3rd Impact wrote:Huh. People who are 'possessed' have always struck me as simply seeking attention, albeit in a fairly pathetic way. Of course they may genuinly believe it if they are mentally ill, but otherwise...
Maybe.
But from what I've seen, it's usually the pastor or someone 'influential' in that church or group who went on and proclaim that the person is suffering because of 'demon possession'. That may also cause the sufferer (and perhaps those around him) to agree with the pastor that he is indeed 'demon possessed'. The false belief feeds on itself in this way.
Trytostaydead wrote:Then, her voice went octaves lower and spoke in a distinct man's voice and said "I am Moses."
<snip>
Then he asked her, "If you're Moses you must know Jesus, right?" And she got really mad at this question and wouldn't answer and he kept asking.
The girl looked at him and said, "You do not belong here."
<snip>
Moses speaks English? I've seen some 'spiritual conduit' people at least put an effort on speaking/writing some wierd dialect or language they claim to have no idea when they're not possesed. I think the reactions and pressures of the psychologist come from his belief itself since the girl was referring some person from his religion. Had she been claiming she was....Hitler or Stalin I think no one would take it that seriously.
Edit: some shameless typos
1st Plt. Comm. of the Warwolves Member of Justice League "People can't see Buddha so they say he doesn't have a body, since his body is formed of atoms, of course you can't see it. Saying he doesn't have a body is correct"- Li HongZhi
Oh, I've got something to say on this topic alright.
Back when I was younger, I remember a girl who claimed she could invite ghosts into her body and speak for them. She was a LOON, but all the 'ghost hunters' relied on her testimony and, as a folklorist, I was often there to document the encounters she related of local legendry.
She was known to be suffering from a number of psychological disorders, but she was taken seriously. She was emotionally unstable, but she was taken seriously. She claimed to have been possessed by demons while she slept DOZENS of times, and she was taken seriously. I asked her to channel the spirit of a person I made up in a room they supposedly died in, and she put on an act for almost a half hour before I told her it was all a lie, and STILL her adherents claimed it must have been a 'mischevious spirit' and STILL took her seriously.
Let me tell you what: I've seen some people exhibit some VERY strange, almost unnatural behaviours. I've seen people move across floors from a standing position without moving a leg. And NOTHING that I've seen has lacked an honest explanation (How did the person move across the floor without moving their feet? Shifting of upper-body weight on a very slightly sloped and slick floor. I repeated the feat myself after the 'psychic' claimed she was being dragged around by spirits.). If someone claims to have witnessed a paranormal event, they are either lying, or they have deluded themselves by failing to examine what they're looking at. I've been to a number of magic shows, and I can tell you that there are people out there who can make it look like they've grown horns, sprouted a vine from their head, float in midair, read your mind and speak in the voice and manner and language of any dead person you care to name.
Note: I'm semi-retired from the board, so if you need something, please be patient.
