American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty
Author:
Michael W. Cuneo
Publisher:
Doubleday
Date of Publication:
2001
ISBN:
0385501765
Rating:
10
Summary:
American Exorcism details the sudden rise in exorcisms taking place in the U.S. starting in the mid 1970s. As the author illustrates, exorcism is a booming business in the U.S., even though it operates under the radar. Tens of thousands of people in the U.S. have received and continue to receive exorcisms (a.k.a. deliverance), many of them white and middle-class.
The book explains that exorcism was almost non-existent prior to the 1970s. So, what happened? “…it isn’t much of an exaggeration to say that exorcism today is actually the invention of the popular entertainment industry—the product, above all else, of Hollywood hype and Madison Avenue hucksterism. To most Americans, exorcism without the Blatty-Friedkin movie [The Exorcist] or Hostage to the Devil would be just as unimaginable as rock-and-roll without Elvis, top-forty radio, or MTV” (p. 70). The prevalence of exorcisms in the U.S. today are the result of a pop culture creation in the early 1970s started by Peter Blatty, the author of The Exorcist book and screenwriter of the movie.
Building on the momentum of the movies and books, Pentecostal and charismatic ministries came online to meet the demand – especially since the Catholic Church wasn’t stepping up to fulfill the role it was supposed to have in the movies and books. Until the mid 1990s, in fact, the Catholic Church in the U.S. wanted almost nothing to do with exorcisms. This was the case, despite the fact Catholic priests were the heroes in the 1970s movie and books.
But was it really just a fad or was there something else going on? Well, it was and is a fad, but it is also coupled with a broader cultural shift toward pop-psychology, “Whatever one’s personal problem—depression, anxiety, substance addiction, or even a runaway sexual appetite—there are exorcism ministries available today that will happily claim expertise for dealing with it. With the significant bonus, moreover, that one is not, for the most part, held personally responsible for the problem. Indwelling demons are mainly to blame, and getting rid of them is the key to moral and psychological redemption. Personal engineering through demon-expulsion: a bit messy perhaps, but relatively fast and cheap, and morally exculpatory. A thoroughly American arrangement†(p. xii). Exorcism was recast as a means of ridding oneself of negative behaviors and attributing those behaviors not to poor decisions or even social-structural factors but to demons that were beyond an individuals control. Only in the U.S…
The book, drawing on historical sources and interviews with numerous exorcists, including some of the original authors of these books, paints the above picture. It also describes a number of exorcisms the author observed over the course of several years in an effort to peek inside the hidden culture of exorcism and demoniazation in the U.S.
Review:
I really can’t think of any thing negative to say about this book. Not only is the explanation the author provides compelling, but the book is extremely well-written and engaging. No doubt some of the appeal of the book comes from the subject matter, but that’s just icing on the cake…
The author makes a number of additional points, besides explaining the growth of the exorcism industry, that I found particularly noteworthy. I think I liked this first one because it clearly falls in line with my worldview – the author debunks just about everything having to do with exorcism. He begins by illustrating that some of the early writers who claimed to be documenting actual exorcisms have been shown to be frauds, “In virtually all of his writings since the publication of Hostage in 1976, Martin has demonstrated a remarkable talent for fabrication and embellishment—for converting, by literary sleight-of-hand, half-truths and innuendo into immutable facts of history” (p. 17). This quote is in reference to Malachi Martin, the author of an early book on exorcism that convinced a number of people exorcisms, as depicted in The Exorcist movie, were real. As the author illustrates, Mr. Martin made a lot of stuff up, including the cases he allegedly “documented†in his book. If you haven’t caught on yet, The Exorcist movie is fiction, regardless of its claims that it was based on a real story. There is no such thing as demonic possession…
Several other aspects the author debunks are fascinating. It turns out a lot of people undergoing exorcisms try to act just like the possessed person in The Exorcist, believing that is how possessed people act. But some of the prominent exorcists in practice today recognize that for what it is, “When Father McAlear and myself really got into the ministry in a big way, we couldn’t believe all the nonsense that was going on… The screaming, the swearing, the spitting and vomiting. You name it. We thought that this was ridiculous and unedifying and completely unnecessary. All of these manifestations are pure Hollywood stuff. It’s like people saw The Exorcist and figured this was how they were supposed to carry on if they were truly demonized†(p. 135). Keep in mind this quote isn’t from the author or some skeptic, but from a woman who claims to be able to discern evil spirits and assists a Catholic Priest who performs exorcisms. Even the people doing it recognize it is all made up.
And why do they do it? Two reasons. The first, of course, is money. This is easy money, at least for some people, “Does it ever happen that someone will come to you for intergenerational deliverance and you and your team will say, “No, this isn’t your problem”? …”Very rarely,” Dr. K says. “I can think of just one example where this happenedâ€â€ (p. 153). This is a doctor who claims to treat people suffering from intergenerational demonic influences. She doesn’t turn people away because, well, people pay.
