DISTURBING ELEMENTS OF THE EXORCISM RITES

The idea that demons or evil spirits or even spirits of the dead can live in your body and at times control it is popular. Films seem to feed it and religion takes advantage. Exorcisms in religion are sought.  You have a version of these called rescue work in Spiritualism.  Most in the world treat "demons" with herbs and sage to pacify them so that their co-existence in a body becomes bearable for the person.  Some use such methods to evict them.  Some abuse the possessed person to free them so that the demon cannot endure the atmosphere and retreats.  Some argue that the demon is easily shifted but you need to do penance and hurt yourself to deter it from coming back.  When Jesus said that a demon can come home to roost and even bring its allies with it if you sweep the house.  It is assumed that he meant if you do evil you draw it back.  But did he? He could have been advocating keeping away from sin but ALSO making your life a misery to avoid a hostile demon wanting to be in it.  Was that why he sought terrors himself? 

Anyway all of that superstition is based on the hope of getting the entity/entities) out.

The exorcism rite of Pope Leo XIII is quite disturbing. It goes "Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered and let them that hate him flee from before his face. As smoke vanishes, so let them vanish away: as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God." How vindictive! They could ask that God stops the wicked but now they tell him how he must do it - by exercising fire and fear and terror and by death. The demon is addressed as follows to exit the person or place, "The glorious Mother of God, the Virgin Mary commands you. She who by her humility and from the first moment of her Immaculate Conception crushed your proud head. The blood of the martyrs and the pious intercession of all the saints commands you." Surely it's up to God if a demon leaves. And what right has anybody to tell a demon that Mary orders it to go? It is not her place. And the ceremony may be repeated countless times before the demon goes or at least seems to go.
 
The exorcism includes a prayer to St Michael the Archangel to put Satan back in Hell. That sounds vicious. The Church may say that Satan belongs there and that we would send him back there not because we are bad but because we are so good that we give him what he wants. The Church says that if we go to Hell to suffer forever, it is what we have asked for and God kindly grants it. This is an obviously absurd teaching. It shows the Church is actually grateful to God for putting demons and people in Hell. To reconcile a loving God and Hell you have to make it look like Hell is a favour!