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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 lsdor81 on Thu, 2009-01-08 - 11:46
Apparently Joan of Arc is suspected to have suffered from epilepsy. She led the French to victory because they believed she heard from God (they may have been her auras). If your dad doubts this, tell him to look it up on Wikipedia. After all, Joan of Arc is a saint.....
Just because someone has epilepsy like we do, doesn't mean we are mad, possessed, going to harm someone intentionally or speak in tongues.
Such is our lot in life-how sad. Your father may believe in "Honor thy father", but remember it works both ways. If my dad EVER treated me like that, I'd take that bible and shove it where the sun doesn't shine...
It'll also show him other people that suffered from epilepsy who have gone on to do wonderful things.
Apparently Joan of Arc is suspected to have suffered from epilepsy. She led the French to victory because they believed she heard from God (they may have been her auras). If your dad doubts this, tell him to look it up on Wikipedia. After all, Joan of Arc is a saint.....
Just because someone has epilepsy like we do, doesn't mean we are mad, possessed, going to harm someone intentionally or speak in tongues.
Such is our lot in life-how sad. Your father may believe in "Honor thy father", but remember it works both ways. If my dad EVER treated me like that, I'd take that bible and shove it where the sun doesn't shine...
It'll also show him other people that suffered from epilepsy who have gone on to do wonderful things.
Re: Epilepsy and Demonic Possession...or something of the sort
Submitted by monster on Thu, 2009-01-08 - 09:48
After experiencing quite a nasty first seizure with my 15 year old daughter I can honestly see why people would think it's a demonic possession. I think education into seizures can go some way to improving the situation. Seizures do have a medical explanation and they happen to even the most devote Christians.
As part of this website's mission statement "Information, Community, Empowerment". Amen!
After experiencing quite a nasty first seizure with my 15 year old daughter I can honestly see why people would think it's a demonic possession. I think education into seizures can go some way to improving the situation. Seizures do have a medical explanation and they happen to even the most devote Christians.
As part of this website's mission statement "Information, Community, Empowerment". Amen!