The Exorcist Files

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast, making Theology Central. Before I give my introduction, before I give you the date, the time, anything like that, what I have to give is a very very very strong warning. What you are about to hear may offend some They may feel that this subject matter is not suitable for a Christian podcast. They may be offended by something they're going to hear in this but I feel it's important, so I'm going to discuss it. But I'm letting you know that be warned because what you are about to hear could prove to be offensive. For the last several years, the Atholic Church has noted an alarming increase in the number of exorcisms.

1:09 And I'm going to be bringing to your attention a podcast that is now on the Spotify podcasting chart, I think at number fourteen, that deals with this alarming number of exorcisms and brings you the case files of these exorcisms and somewhat of a dramatic format. And when you hear the dramatic format and you hear some of the words that are said, you may be greatly offended. But because there's a podcast out there about exorcisms that's rising the podcasting chart. I think it's my job to bring it to your attention, and I'm gonna let you hear at least the trailer for it, and then we will discuss it and we will talk about it all right in this podcast. The trailer that you're going to hear, you're going to hear a word. The word may offend some people, but I'm going to give you this word by reading from the Bible Hebrews chapter twelve, verse seven.

2:16 If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not. But if you be without chastisement, wherefore all our partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons. And the trailer that I'm going to play for you in a minute, bastards or bastard is used. So I want you to know it's a word used in the Bible. But some of you may be offended by it, but it's right there. That's the word that's going to be used. I just want you to be know that that's coming. You're gonna hear a dramatic you're gonna hear these sounds, which of a dramatic you know, giving forth of what happens during some of these supposed exorcisms that have occurred. Now, I am by no means saying I agree with the Catholic understanding of exorcism. I'm not saying that in any way, shape or form. I'm telling you here is a podcast about the alarming increase in the number of exorcisms that's happening within Catholicism. And then they compile these case files and then dramatize them in a sense, and you're going to hear it and you can draw your own conclusion. Obviously, as you know, with anything, I don't care. I don't care where the sermon is, I don't care what the theology is. You always need to be thinking and careful and examine and ensure that you are pursuing truth. So

3:46 I think that the subject matter may be offensive. The way it is portrayed maybe offensive. A word that may be used may be offensive. The sounds you hear you may not like. And if you have small children, you definitely may not want them to hear this. All right, So with all of that said, welcome everyone, good evening, Welcome to a late night episode of the Theology Central podcast. It is Tuesday, November twelfth, twenty twenty four. It is currently ten thirty four pm Central Time, and I'm coming to you live from the Theology Central studio located right here in Abilene, Texas. Now, we were doing kind of a series where I was looking at all of the podcast on the Spotify podcasting charts right especially in the spirituality Christian religion category, and we were making through some some of those things were just frustrating to listen to.

4:44 It was kind of crazy. I don't know if we were really accomplishing a lot, but we were doing that, and of course we get sidetracked by other things. But I thought, well, I haven't looked at the Spotify podcasting charts and for I don't know forever, let me look. And so I started looking, like, wait, a minut, what is this? And I think it was at number fourteen and it was increasing. It It had passed up Elevation Church, Steven Ferdick had passed him up, and it had passed a lot of big name you know, preachers and teachers. And the name of the podcast is The Exorcist Files. The Exorcist Files. Here's a little bit of how it is described for the last and right now, it has over six thousand, you know, reviews, and it's at four point nine stars. Over six thousand people giving it a star rating and it has a four point nine So a lot of people have reviewed it. If you have six over six thousand reviews, I mean there's a lot of people downloading and listening to your message, because most people won't even leave a rating or anything. Right, So it's the Exorcist files. They label it under true crime, which is interesting. I think that means they're trying to not have it just found somewhere in the theology section or religion section. I think maybe they're going for a broader audience. Okay, So I found that interesting, and here

6:16 is the description. For the last several years, the Catholic Church has noted an alarming increase and the number of exorcisms performed. Now for some of the most disturbing and vicious cases of possession, one priest is often summoned. With almost two decades in ministry, renowned priests, Father Carlos Martin's has encountered evil in nearly every way imaginable, from Luigi boards and curses to witches and demonic packs. Father Martins has battled the ancient serpent and many forms. The Exorcist files are his story. Now I do not believe, or I don't know. I would have to look. I don't know if this has any official sanction from the Vatican.

