How do you do an exorcism with atheists?

[Helen of Annoy]

8 hours ago, The Silver Shroud said:

Thank you for this thoughtful post!

(As I have told Helen in the past) I am a sceptic partly because I was brought up in a devout household as a child- a reaction to it.My parents knew all about speaking in tongues and seeing Christ in person. They also knew all about how ill-advised it was to spare the rod and spoil the child. If a child didn't have welts,he hadn't been chastised properly.  I took to drink instead as it seemed more logical to me. My mother was convinced I drank because I had a devil inside me- I made quite a successful joke that he must be a thirsty little ****er,then - but nothing good came of their prayers for me because I wanted to drink.

It is very interesting for me to see their sort of spiritual beliefs reflected in someone else as my non-belief is so subjective I know I can't see the wood for the trees sometimes.

This may not make sense.

I'm so sorry you experienced such cruelty. Of course you rebelled, I would too, anyone whose will wasn't broken would rebel in your place.  

The way people misunderstand religion (and keep developing their religions to mirror their very earthly faults) is often the source of extreme cruelty, both in families and in a society. It's an awfully successful trap, when one thinks anything is allowed, if only they claim it's how god wants it. 

Some people are just rotten like that and they consciously abuse the idea of god to achieve control, others honestly believe in the images of god made to the likeness of the people - instead of the other way around. 

When Buddha says: "I am not what you think I am. You are what you think I am." - it cannot be more accurate in my humble opinion. Each of us shows their entire inner universe when presenting their image of the higher power. There's so much fear and insecurity in so many people they inevitably end up with grumpy, neurotic or even psychopath god in their heads.   

Which is how, throughout history, those who were supposedly battling demons with the greatest zeal were the ones in the greatest need of an exorcism. 

In my opinion, the hypothetical force that set the Universe in motion cannot be reduced to an entity that suffers from typically human shortcomings (such as jealousy, insecurity, cruelty etc.). So any spiritual expression (religions definitely belong there) that is not hilariously tolerant and patient is obviously not inspired with higher power, but with very basic human desires. 

 

I think we're exorcising demons in a way, in this thread too. Allegorically, but it still feels great 

[Will Due]

2 hours ago, eight bits said:

the demon-collective "Legion" refers to the Roman army.

 

I wonder if you noticed that in all that happened to Amos, no demons were ever involved. Nothing was exorcised. As they ran off the cliff, nothing exited Amos except an overwhelming and terrible lack of possession of a balanced mind, and nothing entered the swine except for the fear of a pack of attacking dogs.

The fact that his cure was permanent (the coming to his senses) is also interesting. That the coincidental nature, the timing of events had so much to do with the permanent cure of his trapped mind.

So often were the interactions between Jesus and certain people deemed miraculous when it was only the mere adjustment of their attitudes (in the way of thinking) that amounted to anything really being miraculous at all.

 

 

Edited August 28, 2021 by Will Due

[eight bits]

6 minutes ago, Will Due said:

I wonder if you noticed that in all that happened to Amos, no demons were ever involved.

I was thinking more of the original (or at least the oldest version available to us today), Mark 5:1-20.

While I cannot know what Mark personally believed about demons, what he put on the page definitely involved demons.

And there's no question that the story can be retold in modern style, with psychosis substituted for demonic possession, and a well-timed appearance by a pack of dogs for the demonic stampede (reminds me of a similar major scene in Thomas Hardy's 1874 masterpiece Far from the Madding Crowd - perhaps the UB authors liked it as much as I did).

That's what fanfic is for, right?