Exorcising Demons in America

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Have you ever considered that you might be possessed by demonic forces? Has Satan visited you lately? Perhaps these seems like an odd questions, but if they are then it is even odder that so many Americans will answer "yes" to both questions. You may not realize it, but there is a booming industry in exorcisms in the United States.

Some may imagine that the idea that people have demons in them that need exorcising is one of those superstitions that was abandoned long ago, but that's only because the popularity of exorcisms is generally hidden from public view. What actually goes on is revealed in the recently published "American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty" by Michael Cuneo, a sociology professor at Fordham University in New York City.

Cuneo does not himself seem to believe in the existence of demons and states that he thinks that the problems of those seeking exorcisms are "fully explainable in social, cultural, medical, and psychological terms." Nevertheless, such skepticism of the basic premises behind exorcisms does not lead him to be derisive or dismissive of the beliefs and needs of those involved. On the contrary, he is very sympathetic and interested in learning more about the wide variety of exorcisms and exorcist rituals which exist in America today, and why people continue to engage in these practices.

For many readers, the diversity might prove especially interesting. Exorcisms performed by Protestants - usually called "deliverance ministries" because they are set up to deliver people from the bondage of demons - don't share much in common with the stereotypical Catholic exorcisms most people are familiar with. If you think you know what exorcisms are like, you may learn quite a lot in Cuneo's book.

So why have exorcisms become so popular in American culture? Obviously religion plays an important role in people's beliefs about exorcism, but that doesn't appear to be solely responsible for the recent upsurge in popularity. By the mid-twentieth century, exorcisms really had been largely discarded as a symptom of past superstitions and were not generally encouraged by religious leaders. So what changed?

Ironically, it was popular culture that appears to have made exorcisms common again. They never disappeared entirely, but what remained was sufficient to stir the creative imagination of several in the entertainment industry - with the most obvious and influential being William Peter Blatty, author of the hit novel "The Exorcist," which was made into a wildly popular movie. More books and novels and movies followed closely, captivating people's religious and magical imaginations. According to Cuneo:

This conjuncture of commercialism and religious ritual, of profits and piety, should come as no surprise. Over the course of the twentieth century the popular cultural industry, with its endless run of movies, books, and digital delights, has gained a pervasive influence over the national consciousness. It has become part of the very air that Americans breathe and, as such, it has attained an enormous capacity for shaping everyday beliefs and behaviors. . . . When Hollywood and its allies put out the Word, somebody is guaranteed to be listening ...[I]t isn't much of an exaggeration to say that exorcism today is actually the invention of the popular entertainment industry the product, above all else, of Hollywood hype and Madison Avenue hucksterism.

In a sense, life is imitating art - but not necessarily for the better. Although most of the case studies Cuneo examines are benign enough, he does note that some instances of exorcism turn out very badly for those involved - including, sometimes, the death of the one undergoing exorcism. There is also the questionable impact that exorcisms have on our ability to take responsibility for our actions. Everything from depression to thinking too much about sex is blamed on demons, and we are told that we can get rid of it all quickly and easily by simply getting rid of those demons who are otherwise outside of our control: "Personal engineering through demon expulsion: a bit messy perhaps, but relatively fast and cheap, and morally exculpatory."

If you're looking for salacious content and graphic descriptions about exorcisms, you won't find them here. Expletives are deleted and everything is presented in an academic manner. That doesn't mean that the text is dry and boring; rather, it simply means that it wasn't written to titilate teen readers or exploit the people kind enough to provide Cuneo with behind-the-scenes information on what things are like. You also learn that the real exorcisms aren't exactly what you see in the movies - you aren't going to be reading all about the sprinkling of holy water or the recitation of Latin formulas.

Nevertheless, Cuneo does find that at times exorcisms can have therapeutic value. Indeed, he treats exorcism as a type of pop therapy rooted in ancient religious traditions: it provides people with an outlet for their fears and concerns. Afterwards, they seem to feel that a burden has been lifted and approach life with a renewed attitude - at least until the next time, because there is little evidence that exorcisms provide any long-term solutions.