Free Republic

“When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who weredemon-possessed met Him . . . and they cried out, saying, ‘What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?’” (Matthew 8:28–29). Demons can attack people mentally, physically, or spiritually. Spiritually, they oppose true religion, promote the false, and control the occult. Intellectually, they advocate false ideologies, insanity, and masochism. Our Lord always recognized demonized people as being victims of powers beyond their control and in need of deliverance, not condemnation or...

Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on July 6 on suspicion of sex trafficking minors in his Manhattan and Florida homes from 2002 to 2005. The arrest comes over a decade after Epstein pleaded guilty to solicitation of prostitution and procurement of minors for prostitution and served 13 months in prison. Epstein's real-estate portfolio has played a major role in the ongoing sex-trafficking and sexual abuse allegations against him. ... At the center of the investigation is Epstein's Upper East Side townhouse, which is one of the largest private homes in Manhattan. The FBI raided the seven-story mansion on 9 East 71st...

The Allegheny County Democrat Party in Pennsylvania has forced the resignation of its executive director after just one month on the job, for a pair of social media postings, including one expressing reverence for the American flag and Christian cross. The party hired Marine and Gulf War veteran Mark Salvas as executive director in September, CBS Pittsburgh reports, but asked him to resign last week after uncovering a year-old Facebook post declaring, “I stand for the flag, I kneel at the cross”; and a July post in which his wife sought donations for the legal defense of a police officer...

At an appearance in San Francisco last week, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) repeated her story that the spirits of women’s rights activists Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Alice Paul and Sojourner Truth squeezed into her chair—and then spoke to her—the first time she went to a meeting at the White House after being elected House Minority Leader. When she was elected to that post on Nov. 14, 2002, Pelosi became the first woman in U.S. history to become the leader of either party in the House or Senate. “I sit down and as he [President...

The 19-year-old who is accused of killing 17 people and injuring dozens more when he opened fire on a South Florida high school Wednesday afternoon told investigators that he heard voices in his head, giving him instructions on what to do to conduct the attack, law enforcement sources told ABC News. The voices were described as "demons" by law enforcement sources. Those who knew suspect Nikolas Cruz described him as a troubled teen who was largely alone in the world. An attorney for the family who had taken Cruz in after his adoptive mother died said he was "depressed" following...

<p>Two separate crimes against children in recent days have one haunting similarity: authorities have pointed to Voodoo rituals as a possible motive.</p> <p>“We are being targeted,” said Maude Evans, a Haitian native and Vodou priestess in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood. “I’m really concerned that that’s how it’s going to be from now on. They will do things and blame it on Vodou.”</p>

I told you Nancy Pelosi belongs in a mental institution and she has definitely proved it now. She told a recent gathering of the Women’s Political Committtee that spirits of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth cady Stanton and Alice Paul spoke to her at the White House. Seriously, I’m not kidding. She said she heard them say, “At last we have a seat at the table.” Pelosi tells the women, “He’s (Bush) saying something to the effect of we’re so glad to welcome you here, congratulations and I know you’ll probably have some different things to say about what is going...

Many people have tried to explain away the mass shootings in Texas and Las Vegas as mental illness. I can assure you that 99.9 percent of mentally ill people could never kill anyone. People are ruling out a spiritual component to these shootings. The mass shooters reflect the classic behavior one should expect of armed people who are demon-possessed. I invite Freepers who are mature Christians, and who have developed the ability to do spiritual discernment, to comment on this issue. Then there is the issue of Judge Roy Moore of Alabama, the most committed Christian to be a Senate...

How Can a Demon, Driven Out, Return with Seven More? A Meditation on a Puzzling Parable Msgr. Charles Pope • October 6, 2016 • The Gospel for Friday of this week (27th Week of the Year) features the puzzling parable about the cast-out demon who returns with seven others. What is most puzzling, is that finding the house (soul) “swept and clean” brings further trouble. One would think that a house that is swept and clean would be a good thing!For reference, here is the parable:When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he roams through waterless...

A small group of nuns and priests met the woman in the chapel of a house one June evening. Though it was warm outside, a palpable chill settled over the room. As the priests began to pray, the woman slipped into a trance -- and then snapped to life. She spoke in multiple voices: One was deep, guttural and masculine; another was high-pitched; a third spouted only Latin. When someone secretly sprinkled ordinary water on her, she didn't react. But when holy water was used, she screamed in pain. "Leave her alone, you f***ing priests," the guttural voice shouted. "Stop,...

Were the Pagan Gods Actually Demons? The Scriptural View and Why It Matters Msgr. Charles Pope • July 6, 2016 • There is a tendency for us to simplistically dismiss the gods of the ancient world as mere figments of human imagination, but the biblical approach is a bit more complex than that.To be clear, at no time in the Scriptures were these gods ever acknowledged to be gods in any true sense of the word. There is only one God and He is the LORD.Consider the following text by St. Paul:For although there may be so-called gods in...

