questions on demons

FMLJoliecouer · #1 May 10, '12, 10:28 am

I have done alot of reading online....catholic sources on demons and such, and I believe I suffer from demonic obsession.
I know that God has already defeated Satan and I supposedly have nothing to fear.
I just need to know....can demons phyically hurt someone....I am not talking about demonic possession, as I am not possessed.

Also, I do feel that they are controlling my thoughts and I know I must be letting them. I have been on anti-psychotics and anti-depressants for awile and I still have problems with demons. They told me that if I dont go to church anymore....they will leave me alone.
Since I decided not to go back,...a day ago....they are still bothering me. They woke me up at 3 am and I couldnt get back to sleep.
I have talked to my priest in the past,,,,he just says its not his area of expertise. and I dont think he takes me seriously. I have heard voices and seen the demons on a few occasions and only since coming to the Catholic faith. Seems suspicious to me.
I never had demon problems before.

I know what prayers are good etc but I just need to know can demons physically attack someone.

fred conty · #2 May 10, '12, 10:46 am

It's possible but not usual. Years ago a catholic priest gave a retreat at a high school who was then an actual exorcist. He said that he was driving down the highway and suddenly he felt some force pulling his steering wheel to the right. He had to struggle to keep the car from crashing. He then said his bishop gave him permission to keep the blessed sacrament on him during the day which from then on he did.

The Priest of the small town of Ars in france, was bothered by devils at night. They would shake his bed so he couldn't get his sleep. This priest heard 16 to 18 hours of confessions on a daily basis and was known to know the person's sins before he heard their confession.

One of the sacramentals to protect a person is the Green Scapular. One of Mary's promises is to protect the person from satan. The person dosen't have to wear it, as long as it is in a wallet or purse. It must be blessed and each day the prayer must be said, which is, "O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you."

Others have had success with the blessed St. Benedict medal, or the Brown Scapular, or the Miraculous Medal.

**Joe 5859** · #3 May 10, '12, 11:45 am

If your parish priest doesn't want to talk to you about this, press him for a referral to a priest that will. Or else call your diocesan office and ask someone there to point you to someone.

Scoobyshme · #4 May 10, '12, 11:46 am

Yes, it's quite possible. St. John Vianney and St. Padre Pio, for example, were physically attacked by the devil.

Skygor · #5 May 10, '12, 11:54 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by FMLJoliecouer

I just need to know....can demons phyically hurt someone....I am not talking about demonic possession, as I am not possessed .... I know what prayers are good etc but I just need to know can demons physically attack someone.

Yes, demons can physically harm a person. It mostly consists of forceful violence. A blow, a push, a shove. They may also do things to physical objects around a person to spook them. A step trips you, or a car swipes you a little too close. A demon cannot kill you. (God is superior to Chuck Norris when it comes to "allowing" things.) They will however do whatever they can to imply that they can kill.

Quote:

Also, I do feel that they are controlling my thoughts and I know I must be letting them.

Angels (and therefore demons) cannot change a person's Free Will. You have absolute control over your thoughts as much as any other person does. Demon's will however make suggestions and do so in a way to cause the most Evil. In most and this case it's to cause a person to believe that they have no control over their Free Will, thoughts, emotions, or lives.

Quote:

They told me that if I don't go to church anymore....they will leave me alone.

This may be true, and an example of Demon's using Morton's Fork to convince you that you have no control. If you go to Church they increase the pain. If you don't go to Church, they increase the pain and say "what a bad Catholic for skipping Mass."

You are required to celebrate Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. You are relieved if you cannot go due to sickness. If you are being tormented by demons and your limits are stressed then you are excused. To anyone who says go to Mass whatever there are physical limits to the body even in cases of demonic possession or torment. So unless you arrange for the person to be carried to Mass since during the previous night they were in agony, beaten, and vomiting constantly that they cannot even prop themselves over the toilet, do not lay even more false guilt of not making it to Mass because it's the best solution.

Quote:

I have talked to my priest in the past,,,,he just says its not his area of expertise.

Speak to him again and remind him that he's responsible for the care of his parishioners. If he's unfamiliar, then he should find someone that is expereinced for you. If he doesn't then one of the priests here at Catholic Answer's will find one for you. All they probably need is your home address.

[quote]I never had demon problems before./QUOTE]
Some demonic activity is based of another's Evil actions against you.

