Let’s do a quick examination of this doctrine of demonic possession. Christianity, particularly Catholicism but not limited to it, holds that Satan has evil minions roaming throughout the earth, preying upon vulnerable souls. These spirits, known as demons, sometimes enter a person and steal their soul. This doctrine is nothing new, but it has become a major avenue of Christian thought since the 1970s.

1973 saw the release of one of the most infamous movies of all time, The Exorcist. The film created a media frenzy, with reported cases of suicides, breakdowns, and demonic possession increasing dramatically following its release.¹ The film’s influence prompted the Catholic Film Newsletter to highlight, the following year, that “the rarity of exorcism in the Catholic Church and the fact that ‘modern knowledge of psychosomatic disorders [explained] why the Church in recent times has rarely approved the use of the rite of exorcism.'”²

The phenomenon of demonic possession has endured in the decades following The Exorcist. The Omen, Paranormal Activity, and The Conjuring film series have all capitalized on the Christian idea of demons taking over vulnerable people. But what does the Bible actually say about demon possession? Is it even real? Let’s take a closer look at the text and the science of possession.

The Context

First, we must understand that the Bible was composed long before major scientific and medical breakthroughs, particularly those involving mental illness and the human brain. Obviously, these authors were not familiar with psychosis, schizophrenia, or dissociative personality disorders. The Biblical authors, including the prophets, were not future-tripping crystal ball gazers. Many of them were hardly educated.

Seeing a man displaying intermittent seizures (Mark 9:14-29) or self-harm (Mark 5:5), these authors would not open their DSM-5 and identify mental disorders. They thought in terms of what their culture informed. Science was underdeveloped at the time; religion was prominent. If one of the New Testament authors were to tour a modern psych ward, every individual patient would be diagnosed with demonic possession. Those displaying psychiatric illness were viewed as being controlled by unclean spirits; the behavior was not normal, and thus it could only be explained by the supernatural.

Demons: A Christian Invention?

In the Old Testament, we find no references to demons. While our modern English Bibles contain the word, the text in its original language does not. Deuteronomy 32:17 is one such example. The verse says, “They sacrificed to demons, non-gods, gods that they had never known, new gods that had come up lately, which your ancestors had not feared” (CJB). “Demons” in this passage are not shadowy, slithering minions of Satan, but false gods.

English Christians have adopted the word “demons” from Christian theology and applied it to Hebrew Scriptures. Much like modern English translations identify “the adversary” in Job as “Satan,” here we have an instance of Christianization. The original Hebrew term that is often mistranslated is shedim, meaning false gods. But the New Testament authors did not invent demons, either.

The word “demon” comes from the Greek word daimona. In ancient Greek culture, demons were not inherently evil; daimona refers to any spirit, good or evil.³ Pre-New Testament Greek mythology believed that “the Olympian gods could possess mortals through avenging spirits. These possessions could explain pathologies such as what was called “the sacred disease, which can [now] identify with epilepsy.”⁵

As a result of this cultural belief, possession by evil spirits became a recurring theme in the Gospels and Acts. New Testament writers, inspired by this belief, believed that these “possessions” were supernatural, rather than mental. In keeping with the Hebrew Bible, early Christians demonized spirits/deities other than God.⁶ With the advent of the New Testament and its contagious popularity, daimon became a word that designates evil spirits.

Legion, the Schizophrenic

Of the stories of demonic possession and exorcism scattered throughout the New Testament, the most popular is probably that of Legion. The Synoptic Gospels contain the story of a Geresene man who encounters Jesus in the most spectacular way (Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39; Matt. 8:28-34). We are told that this man is possessed by an unclean spirit, lives in burial caves, screams incessantly, and practices self-harm.

Jesus speaks to the demon, demanding that they leave the man. They initially refuse. Jesus asks the demon’s name, to which it answers “My name is Legion… for we are many” (Mark 5:9, NIV). The demons beg Jesus to send them into a herd of pigs, feeding on the hillside. He grants the demons permission, and they enter about 2,000 pigs, who instantly run into the water and drown.

Most of the “possessions” Jesus heals are physical. The individuals suffer from what today we would consider epilepsy, blindness, or muteness.⁷ But the Gerasene man would be diagnosed by a modern psychiatrist as suffering from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.⁸ It can easily be argued that the Gerasene is suffering from a psychotic or dissociative episode, as he obviously suffers from a loss of identity and reality. Furthermore, it has been argued that this man’s possession is not so much possession as it is trauma.⁹

What Can We Learn from this Episode?

