A-Z Index
Scottish Clergy to Battle Forces of Darkness
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Scotland on Sunday reports that the Church of Scotland is to give its ministers training in fighting evil spirits and the forces of darkness.
Recent research showed that almost half of the Church's 1200 ministers have personally experienced "dark spirits" or "evil powers" - and we're not just talking about a pint of heavy with a whisky chaser!
It appears that ministers are encountering the forces of darkness more often now than in the past, although it's not clear whether this is due to an increase in supernatural activity or simply a higher level of reporting.
As a result the Church has developed a training programme that will teach ministers "what to look for in a person who believes they are possessed or oppressed by the devil". There are no plans at this stage to teach local ministers how to perform full-blown exorcisms. Instead the Church will use what is called a "deliverance" service.
Not everyone is convinced about the threat of demonic possession. Dr Andrew Gumley of Glasgow University said:
"This is a fascinating subject but I would urge people to be careful about seeing all these kinds of occurrences in terms of the supernatural and possession by the Devil. For example, hearing voices at some stage in one's life is relatively common, affecting up to 25% of the population and it can be a common feature in people recovering from extreme trauma."
Technorati tags: strange weird
This is not a medical site
Nothing on this blog constitutes personal advice. Always discuss medical matters with your doctor.
