Exorcisms Schmexorcisms

People have been casting out demons since before Christ was born. While we attribute the act of an exorcism with Catholicism, the act of expelling evil spirits out of “possessed” individuals has been traced back to everywhere from Ancient Mesopotamia to Hindus in 1500 B.C. But in the 20th Century (and even present day), the “theatrics” of tossing holy water and screaming Bible passages at the so called “Damned” has seen a resurgence, predominantly due to pop culture’s fascination with this religious ritual, as well as the rise of the religious right in the eighties and the past four years. In this episode, the Coffee Donuts & F***ed Up S*** gang examines the origins of America’s fascination with exorcisms, from the famous cases that inspired all the popular movies and novels, to the infamous frauds (or crusaders, depending on your spiritual beliefs and intelligence levels) who have made a living discharging the devil, listen on as we explore the ever-booming exorcism industry on Coffee Donuts & F***ed Up S***!