Editing Exorcism (section)

==Christianity==
{{Main|Exorcism in Christianity||Minor exorcism in Christianity}}
[[File:JesusCuresamute.gif|thumb|right|[[Jesus exorcising a mute|''Exorcising a Mute'']] by [[Gustave Doré]], 1865]]

In [[Christianity]], exorcism is the practice of casting out or getting rid of [[Christian demonology|demons]]. In Christian practice, the person performing the exorcism, known as an [[exorcist]], is a member of a [[Christian Church]], or an individual thought to be [[Grace (Christianity)|graced]] with special powers or skills. The exorcist may use prayers and religious material, such as set formulae, [[gesture]]s, [[symbol]]s, [[icon|sacred image]]s, [[sacramental]]s, etc. The exorcist often invokes [[God in Christianity|God]], [[Jesus]] or several different [[angel]]s and [[archangel]]s to intervene with the exorcism. Protestant Christian exorcists most commonly believe the authority given to them by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (the [[Trinity]]) is the sole source of their ability to cast out demons.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Royal |first=Kenneth |date=2012 |title=Investigating the Practice of Christian Exorcism and the Methods Used to Cast out Demons |url=https://www.academia.edu/48376657 |journal=The Journal of Christian Ministry |via=[[Academia.edu]]}}</ref>

In general, people considered to be possessed are not regarded as evil unto themselves, nor wholly responsible for their actions, because [[spirit possession|possession]] is considered to be the unwilling manipulation by a demon resulting in harm to self or others. Therefore, practitioners regard exorcism as more of a cure than a punishment. The mainstream rituals usually take this into account, making sure that there is no violence to the possessed, only that they be tied down if there is potential for violence.<ref name="Martin1976">{{Cite book |last=Martin |first=Malachi |author-link=Malachi Martin |title=Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |year=1976 |isbn=0-06-065337-X |location=San Francisco}}</ref>{{Rp|page=462}}

Requested and performed exorcisms began to decline in the United States by the 18th century, and occurred rarely until the latter half of the 20th century when the public saw a sharp rise due to the media attention exorcisms received. There was "a 50% increase in the number of exorcisms performed between the early 1960s and the mid-1970s".<ref name="Martin1976"/>{{Rp|page=120}}

===Catholicism===
{{main|Exorcism in the Catholic Church}}

In Catholicism, exorcisms are performed in the name of [[Jesus Christ]].<ref name="Catechismof">
{{Citation |title       = Catechism of the Catholic Church
 |isbn        = 978-1-57455-110-5
 |access-date  = 15 February 2012
 |editor      = Libreria Editrice Vaticana
 |editor2     = Pope John Paul II
 |date        = 28 April 2000
 |chapter     = Sacramentals
 |chapter-url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P58.HTM
 |edition     = 2ND
 |publisher   = United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
 |location    = Citta del Vaticano
 |page        = [https://archive.org/details/catechismofcatho2000cath/page/928 928]
 |url         = https://archive.org/details/catechismofcatho2000cath/page/928
}}</ref> There is a distinction between major exorcisms and minor exorcisms. Minor exorcisms are included in some blessings in which priests create [[sacramental]]s, such as [[blessed salt]], and are also found in the ritual [[RCIA|Scrutinies]] of the [[catechumen]]s. A related practice is [[deliverance ministry]]. The distinction between deliverance ministry and exorcism is that exorcism is conducted by [[Priesthood in the Catholic Church|priests]] given special permission from the [[Catholic Church]], while deliverance ministry is prayer for people who are distressed and wish to heal emotional wounds, including those purportedly caused by evil spirits.<ref name="ireland">{{Cite news |last=Carroll |first=Rory |date=9 June 2022 |title=Irish exorcist calls for extra help for people oppressed by evil spirits |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/09/irish-exorcist-extra-help-people-oppressed-by-evil-spirits |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>
[[File:Ottava di San Filippo d'Agira a Limina - Province of Messina, Sicily, Italy - Sunday 19 May 2013.jpg|thumb|The statue of Saint [[Philip of Agira]] with the [[Gospel]] in his left hand, the symbol of the exorcists, in the May celebrations in his honor at [[Limina]], [[Sicily]]]]