7:09 I don't know if it's recognized in any way, shape or form there. I've not done any research. I've just seen it listed on the chart. I'm like, you know what, if I'm going to talk about it, let's do it now so that we can play the trailer. It's late night, less likely to offend anyone. So here what I'm going to do is, I'm going to play the trailer now. I do have the Catholic Catechism right here in front of me, and I'm going to read a paragraph sixteen seventy three, which is a paragraph about exorcism, so you'll get kind of the official Catholic idea of it. I was going to go downstairs and look through one of my closets where I have lots of my textbooks and note books and course materials when I was pursuing a degree in Catholic theology, because I was very interested at the time trying to understand and taking courses dealing with the Catholic view of exorcisms and and and their approach to it, and just really trying to understand it. So I think I have an I think I have all of my notes and everything for a course of course on Catholic exorcisms. I think I have. I think I have an entire It's like a large notebook on it.

8:17 So I remember I had to have a how to have a procter for one of my exams, and uh, one of I think it was one of the doctors I worked with at the time, and the doctor was the one proctering my exam and was looking at it and was like, what in the world are you taking? This is like exorcisms and demon possession and how to remove it. What in the world are you doing. I'm like, well, you know, you never know, right, So I just choked and they were like, what, You're always taking some weird course. So I have to look and see if I have all of my material. But with all of that said, by no means am I claiming I'm an expert on this. No, look, I'm not even pretending that. But obviously Cathola has a very specific view on this. And if you've noticed, even within the Christian world, there's been kind of a shift, right, We've talked about it where there's kind of now this theology within some branches of non Catholic Christianity claiming that the biggest problem facing the Church are demon possessed Christians.

9:19 They're saying, now, the thing holding Christians back and causing all the problems and sin in their life is that Christians can be possessed by demons. Now, I completely reject that theology. I believe that as Christians, we are in dwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit seals us, we have the Holy Satan can't come in and take over when we have the Holy Spirit inside of us. So I do not believe a Christian can be possessed by a demon. But that is a teaching even within some non Catholic circles, and then of course within Catholicism they have their own philological approach to demonic possession, and then their own approach and how to remove a demon through an exorcism. I believe the way a demon would be removed is you would not want to speak to the demon and have this big conversation in Hollywood. You would want to speak to the person present the gospel, and if one believes on Christ, then obviously if they are possessed, the demon would leave because now the Holy Spirit would in dwell them. That's kind of an oversimplification maybe of my view, but just so that you know it.

10:22 But here it is. This is the trailer for The Exorcist Files, which is currently like number fourteen on the Spotify podcasting charts. Now, just remember, this is going to be dramatized. It's going to have all the sounds you would expect dealing with exorcisms and demonic possession. And you're going to hear, as from Hebrews thirteen. If you're not suns, you're a bastards. What's going to use the word bastard. So I'm just letting you know that's what you're going to hear. All right. I've done everything I can do to warn you so that nobody is easily offended. Obviously, you know, for some of you you'll be like, big deal. Others of you will be like no, okay, So you're gonna get wildly different reactions. But here we go, so hey, don't be offended after this all right, because you've been warned, right you can obviously now you can turn this off.

11:15 But here we go. There's a lot of people, there's obviously a lot of interest in it. If it's moving up the podcasting charts. You can determine is this like, oh, this is ridiculous, this is hyperbole exaggerated Hollywood? Or do you feel like, wait, what is going on? It may raise all kinds of questions. I don't know, but here you go. Here is introduction or introducing the Exorcist files. Cheryl, Cheryl, honey, have someone here on to introduce you to.

12:03 Hell? Sure? Why did you bring that? Pre what Hollywood portrayed in the movie The Exorcist with levitations, vomiting, spitting at the priest, with an uncanny marksmanship, all of that has not been a movie for me. I have seen that firsthand. Dark angels, demons, spiritual warfare. I need a priest. What do you think? It is? Something that's been inside me for a long time for some misalleged battle is utter myth, fables and stories designed to manipulate the masses.

12:45 I order you to go in the name of Christ. I'm you've been together too long. But for Father Carlos Martin's. It is not only real, it's his job. Carlos. He definitely has something going on. It's primal. He's acting like an animal. In twenty eighteen, it was reported that the number of cases of demonic possession had skyrocketed around the world, constituting what some called a pastoral emergency. Still surely go thing's back. I see it, and for some of the most disturbing and difficult cases.

13:30 Tell me who you are, the one you won't get out, the one who can't. Father Martin's was often summoned. My name is Father Carlos Martins. I am an exorcist. I was an atheist until as a young adult, the Lord brought me out of darkness, and since then I've been living in his love. But I've also seen. Things four hundred and seventy three twelve. Of me, very evil thing things that I wish weren't true. There's evil here, evil witchcraft.

