← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Kevin_O'Keeffe
Thread ID: 16812 | Posts: 5 | Started: 2005-02-17
2005-02-17 17:01 | User Profile
[url=http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=6&u=/ap/20050217/ap_on_re_eu/italy_exorcism_class]Yahoo Link to Associated Press story[/url]
Vatican University Debuts Satanism Classes
By ANGELA DOLAND, Associated Press Writer
ROME - Worried about the lure of the devil, a Vatican (news - web sites)-linked university on Thursday debuted its latest course offering: a class on Satanism, black magic and exorcism.
The class for clergy and seminarians at Rome's Pontifical Academy "Regina Apostolorum" arose from alarm about what some religious officials see as Satanic practices among young people, especially in Italy.
In one case in Italy in January, members of a heavy metal band called "Beasts of Satan" were ordered to stand trial for their alleged role in three ritual killings. One of the victims was a 19-year-old stabbed to death in 1998. She may have been targeted because her killers believed she was a personification of the Virgin Mary, prosecutors contend.
A major theme of the first day's course was how to differentiate between a person who is possessed and someone who is simply suffering psychological problems.
Rome exorcist Francesco Bamonte described how he works with a team of priests and psychologists to make the distinction before deciding whether to go through with an exorcism.
"If not, I would be inundated with requests from people who don't need me," said Bamonte, who said he performs about 20 exorcisms a year.
The Vatican is also concerned about a growing number of young people who develop what instructors called personal forms of Satanism, outside the sects that are closely monitored by police. They often learn about the devil through the Internet.
"It's a more spontaneous and hidden phenomenon, a problem of loneliness and isolation, a problem of emptiness, that is fulfilled by the values of Satanism," said one of the teachers, Carlo Climati, a specialist on youth culture and Satanism.
Climati said concerned parents had been asking for a special course for priests.
The pontifical academy is run by the Legionaries of Christ, a conservative order, and teachers for the class include exorcists and psychiatrists.
In 1999, the Vatican issued its first new guidelines since 1614 for driving out devils, offering cautions to exorcists about taking psychiatric problems into account.
The updated exorcism rite, first issued in Latin and contained in a red, leather-bound book, was a reflection of Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II's efforts to convince the skeptical that the devil is very much in the world. At the time, he gave a series of homilies denouncing the devil as a "cosmic liar and murderer."
Among the signs of possession by the devil, according to church teaching, are speaking in unknown tongues and demonstrating physical force beyond one's natural capacity.
2005-02-17 17:07 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Kevin_O'Keeffe]ROME - Worried about the lure of the devil, a Vatican (news - web sites)-linked university on Thursday debuted its latest course offering: a class on Satanism, black magic and exorcism.
The class for clergy and seminarians at Rome's Pontifical Academy "Regina Apostolorum" arose from alarm about what some religious officials see as Satanic practices among young people, especially in Italy.[/QUOTE]
Good for them. All Christians should be equipped with a basic working knowledge of the basics of satanism and its various manifestations throughout our society. Ephesians 6:12
2005-02-17 17:58 | User Profile
Satanic practices is nothing more than what those people "believe" in and therefore in only their "religion" even if no one else likes it.
Then can dance naked, have sex, yell all night long and so on, but only as long as they don't hurt anyone else (sacrifice?) like the Jews were doing or are still doing.
Something that I have noticed of all religions is that in one form or another they use brain washing.
In my five years in the Catholic school they used to make us get up at six am and march us to the small church and made us pray and on Sunday to the main church.
Repeating the beads over and over and over again together with the movement of the light of the candles helped in the brain washing technique.
The Jews with their back and foward movement hitting an invicible wall, and sometime a real wall, also repeat the same verses over and over again.
The Muslims the same thing.
Religion has it down pat as to how brainwash people.
Me? I take a walk in my forest and look at the trees and the sky, listen to the birds singing an look at the deers running in the field and all that I can say is "Thank you to who ever you are" (The Force)
2005-02-17 18:05 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Ponce]Satanic practices is nothing more than what those people "believe" in and therefore in only their "religion" even if no one else likes it.
Then can dance naked, have sex, yell all night long and so on, but only as long as they don't hurt anyone else (sacrifice?) like the Jews were doing or are still doing.[/QUOTE]
Perhaps you didn't read the article at the start of the thread:
The class for clergy and seminarians at Rome's Pontifical Academy "Regina Apostolorum" arose from alarm about what some religious officials see as Satanic practices among young people, especially in Italy.
In one case in Italy in January, members of a heavy metal band called "Beasts of Satan" were ordered to stand trial for their alleged role in three ritual killings. One of the victims was a 19-year-old stabbed to death in 1998. She may have been targeted because her killers believed she was a personification of the Virgin Mary, prosecutors contend.
2005-02-17 18:53 | User Profile
Most Satanists are really just atheists who think of Satan as a symbol of man's carnal nature. Few Satanists actually believe in the Devil. There are exceptions, though.
Among the signs of possession by the devil, according to church teaching, are speaking in unknown tongues... Like Robert Tilton? :lol: I know this much: that sure ain't the Holy Spirit talking through him, as the Biblical "gift of tongues" has nothing to do with speaking in gibberish. I wish Tilton would try handling poisonous snakes or drinking poison instead.
...and demonstrating physical force beyond one's natural capacity. And then there's the classic story of the little old woman who lifts up the back of the car that's backed onto her grandchild.
I have to wonder why the Devil would possess anyone, really, since it really accomplishes nothing from his point of view except to possibly provide excellent evidence of his existence to skeptics. If I ever saw some guy who was obviously possessed -- not just blaspheming and cursing, but making stuff fly through the air or levitating himself -- then I would (1) crap in my pants, and (2) go join a monastery immediately.