In this interview with an exorcist from Switzerland, we're told the devil isn't everywhere—but don't go looking for him either, just in case. With our modern mentality, the subjects of exorcism and demonic possession generally inspire a reaction somewhere between fascination and open incredulity. This is the stuff of movies, but it also makes you think.For the Catholic Church, though, exorcism is something governed with a book of ritual, De exorcismis et supplicationibus quibusdam (Rite of exorcism and prayers for particular circumstances, adopted in 1998 to replace the previous, older version, which may still be used), and it is subject to certain conditions and prescriptions.The motivations...

Demand for exorcisms is at an all-time high WRTV INDIANAPOLIS -- A Brownsburg priest says the number of people requesting exorcisms is at an all-time high. Father Vincent Lampert is an exorcist priest based out of St. Malachy Parish. He was appointed to his role by bishops of the Catholic church. "I don't have any special powers or ability from a faith perspective. The power resides with the person of Christ," said Father Lampert. The priest says more people are asking for help and he attributes that to the growing number of people turning away from the faith. "Faith in...

Full title : Demand for exorcisms rises while Christian faith in the US declines - Exorcists cite spiritual void, failure of mental healthcare system and rise in pagan and demonic activities as causes After the recent news of Father Gabriele Amorth’s death and the recent unveiling of Fox’s new “Exorcist” miniseries, the Catholic rite of exorcism is once again in the news. Often looked at as a prayer service seen only in the movies, the rite of exorcism is something more and more people in the US are looking to priests to perform, believing that evil has infiltrated their lives...

McDonald's Assault VIDEO Angry Woman Attacks Drive-Thru Employee Caught On Tape McDonald's Assault VIDEO Angry Woman Attacks Drive-Thru Employee Caught On Tape McDonald's Assault VIDEO Angry Woman Attacks Drive-Thru Employee Caught On Tape Associated Press: TOLEDO, Ohio — A security video from a McDonald's in Ohio shows a woman punching two restaurant employees and smashing a drive-thru window because she couldn't get Chicken McNuggets. The tantrum caught on tape in Toledo earlier this year shows the customer reaching through the drive-thru window, slugging one worker and then another. She then grabs a bottle out of her car and tosses it...

They hailed from all Christian denominations and backgrounds, coming by the hundreds to defend their faith. More than a thousand Christians rallied in Oklahoma City to protest a long-scheduled blasphemous ceremony designed to mock Mary, the mother of Jesus. Though the “black mass” ritual took place as planned, the protests seemed to have an effect, as few attended the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall to witness a ritual entitled “The Consumption of Mary” performed by the Dakhma of Angra Mainyu, a group of “devil-worshipers.” The Catholic group the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property was...

A leading psychiatrist has said that after working in the field for over two decades, he believes demon possession is real. Dr. Richard Gallagher, a professor of clinical psychiatry at New York Medical College, says his opinion differs from most other professionals in the field. Gallagher has seen over one hundred people who appeared to have paranormal abilities. He deemed that most of these individuals suffered from mental illness. Still, he claims to have also seen the real thing. "For the past two-and-a-half decades and over several hundred consultations, I've helped clergy from multiple denominations and faiths to filter episodes...

The Gospel lesson in our current lectionary for the 5th Sunday after Pentecost is Matthew 8:28-9:1 in which Christ encounters two men possessed by demons.   At the time when the Orthodox Gospel lectionary was being formed, a story of Christ exorcising demons must have been very popular.  For in the current lectionary, the parallel version of this story from Luke’s Gospel (8:26-39) is read also on the 21st Sunday after Pentecost.   Since we have a lectionary that repeats every year, it is interesting that they thought this miracle important enough to proclaim twice during the church year...

Richard Gallagher is a board-certified psychiatrist and a professor of clinical psychiatry at New York Medical College. He is at work on a book about demonic possession in the United States. In the late 1980s, I was introduced to a self-styled Satanic high priestess. She called herself a witch and dressed the part, with flowing dark clothes and black eye shadow around to her temples. In our many discussions, she acknowledged worshipping Satan as his “queen.” I’m a man of science and a lover of history; after studying the classics at Princeton, I trained in psychiatry at Yale and in...

How a scientist learned to work with exorcists. In the late 1980s, I was introduced to a self-styled Satanic high priestess. She called herself a witch and dressed the part, with flowing dark clothes and black eye shadow around to her temples. In our many discussions, she acknowledged worshipping Satan as his “queen.” I’m a man of science and a lover of history; after studying the classics at Princeton, I trained in psychiatry at Yale and in psychoanalysis at Columbia. That background is why a Catholic priest had asked my professional opinion, which I offered pro bono, about whether this...