I recently watched the movie “The Conjuring”. Which led me to wondering if there has ever been any real proof that ghosts, demons or evil spirits exist. If not, why does The Pope endorse/approve exorcisms?
I Googled it but I sense the authors were biased on both sides of the issue or just downright ignorant. Any straight dope level opinions?
There’s no evidence such things exist, or are even possible. And the Pope endorses/approves of exorcisms because they are part of the religion that he heads.
Although the first question is factual, the second is religious, and is best dealt with in Great Debates.
Thread title edited to indicate subject.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
You know, there’s never been any real proof that God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit exist. I wonder why the Pope approves worshiping them?
is there any real evidence that the Christian God exists? i think you’ll find plenty of answers that are biased and/or downright ignorant.
No, there’s never been any evidence for the existence of ghosts, ghouls, or goblins.
Whether or not the Pope happens to support something is entirely irrelevant. He’s not an authority on anything other than his own religion.
Just like everyone else has answered, I can add my voice to the fact that there has never been any proof that ghosts, demons or evil spirits exist.
As for the Pope, he runs a religion that says demons, angels and God exists, despite the fact that there has never been any proof or evidence that any of the above do. For the Pope to maintain his power as the head of the Catholic church, he has to ignore facts and act as if these entities do in fact exist. That includes endorsing exorcism.
I always think that while Feynman talked about UFOs, this quote does apply to ghosts, demons, etc:
It is much more likely that the reports of ghosts, demons, etc, are the results of the known irrational characteristics of human intelligence rather than of the unknown spirits.
So who you gonna call? 
I do think that now medicines or operations can control the so called “evil spirits” better or just as well as an exorcism. That puts a huge damper on the idea that we should live in fear of that nowadays pathetic unknown.
Try to Google “Ceremonial Magic”, and while you at it, take a look at this grimoire.
In most instances, the cure is education.
If an individual has a brain disorder like schizophrenia or autism, scientists are getting close to discovering the cause. Once the cause is dicovered, a cure may not be far behind.
Side note: The once last mysterious human organ, the brain, is losing its mystery.
In just the past 10 years neuro scientists have discovered more things about the brain than ever understood before, and it keeps going. It seems there’s something new about the brain being discovered almost daily.
This doesn’t prove, or disprove, anything at all.
In Edinburgh, Scotland, there is a well established ghost walk during which many a tourist has reported seeing a ghostly apparition.
I have seen a report, which I can’t now find, which showed that the expectation of ghosts vastly increases the sightings. In a test they told people that a place was haunted, when in fact there were no previous reports of ghosts, and got the expected result.
The general assumption is that it is just our clever brains, putting together some limited information, and finding what it is good at - patterns.
It wasn’t meant to “prove or disprove” anything; it’s a guide to what he/she seeks. If the poster doesn’t like the path, they’re always free to turn back and conclude that there’s no such thing as demons.
The OP specified quite clearly that he’s/she’s interested in knowing if there is “any real proof that ghosts, demons or evil spirits exist.” That is what he/she is seeking. Reading up on ceremonial magic and medieval theurgy and the like doesn’t give you proof either way.
Which is odd, because the seek proof. If you consider that “path” one that has valid evidence behind it, would you mind sharing what convinced you?
No. There could be evidence depending on what you consider evidence - if you use a loose definition and include eyewitness testimony as evidence then there is that. But if you want to talk about concrete proof that has no other explanation and is widely accepted by impartial observers, no, there’s nothing even close because these things don’t really exist.
The Pope is a religious leader, not a scientist. And from what I can tell the RCC has been downplaying exorcisms for a long time.
In addition to what others have said about this:
The Bible speaks of demons and evil spirits as existing; for example, there are accounts in the gospels of Jesus casting out demons. If you accept the truth of the Bible, therefore, it follows that demons exist. Thus, many Christians believe in the existence of demons—though not all of them. Some lean towards one of these alternatives:
(1) There were demons in Biblical times but no longer in the modern world.
(2) What people thought was demon possession was really something else, like mental illness or epilepsy.
(3) When the Bible describes evil spirits or demon possession, it is meant to be taken metaphorically.
It’s also possible that the Pope (or anyone else) endorses exorcisms because he’s seen, or heard of, instances that he personally believes to be genuine. I think it’s safe to say that no instances of things like demon possession have been scientifically validated; actually, I’m not sure how they could be scientifically validated.
It’s also possible that, if someone believes they’re possessed by evil spirits, an exorcism ritual might be the best way to convince them that they are cured, even if it’s all psychosomatic.
No, Simon wants an opinion:
Other posters in this thread have given theirs in the negative and none so far has asked them to prove the validity of their claims. Likewise, I’ve given mine with the intent that he understands the scope and duration of the work ahead if he truly and sincerely wishes to encounter and a demon or evil spirit.
First the seeker will be required to understand the theory of the art before applying anything. There are techniques that once put in practice will live the practitioner in no doubt that there’s some validity to the theory. However, all this depends on one’s persistence and resilience. It’s not referred to as*** learned*** magic for no reason. It’s an art reserved for those willing to put in the time to master it just as any under-grad and/or post-grad student would.
Because Jesus was an exorcist, all the Apostles were exorcists, and it used to be standard practice for every diocese in the Church to have an exorcist like it has a bishop.
On closer inspection, he asks for “proof” in one sentence, and then for “opinions” in another. Hey OP, do you want proof, opinions, or both?
To be clear: Your belief is that a) angels, demons, spirits etc. do, in fact, exist, and furthermore that b) they can be summoned through ceremonial magic, and furthermore that c) through this process, one can acquire ironclad proof that they do indeed exist?
Cite?