A Brief History of Exorcism

The belief that spectres and evil spirits can invade a body and take agency over a person’s actions has been found in almost every culture throughout human history. Stories of crazed lunatics performing supernatural acts like climbing up walls and shampooing a buffalo are abundant, but most can be dismissed as undiagnosed psychiatric conditions that release stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, which can cause abnormal feats of hysterical strength, like when a terrified mother lifts a bus off the ground to save her Kenny Chesney CDs, or when my uncle Leonard inexplicably ran onto the track and won the Belmont Stakes.

There are, however, rare instances in which medical science and psychiatric treatments are not enough, and the subject may require spiritual intervention. One must look no further than scripture, to the Gospel of Mark, which describes Jesus’ time in the Gerasene region where he cast a legion of demons out of a man using only a mackerel and a bazooka. The Pharisees accused Jesus of being in league with Satan because of his ability to command demons so easily, to which Jesus replied, “I’m the best aroundeth, nothing’s gonna ever keep me downeth.” Then he got on his donkey, gave the deniers yeast infections, and rode back to Nazareth giggling and asking his Apostles if they saw what he did back there...

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AJ DiCosimo