Exorcism is the practice of evicting demons or other evil spiritual entities which are supposed to have possessed (taken control of) a person or object. The practice is quite ancient and still part of the belief system of many religions. The person performing the exorcism, known as an exorcist, is often a priest, or an individual thought to be graced with special powers or skills. The exorcist may use religious material, such as prayers and set formulas, gestures, symbols, icons, amulets, etc.. The exorcist often invokes some benign s ...

Including:

• Exorcism - History
• Exorcism - Exorcism in Judaism
• Exorcism - Exorcism in Christianity
• Exorcism - Roman Catholicism
• Exorcism - Protestant denominations
• Exorcism - Exorcism in Islam
• Exorcism - Exorcism in the Qur'an and Sunnah
• Exorcism - On the nature of the Jinn
• Exorcism - Exorcism in other religions
• Exorcism - Exorcism-related deaths
• Exorcism - Exorcism in fiction

Read more here: » Exorcism: Encyclopedia - Exorcism

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Exorcism, Exorcism - History, Exorcism - Exorcism in Judaism, Exorcism - Exorcism in Christianity, Exorcism - Roman Catholicism, Exorcism - Protestant denominations, Exorcism - Exorcism in Islam, Exorcism - Exorcism in the Qur'an and Sunnah, Exorcism - On the nature of the Jinn, Exorcism - Exorcism in other religions, Exorcism - Exorcism-related deaths, Exorcism - Exorcism in fiction

Read more here: » Exorcism: Encyclopedia II - Exorcism - History

Exorcism - Roman Catholicism. Solemn exorcisms, according to the Canon Law of the church, can only be exercised by an ordained priest (or higher prelate), with the express permission of the local bishop, and only after a careful medical examination to exclude the possibility of mental illness. The Catholic Encyclopedia (1908) enjoined: "Superstition ought not to be confounded with religion, however much their history may be interwoven, nor magic, however white it may be, with a legitimate religious rite." ...

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Exorcism, Exorcism - History, Exorcism - Exorcism in Judaism, Exorcism - Exorcism in Christianity, Exorcism - Roman Catholicism, Exorcism - Protestant denominations, Exorcism - Exorcism in Islam, Exorcism - Exorcism in the Qur'an and Sunnah, Exorcism - On the nature of the Jinn, Exorcism - Exorcism in other religions, Exorcism - Exorcism-related deaths, Exorcism - Exorcism in fiction

Read more here: » Exorcism: Encyclopedia II - Exorcism - Exorcism in Christianity

The Daozang (Daoist Canon) consists of almost 5000 individual texts that were collected circa C.E. 400 (quite some time after the Dao De Jing and Zhuang Zi which are the core Daoist texts). They were collected by Daoist monks of the period in an attempt to bring together all of the teachings of Daoism, including all the commentaries and expositions of the various masters from the original teachings found in the Dao De Jing and Zhuang Zi. It was split into Three Grottoes, which mirrors the Buddhist Tripitaka (three baskets) division. These three divisions were based on the main focus of Daoism in Southern China during the time it was m ...

Including:

• Daozang - Timeline
• Daozang - Constituent Parts
• Daozang - Three Grottoes sandong C.E. 400
• Daozang - Four Supplements C.E. 500

Read more here: » Daozang: Encyclopedia - Daozang

In Roman religion, the Feast of the Lemures, called the Lemuralia or Lemuria, was a feast during which the ancient Romans performed rites to exorcise the malevolent and fearful ghosts of the dead from their homes. The unwholesome and malevolent specters of the restless dead (lemures) were propitiated with offerings of beans. On those days, the Vestals would prepare sacred mola salsa (salt cake) from the first ears of wheat of the season. Jupiter Mars Quirinus Vesta ...

Including:

• Feast of the Lemures - Sources

Read more here: » Feast of the Lemures: Encyclopedia - Feast of the Lemures

Stigmata (plural of stigma) are wounds that were, according to the Holy Bible, inflicted on Jesus during his crucifixion. There have been many reports of other individuals who display similar wounds, the causes of which have been subject to considerable debate. Some contend that stigmata are miraculous, others argue they are hoaxes or can be explained medically. The infliction of stigmata is called stigmatization. Stigmata - History. There have been over 500 reported stigmatics who have displayed wou ...

Including:

• Stigmata - History
• Stigmata - Skepticism
• Stigmata - Explanation
• Stigmata - Popular culture

Read more here: » Stigmata: Encyclopedia - Stigmata

Spiritual possession is a concept of many religions and tales, where it is believed that a demon, or disincarnate being, may take temporary control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in behaviour. The term demonic possession is used when the spirit is malignant (a demon), whereas incorporation or channelling may be used in the case of supposed benign spirits. Channelling is the claimed receipt of information or commands by a person functioning as a medium or channel for a spirit or other source. This often ...

