to try something else. It was stated that the girl had mental issues, was that a doctors evaluation? If so then she should have been on medication, rather than abused, which only made her issues worse. I hope they throw the book at these two, and send them to jail for a long time. Strip that so called monk of any credentials.

[Beckys_Mom]

This is not the 1st time i have read articles about religious people killing helpless victims thinking the victim is possessed...and sadly - It will not be the last

[Melo -]

lol...religion...i can describe it in two words that i've not heard anyone else call it though i'm sure some have....it's like....' Anarchaious regulation'.....it was good back then....but we have cops now

[dharma warrior]

The Nakayama shingo shoshu is a fairly new Buddhist order (1952) and is considered by many in Japan to be a cult, and not a true Buddhist church. The fact that the girl had received this treatment hundreds of times would indicate that was a punishment and not an exorcism.

Exorcism in Buddhism is the exception, not the rule.

I've been a member of the Jodo Shinshu church for 24 years and this sort of behavior would never be tolerated there.

BTW, if this is a story about a Buddhist church, why did UM include an image of a Shinto shrine?

[Rolci]

lol...religion...i can describe it in two words that i've not heard anyone else call it though i'm sure some have....it's like....' Anarchaious regulation'.....it was good back then....but we have cops now

I did thoroughly enjoy watching these cops at Trafalgar. The power they exerted was phenomenal. One almost deterred a cat from p***ing on his foot. Religion, on the other hand, actually makes people do stuff. Whatever they believe in. Like, "hey, we don't like those WTC towers over there, let's knock 'em down". Law is just another religion, otherwise it'd be the same everywhere. Is gay marriage lawful or not? Should capital punishment applied or not? Law=Religion. Cops=pussies. If common people had the determination religious extremists have, humans in all countries would've made it possible to track even basic things like, "How much tax did we all pay last year and how much went where exactly?" Oh, hanng on. It's not in the law that we're supposed to know. And cops can't tell us either. Whereas when you're an islam you know that it was all spent on explosives. Peace of mind it is called.

Edited September 29, 2011 by Rolci

[human saladfork]

Extremely sad and extremely disgusting to know that children all over the world go through worse again. i like the above comment "If common people had the determination religious extremists have"...what would we do? would we become power hungry and cause pain aswell? Is it even possible to have power and not grow an ego? The fact of the matter Humans are worthless peices of **** it dosnt matter if we are religous or a cop or a politician or just a boss at work we get a bit of power we destroy. we are so smart and so dumb and awful events like this prove that.

[Average Fallacy]

Oh wow, things like this absolutely astound me. I just can't fathom the logic behind those sorts of actions. There have been numerous cases like this where people have landed themselves in jail or even prison for child negligence.

[Shawn Gossman]

I think there is a such thing as possession but I think exorcisms wont help. I really think its up to the person who is "possessed" to beat the possession out of themselves with streingth and will power, like quitting smoking but that idea would seem ignorant thanks to all the movies and hollywood stuff that has made that theory impossible these days.

Sad the child had to die

[Stygean Hugh]

I'm broken hearted. The Japanese are smart peoples. After "hundreds of times" they should have figured out it didn't work.After 1 time, they should have figured out it didn't work. I'm sure drowning her drove out the demons.

[FurthurBB]

The Japanese are at it again. Of course, had this been a thread about a Christian exorcism, all of you hypocrites would be foaming at the mouth. Lemmings all.

Well, since you are the one obviously blinded by hatred and foaming at the mouth to say something extremely hypocritical, what does that make you?

[+Paranoid Android]

The Nakayama shingo shoshu is a fairly new Buddhist order (1952) and is considered by many in Japan to be a cult, and not a true Buddhist church. The fact that the girl had received this treatment hundreds of times would indicate that was a punishment and not an exorcism.

Exorcism in Buddhism is the exception, not the rule.

I've been a member of the Jodo Shinshu church for 24 years and this sort of behavior would never be tolerated there.

BTW, if this is a story about a Buddhist church, why did UM include an image of a Shinto shrine?

Would it surprise you to know that the same can be said for most Christian churches also? I've been a member of one church or another for 11 years now and similar sorts of behaviour would also never be tolerated in either of the churches I've attended.

My point - unfortunately there are extremists in every religious group! This is one sad example of that, but it doesn't mean that this is a reflection of what Buddhism is like, just like the actions of Westboro or some sad person who kills their child during a Christian exorcism shouldn't reflect on the Christian religion as a whole. No religion should be judged by their small group of extremists who may give the rest a bad name. Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, whatever....

~ PA

[Muenzenhamster]

"...she resisted and became violent." I'd imagine most people would resist and become violent at the prospect of being bound and having water pumped over their faces for five minutes! "Buddhists" don't do things like this; idiots do things like this.

[little star]

I'm a young woman who has been living in Japan for a few years.

Everyone is jumping all over this as a way to blame all religion in general for yet another atrocity. I'm not even religious but I'm shaking my head.

A couple men in their fifties got together and abused a little girl. That's all it amounts to. The exorcism crap was their excuse. If not that, it would have been something else.

There are all different kinds of people living here but the ones in charge are bullies and pedophiles. The corruption isn't hidden. Everyone knows and no one does anything. This story was barely even reported on in Japan, because such behavior is all but condoned by the people running the country. Crimes against women are hardly ever investigated or reported. Hospitals have never even heard of a rape kit.

This is very real and scary, and now that this particular example has been exposed, since religion is involved of course all anyone will say is "it's that wacky religion's fault! I was right all along about religion!" and pat themselves on the back.

Edited October 21, 2011 by little star