Exorcism

Definition and Meaning

An exorcism is the prayer and rite performed to expel demons or the power of Satan from a person judged to be possessed by evil spirits. The term refers chiefly to the official rite of the Catholic Church. Protestants commonly describe the same practice as deliverance or casting out demons, and they usually carry it out in the form of prayer, without a prescribed liturgical text.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Gospels contain several accounts of Jesus healing people possessed by demons (Mark 1:21–28; the healing of the Gerasene demoniac; and others). Mark 16:17 states that among the signs that will follow those who believe is this: "In my name shall they cast out devils." Acts 16:16–18 describes Paul casting a spirit out of a slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination. The account of the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13–16 is commonly read as an example of a failed attempt to use the name of Jesus as a magical incantation.

In the early church, exorcistic prayers for deliverance from evil became part of the preparation for baptism, and the office of exorcist became established as one of the minor orders. In the Catholic Church this office was abolished in 1972 through the reforms of Pope Paul VI. Today a formal Catholic exorcism may be performed only by a priest who has received the explicit permission of the diocesan bishop. After the Reformation, exorcistic formulas in the baptismal rite survived for a time in some Lutheran regions, but the Reformed tradition removed them.

Practice in Korean Churches

• Catholic Church: In Korea, formal exorcisms are rare and are generally conducted privately. The term for the rite became widely known to the Korean public through the film The Priests (2015).
• Most Protestant denominations, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, and Baptist churches: These Korean denominations have no separate rite of exorcism. While they affirm the existence of demons and the authority of Jesus, many voices caution against hastily equating mental illness or physical disease with demonic possession.
• Pentecostal and charismatic movements: These tend to regard deliverance (chuksa) as part of the ministry of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and divine healing. It is sometimes practiced at revival meetings, prayer retreat centers, and healing services, together with the laying on of hands and praying aloud together.

In South Korea, several cases have been reported in which people died after being beaten or bound in the name of deliverance, leading to criminal convictions. As a result, criticism of the methods and limits of deliverance ministry has continued both inside and outside the church. There is also controversy over the nature of demons. The demonology of the Berea movement, which explains demons as the spirits of unbelievers after death, was declared heretical by the general assemblies of several Korean Presbyterian denominations in the 1990s; the Berea movement maintains that its teaching is grounded in Scripture. The combination of deliverance ministry with the doctrine of generational curses, which holds that the sins of ancestors pass to their descendants as a curse, has also drawn criticism from denominations.