In the ancient world, medical and mental knowledge was limited. Obviously, people suffering from mental illnesses existed in this time. But the New Testament authors were not trained psychiatrists; the closest we have is Luke, a physician, who produced some of the most detailed and historically/medically accurate literature in the corpus. But even he would not have had access to today’s science of the human psyche. In this culture, religion played the role science plays in our world today. Thus, someone not acting “normal” was treated as a spiritual illness.

Don’t get me wrong, spiritual health and mental health go hand in hand. I would have not recovered from my psychotic episodes or struggles with substance abuse without spirituality. But do I believe I was possessed by demons? I do not. Two thousand years ago, I probably would believe I was… if exorcism worked to cure my ailments.

What we can take away from, and the Logos we can live by, in the stories of possession and exorcism in the New Testament is that love is the cure to such psychological or spiritual diseases. Jesus did not say of the Gerasene demoniac, “This man needs to be locked up in a psych ward.” He showed the man compassion. He showed the demoniac love. He practiced spiritual healing. Can we do the same when we are faced with a crisis? What about our loved ones?

When faced with a crisis, usually the greatest help we can provide is by listening and loving. We do not have to be medical experts to do so. Jesus was not. When I suffered from a psychotic episode and wanted to end my life less than a year ago, one statement from a crisis counselor pulled me out of the dark. She told me, “Sometimes, when you have a calling to help others, your first patient has to be yourself.” My voice was heard. I was shown compassion. Can we do the same for those struggle with such mental or spiritual illnesses?

1 Chambers, Amy C. “‘Somewhere between Science and Superstition’: Religious Outrage, Horrific Science, and the Exorcist (1973).” History of the Human Sciences 34, no. 5 (2021): 38.

2. Ibid.

3. Forcén, Carlos Espí, and Fernando Espí Forcén. “Demonic Possessions and Mental Illness: Discussion of Selected Cases in Late Medieval Hagiographical Literature.” Early Science and Medicine 19, no. 3 (2014): 260. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24269375.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

6. Lynn, Heather. Evil Archaeology : Demons, Possessions, and Sinister Relics. Newburyport: Disinformation Company Limited, 2019. 50.

7. Cook, C.C.H. (2020), “Mental Health and the Gospel: Boyle Lecture,” 2020. Zygon, 55: 1114. https://doi.org/10.1111/zygo.12656

8. Hogeterp, Albert. “Trauma and Its Ancient Literary Representation: Mark 5,1–20.” Zeitschrift Für Die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft Und Die Kunde Der Älteren Kirche 111, no. 1 (March 2020): 5. doi:10.1515/znw-2020-0001.

9. Ibid.

***Trigger Warning: The content in this post may be triggering to some. This post addresses suicide; please exercise caution before continuing to read***

Suicide is a major problem facing humanity, and one that nobody enjoys discussing. For many of us, this topic strikes close to home. Some of us have loved ones who have acted on taking their life. We see news frequently about people ending it all. In the United States, suicide is a leading cause of death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates from 2000-2021 increased 36%; it is among the nine leading causes of death in the US.¹ There is a certain religious stigma of suicide that we urgently need to address.

In 2021, about 12.3 million American adults seriously considered suicide. I am one of them. I struggled with suicidality from a young age; twelve to be exact. I struggled with suicidal ideations for much of my childhood and into my teenage years. Nine years later, I ended up in the emergency room after trying to drink myself to death. As you may recall, I attempted again earlier this year.

Do Christianity and Suicide Intersect?

For as long as I have struggled with this disease, I felt that it was a character defect. To even think of ending my life, I was a sinner. I contemplated—and attempted—the “ultimate sin.” I never felt it safe to discuss my feeling. As I write this post, I struggle with mustering the strength to admit that I have been in that dark place for much of my life. And religious legalism is the vilest salt in the wound.

