How to know if you are dealing with a demonic entity

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Back in the early 80s when I had my first experiences with possession and Exorcism, I was very curious and critical about how my mentors came to the conclusion that their clients were indeed under demonic influence.

Back then my experience with Exorcism was based solely on a few Missionary stories and the movie ‘The Exorcist’.

When in these sessions of power encounter I was a bit disappointed.

I was expecting incredible paranormal phenomena with these incidents of Exorcism. But there were no heads turning around, levitation or glowing red eyes.

There were incidents of bizarre personality shifts, people speaking in foreign languages which they had no knowledge of previously, and drastic temperature changes in the room as the ceremony was performed. While these were remarkable in and of themselves, it did not meet my expectations. As time went by and I was exposed to various other techniques for performing other ceremonies and other spiritual interventions I came to understand that while astonishing paranormal activity can manifest itself during an Exorcism or confrontation with a demonic entity, it is a rarity and not a common experience.

Today we live in a time of growing interest in the paranormal, with new investigative teams appearing on every front. Staged television shows that seem to produce dramatic encounters with the dark entities have given today’s generation an unrealistic view and the rare is now expected to be common place. Along with this revived interest in the paranormal have come the hucksters and con-men just as they had in the height of the Spiritualism movement of the 1800s. Self proclaimed professionals with limited or no professional training or experience have set themselves on a pedestal with internet degrees that any grade school kid could attain. Some claim expertise in the field for such a length of time that they must have been gifted toddlers when they were first trained in demonic deliverance or paranormal investigations.

Just like cult leaders leading the innocents astray some of these self proclaimed experts on the demonic will gather a faithful following. When questioned about their training they rely upon their degrees or nebulous credentials. If you question the credentials you are either accused of religious bias or self serving motives.

There are a lot of people out there in the paranormal community who are teaching others or performing rituals who have no idea what they are doing.

But hey, as a clergyman who has ministered in Evangelical, Mainline and Non-Denominational churches I have to say from personal experience the same thing happens in the church.

I have met some ministers who have had no formal training but can preach, teach and lead better than most who have had the training. But more often than not those ministers who I have met who had no formal training were often not only leading their flock astray with heresy, but were in it for the power of the position.

Such is the case with the current crop of paranormal experts as well. While I have met many demonologists and exorcists without formal training who know what they are talking about and humbly serve, I have found many who are self aggrandized and self serving. They are also in it for the power of the position. In their everyday life they have no control or power and they find it in their role as a demonologist, exorcist or paranormal expert.

Such is life anywhere you might look, but the problem in this happening in the paranormal community is that false assumptions can be codified just by positions of power. So many paranormal investigators who actually might have a case of demonic influence might not understand just what they are encountering. And they have a greater misunderstanding as to how to deal with it.

This is a series of articles to tackle that subject. Along with stories of the unexplained I will take one report a month and delve into the area of practical demonology and Exorcism. While not focusing on its practicality for paranormal investigations, the average team should be able to glean some useful information from my diatribes.

Please be advised that my worldview is from a historical conservative Protestant Christian perspective. Within this sphere I am a Reformed theologian who believes in (on one level or another) a second act of grace that comes with the struggle to maintain personal piety. If you are not Christian, you can transpose these to your faith if you wish. However I do not know how effective a measure they shall be.

To start out with in this first article, we need to ascertain this: how one can be assured that they are encountering a demonic entity? Answers for the Exorcist and Paranormalist when pertinent. In order of most common to the exceptional.

1) Aversion to Scripture.
For the Exorcist: Someone who is possessed by a demonic presence will not abide Scripture. That is the reading of Scripture will incite a violent response. Likewise the person should not be able to recite Scripture. There are rare occasions with more powerful entities. They will also show an aversion to holy items such as a cross, crucifix or holy water.
For the Paranormalist: If a location is infested with a demonic presence the reading of Scripture will have pronounced effect in the area. There might be physical manifestations such as poltergeist activity or temperature change and auditory manifestations.

2) Multiple Personalities
This is not the psychological condition. These personalities manifest themselves with no previous example. They do not manifest themselves in the everyday life except for rare occasions. These personalities are not human characters but rather primal forces with intellect and malice.

3) Voice Change
More than often this occurs with the multiple personalities the demonic manifests. The person makes a very unusual and seemingly impossible voice. Sometimes the voice may seem to be coming from many places or from multiple people with an echo. Not always a ‘demonic’ bass voice like in popular fiction, this voice can be high pitched or whispery. The most common is the growl, but more than naught it is not a supernatural voice.

4) Exceptional Physical Capabilities.
The possessed when enraged seems to have super human strength. Rarely they might also exhibit abnormally fast reflexes or agility.

5) Unknown Language
Many times the possessed will speak in an unknown tongue. Inevitably it is a foreign language and sometimes a dead language. Since the entity has lived for many millennia it has knows many languages from various cultures geographically and temporally.

5) Changes in Appetite
Either the person eats to excess without gaining weight obsessively or the person does not eat at all and seems to become engrossed. Sometimes the possessed will eat something unimaginable and indigestible, or their tastes of cuisine will become dramatically altered.

6) Physical Manifestations on the Body
Scratches, punctures, welts and in extreme cases even words might appear on the skin of the victim of possession. In many cases it may be psycho somatic. If there are letters or words make sure that there is no evidence of tampering by the victim or others and that it is a real supernatural experience.

7) Paranormal Manifestations
Physical manifestations such as moving objects, rapping on the walls or ceiling, shadows seem to move or alter.

As you can see paranormal manifestations are the rarest examples of an infestation. However all the above are indeed paranormal in and of themselves, a physical manifestation seems to be extreme behavior and often by an entity that wishes to induce fear in the heart of the Exorcist and his/her team. Contrary to popular thought it usually is a last resort by a less powerful entity which is itself frightened by the prospect of being once again disembodied.

This is by no means a complete list, but the categories are the most commonly encountered by those who have had actual experiences in power encounters with malevolent entities.