Jesus cast out demons, but we rarely hear about it today

Two years ago, a married couple in the Norwegian valley of Hallingdal were sentenced to prison for aggravated abuse. For several months, they had tried to drive evil spirits out of a young woman. The Norwegian broadcasting company NRK and Christian newspaper Dagen collaborated on a podcast about the case (link in Norwegian). In it, the NRK journalist says the case led her into a world she had no idea existed.

Why haven't we heard more about exorcisms?

After all, it was something Jesus did quite regularly.

Already in the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark, we find the first description of an exorcism when Jesus drives out an impure spirit: '"Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.'

Miracle worker and exorcist

The New International Version of the Bible, like the Norwegian Bible, refers to demons as evil and impure spirits.

“It's a deliberate choice in the translation, and the Norwegian version has been that way since the 1930s. But evil spirits and demons are the same thing,” says Hugo Lundhaug.

He is a professor at the University of Oslo's Faculty of Theology.

To understand the biblical texts about exorcism, parish priest Arne Jor believes it's important to understand the time in which they were written.

“Jesus was a miracle worker and an exorcist, but so were many others at that time. Healing, exorcism, impurity, and illness were closely connected,” says Jor, who works as a parish priest for the Paulus and Sofienberg congregation in Oslo.

Exorcism today

Today, five per cent of Norway’s population, around 250,000 people, believe in demons, according to a Norstat survey conducted for NRK.

The Catholic Church has its own ritual for exorcism, and last year Pope Leo praised the work of the priests who cast out evil spirits, according to Vatican News. The practice also takes place in smaller churches and religious communities in Norway, based on support from the New Testament.

Jesus was known as a healer. For example, the Bible states that in the evening, 'the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed… and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons.'

Filtering out the difficult parts

Demons have largely disappeared from the Church of Norway.

Priests and preachers have always filtered out the more difficult parts of the Bible, according to Arne Jor.

“The people who wrote the Gospels were also preachers. They added things, expanded things, and left things out,” he says.

According to Hugo Lundhaug, it's typical for religious texts to be used selectively.

“It's not necessarily a deliberate attempt to hide the parts that no longer fit. Rather, people use what they need,” he says.

A lot that Jor does not accept

Science Norway reviewed the textbooks used for the compulsory subject KRLE (Christianity, Religion, Philosophies of Life, and Ethics) in Norwegian primary schools. Students learn that Jesus raised the dead, walked on water, calmed the storm, and turned water into wine – but not that he fought demons.

But even though demons have been given less attention in schools and churches, the Bible's texts about exorcism are still included.

Arne Jor reads those Bible passages as they are written, but often adds that they do not reflect his own beliefs.

“There is a lot in the Bible that I do not stand behind. I say that from the pulpit,” he says.

Prayer does not heal people

The parish priest finds the passages about healing and exorcism difficult and unfamiliar.

“They are problematic for us today. Many people pray and pray to be healed from illness, but absolutely nothing happens. They remain just as sick. But even in Jesus' time, only a few people were healed,” says Jor.

He does not rule out the possibility that supernatural forces that cannot be explained exist in the world.

“I am not a particularly spiritual person and have no experience with either angels or demons, but I can read about them and listen to people's stories,” says Jor.

Chose not to read the passage about evil spirits

The Church of Norway assigns Bible passages for every Sunday of the year. These are read in all the  churches across the country. On Sunday, March 8, the assigned passage was about exorcism. Jesus drives a demon out of a mute man and explains that it is God who has given him the power to cast out evil spirits.

This year, Jor chose not to read that passage. Because it was International Women's Day, he instead invited a feminist to deliver the sermon, and she chose a different passage.

“We're a little mischievous and disobedient here in Paulus Church,” says Jor.

He exercises discretion when choosing Bible verses, because not all of them are equally appropriate.

“I become furious when I think about how many girls and women have been subjected to exorcisms and other traumatic experiences in the name of Christianity. As a priest, I have to be careful, because I don't know what kinds of trauma the people sitting in the church may be carrying with them,” he says.

We read with modern glasses

Jor also believes that the exorcisms are not the main point of these passages. They often involve conflicts between Jesus and the clergy that result in Jesus demonstrating that he is God's messenger. The passages are mostly about accepting demon-possessed or sick individuals back into the community.

“What makes sense to talk about is liberation and community for everyone, including the sick,” says Jor.

Justin Strong is a professor at MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society.

“It’s hard to read these texts and know work out what they actually mean. We read them through thick, modern lenses,” he tells Science Norway.

According to Strong, many of the gospel accounts of demon possession closely resemble physical or mental illness. One example is that of a boy possessed by an evil spirit who foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, becomes rigid, and is thrown to the ground. Strong thinks it sounds like epilepsy.

Another example is the man in the Gospel of Mark who lived among the tombs, cried out, hurt himself, and could not be controlled by anyone.

“What we see here is a person who was ostracised from the community and was struggling with what we today would associate with a mental health condition. Jesus engages with him as a person and brings him back to his right mind again," says Strong.

Cast out evil spirits in the name of Jesus

Those who practice exorcism today often justify it by referring to a speech Jesus gave to the disciples after he rose from the dead.

Jesus tells them to go out into the world and preach the gospel. They are also to cast out evil spirits and heal the sick in his name.

“I place emphasis on the first part. There are many instructions in the Bible that can lead to very unhealthy practices. I always look for something in the gospel passages that can provide hope, courage, and strength to live as human beings in the world, loving and learning from one another, from God, and from the biblical texts,” says Arne Jor.

Moreover, this is not the disciple Mark's original text.

“This was not in the original version of the Gospel of Mark. It was added quite a while later,” says Strong.

Theologians began reading and interpreting the Bible in new ways in the 20th century. They sought to identify the core message behind the resurrection, the virgin birth, and the exorcisms, which were stories that people no longer took literally.

“The stories about demon possession are about people of low status who have been excluded from society and may be suffering from illness. Jesus treats them as equals and brings them back into the community,” says Strong.

Greatest growth in charismatic movements

Although many Christians in Norway no longer believe in demons or possession, this is not true globally. Strong has students from other countries where exorcism is a widespread and accepted part of Christian or other religious practice.

“In many places of the Global South, it's common to believe in demons, witchcraft, and supernatural forces,” says Strong.

Hugo Lundhaug agrees.

“In more charismatic movements, belief in demons and exorcisms is very important, with exorcisms often performed before an audience. These are the movements that are now growing the fastest around the world,” he says.

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Translated by Ingrid P. Nuse

Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no

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