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Epilepsy and Demonic Possession...or something of the sort

Tue, 06/24/2008 - 16:43

Has anyone had problems with religious family members whipping out Mark 9 (the chapter where Jesus heals a boy who apparently is having seizures of some sort), then declaring that you must have demons in you, or you have spiritual unrest, or are somehow "not right" with God?

My father did that to me recently. When he started talking about it, I was afraid he was going to try an exorcism on me right then and there. But he didn't - he just prayed. Ever since then he's been pushing me to talk to my minister about my alleged spiritual unrest. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do that - soon we'll have a new minister and I can just see me going in on his first day on the job and saying, "O hi, sometimes I wake up at night with a yell and then I shake. Can you help me? I must not be right with God."  The poor minister would probably put a request in for a transfer that same day.

I mean, I do have Demons. I really do. And I have Crime and Punishment and The Idiot and Brothers Karamazov and most of Dostoevsky's works. (Sorry - had to get a book nerd joke in there.)

Seriously, I thank this very same Deity (with whom I am supposedly not right) that I'm an adult and live a few states away from my father. But this still bothers me because I have to deal with my father's pestering me to talk to the minister. Truly, I think it goes beyond just a religious matter and it's more a question of my father's sanity.

So has anyone else dealt with this demons issue?

Comments

Re: Epilepsy and Demonic Possession...or something of the sort

Submitted by shannone on Wed, 2008-06-25 - 00:05

I haven't but it sounds so backwards that it is almost funny in that awful sort of way. I am so glad you live far from him. Have you tried to educate him on the science behind epilepsy? I am sure you have. Prayer is powerful but not usually strong enough for this. And an exorcism? Give me a break!

I am so sorry you are dealing with this.

Shannon 

I haven't but it sounds so backwards that it is almost funny in that awful sort of way. I am so glad you live far from him. Have you tried to educate him on the science behind epilepsy? I am sure you have. Prayer is powerful but not usually strong enough for this. And an exorcism? Give me a break!

I am so sorry you are dealing with this.

Shannon 

Re: Epilepsy and Demonic Possession...or something of the sort

Submitted by wichitarick1 on Sat, 2008-06-28 - 15:53

peace R.C.

   HI,

   RUN RUN RUN  far far away......... no I am not laughing when saying this.

      read and heed.    

      " it,s not the crazy people you worry about .......it,s the ones that don,t know it"R.C.

       The only thing that would result from this for me is the stress would give me a gmal.  welllll I would tied up also is the only way I forgot .    sick sick ..      Rick

peace R.C.

   HI,

   RUN RUN RUN  far far away......... no I am not laughing when saying this.

      read and heed.    

      " it,s not the crazy people you worry about .......it,s the ones that don,t know it"R.C.

       The only thing that would result from this for me is the stress would give me a gmal.  welllll I would tied up also is the only way I forgot .    sick sick ..      Rick

Re: Epilepsy and Demonic Possession...or something of the sort

Submitted by kay69 on Sat, 2008-07-05 - 20:21

Where I live there is a large immigrant community for the Pacific Islands, mostly Tonga and Samoa. They are nearly all very religious and the church plays a major role in their lives. Nothing wrong with that of course, but unfortunately epilepsy still seems to be the work of the devil/possession by a lot of the reverends and the older members of the community. Many years ago I did have a pacific lady praying over me during a sz (as I was told later) and asking Jesus to take away the eveil spirits. So an amateur exorcism I guess. It didn't work because 20yrs later I still have szs.

And despite the large Pacific community here, I have NEVER met anyone of them who has epilepsy, at least not openly. I have it on good autority that it is still hidden, and not talked about, and in worst cases, pills aren't taken. A lot of this is church-related as well as cultural. I can only imagine what it's like for anyone who gets E and has no practical support whatsoever. I'm not saying this is always the case, but it's very hard to reconcile culture and religion with science and common sense. What's very interesting is this group is over=represented with diabetes and asthma, and they're not considered to be possesion. I really do wonder what the early Missionaries to the Pacific Islands years ago said about epilepsy.

Kay 

Where I live there is a large immigrant community for the Pacific Islands, mostly Tonga and Samoa. They are nearly all very religious and the church plays a major role in their lives. Nothing wrong with that of course, but unfortunately epilepsy still seems to be the work of the devil/possession by a lot of the reverends and the older members of the community. Many years ago I did have a pacific lady praying over me during a sz (as I was told later) and asking Jesus to take away the eveil spirits. So an amateur exorcism I guess. It didn't work because 20yrs later I still have szs.

And despite the large Pacific community here, I have NEVER met anyone of them who has epilepsy, at least not openly. I have it on good autority that it is still hidden, and not talked about, and in worst cases, pills aren't taken. A lot of this is church-related as well as cultural. I can only imagine what it's like for anyone who gets E and has no practical support whatsoever. I'm not saying this is always the case, but it's very hard to reconcile culture and religion with science and common sense. What's very interesting is this group is over=represented with diabetes and asthma, and they're not considered to be possesion. I really do wonder what the early Missionaries to the Pacific Islands years ago said about epilepsy.

Kay 

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