To celebrate the upcoming release of CBS Films' The Last Exorcism Part II, as well as Ash Wednesday, we are pleased to present to you five fascinating facts about exorcisms that you may not already know. The list has been compiled by Dr. Ysamur M. Flores-Peña, an Associate Professor at UCLA who is considered an expert in the subject.
FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT EXORCISM
"¢ 42% of Americans believe in possession by the devil."¢ There are dozens of references of Jesus exorcising demons in the Gospels."¢ Exorcisms can be done on inanimate objects or places as well as on people. These need not be "real exorcisms" but can be "simple exorcisms" (usually thought of as baptizing the infant or "blessing" the house or place)."¢ By conservative estimates, there are at least five or six hundred evangelical exorcism ministries in operation today, and quite possibly two or three times this many."¢ The Catholic Church has at least 10 official exorcists in the US.Don't forget to check out The Last Exorcism Part II, in theaters on March 1, 2013.
About Stephen Davis
I owe this hobby/career to the one and only Stephanie Peterman who, while interning at Fox, told me that I had too many opinions and irrelevant information to keep it all bottled up inside. I survived my first rated R film, Alive, at the ripe age of 8, it took me months to grasp the fact that Julia Roberts actually died at the end of Steel Magnolias, and I might be the only person alive who actually enjoyed Sorority Row…for its comedic value of course. While my friends can drink you under the table, I can outwatch you when it comes iconic, yet horrid 80s films like Adventures in Babysitting and Troop Beverly Hills. I have no shame when it comes to what I like, and if you have a problem with that, then we’ll settle it on the racquetball court. I see too many movies to actually win any film trivia contest, so don’t waste your first pick on me. My friends rent movies from my bookcase shelves, and one day I do plan to start charging. I long to live in LA, where my movie obsession will actually help me fit in, but for now I am content with my home in Austin. I prefer indies to blockbusters, Longhorns to Sooners and Halloween to Friday the 13th. I miss the classics, as well as John Ritter, and I hope to one day sit down and interview the amazing Kate Winslet.
