Demons

What you need here is a good ol' fashioned exorcism!?

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, listeners. I cannot thank you enough for stopping by
for another episode of your favorite podcast, the Paranormal Activities Podcast,
a show dedicated to all the ghouls and goblins and
ghosts out there, the things that go bump in the night,
the things that make our hair stand up on the
back of our neck and our skin crawl. To Day's

(00:21):
episode is going to be a doozy. If you are
not sitting down, you'll want to If you are in
a dark room, you're going to want to turn on
all the lights. To Day's episode is going to focus
on demons and possessions, and I'm not talking about your
favorite things. First, let's take a look at the origins

(00:47):
and historical context of demons. Demonology started out in Mesopotamia.
The Akkadians, Babylonians, Syrians all believed in mavolent spirits such
as Lamashtu, who prayed on infants, and Pazuzu, warded off

(01:12):
other demons. The Epic of Gilgamesh references demonic forces, the
concept of ishvet or chaos, opposed my aunt, which is
order in Egyptian demonic entities. Egyptian demons included Apophis, the

(01:40):
serpent of chaos and Amut, the devourer of souls. Greeks
had their daemons. Originally neutral daemons were spiritual beings that
could be good or evil. Was linked to spirits and

(02:02):
linked to necromancy. The limieurs were relentless spirits from the Romans,
while larvae were mauvelent spirits. Later, Greek damons merged into
Roman demonology. Next, let's get biblical. The Old Testament spoke

(02:30):
of as a zel, Lapidigus or Lilith and she dim
Deuternonomy as Hebrew demon like figures. Even Jesus exercises and demons,
and Satan was a fallen angel. The New Testament warns

(02:51):
of demonic possessions. During the medieval Christian period, Saint Augustine
defined demons as fallen angels with mauvel intent. In fourteen
eighty eight. The Malice Maleficarum linked demonic activity to witchcraft,

(03:15):
and the hierarchical classification was based on works like the
seventy two Demons under King Solomon. The Islamic gin in
the Kurin is created from smokeless fire. They can be
good or evil, and the ibli and Shiatin are the

(03:39):
Islamic equivalent of Satan and demons who lead humans astray.
The possession by gin will require exorcism through ruggia prayers
and chorenic recitations. Even the Hindus and Boodh as well

(04:01):
as others, have their demons. Hindu demons include Asuras, Raksharas,
and Pisachas. I pronounced all of that perfectly. These were
mauvelent beings in Hindu epics. Buddhist demons include Mara the tempter,
and Pratas, which were hungry ghosts. The Japanese One and

(04:26):
Tingu were spirits of vengeance or trickery, and the Jewish
Dabuks were malevelent spirits that possessed the living. Next up,
let's take a look at some famous exorcism cases in
no particular order. Let's start off with Analise Michael in

(04:47):
nineteen seventy five nineteen seventy six. Analise was an eighteen
year old German woman who underwent a series of exorcisms
before her tragic death. She was diagnosed with epilepsy and
psychiatric disorders. She experienced disturbing symptoms, including hallucinations, violent outbursts,

(05:11):
and aversion to religious symbols. Her condition worsened despite medical treatment,
and she eventually became convinced she was possessed. Annalise was
treated by two Catholic priests, father Arled Wrends and fathered
Ernest Alt. They perform sixty seven exorcism sessions over the

(05:35):
span of ten months, during which Annalise allegedly displayed symptoms
like speaking in multiple languages she didn't know, spitting, screaming,
and hitting her head against the wall. She would eat
flies and coal, exhibited extreme strength, made other un natural sounds,

(06:00):
and growling. She reportedly claimed to be possessed by demons,
naming several including Judas, Hitler and Caesar. Tragically, an Elise
died on July one of nineteen seventy six from malnutrition

(06:22):
and dehydration. She weighed only sixty eight pounds at the
time of her death. Her parents and the priests were
later charged with negligent homicide. The court found that medical
treatment was not adequately pursued, and they were sentenced to
prison terms. The priests served six months, her parents received

(06:45):
three years on probation. The case raised ethical debates about
the balance between religious faith and medical science in the
treatment of mental illness. Next, Let's take a look at
Roland at Doe in nineteen forty nine. This case is
the inspiration from the nineteen fifty three book and subsequent

(07:08):
nineteen seventy three film The Exorcist. Roland Doe a pseudonym.
His real name was reportedly Robbie Mannheim was a teenage
boy living in Maryland, USA in the late nineteen forties.
The possession reportedly began after he used a Ouiji board

(07:29):
to contact spirits, leading to strange phenomena in the home,
such as furniture moving and scratching noises. After traditional medical
diagnosis failed, the family sought help from a Lutheran pastor,
and eventually Catholic priests were called in. The boy reportedly

(07:53):
exhibited violent behavior, concluding levitation. Witnesses claimed the boy was
seen levitating off the bed uncontrollable movements. He reportedly displayed
unusual strength, speaking in languages he couldn't have known, and

(08:13):
foul smells and objects were flying across the room. The
priests used holy water, prayers and the right of exorcism
to try and expel the demon. The boy was reportedly
restrained and spoke in a deep growling voice during the rituals.

(08:37):
After days of exorcisms, Roland allegedly began to show signs
of recovery. He was eventually freed of the possession, but
the exact details remained unclear. The case was highly publicized,
leading to public fascination with demonic possession. The event also

(08:59):
raised questions about the boundaries between psychological illness and supernatural phenomena. Lastly,
for today, let's take a look at the Smurl Haunting.
The Smirl Haunting is one of the most well known
cases in America's paranormal history. It involved the Smirl family
of West Pittston, Pennsylvania, and their terrifying experiences with demonic

(09:23):
forces in their home. The family experienced a series of
disturbing events after moving into a house in the nineteen seventies,
including strange smells, banging noises, moving objects, and physical attacks.
The Smirls contacted renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren,

(09:46):
famous for their work on the Amityville horror case. After investigation,
the Warrens concluded that the house was inhabited by a
demonic force. The exorcisms involved both Catholic priests and the
Warrens themselves, who tried to cleanse the home. The family's

(10:07):
experiences reportedly included screaming voices, thumps, and growls, the family
members feeling physically assaulted. The husband, Jack Smirl, was allegedly
attacked by the demon, leaving him with scratches and bruises.
Objects around the house were thrown, and the family experienced

(10:28):
a feeling of being watched. Despite numerous exorcisms, the smirl
family's experiences of demonic activity were reported to persist for years.
The case was never fully resolved, and many skeptics questioned
the validity of the haunting. The case inspired the book
The Haunted by Ed and Lorraine Warren, which details their

(10:52):
experiences with the Smurls. Unfortunately, that's all the time we've
got for today's episode of The Parent Normal Activities podcast,
a show dedicated to all you listeners out there. I
can't thank you enough for listening. Until next time,