Have you seen The Exorcist?

I still haven’t. That’s right. We’re doing a podcast season on demonic possession and I haven’t seen that movie. I’ve seen clips, but I’m still too frightened to sit down in a dark room and submerge myself into that film.

It was a definite challenge to take on the subject of demonic possession, but here we are. Tim and I both knew that if we were going to cover this topic, one of the first people we needed to speak to was a real-life exorcist.

Father John is just that, and was willing to sit down with us for a lengthy interview covering everything from how he became one, to what he believes are the greatest threats to the human soul.

Here is where Tim and I are torn between believing, or not. While this show is not about debunking beliefs, we do come across that in our conversations. It’s completely natural and necessary, to have an honest discussion if what we are listening to is plausible. There are many charlatans out there, many people seeking to gain fame or money by fueling superstitions or hoaxes. But when you sit across from someone who seeks none of those things, what are you left with? What would be a priest’s motivation to deceive you? To gain converts? To keep the belief in their religion alive and well? Or do they sincerely believe what they say is true, because they have witnessed evil in a way most people never will.

It’s hard to say because how many of us would actually go into a room where an exorcism is occurring, to really find out for ourselves? I’ve spoken to many of my friends who aren’t believers in any sort of god and generally express disbelief when it comes to ghosts, demons, and other supernatural phenomena. But when I ask them if they would go into a room where an exorcism is occurring, they immediately backpedal. Why is that? Is it our superstitious history as a human race, something locked into our DNA? Or is it because deep down we know something else is there, even though we can’t quite put our finger on it, and the risk is simply not worth it.

On last weeks Dad’s Panel, I believe Darius and George said it best, we don’t really know what it is, but something is there. Whether it be energy, or an entity, something lies in that small percentage of legitimate cases where no other explanation exists. Sure, maybe it’s a psychological cause we haven’t yet discovered, but come on, really? Every single one of these instances will eventually be chalked up to psychological imbalances in the future? That sounds rather hopeful. But hey, anything is possible.

This is why we choose to keep an open mind, wherever the evidence may lead, and to whatever conclusion it may be. Until that time, I believe it is wise to listen to what these individuals have to say, the ones who are going into the rooms where evil dwells, to wage what they believe is a war for the human soul.

We can’t thank Father John enough for giving us his time to answer our questions and hopefully give you, our listeners, more insight into the life of an exorcist.

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