The second reason: Because the practitioners believe it’s real, too, “And here’s the thing: While priest-exorcists as a rule don’t actively seek out demonic fireworks, they can’t live indefinitely without them. They need them the same way a pathologist needs disease or a coroner homicide - as a validation of purpose, a confirmation of actually being in the game. They’re an occupational necessity… Without the occasional hell-blasting, even the most stalwart exorcist can begin to doubt the relevance of his work” (p. 249). In short, for the immoral religious opportunists, this is easy money. And for those with misguided faith, this is an affirmation of their beliefs and energies. What a sad state of affairs…
At the end of the book the author notes that he sat in on over 50 exorcisms while researching this book and never once witnessed something supernatural. “When I asked why these effects always seemed to occur at exorcisms I had just missed or was prevented from attending, but never at ones where I was present, my informants answered in one of two ways. Some said it was probably just the luck of the draw. Others suggested it was because Satan, knowing I was a writer and not wanting to blow his cover, was deliberately keeping me in the dark about his very real powers to possess people†(pp. 264-265). The author finds no proof that demonic possessions occur, but people continue to believe. I should note, however, that the author makes a good point: his lack of proof is not an absolute confirmation that demons do not exist; you can’t prove a negative. This leads the author to conclude that, while he cannot, with 100% certainty rule out the existence of demons, he has absolutely no proof of them whatsoever and, in fact, has far more compelling explanations for everything he witnessed.
In addition to debunking basically every aspect of exorcism, the author points out a serious problem with the whole practice – the only people who seem to become possessed are Christians, primarily evangelical/charismatic Christians… Hmmm… Do you see the problem? Christians are the only ones who claim to have a solution to possession, but they are also the only ones who are becoming possessed (see pages 92 and 112). When was the last time you saw a possessed atheist? Exactly. Demonic possession only afflicts Christians (in the U.S. at least), because they are the ones who believe in it. They have created a disorder and the cure and are, fittingly, the only ones afflicted by it. Of course, religion in general is no different – sin is the problem and religion is the cure.
But the exorcists have an answer for this, too, “This was an issue I raised with more than a dozen prominent deliverance ministers, all of whom responded in one of two ways. It simply wasn’t the case, some said, that charismatics were more vulnerable than anyone else to the depredations of the demonic. Charismatics, it was true, complained more about demonic interference in their lives than just about anyone else, but this was only testimony to their heightened spiritual sensitivities” (p. 112). The other justification offered, “Charismatics were forced to endure far more than their share of demonic harassment not because they were patsies, not because their movement was somehow defective, but because they had been specifically targeted for abuse by Satan. They were martyrs for their faith, shouldering burdens that ordinary Christians (once again) could scarcely imagine†(p. 113). In summary, Charismatics are more “sensitive†to possession and/or are targeted for it by Satan. (Yeah, I’m laughing out loud right now too.) The author, of course, points out the obvious, “But there’s another possibility. Perhaps charismatics experienced far more than their share of demonic harassment during the seventies and early eighties because they were expected to, they were encouraged to, and (in some cases) they wanted to†(p. 113).
As I noted above, this book is an absolute pleasure to read. Part of this is tied to the excellent writing. But it is also because the book tells some very humorous stories involving the author in specific exorcism incidents:
- “During my research I was given the diagnostic once-over numerous times, with wildly conflicting results. Sometimes I received an utterly clean bill of health, sometimes I was told that my spiritual condition was dubious, and sometimes I was pronounced to be desperately in need of deliverance. Occasionally all three of these verdicts were rendered (by different individuals) within the space of just a week or two. And once, in upstate New York, I attended a meeting where two women discerned the presence of evil spirits in me while two others discerned spirits of peace and gentleness.†(p. 118)
- “Just an hour earlier I had eaten dinner with Pastor Mike at a local restaurant, and now, concerned for his safety, I take off my jacket, walk slowly up the center aisle, and throw a headlock on Brian, which stops his gyrating and gives Pastor Mike a chance to climb from his back†(p. 167)
These are just a few examples of incidents the author participated in or witnessed. The book is teeming with gripping stories that alternatively make you grimace in disgust or laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all (a couple more are included below)…
The last point I want to make, however, is to point out just how disturbing this whole affair is. The author argues that there may, in fact, be something therapeutic about exorcisms, “Thanks to the researches of cultural anthropology, we now know that traditional religio-magical methods of healing may sometimes be as effective in alleviating mental and emotional distress as modern, secular ones. Indeed, the specific method of healing, the choice of therapy, isn’t nearly as important as one might think. As the psychologist Jerome Frank has pointed out, virtually all therapeutic procedures—regardless of whether they’re rooted in primitive shamanism or Freudian psychodynamics —may confer certain benefits upon their clients: the hope and expectancy for improvement, the support and attention of the therapist, the discovery of new perspectives on problem-solving” (pp. 161-162). Exorcism can function as a placebo, which is actually effective for lots of people. But, and this is the part that really disturbs me, these ministers and exorcists, for the most part, have no formal training in psychology or psychotherapy. Add to that fact that there are five to six hundred exorcism ministries in the U.S. today (p. 209) and you are just setting people up for psychological problems down the road. That is disturbing. This is a stunning tribute to the gullibility of people in the U.S. today. Even scarier, however, is that there are some psychiatrists who recommend exorcisms, “Father X might very well have consulted with a psychiatrist on this case, but I’m not sure it really matters. There are plenty of sympathetic medical professionals in the United States willing to give the go-ahead for an exorcism. It doesn’t take much shopping around to come up with one” (p. 261). If this is true, and I have no reason to doubt that it is, I have to think our accreditation system is too lax in the U.S.