Including:

• Spiritual possession - Religious views
• Spiritual possession - Scientific view
• Spiritual possession - Historical cases
• Spiritual possession - Books
• Spiritual possession - In fiction
• Spiritual possession - Reference

Read more here: » Spiritual possession: Encyclopedia - Spiritual possession

Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD, from Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus, UCKG1) is the name for a rapidly growing Brazilian new religious movement. The church is spreading world-wide, especially in Portuguese-speaking countries. Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - History. The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God adopted its current name in 1979. It was originally founded in 1977, by Edir Mac ...

Including:

• Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - History
• Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Doctrines
• Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Practices
• Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Spirituality
• Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Ecclesiastical Organization
• Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Controversies
• Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Tithe
• Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Disputes with Other Beliefs
• Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - The Kicking of the Saint
• Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Notes

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The figure of Abraham plays a prominent part of the Catholic Liturgy. Three Old Testament figures are given particular prominence in the Roman Catholic liturgy - Abel, Melchisedech and Abraham. This is through their association with the idea of sacrifice which means that they are invoked during the most solemn part of the Canon of the Mass in the Roman rite. In the Tridentine liturgy, Abraham was used in the Martyrology of 9th October: "Eodem die memoria ...

Read more here: » Abraham in the Catholic Liturgy: Encyclopedia - Abraham in the Catholic Liturgy

Necromancy (Latin necromantia, Greek νεκρομαντία nekromantía) is the alleged divination by which a person raises the spirits of the dead or, in some cases, merely their corpses. The word derives from the Greek νεκρός nekrós "dead" and μαντεία manteía "divination". It has a subsidiary meaning reflected in an alternative and archaic form of the word, nigromancy, (a folk etymology using Latin niger, "black") in which the magical force of "dark powers" is gained from or by acti ...

Including:

• Necromancy - Necromancy in history
• Necromancy - Spread of necromancy
• Necromancy - Necromancy in fiction
• Necromancy - Necromancy in role-playing games
• Necromancy - Sources

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A ghost is an alleged non-corporeal manifestation of a dead person (or, rarely, an animal). It is often thought to be the spirit or soul of a person who has remained on Earth after death. According to some beliefs, a ghost may be the personality of a person after his or her death, and not tied directly to the soul or spirit. Every culture in the world carries stories about ghosts, but they vary across time and place, with disagreements both as to what ghosts are and whether they are just f ...

Including:

• Ghost - Beliefs about ghosts
• Ghost - Skeptical analysis
• Ghost - Famous ghosts
• Ghost - Ghosts in fiction
• Ghost - Ghost messengers
• Ghost - Ghost stories
• Ghost - Other uses of ghosts in fiction

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"Oppression" is a more accurate translation of the term used in Christian sctipture. Possession, like other mistranslations, has gained a life of its own. This is possibly due to the nature of the word as well as the many movies depicting weird and lengthly deliverance rituals. Biblical deliverance takes place in seconds or perhaps a minute at most. This is the type one will find throughout the world in churches and ministries of nearly every denomination today. The concept of demon possession in Christianity was similar to that of Je ...

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Demonic possession, Demonic possession - Demon possession in history, Demonic possession - Demon possession in Christianity, Demonic possession - Cases of demon possession in the Bible, Demonic possession - Demon possession in medicine, Demonic possession - External link

Read more here: » Demonic possession: Encyclopedia II - Demonic possession - Demon possession in Christianity

Demonic possession is not a valid psychiatric or medical diagnosis recognized by either the DSM-IV or the ICD-10, and indeed, there is no scientific basis for such a belief. People those who profess a belief in demonic possession have sometimes mistakenly ascribed the symptoms associated with mental illnesses such as hysteria, mania, psychosis, or dissociative identity disorder to possession. There is, however, a mental disease called demonomania or demonopathy. This is a monomania in which the ...

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Demonic possession, Demonic possession - Demon possession in history, Demonic possession - Demon possession in Christianity, Demonic possession - Cases of demon possession in the Bible, Demonic possession - Demon possession in medicine, Demonic possession - External link

Read more here: » Demonic possession: Encyclopedia II - Demonic possession - Demon possession in medicine

Especially since the 19th century, the movement of higher criticism has put the life of Jesus under very fine-grained examination. The Tübingen school was a major center of this examination. Many critical scholars reject all of the miracles out of hand, because they reject the concept of a God who intervenes in human history. According to the bible, God does not intervene with human history, but reality at every point continues to exist only because of the sustaining work of God's hand (Matthew 6:25-33, Acts 17:28). This then leads many theologians to re ...