Quote:

I know what prayers that work.

I guarantee every Tom, Dick, and Mary are going to flood this post with Rosary, Brown Scalper, and St. Michael prayer and say "this never fails". Those who have suffered from demonic torment and possession have unique and individual prayers and sacramental that work. Just pick what you know that speaks to your heart and trust in God. Even if this trust is purely mechanical and brain logic.

NickVA · #6 May 10, '12, 12:04 pm

Anthony the Great
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"One time Saint Anthony tried hiding in a cave to escape the demons that plagued him. There were so many little demons in the cave though that Saint Anthony's servant had to carry him out because they had beaten him to death. When the hermits were gathered to Saint Anthony's corpse to mourn his death, Saint Anthony was revived. He demanded that his servants take him back to that cave where the demons had beaten him. When he got there he called out to the demons, and they came back as wild beasts to rip him to shreds. All of a sudden a bright light flashed, and the demons ran away. Saint Anthony knew that the light must have come from God, and he asked God where was he before when the demons attacked him. God replied, "I was here but I would see and abide to see thy battle, and because thou hast manly fought and well maintained thy battle, I shall make thy name to be spread through all the world."

in_servitude · #7 May 10, '12, 1:07 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by FMLJoliecouer

They told me that if I dont go to church anymore....they will leave me alone. Since I decided not to go back,...a day ago....they are still bothering me. They woke me up at 3 am and I couldnt get back to sleep.

Fight back! Spiritual warfare is different, because rather than attempting to harm the demons, your goal is to protect yourself. Prayer = Armor. As the previous poster already said - you need to find the armor that works for you. Do not skip out on church, however.

Quote:

I have talked to my priest in the past,,,,he just says its not his area of expertise. and I dont think he takes me seriously. I have heard voices and seen the demons on a few occasions and only since coming to the Catholic faith. Seems suspicious to me.
I never had demon problems before.

Every time I begin to walk closer to Jesus, the demons make their attempts to pull me away. Being able to take communion is an intimate closeness to Jesus, and it does make the goal of the demons more difficult to achieve. My experience is that once you learn how to fight, they find a different way to attack. But, keep learning the various ways to fight.

Now, when I talked to my priest about my own physical attack - he spent most of the time wondering if I was in need of a mental examination. My answer? Go find someone who gets it. Also, your Bishop is supposed to have an exorcist ready to minister to your needs. I strongly encourage you to contact your Bishop. Please reply to this and tell us what you learned when you contacted the Bishop's office!

Quote:

I know what prayers are good etc but I just need to know can demons physically attack someone.

From what I understand, God will allow only what He knows you can handle, and nothing more.

BluesPicker · #8 May 10, '12, 3:08 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by FMLJoliecouer

I have done alot of reading online....catholic sources on demons and such, and I believe I suffer from demonic obsession.
I know that God has already defeated Satan and I supposedly have nothing to fear.
I just need to know....can demons phyically hurt someone....I am not talking about demonic possession, as I am not possessed.

Also, I do feel that they are controlling my thoughts and I know I must be letting them. I have been on anti-psychotics and anti-depressants for awile and I still have problems with demons. They told me that if I dont go to church anymore....they will leave me alone.
Since I decided not to go back,...a day ago....they are still bothering me. They woke me up at 3 am and I couldnt get back to sleep.
I have talked to my priest in the past,,,,he just says its not his area of expertise. and I dont think he takes me seriously. I have heard voices and seen the demons on a few occasions and only since coming to the Catholic faith. Seems suspicious to me.
I never had demon problems before.

I know what prayers are good etc but I just need to know can demons physically attack someone.

Hi,

I believe you are suffering; but there are some questions that come to me after reading your post.

How long have you been treated with anti-psychotics and anti-depressants? Have you completed the RCIA program? And what prayers are you saying? And what religion did you leave to come to our Catholic Faith?

Vigilant · #9 May 10, '12, 7:50 pm

[quote=Skygor;9282954]Yes, demons can physically harm a person. It mostly consists of forceful violence. A blow, a push, a shove. They may also do things to physical objects around a person to spook them. A step trips you, or a car swipes you a little too close. A demon cannot kill you. (God is superior to Chuck Norris when it comes to "allowing" things.) They will however do whatever they can to imply that they can kill.

