From the stalwart Ed Brayton at Dispatches from the Culture Wars, we learn that a leading Catholic cleric in the UK has finally explained where all those danged demons are coming from (all together now: "Could it be . . . . SATAN?!").
I'll link to the article but I'll also reproduce the entire and entirely stupid thing here, the better to fisk it, though my fisking won't be as concise or funny as Ed's, alas:
Westminster Exorcist Says Promiscuity can Lead to Demonic Possession
By Hilary White
WESTMINSTER, UK, August 15, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A priest of Westminster, the leading diocese of the Catholic Church of England and Wales, has written that promiscuity, whether homosexual or heterosexual, can lead to dire spiritual consequences, in addition to the dangers to physical health.
Promiscuity, as well as homosexuality and pornography, says 73 year-old Fr. Jeremy Davies, is a form of sexual perversion and can lead to demonic possession. Offering what may be an explanation for the explosion of homosexuality in recent years, Fr. Davies said, "Among the causes of homosexuality is a contagious demonic factor."
Who knew that demons were contagious? -- The Catholic Church, apparently. Shouldn't they have warned the World Health Organization about this?
And when did homosexuality "explode"?
Fr. Davies continues: "Even heterosexual promiscuity is a perversion; and intercourse (B), which belongs in the sanctuary of married love (C), can become a pathway not only for disease but also for evil spirits."
"Some very unpleasant things must be mentioned because young people (A), especially, are vulnerable and we must do what we can to protect and warn them," he told the Catholic Herald.
Said the (A) 73-year-old, (B) celibate (C) bachelor who goes around in a basic black dress with dramatic floor-sweeping skirt.
He also said that Satan is responsible for having blinded most secular humanists to the "dehumanising effects of contraception and abortion and IVF, of homosexual 'marriages', of human cloning and the vivisection of human embryos in scientific research."
Uh-huh. Giving women the means to control their reproductive lives is just so, so, dehumanising. Maybe this old fart would think differently if he had been blessed with a menstrual cycle. But I doubt it.
Extreme secular humanism, "atheist scientism", is comparable to "rational satanism" and these are leading Europe into a dangerous state of apostasy. "Only by a genuine personal decision for Christ and the Church can someone separate himself from it."
I have no idea what he's talking about here. (exerts massive effort) And I find it completely impossible to care.
Fr. Davies' (an Oxford graduate who is also a qualified physician)* comments come in conjunction with the publication of his new book, entitled, "Exorcism: Understanding Exorcism in Scripture and Practice" published earlier this year by the Catholic Truth Society (CTS).
*Remind me to never get sick and go to any hospital where this guy works.
In the Catholic Church, exorcisms can only be performed by a priest who has the "express" permission of his bishop. According to the Code of Canon Law, only experienced priests can be chosen who exhibit, "piety, knowledge, prudence, and integrity of life." Before the official rite of exorcism is used, the subject must also be examined thoroughly by doctors and psychiatrists to rule out any non-spiritual causes of his difficulties and physicians are often asked to assist during the course of an exorcism.
How convenient for the exorcist -- he has real honest-to-Asclepius professionals to get him off his own damn petard.
Fr. Davies also warns in his book against so-called New Age and occult practices, as well as trendy exercise and "spiritual healing" regimens derived from eastern religions.
"The thin end of the wedge (soft drugs, yoga for relaxation, horoscopes just for fun and so on) is more dangerous than the thick end because it is more deceptive - an evil spirit tries to make his entry as unobtrusively as possible."
"Beware of any claim to mediate beneficial energies (eg. reiki), any courses that promise the peace that Christ promises (eg. enneagrams), any alternative therapy with its roots in eastern religion (e.g. acupuncture)." Needless to say, overtly occult activities such as séances and witchcraft are "direct invitations to the Devil which he readily accepts."
Shorter Davies: Everybody else's hokum is just hokum, but my hokum is the gen-yoo-wine article.
Fr. Davies was appointed exorcist of the Westminster Archdiocese in 1986 after a four month training period in Rome. In 1993 he co-founded, with Italy's Father Gabriele Amorth, the International Association of Exorcists which now has hundreds of members worldwide.
And I shudder to think who those members may be.
In 2000, Fr. Davies told the Independent newspaper that incidents of demonic possession are rising dramatically along with the increase of New Age beliefs and practices, ignorance of the Bible and a growth in spiritual confusion.
Somebody's actually COUNTING all the cases of hokum? Now that might have made for entertaining reading, if anybody had bothered to give us some numbers.
"At the centre of this is man's ever-growing pride and attempted self-reliance. Man trying to build a better world without God - another Tower of Babel," he said. In 2005, the Vatican recently made headlines around the world by publicly announcing the launch of a course on exorcism for priests.
"In 2005, the Vatican recently made headlines...." That reminds me: LifeSiteNews, fire this writer. S/he is a tin-eared incompetent and as credulous as a three-year-old. You're welcome.
The Church's writings on exorcism and demonic possession say that a person can be influenced or even possessed by demonic forces when they are "hardened" in serious sin
Uh-huh. Sin both comes from and leads to the devil. What a setup: They getcha comin' and goin'.
and the Church specifies that these include people who are involved in heavy drug use, violence and sexual perversions. It is also noted that the "heinous crime" of abortion exacerbates these. Italian exorcist Fr. Gabriel Amorth writes that it is particularly difficult to liberate a victim who is guilty of abortion, and that this can take a "very long time".
Sounds like the exorcism business can expect steady long-term growth. This is hardly surprising; with the churches standing empty, clerics must find something to occupy their time, lest they get up to FSM-knows-what mischief.
I'm sure this poor old dear will never notice the reaction to his warning: People will either a) ROTFL at his pronouncements, or b) snigger politely behind their hands and then find something more interesting to do with their hands.
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