Religion: February 2008 Archives

This is an interesting Current TV video pod on exorcism in England in the 21st century (if player fails to load, click HERE to view). Meanwhile in Australia the Sunday Mail is reporting that there's a shortage of priests trained to perform exorcisms in the Catholic Church there.

One priest, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals (though we're confused as to from whom), claims he carries out exorcisms at an average rate of once a fortnight

"Being possessed by a demon is terrifying in one's mental and emotional life," said the priest. "Some of these manifestations are extremely powerful, causing people to be plagued by disturbances. They hear voices and see hideous creatures in their sleep."

To deal with the increased demand for exorcisms worldwide, The Vatican's chief exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth, has be charged with "setting up exorcism squads to deal with the rampant growth of Satanism" by Pope Benedict XVI.

"There is a progressive distancing from God and this helps the Devil. The action of the Devil is a lot more widespread than in the past not because he has more strength but because he is given more space," said Amorth in a recent CNN/IBN interview which was first broadcast on February 4, 2008.

"We deal with priests and bishops who know nothing about the subject because for three centuries exorcisms were almost totally abandoned. They have never seen exorcisms, they never performed them. They believe in the Devil, but they don't believe much in the actions of the Devil, so they prefer to send everyone to psychiatrists and psychologists," Amorth continues. "Thank God there is a Pope who wants to fight the Devil head on."

Want to commune with God over a pint? On the first Friday of each month between 9p.m. and midnight customers at the Market Cross Pub in Carlisle, PA will be able to do just that thanks to a rather unique outreach program set up by Bethel Assembly of God Church senior pastor Chuck Kish. Through this new monthly ministry, Rev. Chuck hopes to offer inspiration beyond that found in the bottom of a glass, and alternative solutions to those that might otherwise try drinking their troubles away.

"He approached me on the idea about a month, a month and a half ago, and I kind of did a double-take on it," said bar owner Jeff Goss in an interview with the local Sentinal newspaper. "Once we started talking about it, I realized what a great idea it was. I'm sort of an internal optimist. Working here for 14 years, I've seen customers, regulars and employees who have had their ups and downs through life."

"There was a lady at one of the bars who was married for 30 years and her husband just up and left her, and she was there about to drink herself into oblivion," explains Rev. Chuck. "The bartender said before she could do that, maybe she'd like to talk to the chaplains. It was a sort of pilot thing for us, and we were able to give help in a very tangible way. That's when I realized, you know, this is going to work."

It could be argued that the warm, friendly, and intimate atmosphere of a pub is far more conducive to confession and communion than the chilly atmosphere of many churches. Certainly the location seems more appealing than that of Rev. Chuck's bricks and mortar church, which is located five miles out of town on State Route 34 next to the Graham Cadillac dealership and Merrick and Fair Performance Dealership.

Rev. Chuck plans to make sure there's at least one male and one female pastor on hand to serve those in need, and he promises they'll be no preaching or proselytizing at the bar. "We're not going in there to strong-arm anybody," Rev. Chuck said. "We give more pastoral care, listening to what you have to say."

The unorthodox pastor, who also serves as the Senior Police Chaplain for Carlisle and North Middleton Police Departments, is no stranger to offbeat outreach. Rev. Chuck runs a youth program called the B.A.D. Attitude tour, and offers a road side ministry on Sunday mornings at the Truck Stop TV Lounge at the Petro Stopping Center on the Harrisburg Pike. "Many drivers have come to accept Christ as their savior during these services."

Let's hope any water into wine miracles are confined to the Market Cross Pub, since though Jesus was partial to a glass with a fish and bread supper, he certainly wouldn't approve of drinking and driving.

To promote togetherness, the Relevant Church in Tampa, Florida is asking its married members take part in a 30-Day Sex Challenge, during which they'll be required to “purposely engage in sexual activity” at least once a day.

A statement on the church's website explains, "People are not having enough sex. An epidemic of breakups prove the needs that lead to a great sex life are being overlooked. Dirty dishes, frumpy clothes, and a lack of authentic connections are killing the romance. A great sex life is a challenge and takes focus, determination, and planning. Some say it's an unrealistic goal, but we disagree. We believe you can have a great sex life, in fact we believe God wants you to have a great sex life."

"We believe this challenge will not only improve sex lives, but also strengthen relationships," the statement continues. "For far too long the church has remained silent on the subject, leading many people to believe that God is against sex, which is completely counter to what the Bible teaches."

Sadly it seems God only wants you to have a great sex life if you're married. The challenge set forth for the church's single parishioners could prove to be a little more, well er, challenging. They're being asked to abstain from all sexual activity for 30 days. There was no information given on what same-sex couples, who are not single but also not married, were expected to do during this 30 day period. But if you have to ask, you probably know the answer.

When we tried to download the official 30-Day Sex Challenge Guide from the church’s website, we were told the page was "temporarily unavailable" due to "capacity problems." We're therefore guessing this idea has been a hit with a least one subsection of the church's Christian soldiers.