Fundamentalist stalwart John Macarthur is one example of how contemporary Christianity fuels the negative stigma of suicidality. MacArthur says, “We question the faith of those who take their life or even consider it seriously–it may well be that they have never been truly saved.”²

According to MacArthur, if you are a Christian and you struggle with mental illnesses, you are not truly Christian. One who considers suicide is actively “practicing sin in his heart.”³ And of course, he offers his advice: “Someone considering suicide should be challenged above all to examine himself to see whether he is in the faith.”⁴ The gall of such a pathetic man, the instigator of multiple controversies, to tell someone facing a crisis they need to go back to Bible school before seeking professional help.

MacArthur is not alone in his wicked theology. In fact, the issue goes back to the late ages of Classic antiquity. The condemning nature of the church’s attitude towards suicide began with the famed church father Saint Augustine of Hippo. Augustine presented the following view on Christianity and Suicide in his book City of God, composed in the early 4^th century CE:

“no man ought to inflict on himself voluntary death . . . for those who die by their own hand have no better life after death” (ch. 26) and “it is therefore wicked to kill oneself” (ch. 27)⁵

Thankfully, modern churches have been addressing the issue with a bit more empathy. However, there are still numerous churches teaching that suicide is an “unforgivable sin.” The church I attended with my family during middle and high school is one of them. To be only twelve years old and contemplating suicide is a terrifying thought alone; enter my youth pastor affirming that people who commit suicide go straight to the furnace. I was supposed to trust this man; instead, he made me feel that I would spend eternity in hell for even thinking such thoughts.

Ancient Solutions to Modern Problems

As the world progresses and more people raise awareness for suicide, the church has done a much better job of addressing the suicide epidemic than, say, 50 years ago. But there is still plenty of progress that needs to be made. In particular, the church should be addressing mental health. Instead, churches either deride mental health as a “progressive substitution for faith” or they simply do not discuss it at all. This should not be. It was not until my first time in a mental health facility that I truly felt a spiritual connection with God. It was not within the church; it was in a facility with fellow addicts seeking help for substance abuse.

According to multiple studies, attending weekly religious services is shown to be an effective protection against suicide.⁶ Why is this so? For one reason that I have not fully addressed in any posts yet: religious involvement provides unmatched community and fellowship. This was the hardest part of converting from Christianity to spiritualism for me; I lost the most (or only) beneficial aspect of religion, which is community. It is not the sermons that prevent suicide; it is not the cheesy worship songs that prevent suicide; it is belonging to a community of fellow, likeminded humans.

So, why do I have a problem with Christianity’s stance on suicide? Let’s examine a few reasons.

1) Christianity views suicide as a sin

Despite the church becoming more empathetic to suicide in the last century, the core “theology of suicide” is that it is a violation of God’s will. The Bible never explicitly states that suicide is a sin. However, Christian doctrine holds that murder is a violation of the sixth commandment (Ex. 20:13). Christian theology views suicide as “murder of the self.” It likewise believes that suicide is a violation of the sanctity of life. These are rational and logical points, but how is this going to prevent someone contemplating suicide from completing the act?

I think we need to change our perspective on this. Firstly, the Bible never says sinners go to hell. There is no such place in the Bible. Second, while the act of suicide may be considered a sin, we need to exercise caution in how we convey this message. People who experience suicidal ideations are not trying to violate Scripture out of a bitter heart; they are in a crisis. They do not want to suffer any more.

Those who contemplate suicide do not need a sermon. They do not need a systematic lesson on sin and God’s will. They need love. They need to know that their life matters. As one researcher keenly identifies, “Suicide is more than a public health crisis; it is often a cry for help.”⁷ Medical intervention is necessary, but the suicidal mind does not immediately think “I need a doctor.” Instead, it thinks, “I need someone who will listen to me, hear my cry, and support me.” This is where clergy and members of the congregation have a crucial role to play.

2) The stigma is largely created by the idea that suicide is a sin

Suicide is most certainly a taboo topic. It is nothing that anyone wants to discuss. Why? Because for centuries, suicide was viewed as an unforgivable sin. Unforgivable because “the person who did it could not have repented of doing it.”⁸ To this day, it is viewed as a sin. Because suicide violates the sanctity of life, it is a contaminant. As such, “The feeling of disgust is associated with a feeling that something pure has been degraded”⁹ And thus, stigma is bred.

