Last week I noted a recent story about the rise in popularity of exorcisms in Europe. In the article, a Polish Catholic priest laid out the types of people ripe for such a service.

“Typical cases, he said, include people who turn away from the church and embrace New Age therapies, alternative religions or the occult. Internet addicts and yoga devotees are also at risk, he said.”

In other words, Pagans need exorcisms! Sadly, it seems this trend towards spiritual warfare isn’t isolated to Catholic strongholds in Europe. A Catholic news service reports a sharp increase of exorcisms in Australia, and it looks like they are rounding up the usual (demonically possessed) suspects.

“One priest who asked not to be identified said he presently carried out exorcisms at least once every two weeks. ‘Being possessed by a demon is terrifying in one’s mental and emotional life,’ he said to the Courier Mail. ‘Some of these manifestations are extremely powerful, causing people to be plagued by disturbances. They hear voices and see hideous creatures in their sleep. There has been a recruitment of pagan practices, and it’s sheer poison … We are not very plentiful and certainly need more of us to cope with the big occult following that is emerging today,’ he said.”

But Australia’s Pagans don’t seem to be taking these slurs laying down. Australia’s Pagan Awareness Network has released a statement blasting the Catholic Church for attempting to create a “moral panic” regarding Pagan religion.

“‘A pagan ritual is no more dangerous than going to a church, a temple, or a mosque,’ says PAN president David Garland. ‘The Catholic Church is once again trying to create a moral panic about devil-worship and the occult. This kind of fear-mongering belongs in the Middle Ages, not in the 21st century. Exorcisms endanger lives and physical safety. Anyone worried that they might be possessed by spirits should seek referral to a psychiatrist or other mental health expert, not a witch-doctor in a priest’s collar. The Catholic Church should ban this barbaric practice … Mr Garland said that according to 2006 Census, there were more than 40,000 Pagans of different denominations across Australia, ‘all remarkably unaffected by demonic possession’.”

The Australian manifestation of this exorcism trend should be understood from the perspective of demographics. According to census data, Christianity is in the decline, and could lose its statistical superiority in the next 30-40 years. So it is only natural that some denominations will start to resort to more extreme measures of adherent retention. As numbers continue to decline, and some churches resort to spiritual “scorched earth” strategies, you can expect more belligerence and hostility to emerge from religious minorities.

Tags: Australia, Catholicism, Christianity, exorcisms, New Age, occult, Paganism