Exorcism, << EHK sawr sihz uhm >>, is the act of driving away the Devil or other evil spirits that possess, influence, or control a person. Exorcism is practiced throughout the world and presupposes the existence of evil forces in the lives of human beings.
Many cultures believe that evil spirits and the Devil can tempt a person to do something wrong, for example, tell a lie or commit a crime. They can even dominate an individual by temporarily taking control of the person’s body.
When an evil spirit takes control of an individual or of an individual’s actions, the person is said to be possessed. A possessed person may go into convulsions, acquire extraordinary strength, or shout curses—with no apparent explanation. Sometimes the evil spirit affects objects near the possessed person. For example, the spirit might cause objects to fly through the air. An evil spirit also could take control of a room or of an entire building.
Possession is difficult to verify because the phenomenon could result from causes other than evil spirits. For example, a supposedly possessed person might really be suffering a mental or physical illness.
Some Christian denominations and other religions have ceremonies for driving out devils and evil spirits. The New Testament tells that Jesus Christ exorcised devils. Jesus also gave his apostles the power to drive out devils. In the Roman Catholic Church, an exorcism is a ceremony that consists of a series of prayers recited over the possessed person.
In many cultures, religious specialists, such as shamans, are skilled at performing exorcisms. The Roman Catholic Church allows some priests to perform exorcisms. The church’s sacrament of baptism and the blessing of holy oil and holy water include prayers that ask God for protection from attacks by devils.