3) Christianity does not talk about suicide

Tying in closely with the previous point, silence on the matter is both toxic and deafening. When suicide is not discussed, people fear judgment for even mentioning the word. One participant in the previously mentioned study explained, “Unless we talk about help-seeking regularly and about suicide more than occasionally, we develop or reinforce a culture of not seeking help.”¹⁰ The silence promotes a feeling that the topic should never be brought up. As a result, when one struggles with suicidal ideations, they feel that they cannot reach out for help.

4) The church is more focused on people leaving the service with good feelings

This is perhaps my biggest issue with the business aspect of church. It is all a show. Churches thrive on people leaving a service with a spiritual high. Pastors in the 21st century are little more than motivational speakers. As such, the church avoids discussing real issues for the sake of pleasing its congregants. This should not be the case. We do not live in a fairytale. Suffering is real and suffering is a problem; and sometimes, a sufferer pays the ultimate price to remove the pain. If we do not acknowledge the multitude of horrors in this life, then we promote a false sense of reality.

The result of not discussing the topic is ignorance.¹¹ Suicide is a topic that affects each of us, and we should not be ignorant of it. We never know when someone may come to us seeking help. Likewise, we never know when we may be caught in this snare. When we have heard nothing but silence on the matter, what are we to do?

Conclusion

Suicide is a topic very close to my heart. I have never felt safe to discuss the fact that I have been suicidal because it is a taboo subject in our society. Nobody wants to talk about it; but Christians have an obligation to. As Lewis B. Smedes noted over two decades ago, “[A]s Christians, we should worry less about whether Christians who have killed themselves go to heaven, and worry more about how we can help people like them find hope and joy in living.”¹²

A single post here will not allow a full treatment of this topic. I have much more to say than I have included in this post. I would like to conclude on a happy note: I found the help I needed. I did not find it within the four walls of a church. I found it in a mental health facility with others struggling with the same ideations. And I am alive! Not only so, but I am happy. Seven months ago, I would not believe that I would recover from such depravation of my mind. But I made it, and now, I have an opportunity to help others fighting similar battles. You can too.

Raise awareness. Talk about suicide. But do it in a loving manner. The love you show someone has the potential to save a life. Suicide is a leading cause of death; but it does not have to be. This season is a season of joy, peace, and happiness to most. But to some, it is heart wrenching and brutal. Show love to every person, because you never know what they may be going through. And let me reiterate: you have the potential to save a life. You cannot do it by sitting on the sidelines.

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Facts about Suicide” https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html

2. John MacArthur, “Can someone who commits suicide be saved,” Grace for You, https://www.gty.org/library/questions/QA143/can-one-who-commits-suicide-be-saved

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. John Potter, “Is Suicide the Unforgivable Sin? Understanding Suicide, Stigma, and Salvation through Two Christian Perspectives.” Religions 12, no. 11 (2021): https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12110987

6. Karen Mason, 2021. “Suicide Stigma in Christian Faith Communities: A Qualitative Study,” Religions 12: 540, 1. https://doaj.org/article/1cd5bb3966184d858d0d807084ef0982.

7. John Potter, “Is Suicide the Unforgivable Sin? Understanding Suicide, Stigma, and Salvation through Two Christian Perspectives.” Religions 12, no. 11 (2021): 987, 1.

8. Lewis B. Smedes, “Is Suicide Unforgivable?” Christianity Today, Jul 10, 2000. 61, https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/magazines/is-suicide-unforgivable/docview/211906085/se-2.

9. Mason 2

10. Ibid., 6.

11. Ibid., 11.

12. Lewis B. Smedes, “Is Suicide Unforgivable?” Christianity Today, Jul 10, 2000. 61

For many years, I have struggled with a few mental health disorders. I have struggled with substance abuse. At least twice, these ailments led to a crisis. Twice, I was hospitalized as a result. In those moments, I could not possibly wrap my mind around the idea that my suffering was temporary. And yet, it was. I am supremely thankful to have the support system I do. I am beyond grateful for the nurses, therapists, counselors, and professionals who pushed me to believe the truth of this message.

I think the idea that pain is only temporary is a universal truth. You do not have to be a Christian to believe it. I will say that in my years as a churchgoer, I always appreciated teachings on verses such as Romans 8:18. They were scarce; more often than not, I was presented with theodicies. The free will theodicy. The original sin theodicy. The heaven theodicy, if you will. Indeed, there is a time and place for discussions on these concepts. But when one is grieving or facing a health crisis, saying people suffer because of sin can only make matters worse.

