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Epilepsy and Demonic Possession...or something of the sort
Tue, 06/24/2008 - 16:43Has 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 rikk on Thu, 2009-01-01 - 23:47
like several of us, the same thing has occurred. they are full of it. that same stigma has hurt people with seizure disorders for centuries. in some cultures it is considered to be a direct contact with God. i think it is a medical problem, just like sugar, high blood pressure, or cardiac problems. i may or may not be a part of your father's mental state. he is probably looking for something that will help his child. parents sometimes push things to hard. let him pray if it make him feel better. do so yourself, if....it makes you feel better. i had a pastor try that crap with me. two things happened. i told him i was already being taken care of by one of the people he has here to help with this stuff. a doctor, and the doc has annointed me with oil. that was the medicince of the day as far as the bible. we call it medication now. after that i walk out of the church and have not return to that church. if you are going to go to the church you may want to tell him you have seizures, and not to worry about it.
i have to differ with you on the book nerd thing, in my world that is call well read. i hope you do well with your seizures and your father. have a good year, oh keep reading all that quackery. it will open your mind. big smile.. rikk
like several of us, the same thing has occurred. they are full of it. that same stigma has hurt people with seizure disorders for centuries. in some cultures it is considered to be a direct contact with God. i think it is a medical problem, just like sugar, high blood pressure, or cardiac problems. i may or may not be a part of your father's mental state. he is probably looking for something that will help his child. parents sometimes push things to hard. let him pray if it make him feel better. do so yourself, if....it makes you feel better. i had a pastor try that crap with me. two things happened. i told him i was already being taken care of by one of the people he has here to help with this stuff. a doctor, and the doc has annointed me with oil. that was the medicince of the day as far as the bible. we call it medication now. after that i walk out of the church and have not return to that church. if you are going to go to the church you may want to tell him you have seizures, and not to worry about it.
i have to differ with you on the book nerd thing, in my world that is call well read. i hope you do well with your seizures and your father. have a good year, oh keep reading all that quackery. it will open your mind. big smile.. rikk
Re: Epilepsy and Demonic Possession...or something of the sort
Submitted by audreykay22 on Fri, 2009-01-02 - 01:39
I have had that happen to me before...several times. I grew up in church and I used to sing on Sunday mornings. One time we were practicing and I had a seizure. I had previously instructed everyone what to do if I had one, but instead of rolling me on my side they gathered around me praying. I guess everyone there were putting their hands on my head until my mom came in and told them to stop. When I came out of it one of the pastors came up to me and told me he thought there was an evil spirit in the necklace I was wearing. I had another one a few months later and the pastor asked if i would have a meeting with him. He told me he thought it was neccessary to do an extorcism! I of course, was inextremely insulted by that, but I told him I'd think about it. I didn't get back to him quickly enough I guess because a month later he had another meeting with my mom and I, and he told me I was no longer welcomed there. It was an awful experience, and I haven't wanted to go back to church since. I'm sorry you're having to deal with that now.
Audrey
I have had that happen to me before...several times. I grew up in church and I used to sing on Sunday mornings. One time we were practicing and I had a seizure. I had previously instructed everyone what to do if I had one, but instead of rolling me on my side they gathered around me praying. I guess everyone there were putting their hands on my head until my mom came in and told them to stop. When I came out of it one of the pastors came up to me and told me he thought there was an evil spirit in the necklace I was wearing. I had another one a few months later and the pastor asked if i would have a meeting with him. He told me he thought it was neccessary to do an extorcism! I of course, was inextremely insulted by that, but I told him I'd think about it. I didn't get back to him quickly enough I guess because a month later he had another meeting with my mom and I, and he told me I was no longer welcomed there. It was an awful experience, and I haven't wanted to go back to church since. I'm sorry you're having to deal with that now.
Audrey
Re: Epilepsy and Demonic Possession...or something of the sort
Submitted by froggieyed on Thu, 2009-01-01 - 23:01
I to am sorry to hear that people to this very day believe that Epilepsy is in some way related to demonic possession.
I don't have Epilepsy myself but I am married to a wonderful woman named Edwina who has a very severe form of Epilepsy that is not fully controlled by the 3 different types of medications that she takes.
In my honest and well educated opinion, I can truly say that I understand how (among those that are not at all educated on the subject of Epilepsy) someone can confuse the two.
When I first met my wife in 1991, i had been in a car with her when I first witnessed her having a full blown grand mal seizure and I will tell you that yes I was horrified and deep down inside I thought that I was going to be attending her funeral days later. I had no education whatsoever in dealing with someone who was Epileptic and honestly did not know what was happening because it had only been the second seizure I had ever witnessed in my life. The first one I had witnessed I only heard the sounds but had no view of what was happening to the person physically.
Now almost 20 years and about 100,000 seizures later, I can honestly say that in my opinion there is no credibility to any connection that has been discussed about the relationship between Epilepsy and demonic possession. A complete lack on knowledge of the causes of Epilepsy and how to treat a person afflicted by it has probably been the most common source of mis-information related to the subject.
If anybody is interested in seeing a good movie on the subject you can rent "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" which is based on the true story of Annielese Michel whose name I am sure I spelled wrong.
I wish you all a very happy and healthy new year.
Paul
I to am sorry to hear that people to this very day believe that Epilepsy is in some way related to demonic possession.
I don't have Epilepsy myself but I am married to a wonderful woman named Edwina who has a very severe form of Epilepsy that is not fully controlled by the 3 different types of medications that she takes.
In my honest and well educated opinion, I can truly say that I understand how (among those that are not at all educated on the subject of Epilepsy) someone can confuse the two.
When I first met my wife in 1991, i had been in a car with her when I first witnessed her having a full blown grand mal seizure and I will tell you that yes I was horrified and deep down inside I thought that I was going to be attending her funeral days later. I had no education whatsoever in dealing with someone who was Epileptic and honestly did not know what was happening because it had only been the second seizure I had ever witnessed in my life. The first one I had witnessed I only heard the sounds but had no view of what was happening to the person physically.
Now almost 20 years and about 100,000 seizures later, I can honestly say that in my opinion there is no credibility to any connection that has been discussed about the relationship between Epilepsy and demonic possession. A complete lack on knowledge of the causes of Epilepsy and how to treat a person afflicted by it has probably been the most common source of mis-information related to the subject.
If anybody is interested in seeing a good movie on the subject you can rent "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" which is based on the true story of Annielese Michel whose name I am sure I spelled wrong.
I wish you all a very happy and healthy new year.
Paul