The Catholic rite for a formal exorcism, called a "Major Exorcism", is given in Section 11 of the ''[[Rituale Romanum]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Roman ritual |url=http://www.ewtn.com/library/prayer/roman2.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816205635/http://www.ewtn.com/library/prayer/roman2.txt |archive-date=16 August 2017 |access-date=3 November 2017 |website=www.ewtn.com |translator-last=Weller |translator-first=Philip T.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=10 June 1925 |title=Rituale Romanum |url=http://www.liturgia.it/ritrom.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929170658/http://liturgia.it/ritrom.pdf |archive-date=29 September 2013 |access-date=2 December 2013 |website=www.liturgia.it}}</ref> The ''Ritual'' lists guidelines for conducting an exorcism and determining when a formal exorcism is required.<ref name="TheRite">{{cite book |last1=Baglio |first1=Matt |title=The Rite: the Making of a Modern Exorcist |date=2010 |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |isbn=978-0-385-52271-7 |edition=1st Image |location=New York}}</ref> Priests are instructed to carefully determine that the nature of the condition is not actually a psychological or physical illness before proceeding.<ref name="Catechismof" /> The [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]] state on their website: "the actual determination of whether a member of the faithful is genuinely possessed by the devil is made by the Church."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Exorcism {{!}} USCCB |url=https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals/sacramentals-blessings/exorcism |access-date=2023-08-26 |website=www.usccb.org |language=en}}</ref>

In Catholic practice, the person performing the exorcism, known as an exorcist, must be an ordained priest. The exorcist recites [[prayer]]s according to the [[rubrics]] of the rite, and makes use of religious materials such as [[icon]]s, sacramentals (e.g. [[holy water]]), and [[Relic#Christianity|holy relic]]s. The exorcist invokes [[God]]—specifically the [[Holy Name of Jesus|Name of Jesus]] Christ—as well as the Most Blessed [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]], [[saint]]s of the [[Church Triumphant]] and the [[Archangel Michael]] to intervene with the exorcism. According to Catholic understanding, several weekly exorcisms over many years are sometimes required to expel a deeply entrenched demon.<ref name="TheRite" /><ref>{{cite book|last1=Amorth|first1=Gabriele|title=An Exorcist Tells His Story|date=1999|publisher=Ignatius Press|location=San Francisco|isbn=978-0-898-70710-6 |quote=Anthropological date collected by Mohr and Royal (2012), in which they surveyed nearly 200 Protestant Christian exorcists, revealed stark contrasts to traditional Catholic practices.}}</ref>

[[Prayer to Saint Michael|Saint Michael's Prayer against Satan and the Rebellious Angels]], attributed to [[Pope Leo XIII]], is considered the strongest prayer of the Catholic Church against cases of diabolic possession.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Young|first=Francis|title=A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity|date=2016|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-3-319-29112-3|edition=1st|series=Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic|location=Cham|pages=188–191|chapter=7 Exorcism in an Age of Doubt: The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries|oclc=948778692}}</ref> The [[Rosary based prayers#Holy Rosary|Holy Rosary]] also has an exorcistic and [[intercession|intercessory]] power.<ref>{{cite web |last=Longenecker |first=Dwight |date=October 6, 2016 |title=How the Rosary is a key weapon in the fight against Satan |url=https://cruxnow.com/commentary/2016/10/rosary-key-weapon-fight-satan |access-date=July 31, 2023 |publisher=[[cruxnow.com]]}}</ref>