I am not saying churches should embrace a universalist message. Not that it would matter much, but I believe I would be excommunicated from every denomination if I were to say so. What I can say is that there are moments when logical doctrines cause nothing but harm. In my last post, I mentioned that in the face of grieving, logic is tossed out the window. Suddenly, defenses and offenses become blistering reminders of how polarizing religion can be. And it can certainly make the situation much worse.

Yes, most of the time when faced with hardship we beg the problem of suffering. “Why me?” “What have I done?” “How could God allow this to happen?” Imagine if instead of presenting a logical defense of God’s allowance of suffering, a pastor could change the course of the conversation. Instead of defending their point of view, why not try to help the suffer understand that God never intends suffering to permanent? No one suffers for eternity—unless you accept the Christianized concept of hell, which I do not.

I do not believe that we go to heaven when we die. This simply is not biblical. I likewise do not believe that “bad people burn in hell.” Hell is never even mentioned in the Bible! This is all clearly up for debate, and I hope to write on the topic one day. My point in raising this issue is to correct the idea often sucked out of this verse. Paul is not saying that “going to heaven” is the primary purpose of our suffering. “The glory that will be revealed” is Paul’s way of acknowledging that one day, whether in heaven, on earth, in purgatory, or wherever, God’s purpose will be revealed.

In this life, it is impossible to understand why we suffer. In this life, the purpose of hardship is for us to endure for the hope of what is to come. While researching this verse, I came across an old research article which explains of Paul’s intentions,

“[Paul] looked at the world and the human struggle with wide open eyes. The hope he finally came to was reached through despair. His hope respects an ultimate glory: this alone prevents his despair from being complete.”¹

Hope. That was Paul’s solution to the problem of suffering. That was his drive to endure his despair. It was my mother’s drive to endure the harshness of her cancer. It was my drive to process the grief of losing her. The pain is only temporary; but hope is eternal.

If it is hope that you will be in heaven someday, then I encourage you to cling to such hope. But heaven itself is not necessarily the glory we anticipate in suffering. The glory that will be revealed to believers of the Bible is one day understanding that there was a purpose for the pain God allowed. Taking it a step further, as Mr. Lewis has argued, humanity’s destiny is to one day be united with their god (or gods).² This union is, indeed, the ultimate essence of glory.

I mentioned earlier that I loved hearing verses such as Romans 8:18 exegeted in church when I still attended. I believe the ultimate aspect that I enjoyed the most is the encouragement to have hope. It was often distorted to a very specific hope, the hope that when we die, we enter paradise. But that is a very Western way of thinking. It centers solely on the self as it implies that we deserve to enter heaven. Do we? Have not all sinned and fallen short? Many modern scholars argue that the glory Paul speaks of is the “hope of redemption.”

Redemption from what, though? Sin? Possibly. But the following verses in Romans suggest it is redemption from the frailty of human life (e.g., 8:21, 23). One of my favorite scholars, Craig Keener, writes that humanity has been subjugated to perishability; we acknowledge that our bodies, our material life, is mere vanity, and we long to escape this.³ He states, “‘Redemption’ refers to the freeing of slaves; the goal of freedom here was liberation from death (7:24).”⁴ Don’t we all anticipate the end of suffering?

Human life is only temporary. And as such, suffering is only temporary. In regards to the problem of pain, I think we can draw this from Romans 8:18: every soul anticipates the end of suffering. We all question why we suffer. But as Paul acknowledges, we may not know why we suffered in this lifetime. That is to be revealed at another time. What we should focus on, and what we should encourage those struggling to know, is that we can hope in the future. We must certainly acknowledge the pain and devastation, but we can rest in knowing that it will not last forever.

Whether you are a theist, polytheist, atheist, or anything else, I believe we all possess a desire to see the pain end. It is a universal truth and a path I have walked many times. We may not all agree with the Bible or Paul (I, for one, think Paul is a bit overrated… but that’s just me) but we can agree that there is always hope. Sometimes, we have to realize the pain is only temporary. It may get worse before it gets better. And it may very well be that the trials do not compare to the glory that is yet to come.

1. Lewis, Edwin. “A Christian Theodicy: An Exposition of Romans 8:18–39.” Interpretation (Richmond) 11, no. 4 (1957): 405.

2. Ibid., 411

3. Keener, 106.

4. Ibid.