Angels (and therefore demons) cannot change a person's Free Will. You have absolute control over your thoughts as much as any other person does. Demon's will however make suggestions and do so in a way to cause the most Evil. In most and this case it's to cause a person to believe that they have no control over their Free Will, thoughts, emotions, or lives.

This may be true, and an example of Demon's using Morton's Fork to convince you that you have no control. If you go to Church they increase the pain. If you don't go to Church, they increase the pain and say "what a bad Catholic for skipping Mass."

You are required to celebrate Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. You are relieved if you cannot go due to sickness. If you are being tormented by demons and your limits are stressed then you are excused. To anyone who says go to Mass whatever there are physical limits to the body even in cases of demonic possession or torment. So unless you arrange for the person to be carried to Mass since during the previous night they were in agony, beaten, and vomiting constantly that they cannot even prop themselves over the toilet, do not lay even more false guilt of not making it to Mass because it's the best solution.

Speak to him again and remind him that he's responsible for the care of his parishioners. If he's unfamiliar, then he should find someone that is expereinced for you. If he doesn't then one of the priests here at Catholic Answer's will find one for you. All they probably need is your home address.

Quote:

I never had demon problems before./QUOTE]
Some demonic activity is based of another's Evil actions against you.

I guarantee every Tom, Dick, and Mary are going to flood this post with Rosary, Brown Scalper, and St. Michael prayer and say "this never fails". Those who have suffered from demonic torment and possession have unique and individual prayers and sacramental that work. Just pick what you know that speaks to your heart and trust in God. Even if this trust is purely mechanical and brain logic.

Every Tom, Dick and Mary, huh? So nice to know that you have all the answers.

Get a good quality Rosary that will fit around your neck, and another one to pray with. Have them both blessed. Wear the Rosary around your neck always, even when bathing. PRAY THE ROSARY. Get a statue of Blessed Mary. Have it blessed, and keep it beside your bed. Go Saint-Mike.org, and read, read, read. Look up the Hedge Prayer in the Spiritual Warfare Catalog. Say it every night without fail.

That's a start. The poster above did in fact make sense when he implied that each person needs to build their own arsenal. He made some other good points as well. Search CAF for other threads. There is a wealth of info here.

PM me if I can help. Been there, still am, probably always will be. And I am truly grateful.

Good luck to you. See your Psych as well, and rule out all clinical possibilities. If in fact this is a spiritual affliction, learn to look at it as an opportunity, and a precious gift.

Full steam ahead.

john78 · #10 May 10, '12, 9:03 pm

I use to worry in the past that i had been tormented by evil spirits, and i would question how much of it was imagination or reality....

Does anyone know how a Priest is trained or taught i guess it is a Rite of Exorcisim ?

I know there is a process of dicernment, that there needs to be a medical evaluation, and some kind of documentation that the person has " powers" that are not normal or rather human.

Also I have heard that Europe or perhaps Rome has the most cases of reports of possesion, does anyone know if this is true or not, and perhaps even a thought as to why ?

I do not know of many American reports on possesion and exorcisim, a movie called the possession of emily rose is the only one that is supposedly based on a real story comes to mind.

I also do not think the Vatican actually publishes confirmed cases or reports on the subject,

if I became a Priest I would want to be prepared to be able to handle this situation, and any official knowledge, ie links from the vatican or comments by any Pope would be appreciated as to how Priests are to be trained, and are to discern this.

Bix · #11 May 10, '12, 9:45 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by john78

I use to worry in the past that i had been tormented by evil spirits, and i would question how much of it was imagination or reality....

Does anyone know how a Priest is trained or taught i guess it is a Rite of Exorcisim ?

I know there is a process of dicernment, that there needs to be a medical evaluation, and some kind of documentation that the person has " powers" that are not normal or rather human.

Also I have heard that Europe or perhaps Rome has the most cases of reports of possesion, does anyone know if this is true or not, and perhaps even a thought as to why ?

I do not know of many American reports on possesion and exorcisim, a movie called the possession of emily rose is the only one that is supposedly based on a real story comes to mind.

I also do not think the Vatican actually publishes confirmed cases or reports on the subject,

if I became a Priest I would want to be prepared to be able to handle this situation, and any official knowledge, ie links from the vatican or comments by any Pope would be appreciated as to how Priests are to be trained, and are to discern this.

I'm guessing they (Rome) are more open and available to handle these issues versus the U.S. Also, possession is much more rare than oppression or obsession....

