PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE: As some posts can be, this one may – I emphasize *may* – be a sensitive subject for some. However, it is not a place to denigrate or debate others regrading their beliefs. Anyone is welcome to express their personal feelings or beliefs about the topic and that is welcome, but arguing with others about what they believe is not. I just wanted to get that out there. This is also going to be somewhat of a precursor discussion on the ethics of technology, something we will cover later in the semester.

Remember the post about Skyping with the deceased? Well here we go again, except this involves something many take much more seriously; this one involves none other than demons possessing humans. Like several of our previous blog topics, this one has also been the plot and subject of many, many books, movies, TV shows, songs, and artworks. If someone believes they have been afflicted by a demon or other unwanted guest, one option is to apply for an exorcism to be conducted. It is, according to those who believe, the only way to cleanse the person possessed. But simply getting approval for the procedure can be a lengthy, involved endeavor in which medical causes have to be ruled out, and valid signs of a true possession need to be present.

However, and I’ll interject some opinion here as I tend to do, there are those who would exploit believers as well. I don’t claim to know one way or the other about demonic possession, but I know what I’m about to tell you seems very suspect. According to the Huffington Post, and I’ll forewarn you there is some intolerance expressed in this article, there is now a Reverend in Arizona who will conduct exorcisms via Skype.

He charges almost $300 per session, and donates the money to a charity. He claims it’s a real exorcism and the people are truly afflicted, while others feel a true exorcism can’t be performed in this way. It should also be noted that the reverend’s web page sells many products, he’s trying for a TV show, he goes on tour, and his daughter along with her exorcist-peers tout their abilities as though they’re advertising for a teen drama on the Lifetime Channel. Prepare to be offended by the video on that page.

Again, I’m no expert, but it seems something as serious as an exorcism would require personal contact and involvement. As was mentioned in the linked article, someone truly possessed by a demon wouldn’t sit in front of a monitor and allow themselves to be vanquished via videoconference. I find the claim of using Skype to rid someone across the world of a demon more unlikely than the possession itself.