It's been a little while since we heard from Pat Robertson, now well on his way to getting his own tag here on Augoeides. This week, though, another of his bizarre claims surfaced. During a recent installment of his 700 Club television program, the evangelist seemed to claim that eating disorders were a form of demonic possession. I'm sure that will come as a big surprise to all those who were successfully treated for such disorders without even once resorting to exorcisms.
To be fair to Robertson, the argument could be made that he was saying an eating disorder was "like a demon" rather than an actual demon. The thing is, though, Robertson seems to believe that all sorts of things are caused by literal demons. For example, if he's really talking about something psychological, why would he contend that demons can be attached to thrift store clothes? That doesn't sound very psychological.
He does correctly point out that regular rehab programs are needed in addition to spiritual help, but I still think it's pretty ridiculous to support the mindset that literal demons cause or exacerbate all of our problems. And understand, I'm a magician, I work with spirits, and I'm convinced that they can cause problems for people under some circumstances.
But far more often than not, normal causes are at fault - which is precisely why spiritual influences are called "paranormal." If they were ubiquitous or commonplace, they would just be considered part of normal life.
Today, “The 700 Club” aired a report on a rehab facility for people with eating disorders, which got Pat Robertson to thinking about someone he knew who had had an eating disorder as well as Karen Carpenter, the singer who died after suffering from anorexia.
Robertson agreed that those with eating disorders need “a whole rehab program,” but added that such disorders could also “be treated as a demonic possession thing. This can be treated as a demonic possession thing,” he said, “it is like a demon and it needs to be rebuked and cast out.”
To be fair to Robertson, the argument could be made that he was saying an eating disorder was "like a demon" rather than an actual demon. The thing is, though, Robertson seems to believe that all sorts of things are caused by literal demons. For example, if he's really talking about something psychological, why would he contend that demons can be attached to thrift store clothes? That doesn't sound very psychological.
He does correctly point out that regular rehab programs are needed in addition to spiritual help, but I still think it's pretty ridiculous to support the mindset that literal demons cause or exacerbate all of our problems. And understand, I'm a magician, I work with spirits, and I'm convinced that they can cause problems for people under some circumstances.
But far more often than not, normal causes are at fault - which is precisely why spiritual influences are called "paranormal." If they were ubiquitous or commonplace, they would just be considered part of normal life.
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