14:11 See the stitching, do. Not touch it. My job and the job of those like me, is to do battle with these things. This is the first time I've opened my files about these battles to the public. You do have something spiritual going on, but. This sounds like. Demonic, Yeah, demonic, you need help. From my Heart Radio comes The Exorcist Files, a deep dive into the true stories from Father Carlos Martin's Listen to the Exorcist Files on January twenty fifth on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

14:57 Now you can choose to go look up podcast on any podcasting app. You have the Exorcist Files, you can choose to listen. Obviously, you should be critical, you should question, you should challenge, you should you should you know, really think carefully about what you're listening to and pursue truth at all costs. Now you may ask, well, why were you interested in it? Why as attending a Catholic university, you wanted to take classes dealing with exorcisms and this type of thing. Because there's a part of me like this is just me personally. I'm not saying that my approach here is right. Look, when it comes to Christianity, when it comes to theology, obviously I love theology. Obviously I have pursued theological education my entire adult life, school after school, after school, but all of my life of studying the Bible, reading the Bible. Obviously, I hear all the crazy stories and the charismatic world, right, and so much of their stories, you know, over and over and over again, proven fraudulent, proven fraudulent, fake healings, fake miracles, this claims for prophecies that don't come true. And to me, they always come across as like a you know, like some crazy side show at a you know, at a fair somewhere. It's just it's a carnival, it's a circus.

16:19 It's ridiculous, it's over the top, and so much of it is like, ah, now, I don't know, there's just something about it that just seems so cheesy, fraudulent, and so I've always written off the charismatic world is just insane, crazy nonsense and just was done with it. Any exposure to it just made me and the more expose as about it. I was done with it. So I didn't see like, oh, there's the power of God or there's the spiritual world. It just seemed like a big production. So I was like, nothing to do with it. So then I thought, well, man, there's all these exorcisms, and the Catholic Church has this long history, there's there's something to it that maybe gave me a different feeling. So then I was like, man, wouldn't it be awesome? This is the way I thought, not only to pursue the education of exorcisms, but man, maybe maybe one day And even though I know this is just my mind thinking, not obviously realistic because I don't agree with Catholic theology, but man, what would it be like to find a way to go to school, get the education, and one day become, you know, an exorcist within Catholicism, you know, become an ordained priest whatever I have to do, pursue it and become an and then finally like come face to face maybe with spiritual evil, with demon demonic presence, and really be confronted with not all of this theology

17:49 I've studied that may be more theoretical, but be confronted with it in a very powerful, real way, like there'll be no question, Like there was almost like you know, the files to the truth is out there and I have to find it. I've I've got to. I want to see this for myself, right So there, I guess maybe that's why I have been somewhat intrigued by it. So I definitely want to listen to at least some of these case files and to see and then maybe over time it'll be like this sounds just as you know, over the top and exaggerated and like some you know circus and and and and become just as you know, frustrated with it, as with many other things that that claim all of these types of things. But just for your exp you know, a little bit of extra content.

18:41 I'm looking here at the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I'm using the Ascension Addition, which is a beautiful white, kind of like leather bound copy. My one of my daughters got this for me, and this is I have it open to How we worship is the heading at the top. It's paragraph sixteen seventy three. Sixteen seventy three. So if you have if you look online for the Catholic Catechism, paragraph sixteen seventy three, you can read along with me. This is how This is a very simple explanation of kind of the Catholic view on exorcism. You're ready, Here's the Catholic view on exorcism, paragraph sixteen seventy three.

19:26 When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively, in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the evil One and withdrawn from his dominion. It is called exorcism, all right, So let me read that again. When the Church ask publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ, that a person or object be protected against the power of the evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism.

20:12 So a simple definition of exorcism within Catholicism is that when the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ, that a person or object be protected against the power of the evil One and withdrawn from his dominion. Hey, that this person is removed, this place is removed from the dominion of the evil one. That that's an exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms, and from him the Church has received the power and office of exercising. In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of baptism. So, in a simple form, anytime someone is baptized within Catholicism, that's an exorcism. Why because the person is being withdrawn from the dominion of the evil one, because they believed baptism is a sacrament. It's salvific right, it washes away original sin, it brings salvation. It's salvific, it's doing something, it's a means of grace. So therefore that's as that baptism is an exorcism in the Catholic Church. A lot of times people say Catholics do all of this, they chant all this Latin and do all this crazy stuff to get rid of a demon. They It can be something as simple. Let me see it again. When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively and the name of Jesus Christ, that a person or object be protected against the power