Overall, this is an enthralling book. It is filled with entertaining stories and compelling explanations. The book walks a fine line between disgust for blatant fraud and blind faith, presenting a skeptical perspective that strives for understanding but does not accept truth claims without evidence. The result is a clear explanation of one of the more ridiculous aspects of religiosity in the U.S. - people don’t want to take the blame for their problems, so they pin it on demons and act outrageously in trying expel their demons, thanks to Hollywood. Truly, all the world is a stage, and for some religious fanatics, that stage includes acting out scenes with make believe demons.
Some extra stories for you reading pleasure:
pp. 174-175 “For a solid hour it’s a repeat performance of the night before. Clumps of bodies sprawled out across the floor. Foam-spattered, writhing demoniacs being held down and prayed over. People not directly involved at any given moment stand by the refreshment table chatting, surveying the situation.
“I position myself by the rear doors, where five young children are playing on the floor, drawing pictures with crayons, seemingly oblivious to it all. Pastor John’s eight-year-old son, sweet-faced and skinny, joins the other kids and says, “We have to draw a happy face. Let’s everybody draw a happy face.”
“Less than ten yards away Pastor John is now putting on a rousing show of his own, squirming in a chair, snarling, barking, cursing (”Fuck! Fuck! Fuck this fucking place! “), with Pastor Mike holding him from behind, praying.
“Watching Pastor John, it occurs to me that the demons at this gathering communicate along rather quaint gender lines. When acting out in the men, they blister the paint with foul language, but with the women they mostly restrict themselves to screaming, shrieking, and crying out such innocuities as “I hate this workshop!” or “Shut up!” In addition to cooperating with the staging of the performance, in other words, the demons seem respectful of local norms of public comportment.”
Brilliant writing and contrasts.
p. 279 “It can sometimes amount to even worse; sometimes exorcism can actually prove fatal. We’ve all heard the stories. In March 1995 a group of overzealous ministers connected to a tiny Pentecostal sect in the San Francisco Bay Area pummeled a woman to death while trying to evict her demons. Two years later a Korean Christian woman was stomped to death by a deacon and two missionaries operating out of a church in Glendale, California. The three men had gotten carried away trying to expel a demon they believed was lodged in the woman’s chest. The same year, on the other side of the country, a five-year-old Bronx girl died after her mother and grandmother forced her to drink a lethal cocktail containing ammonia, vinegar, and olive oil and then bound and gagged her with duct tape. The two women claimed that they were merely trying to poison a demon that had infested the little girl several days earlier.’
“There are other true stories of exorcisms gone horribly wrong, none more heartrending than Charity Miranda’s. In 1998, on a cold Sunday afternoon in January, Charity Miranda spent her final hours undergoing exorcism at the hands of her mother, Vivian, and her sisters Serena and Elisabeth at their home in Sayville, Long Island. At one point, as fifteen-year-old Elisabeth subsequently informed the police, “Mom put her mouth to Charity’s mouth and told her to blow the demon into her and she would try to kill it.” When this didn’t work, their mother said, “I’m sorry, girls, this isn’t Charity. It’s taken over her.” She then tried to destroy the demon by smothering Charity with pillows. This also didn’t work, so she picked up a plastic bag that was lying on the living room floor. Elisabeth Miranda told the police what happened next: “Mom placed the bag over Charity’s head. Serena was holding Charity’s body down because it was fighting. My mom told me to leave and I went into her bedroom.” When Elisabeth, sometime later, came back into the living room, the job was finished. “Serena was pacing. Mom said don’t be sad because that wasn’t Charity, don’t be attached to the body… The three of us went into my mom’s room and she was saying don’t cry because Charity left that body long before. We held hands on the bed and listened to my grandfather’s favorite Frank Sinatra music.”
“Charity Miranda was seventeen years old and a cheerleader at Sayville High School. Her friends informed reporters that she’d been looking forward to starting college the next fall.’
“Cases such as this, I should emphasize, are very much the exception. The vast majority of exorcisms are relatively innocuous affairs. They might not add up to much permanent good, but neither do they end in tragedy.”
