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Demonic possession and the holy spirit: insights into the contested debate of ecstatic religious experiences in Brazil
No full text‘Demonic possession’ is an ambivalent topic. While the belief in the power of spirits – including the Holy Spirit, spirits of the dead, angels, African deities, Satan and demons – is widespread, Christian theologians including Pentecostals argue that Christian cannot be demonized, and demonology is therefore irrelevant for the theological practice. However, deliverance from demons is core practice of many neo-Pentecostal churches in Brazil today. This article focuses on the experience of ‘demonic possession’ which is seen as an increasingly popular sub-category of religious ecstasy. In addition to the experience itself, the article discusses the impact of a diagnose of demonic possession, in particular when healing does not happen. While an improvement of the exorcised person is regarded as a successful exorcism, a failed improvement is interpreted as the ongoing presence of the demons. Everyone who is not healed is seen as either still under the influence of the demons or having insufficient faith. This leads to a wider discussion of the term possessão (spirit possession) and its usefulness in the ethnographic context of Brazil. The paper argues that while the term ‘spirit possession’ is an accepted academic category it has limited usefulness in the field. Inspired by fieldwork carried out in Brazil among communities of African derived religions, Spiritism, and Charismatic Christianity, the author reflects on criticism against the term possessão among religious practitioners
From Navy Seals to The Siege: Getting to Know the Muslim Terrorist, Hollywood Style
Get PDFThe commercial film industry creates cultural products that often reflect societal norms. The popularity of these images is based on the fact that they reflect the anxieties and longings” of their audience: as contemporary cultural texts,” they are capable of expressing the pressing concerns” of a moment in history. Film is often informed by the news, and reinforces the images portrayed through these media outlets: they are capable of conveying religious ideology and values in contemporary culture. Popular media such as cinema performs religious functions as public sites for the vocalization and discussion of meaning. Therefore films, as a social form of religion, are considered powerful conveyors of ideology and ethics. Although fantasy, these media representations are usually taken for granted to be rooted in reality, while they reinforce stereotypes and manufacture consensus. As viewers, we tend to accept many of the images on screen as somehow truly reflective of the universal truths” of the world in which we live. This also means that cultural expressions, exhibited through media and film, are shaped by politics
An Interview with Agnieszka Smoczynska, Director of The Lure
Get PDFThis is an interview with Agnieszka Smoczynska, Director of The Lure (2016)
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