21:42 of the evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it's called an exorcism. We could call a simple exorcism a baptism, because that person and their theology is being removed from the dominion and power of the evil One. The solemn exorcism, So you have the simple one, right baptism. The solemn exorcism, called a major exorcism, can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness, especially psychological illnesses, is very different, is a very different matter. Treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the evil one and not an illness. That is the Catholic teaching on exorcism. I

23:13 read that because that podcast, the Exorcist Files, obviously is the case files of exorcisms being done by Father Carlos Martin's a Catholic priest. So therefore it will be giving you a Catholic perspective on exorcisms. Now whether again, I do not know. I have not looked it up. I do not know if the if the Catholic Church gives any credibility their view on his case files on what he has done, would we would have to do a little extra research. So I'm just telling you that what I'm doing is, Hey, here's this podcast that's moving up the podcast charts. Well, put it this way, the last time we looked at the Spotify podcast charts, it was nowhere to be found. Okay, Now, all of a sudden, it's number fourteen. All right. In fact, if I look at the charts, let me tell you who it's above. Yeah, it's number fourteen. Okay. It's above Elevation Church with Stephen Ferdick.

24:18 It's above Unashamed with the Robertson Family. It's above the Briefing with Albert Mohler. It's above the Bible Recap podcast. It's above Billy Graham, Timothy Keller. It's above Pints with a Quinas. It's above who else your daily Prayer. It's above see here I'm looking for once Joyce Meyer. It's above which I mean it's a big name, whether we agree or disagree, it's a big name, the doctor, Charles Stanley, Life Church. So it's above many of the of some well known once it's right below Joe Ostein's right below The Bible Project, which comes in at number ten. It's it's below the Deep End with Lacree. Now the Bible in a Year. That's a Catholic podcast, The Bible Year.

25:14 It's currently number two. So and then Girls Gone Bible is number one, and I think we've reviewed that one. So it's kind of right there. It's a it's a philological waste land on the Spotify podcasting app when you look at the chart. I mean, the only way to fix that is you would have to have Christians who care about theology going to the Spotify app and downloading and downloading and downloading and downloading and streaming and streaming and streaming a podcast they think is really, really really good theology, so that it will get up there, because in the meantime it's a philological wasteland on there. But you got to get Christians to say they're going to dedicate time and effort to download and stream, download and stream you know, a thiologically sound podcast. And I'm not saying anything about me any anyone that you choose, but in the mean time it's a it's a thiological wasteland.

26:02 And you said, well, who cares? Well, I know you say that, but you don't understand where young people go to find theological truth. They go to TikTok, They go to podcasting apps. If they have a theological question, they search, they look for a podcast, They look for a video and TikTok et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. They go to YouTube they're not calling their local church, they're not looking at a systematic theology. But there you have it. Now, I don't know how you feel to me, Like I just I'm just being just being transparent, Like I would love to walk into a room and just feel the presence of true evil, like there's true There would be no question that demonic power Satan is real, like truly be confronted with it. Maybe I may be scared to death right, I mean, like mad me get clear, I'm not coming and going like oh I'm so brieve. No, I'm saying I would be scared to death right, But it would be powerful to see it and to witness.

27:10 In other words, it's not theoretical. It's not something I've studied and you know, classes on Satan or classes on demons or different classes I've taken in seminaries and Bible colleges. It would no longer be theoretical, would not be something I've written on paper. It would be like confronted with it. Now, whether his confrontations were they really demonic? Was it really demonic? Was it people really? Were they people just sick? Was it did he exaggerate? Were their witnesses? What do people like, there's so many questions about each case, right, so be skeptical though, go in question, challenge it. But hey, you know, if it's late at night you want something, you know, to listen to look up the Exorcist Files on your favorite podcasting, the Exorcist Files and you should be able to to find it and you can tell me what you think. All right. We do know biblically that our Bibles tell us that Satan is like a rowing line roaming about seeking whom he may devour. Our Bible tells us that we're in a spiritual war. We have to put on the armor of God. We know that. But again, it's still so theoretical what the Catholic Church has experienced

28:41 over the last few years with this explosion of supposedly demonic possessions, or at least claims of it. What's happening? Is it just it's a psychological phenomenon? Is it? People having you know what issues like who knows? Who knows? What is exactly happy? Why is all of a sudden with the non Catholic Christianity You've got this new idea The problem with the church is everyone's demonically possessed, right, Like and so or is that whole thing about to just go away? Right? Was it kind of a fad and now we're going to be going on to something else I think now, you know, is it more political than it is philological? So you can draw your own conclusions.

29:30 All right, thanks for listening to this special late night edition. Just remember if you were offended, I gave you every warning I possibly could give you. So please don't be offended. And well please consider and think, listen, question, challenge, and pursue truth. God bless