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.