Is exorcism real or fake? Why?

It depends. Are there cases where people claim to be “demonically possessed” when they are in fact suffering from a trauma or some other type of psychological condition? Yes. Are there cases when con-artists are successful at duping gullible people into believing that they have a demon and charging absurd amounts to do so? Yes. Are there cases where a “self-diagnosed” exorcist is actually themselves severely ill and self-deceived and is unintentionally taking advantage of people that also have mental illnesses? Yes. Are there bonafide, real-world exorcisms, where otherwise mentally healthy and stable people are delivered from the inhabitation of a malevolent spirit performed by a qualified minister that is led and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do so? Yes!

I understand that many people, even Christians, might have a hard time swallowing that truth nugget right there. It feels strange to step out of our comfort zones and explore the dark side of the supernatural reality we live in. However, if you believe the Bible is inspired and reliable, then there is no reason to doubt the 1/3 of the gospels that tell us that demons are real. And, if you believe the universe is both physical and spiritual, and it was all created by a good God, and yet still recognize the presence of evil in the world, there’s no reason to doubt that demonic influence is possible.

So, is exorcism real or fake? Sometimes it’s fake, and sometimes it’s real. I know it’s real because I’m quite trained in psychology and I’ve conducted a number of exorcisms myself. I’ve assisted several other ministers do the same. I’ve also delivered mentally-healthy people that are close to me. Qualified deliverance ministers will rule out, or factor in, psychological conditions and mental illnesses early on in the counseling process and continue to do consistently throughout.

Contrary to popular belief, exorcism, or rather deliverance, is not performed with a shotgun blast approach where you just throw holy water at a person until they throw up a demon. It’s actually more of a “spiritual housekeeping” process that can actually sometimes happen internally and quietly. It’s also not only for “crazy” people. I’ve helped deliver some very intelligent, successful, and morally-upstanding people. Some were even devout Christians. Deliverance is like pastoral counseling, with a spiritually-led intercession, that just so happens to include some evictions. 🙂