No, the Vatican does not publicly provide or publish confirmed cases. Zenit.com is good link you could search. There are a few others as well...

I'm certainly no priest, but aside from prayer and God, I doubt much could truly prepare anyone- even if one had some supernatural knowledge or "powers". IMHO...

I would say be open and pray because there are many crazy stories and people -most sound... Nuts. Most are, but some aren't.

Good luck and God Bless~

mlz · #12 May 10, '12, 9:57 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe 5859

If your parish priest doesn't want to talk to you about this, press him for a referral to a priest that will. Or else call your diocesan office and ask someone there to point you to someone.

I agree! There should be someone on every diocese able to evaluate your situation. Please know that they may recommend evaluation from medical doctors first. We are in a spiritual battle so these things are real ( angels &demons) prayers

Mlz

Skygor · #13 May 11, '12, 7:41 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by john78

Does anyone know how a Priest is trained or taught i guess it is a Rite of Exorcisim ?....if I became a Priest I would want to be prepared to be able to handle this situation, and any official knowledge, ie links from the vatican or comments by any Pope would be appreciated as to how Priests are to be trained, and are to discern this.

Like most things regarding the Church it is at the discretion of the bishop. The bishop appoints a priest or priests to be exorcists. Again as with most things it is the bishop's choice; the priest desires, objections, talents, spirituality, or charisms don't factor much.

I don't know much about what the training consists of. I suspect again is varies bishop to bishop. I know one form is being sent to another exorcist to learn from him. Another--like the real life case from the Exorcist movie--is just learning/doing it himself from the instructions in the Roman Ritual. However I do now that now there is an annual conference at Mundeline Seminary, IL on Spiritual Warfare. (Yes priest and religious have their own conferences and seminars to learn new things like doctors, teachers, etc.) It has grown popular over the years as more cases of the demonic are being acknowledged.

In about two weeks I will speak with an exorcist and ask his experience which will probably reflect the policies of Archdioceses of Chicago and the training from wherever.

**AlanFromWichita** · #14 May 11, '12, 8:08 am

Dude, they can't get you if you stand your ground. I have their number. They can actually be pretty tame compared to what they make you think. For example, they might make you think some horrible thought during Church, just to see if you'll pay attention to them by fighting them, or if you'll just let them go by and pay attention to Mass. So you just give them a knowing "not here" smile and they go away. It takes a bit to build up enough confidence for that.

Over the last 11 years the demons tried like anything to get me. Ever since "the incident" in the Cathedral on June 8, 2001. I was locked up, treated for severe bipolar and some other stuff, and it took a lot of confidence, philosophy, religious ideas from both the east and the west, and even science -- like quantum physics -- helped me. Everything is reconciled and it's payback time.

Medicine can control the symptoms of mental illness, but it can't cure it. I'm living proof that actual cures can be found, as all the contemplatives told me it could be. And once my illness was fixed, the demons went away. Imagine that. It was a package deal. You see, I trained my mind over those years by feeding it many, many memes that I designed to target them and control them in my subconscious.

The One Who is in us,l is greater than the one who is in the world.

Alan

mlz · #15 May 11, '12, 11:56 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanFromWichita

Dude, they can't get you if you stand your ground. I have their number. They can actually be pretty tame compared to what they make you think. For example, they might make you think some horrible thought during Church, just to see if you'll pay attention to them by fighting them, or if you'll just let them go by and pay attention to Mass. So you just give them a knowing "not here" smile and they go away. It takes a bit to build up enough confidence for that.

Over the last 11 years the demons tried like anything to get me. Ever since "the incident" in the Cathedral on June 8, 2001. I was locked up, treated for severe bipolar and some other stuff, and it took a lot of confidence, philosophy, religious ideas from both the east and the west, and even science -- like quantum physics -- helped me. Everything is reconciled and it's payback time.

Medicine can control the symptoms of mental illness, but it can't cure it. I'm living proof that actual cures can be found, as all the contemplatives told me it could be. And once my illness was fixed, the demons went away. Imagine that. It was a package deal. You see, I trained my mind over those years by feeding it many, many memes that I designed to target them and control them in my subconscious.

The One Who is in us,l is greater than the one who is in the world.

Alan

Praise God for your healing grace and His wisdom to help you out of the "pit"!
Mlz