=== Eastern Orthodoxy ===
The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] has a rich and complex tradition of exorcism.<ref name="Milosevic">{{Cite web |last=Milosevic |first=Sasa |date=2011-08-17 |title=The Secrets Of Orthodox Exorcists |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/secrets-of-orthodox-exorcists_b_925883 |access-date=2021-09-19 |website=[[HuffPost]] |language=en}}</ref> The practice is traced to biblical accounts of Jesus expelling demons and exhorting his apostles to "cast out devils".<ref>Matt.10:8; Luke 10:17–20.</ref> The church views demonic possession as the devil's primary means of enslaving humanity and rebelling against God. Orthodox Christians believe objects, as well as individuals, can be possessed.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Papademetriou |first=George C. |title=Exorcism in the Orthodox Church – Theology – Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America |url=https://www.goarch.org/-/exorcism-in-the-orthodox-church |access-date=2021-09-19 |website=[[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

As in other Christian churches, Orthodox exorcists expel demons by invoking God through the name of Jesus Christ.<ref>Library of the Greek Fathers and Church Writers, Athens: Apostolike Diakonia 1955, Vol. 3, pp. 288–289)</ref> Unlike the [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]], all priests of the Orthodox Church are trained and equipped to perform exorcisms, particularly for the sacrament of [[Baptism#Eastern Orthodoxy|baptism]]. Like their Catholic counterparts, Orthodox priests learn to distinguish demonic possession from mental illness, namely by observing whether the subject reacts negatively to holy relics or places.<ref name=":2" /> All Orthodox liturgical books include prayers of exorcism, namely by [[Saint Basil]] and [[John Chrysostom|Saint John Chrysostom]].

[[Eastern Orthodox theology|Orthodox theology]] takes a uniquely expansive view of exorcism, believing every Christian undertakes exorcism through their struggle against sin and evil: {{blockquote|The whole Church, past, present and future, has the task of an exorcist to banish sin, evil, injustice, spiritual death, the devil from the life of humanity ... Both healing and exorcising are ministered through prayers, which spring from faith in God and from love for man ...  All the prayers of healing and exorcism, composed by the Fathers of the Church and in use since the third century, begin with the solemn declaration: In Thy Name, O Lord.<ref>Archbishop Iakovos, Exorcism and Exorcists in the Greek Orthodox Tradition, Sage Chapel, Cornell University, March 10, 1974.</ref>}}Additionally, many Orthodox Christians subscribe to the superstition of [[Evil eye|''Vaskania'']], or the "evil eye", in which those harboring intense jealousy and envy towards others can bring harm to them (akin to a curse) and are, in effect, demonically possessed by these [[negative emotion]]s.<ref name="Milosevic"/> This belief is most likely rooted in pre-Christian paganism, and although the church rejects the notion that the evil eye can have such power, it does recognize the phenomenon as morally and spiritually undesirable and thus a target for exorcism.<ref name=":2" />

===Lutheran Churches===
From the 16th century onward, [[Lutheran]] pastoral handbooks describe the primary symptoms of demonic possession to be knowledge of secret things, knowledge of languages one has never learned, and supernatural strength.<ref name="Mayes"/> Before conducting a major exorcism, Lutheran liturgical texts state that a physician be consulted in order to rule out any medical or psychiatric illness.<ref name="Mayes"/> The rite of exorcism centers chiefly around driving out demons "with prayers and contempt" and includes the [[Apostles' Creed]] and the [[Lord's Prayer]].<ref name="Mayes">{{cite web|url=https://www.angelfire.com/ny4/djw/lutherantheology.demonpossession.html|title=Quotes from Lutheran Pastoral Handbooks on the Topic of Demon Possession|last=Mayes|first=Benjamin|language=en|access-date=22 April 2018|archive-date=27 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827205734/http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/djw/lutherantheology.demonpossession.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Baptism]]al liturgies in Lutheran Churches include a [[minor exorcism]].<ref name="Wagner2012">{{cite book|last=Wagner|first=C. Peter|title=Supernatural Forces in Spiritual Warfare|date=16 October 2012|publisher=Destiny Image, Incorporated|language=en|isbn=9780768487916|page=106|quote=A brief exorcism found its way into early Lutheran baptismal services and an exorcism prayer formula is recorded in the ''First Prayer Book'' of Edward VI (1549).}}</ref><ref name="KolbTrueman2017">{{cite book|last1=Kolb|first1=Robert|last2=Trueman|first2=Carl R.|title=Between Wittenberg and Geneva: Lutheran and Reformed Theology in Conversation|date=17 October 2017|publisher=Baker Publishing Group|language=en|isbn=9781493411450|page=162|quote=This liturgy retained the minor exorcism (a formal renunciation of the devil's works and ways), which later in the sixteenth century became an issue dividing Lutherans and Calvinists.}}</ref>

