Elessar78 Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Does anyone else wonder why the depiction of dragons bear a striking resemblance to brontosaurus or stegosaurus? There's even evidence that certain dinosaurs had glands that could secrete and "spit" venom that could burn it's prey—fire-breathing dragon indeed. Maybe Adam and Eve were around during the time of the dinosaurs afterall? Joking about the last part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Alexey, somebody could rise from the dead and people still wouldn't believe it. I doubt that. Several people have risen from the dead. Difference is, no one is trying to call these people a messiah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grhqofb5 Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 If anyone is interested, the priest who assisted during the exorcism (Hollaron) has spoken about his experience. He is the one that authored the journal that Allen used in authoring his book. Although Hollaron died a few years back. Says that he observed more evil as a Chaplin during the Vietnam war than he saw in that room with the boy. Also says there is no doubt in his mind that the boy was possessed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterMP Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Do you think they design tests for paranormal that "one in hundreds" can pass due to random chance? I don't, know, but what you posted certainly make it sound like they haven't (hundreds have applied, nobody has passed even the initial test so one in hundreds can't pass due to random chance because nobody has). My point is that if you've done hundreds of tests and nobody has passed that suggests an issue with your tests because somebody should if you have a fair test. Eventually, you should get a false positive if nothing else unless you adjust your p-values for having done hundreds of tests, which isn't really fair to the individual applicants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipwhich Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Also says there is no doubt in his mind that the boy was possessed. That's not what wikipedia says or the interwebz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Are all priests capable of exorcism? Or is there a special hit squad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabR Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Do You Believe In Possession? Exorcism?No, I believe in Mental illness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Are all priests capable of exorcism? Or is there a special hit squad? I learned this too. Only bishops or priests specially appointed by the bishop can perform an exorcism. Priests are allowed to do petitionary prayers but are not allowed to perform the rite without some kind of special permission. (For the record, I really cannot envision a circumstance where I would seek an exorcism. Pharmaceuticals seem like a much more logical choice). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistertim Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 So in most of these "possessions" it is some random demon or Satan himself? I just wonder why bother, especially if it is Satan. Doesn't Satan have better ways to spread evil and sow discord than invading the body of a random kid and taunting priests? Seems like a somewhat petty thing to do for the Prince of Darkness himself. Did he get bored? His XBOX broke and Taco Bell was closed and he was like "**** this noise, I'm taking over some kid's body"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 So in most of these "possessions" it is some random demon or Satan himself? I just wonder why bother, especially if it is Satan. Doesn't Satan have better ways to spread evil and sow discord than invading the body of a random kid and taunting priests? Seems like a somewhat petty thing to do for the Prince of Darkness himself. Did he get bored? His XBOX broke and Taco Bell was closed and he was like "**** this noise, I'm taking over some kid's body"? Biblically speaking, the only time that I know of that Satan himself enters a person is with Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus Christ. He thought he had his victory, but in reality played right into God's plan of redemption and suffered defeat. Revelation 12 gives the account (with much symbolism in the description). All the others are "unclean spirits" like Legion. They live to torment people while they can before the Great Day of Judgement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexey Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 May God bless you today Alexey. Thank you, best wishes to you also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I keep hearing the tune "Time is on my side" whenever I think of this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexey Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331651/Catholic-Church-s-leading-exorcist-calls-Pope-allow-priests-perform-rite-personally-ridding-world-160-000-demons.html 'I've rid the world of 160,000 demons', says Catholic Church's leading exorcist as he calls on the Pope to allow all priests to perform the ritual Priests currently have to ask their bishop permission to perform exorcisms Father Gabriele Amorth, head of the International Association of Exorcists, is calling for the rule to be relaxed so all priests can carry out the ritual He claims his request was prompted by Pope Francis performing an 'exorcism' on a man possessed by demons in St Peter's Square on May 19 The Catholic Church's leading 'exorcist' is calling for all priests to be allowed to conduct the ritual after Pope Francis apparently performed one in St Peter's Square last week. Father Gabriele Amorth, head of the International Association of Exorcists, wants the current rules requiring all priests to obtain permission to perform exorcisms from their bishop to be relaxed. Father Amorth, who claims he has carried out 160,000 exorcisms, said his request has been prompted by Pope Francis performing an what he insists was an exorcism on a Mexican man 'possessed by four demons'. He told the Sunday Times: 'I will ask the pope to give all priests the power to carry out exorcisms, and to ensure priests are properly trained for these starting with the seminary. There's a huge demand for them.' His comments come after Pope Francis was captured on film performing an apparent exorcism on May 19. The footage shows Pope Francis placing his hands on the head of a disabled man who appears to go into a frenzy of convulsions and shaking, before slumping as Francis prays over him. Father Amorth, 88, told La Repubblica newspaper 'The Pope is also the Bishop of Rome, and like any bishop he is also an exorcist.' Those who dismiss exorcism as superstition were wrong he insisted. ‘There was now, more than ever, a need for exorcists to combat people possessed by "sorcerers" and "Satanists".' The Pontiff was introduced to two men in wheelchairs after Pentecostal mass on Sunday. When a priest leaned across to tell Francis something, the Pope's expression took on a serious tone. Francis then took hold of the top of the man's head firmly, pushing him down into his wheelchair. As he delivered an intense prayer, the man's mouth dropped open and he heaved deeply half a dozen times, visibly shaking. