People throughout history have used ritual to expel evil spirits. The belief that illness and madness are caused by witches, spirits or demons was once nearly universal. Many of us have outgrown those primitive beliefs.
I think you already have some other examples of exorcism traditions in other religions. Here are some more:
quote:
Buddhists take a different line. Said Mr Shen Shi'an, chief editor of the Web and library departments at the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery: "Buddhist exorcism does not aim to kill, trap, hurt, or chase away harmful unseen beings."
The prayer and meditation is carried out for the purpose of persuading the spirit to leave the body.
"Buddhist exorcism aims for win-win situations for the involved human and spirit - who are seen as two parties negatively affected by grudges that require peaceful negotiation," he said.
Taoists, meanwhile, mainly use chanting, prayer and physical movements to fight the evil spirit.
Master Tan Kok Hian, vice-president of the Taoist Federation (Singapore), said: "We believe that there is good and there is evil, and the evil spirits will usually run away when they are faced with good."
"If you can keep your head while those around you are losing theirs, you can collect a lot of heads."
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