Recently I stumbled on an article online. It was entitled 5 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Apocalypse Could Actually Happen. Among the reasons listed is Mad Cow Disease which "attacks the cow's spinal cord and brain, turning it into a stumbling, mindless attack cow." Called Creutzfeld-Jakob disease in humans, the symptoms include; changes in gait, hallucinations, lack of coordination, muscle twitching, myolonic jerks or seizures, and rapidly developing delerium or dementia........ you know, stuff that ZOMBIES do. (A/N: At #4 on the list is an exciting bit about a haitian guy buried in 1962 and found wandering the city in 1980)
Well since we're not in a Cinema and Zombies class, where does the relevance lie? If that's what you're asking you should loosen up, I'm getting to it.
This listing got me thinking. If medicine can explain away zombies, can it also explain away DEMONIC POSSESSION!?!?!
In the beginning of the article in the packet, Regression, Possession & Cinematic Neurosis, Mikita Brottman lists Robert C's symptoms as including, "aggressive behavior, physical violence against those who are trying to help him, the spontaneous appearance of words on his abdomen, the sound of strange voices coming from his mouth, speaking both in Latin and in reverse, and a grotesquely swollen belly and throat." She says, "His limbs twist and then untangle violently, and he vomits up vile-smelling fluids."
An article in the web-based North Texas Skeptics Newsletter discusses A.A. Allen, a man said to be one of the most controversial deliverance evangelists in the 50s and 60s. A reporter for the Sacramento Bee in 1956, notes one instance of Allen performing an exorcism on a young boy said to be possessed. The article discloses that the boy had encephalitis.
"Hey Claudia, what are the symptoms of encephalitis?", you ask.
I'd be glad to tell you, the symptoms of encephalitis can include; severe headache, nausea and vomiting, stiff neck, confusion, disorientation, personality changes, convulsions and seizures, problems with speech or hearing, hallucinations, memory loss, drowsiness, or coma. Encephalitis can appear without warning and usually lasts up to a week, but recovery can take several weeks or even months.
So does everyone who seems possessed just have encephalitis?
No, Multiple personality disorder is also a possibility or Schizophrenia.
Just these three illnesses alone seem to share an alarming number of symptoms with demonic possession.
"Well, you haven't offered enough proof to disprove demonic possession as a whole", you say.
No.
No I haven't.
The truth is I have no idea whether or not there are demons, and I have even less of an idea of whether or not those demons possess human beings. What I can see is that with the progression of medical science has come a decline in the number of demonic possessions. Geez, that's weird.
It sure makes you wonder, (if you haven't already) if there is any real example of a human being possessed by a demonic force.
I'm going to keep looking...