ANSWER by Mr. Joe Meineke on March 24, 2004

Ok... after reading through this forum I must admit I'm a bit of a skeptic. I have 1) Never been visited by demons. I think what you mean to say here is that you have never been visited by demons in an extraordinary fashion. Thank God for that. I am certain, however, that you have been visited by demons and that you have experienced their influence. You simply were unaware of the source and of their presence. As Saint Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." All of us, whether we like it or not, or whether we know it or not, are subject to demonic attack of the "ordinary" kind, such as temptation. Some temptation comes simply from our fallen nature, but some temptation comes directly from demons. Knowing the difference can at times be difficult if not impossible. Extraordinary demonization is rare, but it may surprise you just how many people suffer from it. 2) Haven't had strange objects fly across the room towards me. Good for you! However, not experiencing something in no way invalidates the fact that others have, and are at this moment, experiencing these types of things. 3) Haven't seen/heard/viewed/experienced a 'ghost' or 'demon.' Great! I pray that you never do. It is not pleasant. However, presuming that since you haven't seen/heard/viewed or experienced something of that nature does not invalidate the thousands of credible sources who have. Saint Padre Pio, the Cure De Ars, Saint Theresa of Avila, Saint Benedict, Saint Francis of Assisi, St Antony of Athanasius, just to mention a VERY select few. 4) Find it hard to beleive that most of these "occultists" and "witches" etc al aren't just a bunch of slightly deranged, delusional wackos. Yes, some are mentally ill, some are delusional, some are con artists, most are just psychologically healthy but are sorely confused about the reality of God. The majority of so-called psychics, however, are frauds. None of this, however, precludes that a few occultists and witches may in fact be used by very real demons and may effect demonic phenomena. 5) I am really not sure I beleive that people can cast spells on me. Not believing in something does not make it any less of a reality. If Exorcists are to be believed at all, then their testimony to the reality of the effects of spells and curses should also be taken seriously. Now I am a Roman Catholic, and I beleive that there are things in this world that are evil and cannot be explained by logic. My aunt's former pastor was an excorist, and I do beleive in demonic possession...but I don't beleive it's widespread at all... I beleive all that the Church teaches as true. Yes, demonic possession is rare. Demonic infestation, oppression, obsession and demonic temptation are not so rare. You would, as I said earlier, be surprised to know just how many people suffer from these things. My question two-fold: 1) Am I strange in thinking and beleiving the first five? Do I need to reform my thinking? Is this dangerous thought? Other than presumption, and what appears to be a bit of arrogance (on the surface, at least), your thoughts are not strange or abnormal. Most people are at first surprised, if not skeptical or completely unbelieving, that these things can and do happen "in this day and age." After all, as the new cliche goes, "this is the stuff of the middle ages." Knowing what I know now, and having experiened what I have experienced, I no longer question the reality of these things. I accept them as fact - no less real than the keyboard that I am typing on right now. 2) Am I clashing with anything that the Mother Church teaches as true? Not that I can tell. Being skeptical is normal and healthy, and it is also a requirement for being a good deliverance counselor. I certainly do not automatically believe when I am dealing with someone who claims to be a victim of extraordinary demonization. You have admitted that you believe in possession and that there is evil in this world that cannot be explained. It doesn't sound as though you are denying the existance of Satan or anything of that nature. For those Catholics who do doubt the existance of Satan, take careful note of this very "to the point" quote from Cardinal Medina: "We know there are Catholics who have not received good formation and doubt the existence of the devil, but this is an article of faith and part of the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Whoever says the devil does not exist is no longer a believer." I'm sorry... I just read this forum and NONE of what everyone writes about is applicable to me and my daily life. The bottom line and common denominator of your comments is that your skeptism is based on the fact that you have not personally experienced or observed these things. I would suggest to you that using your personal experience and observations as a criteria to discern what is true or not will lead you into all kinds of trouble. Truth and Reality are not dependent upon the experiences or observations of you or me. It is possible to investigate an issue that goes beyond our personal experiences. In any event, we are all blessed in different ways. You have one more thing to be thankful for; namely, being blessed with a lack of extraordinary demonic experiences. God bless you, Joe Meineke Intake Counselor, SPCDC For Assistance with Spiritual Warfare problems please go to our How We Can Help You page. For a direct link to sample Spiritual Warfare prayers see our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog