- Christian clergy are increasingly being
called upon to cast out ghosts and poltergeists and even to rid people
of evil spirits because of a growing fascination with the supernatural.
-
- Experiments with the occult including
ouija boards, tarot cards and astrology are being blamed along with the
popularity of television programmes such as X-Files and Carol Vorderman's
factual-based programme on the paranormal for leaving people confused and
vulnerable.
-
- Officially, the Church of England and
the Roman Catholic Church refuse to comment on the phenomenon although
they admit that every diocese has dedicated staff experienced in dealing
with exorcism, deliverance and the paranormal.
-
- Church spokespeople insist that cases
are rare, embarrassed by critics who claim that the whole subject is nothing
but medieval superstition and that the churches should have nothing to
do with any of it.
-
- But the Rev Peter Irwin-Clark, an evangelical
Anglican priest in Brighton and former barrister, is coping with a growing
workload.
-
- "There's probably been an enormous
increase in the last 30 years of cases as a result of the acceptability
of the paranormal in popular culture. Probably a week doesn't go by without
me praying for someone to have some sort of spiritual bondage removed."
-
- Mr Irwin-Clark believes most of his colleagues
have to deal with three or four cases involving the occult every year.
He dismisses criticism of such work claiming that his experiences square
with the frequent references in the New Testament to devil possession and
Christ's commandment to his followers to cast out evil spirits. He points
out that baptism is a form of deliverance when parents agree to "reject
Satan and all his works" on behalf of their child.
-
- "I have not seen full-scale demonic
possession but I have seen demonic affliction when an area of a person's
personality has been gripped by an evil spirit or a fallen angel."
-
- There are considerable personal dangers
to this work, says Mr Irwin-Clark.
-
- "Earlier this year, I couldn't work
out why I didn't feel any joy in my ministry, there was a lot weighing
on me. Someone discerned an attacking spirit - it was probably associated
with a Satanist group putting a curse on me. The work is yucky.
-
- "There have been times when I've
been praying with someone downstairs and upstairs, my children woke screaming
and my wife had to claim Christ's spiritual protection before they calmed.
-
- "I had a pentagram and a death threat
chalked outside my house once."
-
- The Church of England has set up a working
party, the Christian Deliverance Study Group, looking into the issue of
possession which has been the subject of much media interest recently with
the re-release of the film, The Exorcist. Only the co-chairman, the Rt
Rev Dominic Walker, the Bishop of Reading, agreed to talk about its work
and then only in the most general terms for fear of encouraging public
speculation.
-
- "Exorcism is the very last resort.
It can be very dangerous if used inappropriately. There are very different
understandings of demons. Some would see them as some sort of evil spirit,
some would see them as an unhealed part of the human consciousness. There
is a big overlap between the psychological and the spiritual," said
Mr Walker.
-
- To head off criticism that disturbance
by evil spirits is more likely to have its roots in psychiatric disorders
than the demon, the Church of England has issued guidelines which advocate
that priests work in close co-operation with medically trained professionals.
-
- The Rev Tom Willis has been an authorised
Church of England exorcist for more than 30 years in the York diocese,
as well as advising the Archbishop of York, the Rt Rev David Hope. "I
get a lot of referrals from the Samaritans. They've noticed a big increase
in problems and the cases are more serious."
-
- He believes the church is less embarrassed
about the subject than it used to be, and points to the New Testament as
vindication of his work. He takes a very practical view of his 30-year
ministry of casting out ghosts, poltergeists, evil spirits from pubs, hotels,
warehouses, even a trawler and an aerodrome.
-
- "About one in 10 people see a ghost
in their lifetime. The police sometimes refer a case to us. People see
apparitions, objects moving around, they experience being tapped on their
shoulder, doors opening or strange smells. I've seen objects disappearing
and re-appearing in a neighbouring room. It's not clear to me whether this
is an offshoot of the human mind - some sort of stress leaking out - or
it is something using human energy.
-
- "I've had the experience of poltergeists
reading my mind. It can be quite frightening. Once there were a couple
of mediums who wanted to give up because they sensed evil - it was quite
a struggle with a lot of screaming and shouting."
-
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- http://reports.guardian.co.uk/articles/1998/12/30/40299.html
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