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2331651/Catholic-Church-s-leading-exorcist-calls-Pope-allow-priests-perform-rite-personally-ridding-world-160-000-demons.html#ixzz2jnFpVxBsFollow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexey Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 more on the guy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriele_Amorth Gabriele Amorth (born 1 May 1925) is an Italian Roman Catholic priest and an exorcist of the Diocese of Rome who is reputed to have cleansed tens of thousands of demonic possessions. ... Amorth was born in Modena, Emilia. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1954 and became an official exorcist in June 1986, under the tutelage of Candido Amantini. ... In October 2000, he said that he had performed over 50,000 exorcisms (which ranged from "a few minutes" to "several hours" in length).[3] In March 2010, he said that the number had increased to 70,000, corresponding to roughly eight exorcisms per day on average from 1986 to 2010. By May 2013 he said he had performed 160,000 exorcisms in the course of his ministry. Edward Peters, a professor of canon law, finds Amorth's claim to have personally performed 30,000 exorcisms over nine years "astounding". Even accepting Amorth’s claim that only 94 of his 30,000 exorcisms represented full-blown possession, that would have required roughly one case a month to be thoroughly examined and processed over nine years with hardly a break.[5] Amorth believes that a person may be possessed by more than one demon at once, sometimes numbering in the thousands, which is what accounts for the high number of reputed demons exorcised. ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 He sounds like Wilt Chamberlain. "Yeah, I did 6 a day, every day, for 30 years yeehaw!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistertim Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 He is 88 years old and I'll assume he hasn't been doing exorcisms since he was a baby. Say he's been doing it since he was 20...so 68 years. That means he would have to have done about 6.5 exorcisms per day, every single day of his life, to be at 160,000. Seems legit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexey Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 He is 88 years old and I'll assume he hasn't been doing exorcisms since he was a baby. Say he's been doing it since he was 20...so 68 years. That means he would have to have done about 6.5 exorcisms per day, every single day of his life, to be at 160,000. Seems legit. Aah but you missed something:Amorth believes that a person may be possessed by more than one demon at once, sometimes numbering in the thousands, which is what accounts for the high number of reputed demons exorcised.See? It's legit. 160,000 demons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistertim Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 ^^ Ahh I was looking at a different part of the article where they say "160,000 exorcisms" Father Amorth, who claims he has carried out 160,000 exorcisms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chew Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 don't believe in any of that stuff. Honestly, I think its silly. Whether it be a miracle (moses parting the sea, a cloud of smoke coming into town and taking the first born), a possession, ghost...etc... How convenient is it that none of this stuff has ever been caught on camera. Centuries ago there were all kinds of stores about monsters, witches, demons, miracles, etc. But since the invention of the camera and motion recorder, nothing has managed to be caught on tape. I call BS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistertim Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 ^^ Ahh but they have been caught on camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexey Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anneliese_Michel Anneliese Michel (21 September 1952 – 1 July 1976) was a German Catholic woman who underwent an exorcism and died in the same year because of stopping medical and psychiatric intervention ... This case attracted media and public attention since the Catholic church allowed such an old rite to be performed. After a guilty verdict, the defendants were sentenced to six months in jail but given three years of probation and a fine. The case has been labelled as a misidentification of a mental illness, negligence, abuse and religious hysteria. ... On 1 July 1976, Michel died in her home. The autopsy report stated the cause was malnutrition and dehydration because of being in a semi-starvation state for almost a year while the rites of exorcism were performed.[8] She weighed 30 kilograms (68 pounds) and the previous day, she had broken knees due to the continuous genuflections and was unable to move without assistance, and was reported to have been suffering from pneumonia. Beliefs have consequences... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Nope, no evil or misguided action has ever been done in the pursuit of science and secularism. None. It's such a facile tactic to get the most lurid example and run with it as the baseline. Hitchens did it so much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted November 6, 2013 Author Share Posted November 6, 2013 It's funny. One of the things Allen stressed to me was that most of the people who are referred to for exorcisms are turned instead for medical care. He said the number which are treated/believed to be the work of demons/the devil was a very low percentage... I can't remember the actual numbers he quoted, but I think it was less than 5%. If that's true and that dude performed 160 k exorcisms... then 3.2 million have been referred for examination for possible possession. Methinks he is full of something other than the holy spirit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexey Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Nope, no evil or misguided action has ever been done in the pursuit of science and secularism. None. It's such a facile tactic to get the most lurid example and run with it as the baseline. Hitchens did it so much better. Let's just stick to pointing out messed up stuff as we see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zguy28 Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Let's just stick to pointing out messed up stuff as we see it. His post was spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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