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23 reviews for:
Hostage to the Devil - Reissue: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans
Malachi Martin
3.45 AVERAGE
23 reviews for:
Hostage to the Devil - Reissue: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans
Malachi Martin
3.45 AVERAGE
Malachi Martin was a Jesuit exorcist and a towering intellect. This is the most detailed--and terrifying--book ever written about the reality of possession, exorcism, and spiritual evil. Martin tells the story of 5 real-life cases of possession and its aftermath.
Do not expect head-spinning and vomiting of pea-soup here. This is worse. Much, much worse.
Martin combines the deep philosophical training of a Jesuit theologian with the practical "battle" experience of an actual exorcist. He traces not only what happens to the possessed person, but how they were "selected." The commentary on Christ's humanity as the antidote--and the opposing Luciferian hatred of human nature--is some of the best modern theology you will find.
Highly recommended.
Do not expect head-spinning and vomiting of pea-soup here. This is worse. Much, much worse.
Martin combines the deep philosophical training of a Jesuit theologian with the practical "battle" experience of an actual exorcist. He traces not only what happens to the possessed person, but how they were "selected." The commentary on Christ's humanity as the antidote--and the opposing Luciferian hatred of human nature--is some of the best modern theology you will find.
Highly recommended.
The content of the book is interesting, I just found the writing itself hard to get through at times. That doesn't make it a bad book, per se just one that was hard for me to get through at times.
This book really surprised me. I grabbed it from my boss's office to have something to read on the train--tales of five "true" American possessions? I was expecting something a lot less interesting than what I got.
I believe the book dates from the 70s. It's interesting to see how the attitudes of that time period clearly inform all the possessions. This being a book about exorcisms the book obviously takes the possession that Christianity is real and everyone really needs to rely on Jesus for to stray from that path puts you in danger. But where as nowadays I think this type of book would be a lot cruder, probably showing simple tales where the devil tempts people into having abortions, being feminist, environmentalist or in any way liberal, the victims in this book go through much more intersting, subtle struggles with earlier ideas. There's the philosophy major seduced by the idea that everything=nothing. The priests seduced by a then popular book about Jesus as the evolutionary pinnacle of nature. The man who appreciates the feminine so much he comes to want to be androgynous (I think a reflection of the whole "men should get in touch with their feminine side" ideas of the time). The college meditation Guru with psychic powers.
This last story is perhaps the most 70s as the book presents the study of parapsychology and psychic powers like telekinesis as totally scientific. While many of Carl's powers are illusions from "Tortoise," others are not.
I don't really consider the book non-fiction, but I did enjoy it.
I believe the book dates from the 70s. It's interesting to see how the attitudes of that time period clearly inform all the possessions. This being a book about exorcisms the book obviously takes the possession that Christianity is real and everyone really needs to rely on Jesus for to stray from that path puts you in danger. But where as nowadays I think this type of book would be a lot cruder, probably showing simple tales where the devil tempts people into having abortions, being feminist, environmentalist or in any way liberal, the victims in this book go through much more intersting, subtle struggles with earlier ideas. There's the philosophy major seduced by the idea that everything=nothing. The priests seduced by a then popular book about Jesus as the evolutionary pinnacle of nature. The man who appreciates the feminine so much he comes to want to be androgynous (I think a reflection of the whole "men should get in touch with their feminine side" ideas of the time). The college meditation Guru with psychic powers.
This last story is perhaps the most 70s as the book presents the study of parapsychology and psychic powers like telekinesis as totally scientific. While many of Carl's powers are illusions from "Tortoise," others are not.
I don't really consider the book non-fiction, but I did enjoy it.