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Miracles of Jesus, Miracles of Jesus - Critical scholarship and the miracles of Jesus, Miracles of Jesus - Miraculous cures, Miracles of Jesus - Dominion over the demons, Miracles of Jesus - Power over nature, Miracles of Jesus - Power over life and death, Miracles of Jesus - Power over the mind, Miracles of Jesus - List of the miracles of Jesus

Read more here: » Miracles of Jesus: Encyclopedia II - Miracles of Jesus - Critical scholarship and the miracles of Jesus

As legendary creatures go, Popo Bawa is a fairly recent story. A popular origin story of Popo Bawa proposes that in the 1970s an angry shiek released a djinni to take vengeance on his neighbors. The shiek lost control of the djinni, who took to demonic ways. It is said because of Zanzibar's past as an Arab-run slave market, the story of Popo Bawa is an articulated memory of the horrors of slavery. Many of the legends on Zanzibar came from the colonizers and traders of the past, including Arabs, Portuguese, Hindus, Chinese, Britons, Pe ...

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Popo Bawa, Popo Bawa - Origin and history, Popo Bawa - Media reports

Read more here: » Popo Bawa: Encyclopedia II - Popo Bawa - Origin and history

Some religions — in particular, most Abrahamic religions — do not admit the existence of beneficial spiritual possessions; so, if they admit the concept at all, they automatically consider any spiritual possession as malign. Many of those religions, most notably Roman Catholicism, have ritual practices to drive out (exorcize) the evil spirit. Charismatic Christianity does contain a tradition of individuals being possessed by the Holy Spirit, and either Speaking in tongues, ...

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Spiritual possession, Spiritual possession - Religious views, Spiritual possession - Scientific view, Spiritual possession - Historical cases, Spiritual possession - Books, Spiritual possession - In fiction, Spiritual possession - Reference

Read more here: » Spiritual possession: Encyclopedia II - Spiritual possession - Religious views

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God adopted its current name in 1979. It was originally founded in 1977, by Edir Macedo and R. R. Soares. Macedo and Soares had been preachers of an established Evangelical church, but decided to create a new church whose doctrines more close reflected their own view of the Gospel. After its creation, Soares separated and established the Church of the Grace of Go ...

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Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - History, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Doctrines, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Practices, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Spirituality, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Ecclesiastical Organization, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Controversies, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Tithe, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Disputes with Other Beliefs, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - The Kicking of the Saint, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - Notes

Read more here: » Universal Church of the Kingdom of God: Encyclopedia II - Universal Church of the Kingdom of God - History

The earliest known use of the exact phrasing "the witching hour" is from 1835, in the last line of a short story by Washington Irving: "Two pairs of eyes are watching me now, from the couch and the ledge by the window. Faerieland shines in those eyes. And I must leave you, for it's the witching hour and a full moon is rising. . . ." However, variants of the phrase were in use much earlier; Shakespeare refers to "the witching time of night" in a soliloquy in Hamlet: Tis now the very witching time of night, ...

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Witching hour, Witching hour - History, Witching hour - Witching hour in popular culture

Read more here: » Witching hour: Encyclopedia II - Witching hour - History

Jesus is one of the many who come to be baptized. Mark introduces him without a history or a description, suggesting the intended reader already has heard of him. Mark, like all the Gospels, gives no physical description of Jesus, unlike the previous description of John. John baptizes him and Jesus then sees the spirit of God descending on him, telling him that he is his son whom he loves and is pleased with. God then sends him out into the desert to be tempted by Satan for forty days. Forty is a common numerological device in the Bib ...

See also:

Mark 1, Mark 1 - John the Baptist, Mark 1 - Jesus's Baptism and Temptation, Mark 1 - Calling of Disciples, Mark 1 - Jesus in Capernaum

Read more here: » Mark 1: Encyclopedia II - Mark 1 - Jesus's Baptism and Temptation

Jack's parents, John and Mary, lived in the other half of the semi-detached house. According to the Smurls, the first signs of something odd began in 1974. They reported that a television set burst into flames, and a stain appeared on a carpet overnight. Water pipes began to leak even though they were repeatedly resoldered by a plumber, and scratches resembling those from a large cat appeared on paintwork and bathroom fittings. By 1977 the reported events were escalating. Toilets flushed without human intervention, footsteps we ...

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Smurl haunting, Smurl haunting - History, Smurl haunting - Skepticism, Smurl haunting - References and Sources

Read more here: » Smurl haunting: Encyclopedia II - Smurl haunting - History