(This video is just one of many tapes used during the trial for Anneliese Michel. The tapes were recorded by a Priest during her "exorcism.")
There are those who believe the supernatural does not exist, who believe it's all fake, a hoax, or coincidences. They believe the only way to believe is to see it with their own eyes. Strangely enough the numbers for those who believe in what they can not see is quite high here in America. According to Wikipedia, 83 percent of Americans claim to belong to a religious denomination, 40 percent claim to attend services nearly every week or more, and 58 percent claim to pray at least weekly. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States)
Now faith, is about believing in the Christian definition of God, Demons, Angels, & Jesus. Other religions worship "Gods" as well such as Budda, or Qur'an, etc... All of them involving spiritual forces they can not see (the text book definition of "supernatural".) So why do we find it so hard to believe in ghosts?
A film made very popular in 2005 called "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" was based on true events; including a court trial surrounded by speculation of "Possession" and whether it did or did not exist. The court case however, was about the actual girl who went through all of this torture and her name was Anneliese Michel. The jury was to decide whether her death was the result of a "demonic possession", or the negligence of the Priest'S who surrounded this girl, and that of her parents.
Anneliese Michel was born September 21, 1952 in Leiblfing, Germany to a very devout Catholic family. She was said to be very religious as a child, as she slept on a bare floor in the dead of winter for sins committed by drug addicts, and the sins of wayward priests. (This was form a "fasting") Those close to here said she was always full of life, friendly, and always helpful. When she was only 16 years old she began suffering from "convulsions" or what doctors called epileptic attacks. Soon after Anneliese made claims that she heard voices during her prayers, the voices telling her she was "Damned."
By the time she was 21 (1973), Anneliese became suicidal and very depressed. Her family found psychiatric help for her, which she was subjected to for 10 months before her behavior became even more bizarre. She would tear off her clothing, she ate coal and spiders, bite the head off a dead bird, and licked up her own urine. She refused to go near religious symbols throughout the house, and refused to drink water that was presented to her from a "holy spring."
At this point, the family brought in the family priest who after spending time with Anneliese believed she was possessed. The Priest seeked out permission from the Bishop to perform the rite of exorcism on Anneliese. By the time she was 23 years old (1975) After the Bishop reviewed the information he received he himself agreed with the priest about his speculation of possession and approved the Priest request to perform the exorcism.
(The following passage is directly from Wikipedia:)
The rites of exorcism were performed over the course of about ten months between 1975 and 1976. A total of sixty-seven exorcism sessions were held, one or two each week, some lasting up to four hours. [2] At some point she began talking increasingly about dying to atone for the wayward youth of the day and the apostate priests of the modern church, and refused to eat. Though she had received treatment for epilepsy by this time, at her own request, doctors were no longer being consulted[2] after Anneliese mentioned the "demons" to the doctors, explaining that they started to give her orders.[1] The doctors seemed unable to help, and Anneliese lost hope that medicine was going to be able to cure her of her problems.[1]
On July 1, 1976, Anneliese Michel died in her sleep. The autopsy report stated that her death resulted from malnutrition and dehydration due to almost a year of semi-starvation during which time the rites of exorcism were also performed. [3] She weighed only 68 pounds (30.91 kilograms).
In 1976, the state charged Anneliese's parents and two priests, Father Ernst Alt and Father Arnold Renz, with neglectful homicide.[4] During the case Anneliese's body was exhumed and tapes were played to the court of the exorcisms over the eleven months leading to her death.[4][5] The parents were defended by Erich Schmidt-Leichner, a lawyer who had defended a large number of Nazi war criminals in the Nuremberg Trials.[4] The state asked that no involved parties be jailed; instead the recommended sentence for the priests was a fine. The prosecution asked that the parents be recused from punishment as they had "suffered enough". [4]
There are those who believe the supernatural does not exist, who believe it's all fake, a hoax, or coincidences. They believe the only way to believe is to see it with their own eyes. Strangely enough the numbers for those who believe in what they can not see is quite high here in America. According to Wikipedia, 83 percent of Americans claim to belong to a religious denomination, 40 percent claim to attend services nearly every week or more, and 58 percent claim to pray at least weekly. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States)
Now faith, is about believing in the Christian definition of God, Demons, Angels, & Jesus. Other religions worship "Gods" as well such as Budda, or Qur'an, etc... All of them involving spiritual forces they can not see (the text book definition of "supernatural".) So why do we find it so hard to believe in ghosts?
A film made very popular in 2005 called "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" was based on true events; including a court trial surrounded by speculation of "Possession" and whether it did or did not exist. The court case however, was about the actual girl who went through all of this torture and her name was Anneliese Michel. The jury was to decide whether her death was the result of a "demonic possession", or the negligence of the Priest'S who surrounded this girl, and that of her parents.
Anneliese Michel was born September 21, 1952 in Leiblfing, Germany to a very devout Catholic family. She was said to be very religious as a child, as she slept on a bare floor in the dead of winter for sins committed by drug addicts, and the sins of wayward priests. (This was form a "fasting") Those close to here said she was always full of life, friendly, and always helpful. When she was only 16 years old she began suffering from "convulsions" or what doctors called epileptic attacks. Soon after Anneliese made claims that she heard voices during her prayers, the voices telling her she was "Damned."
By the time she was 21 (1973), Anneliese became suicidal and very depressed. Her family found psychiatric help for her, which she was subjected to for 10 months before her behavior became even more bizarre. She would tear off her clothing, she ate coal and spiders, bite the head off a dead bird, and licked up her own urine. She refused to go near religious symbols throughout the house, and refused to drink water that was presented to her from a "holy spring."
At this point, the family brought in the family priest who after spending time with Anneliese believed she was possessed. The Priest seeked out permission from the Bishop to perform the rite of exorcism on Anneliese. By the time she was 23 years old (1975) After the Bishop reviewed the information he received he himself agreed with the priest about his speculation of possession and approved the Priest request to perform the exorcism.
(The following passage is directly from Wikipedia:)
The rites of exorcism were performed over the course of about ten months between 1975 and 1976. A total of sixty-seven exorcism sessions were held, one or two each week, some lasting up to four hours. [2] At some point she began talking increasingly about dying to atone for the wayward youth of the day and the apostate priests of the modern church, and refused to eat. Though she had received treatment for epilepsy by this time, at her own request, doctors were no longer being consulted[2] after Anneliese mentioned the "demons" to the doctors, explaining that they started to give her orders.[1] The doctors seemed unable to help, and Anneliese lost hope that medicine was going to be able to cure her of her problems.[1]
On July 1, 1976, Anneliese Michel died in her sleep. The autopsy report stated that her death resulted from malnutrition and dehydration due to almost a year of semi-starvation during which time the rites of exorcism were also performed. [3] She weighed only 68 pounds (30.91 kilograms).
In 1976, the state charged Anneliese's parents and two priests, Father Ernst Alt and Father Arnold Renz, with neglectful homicide.[4] During the case Anneliese's body was exhumed and tapes were played to the court of the exorcisms over the eleven months leading to her death.[4][5] The parents were defended by Erich Schmidt-Leichner, a lawyer who had defended a large number of Nazi war criminals in the Nuremberg Trials.[4] The state asked that no involved parties be jailed; instead the recommended sentence for the priests was a fine. The prosecution asked that the parents be recused from punishment as they had "suffered enough". [4]
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