Blog 10_Exorcists wanted: apply to Catholic Church

The title of this article was enough to keep me laughing. As I read the entire article, I couldn't stop laughing at the absurdity of the content (I LMAOed, literally). Basically, the U.S. Roman Catholic Church began holding special training workshops for exorcists since Friday. So far, there are only 5 or 6 American exorcists and the demand is on the increase. Therefore, the church has signed up 56 bishops and 66 priests.

Whenever I think of exorcism, I think of movies like "The Last Exorcist" and "Constantine". To be honest, it gives me the creeps because demons and evil spirits are always involved. The reason I refuse to believe in exorcism is because 1) it's ridiculous and 2) it scares me. Perhaps the idea that evil spirits can overtake one's soul is too horrifying for me to accept.

In the last sentence of the article, it reads "Possible signs of demonic possession include scratching, cutting, biting of the skin; profound displays of strength; and a strong or violent reaction to holy water". I wonder why the author put this here-was it to warn us of demon-possessed people around us? So we can inform the exorcists to rid them?

It makes me wonder why there is a sudden increase in the demand for exorcists in the United States, though. Are there more people "possessed" nowadays? Or are people just more superstitious? In temples in Taiwan, there are spirit mediums called tongjis, which are people who can communicate with the spirits. These tongjis are dressed in a funny outfit and they dance in a weird way. Some even go as far as to hitting their heads with a stick with sharp blades sticking out, not stopping until their faces are covered in blood. I always believed these tongjis to be putting on a show. However, I feel great pity for them, having to hurt their own bodies to make a living.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101112/od_nm/us_romancatholic_exorcists;_ylt=AmqBBsxOOJrBPXmrl1vgVpms0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFmMDEzcjJhBHBvcwMxODEEc2VjA2FjY29yZGlvbl9vZGRfbmV3cwRzbGsDZXhvcmNpc3Rzd2Fu