| Deliverances Fact Or Fiction Essay, Research Paper
Deliverance: Fact or Fiction
Many things in this world are unexplainable. One concept that is hard for many
people to grasp is the concept of a deliverance. Since ridding one’s souls from demons is
talked about in the biblical times, one’s believing in exorcisms is hard to comprehend in
modern days. People shun the thought of this idea mainly because they don’t want to
believe it. There are many stories and movies present in the world today about the
supernatural powers that may be true.
There are many people that have heard about or have seen the movie The Exorcist.
It is said by many that The Exorcist is based on a true story. This movie has given a good
scare to the millions of people who have watched it in the past twenty years. The whole
story of The Exorcist is based on a little girl around the age of ten who becomes possessed
by a demon. Regan, her name, demonstrates many salacious acts throughout the movie
until two Catholic priests cast out the demon from her soul in the name of Jesus Christ.
The movie portrays the priests as exorcising a demon , but these two men are
actually delivering the demon from the child. According an article titled “The Deliverance
Minister,” “There are two basic ways to get rid of demons. One way is to exorcise the
demon. Exorcism is the method used by those who follow Satan. The other way is
deliverance. Deliverance is the method used by those who follow Jesus Christ.” (n. pag.).
With this information provided, the movie The Exorcist is clearly not an exorcism but a
deliverance. After people see this horrifying movie, many questions are raised if this film
could have, in fact, been true.
A diary discovered at the St. Louis Mental Institute is summarized into a book
written by Thomas Allen. This book contains the story of the exorcism which is now
known as a deliverance. The movie The Exorcist is based upon actual facts that has
happened in the late 1940’s.
The Exorcist was allegedly drawn from an actual case that happened in the
late forties, early fifties in Maryland, Washington, D.C. The events began
as a mild poltergeist infestation surrounded a young boy, Roland. Strange
scratching noises were heard coming from the attic…small kitchen objects
and furniture would be moved for no apparent reason….Roland’s bed shook
at night, so hard that he couldn’t sleep and his bedclothes were violently
ripped from him….He began to drool and vomit up phlegm while more
bloody scratches appeared [on his body]….Three priests converged…and
began a thirty-five day long exorcism [deliverance], taking turns to conserve
energy. Roland would often attack the priests, appearing super strong, and
spitting in their eyes. Eventually,…the priests appeared to drive out
whatever was possessing Roland….Roland made a full recovery…the
phenomena never returned. (”The Real Exorcist” n. pag.).
Some still may question the movie’s authenticity. According to Michael Flanagan,
“…The movie itself was inspired by a true story about a fourteen year old boy who was
apparently possessed by a demon in 1949…” (”The Exorcist”).
Many similarities can be drawn from the movie and the summary of the book
provided by Thomas Allen. First, strange noises, moving of furniture, and his vomiting
have been taken from the diary. These actions have been vividly portrayed by the
possessed Regan throughout the movie. The thirty-five-day-long deliverance has been
shortened up to a few days in the movie with explicit acts of character displayed. All of
these events have happened during the real life deliverance of the demon. Lastly, both of
the people that have been possessed, Regan and Roland, make a full recovery and move on
without ever having the spirits return. With this information provided, it is plain to see that
the movie is based on actual events that have happened in the past. This is only one of the
real deliverances that has happened somewhat recently.
Delivering demons from people has not only taken place in the past century, they
have taken place since the time of Jesus Christ. According to the Holy Bible, “…a man
who was demon possessed…was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out,
the man who had been mute spoke…” (Mark 1:32-39). This was not Jesus’s only
deliverance, he had performed many others throughout his life. As he traveled throughout
the land, he drove out many demons along the way. “…the people brought the demon
possessed to him…he drove many demons…as he traveled. (Matthew 8:28-32).
None of the Bible’s passages go into very much detail, but there is one story that
does give the reader the sense of power that the demons have on people.
“…two demon-possessed men were coming from the tombs…[one said] What do
you want with us, Son of God?…Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was
feeding. The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs…”
“…[Jesus said], Go! So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd
rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water…” (Matthew 9:32-33).
One might ask oneself, how deadly can these demons or spirits that are delivered
get? The demons that were driven out of the two men and sent into the herd of pigs were
definitely increased in strength as they left the men. Even in the movie The Exorcist, the
demon that was delivered from Regan went into the priest who was delivering it. When
the demon entered him, he jumped out of a window and died. This information goes to
show that the spirits that are delivered will increase their power.
If the movie The Exorcist is still etched in your mind from the last time you saw it,
can you see the similarities that are brought forth now? Even the Holy Bible provides one
with many instances of deliverance’s. It’s up to oneself to decide whether or not these
deliverance’s are real or just a mythological act. Some of the scariest things in life are,
without a doubt, true. This may be just one of them.
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