=== The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ===
While a very rare practice in the Church, there are two methods for performing an exorcism. The first is by [[anointing]] with consecrated oil and [[laying on of hands]] followed by a blessing on a specific person and commanding the spirit to leave.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Taysom|first=Stephen|date=18 June 2018|title='Satan Mourns Naked upon the Earth': Locating Mormon Possession and Exorcism Rituals in the American Religious Landscape, 1830–1977|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/religion-and-american-culture/article/abs/satan-mourns-naked-upon-the-earth-locating-mormon-possession-and-exorcism-rituals-in-the-american-religious-landscape-18301977/F6239202C070D319B6B97E5C01D8943D|journal=Religion and American Culture|language=en|volume=27|issue=1|pages=57–94|doi=10.1525/rac.2017.27.1.57|s2cid=151502698|issn=1052-1151|via=Cambridge University Press|access-date=4 July 2021|archive-date=4 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704221045/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/religion-and-american-culture/article/abs/satan-mourns-naked-upon-the-earth-locating-mormon-possession-and-exorcism-rituals-in-the-american-religious-landscape-18301977/F6239202C070D319B6B97E5C01D8943D|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The second and most common method is done by "raising the hand to the square" and then "commanding the spirit away in the name of Jesus Christ and with the power or authority of the Melchizedek priesthood".<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2017-10-27|title=Mormon exorcism lore, with Stephen Taysom [MIPodcast #71]|url=https://mi.byu.edu/mip-71-taysom/|access-date=2021-07-04|website=Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship|publisher=Brigham Young University|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-01-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120141936/https://mi.byu.edu/mip-71-taysom/|url-status=live}}</ref> Exorcisms can only be performed by someone holding the [[Melchizedek priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|Melchizedek priesthood]], the higher of the two priesthoods of the Church,<ref name=":0" /> and can be performed by anyone holding that priesthood, however they are generally performed by [[Bishop (Latter Day Saints)|bishops]], [[Missionary (LDS Church)|missionaries]], [[mission president]]s, or [[Stake presidencies|stake presidents]].<ref name=":0" /> Exorcisms are not recorded by the Church and therefore the number of exorcisms performed in the religion are unknown.

Demonic possession is rarely talked about in the church. Demonic possession has been talked about twice by [[Joseph Smith]], the founder of the faith. The first time refers to his experience during the [[First Vision]]<ref name=":0" /> and he recorded the following in his "1831 account of the First Vision":
{{blockquote|I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God, I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me and had such astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak.

Thick darkness gathered around me and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction. But exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction, not to an imaginary ruin but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world who had such a marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being, just at this moment of great alarm I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thirdhour.org/blog/faith/joseph-smith/joseph-smith-encounters-satan/|title=3 Times Joseph Smith and Satan Went Head to Head|last=Snell|first=David|date=2017-09-02|website=Third Hour|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-06|archive-date=2019-10-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006172729/https://thirdhour.org/blog/faith/joseph-smith/joseph-smith-encounters-satan/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

His second experience comes from a journal entry in which he talks about the time he performed an exorcism on a friend.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1989/01/the-knight-family-ever-faithful-to-the-prophet?lang=eng|title=The Knight Family: Ever Faithful to the Prophet|website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org|access-date=2019-10-06|archive-date=2020-08-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805155138/https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1989/01/the-knight-family-ever-faithful-to-the-prophet?lang=eng|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />