Korolczuk: Reason or emotion?

In the 20th and 21st centuries, we are dealing with a phenomenon of intense religion mainly in African but besides Asian countries. This is mainly a religion about Pentecostal spirituality, a pentexostatic spirituality.

All forms of prayer for healing, release make this religion attractive as a phenomenon which causes the real presence of God or supernatural phenomena. Are you sure? 1 time I am after the screening of the large Polish documentary "Fight with Satan" from 2015, which is available online. An analysis of the phenomenon of certain behaviors of people engaged religiously in this movie raises the question – what substance are we dealing with? Or a form of spiritual enslavement, or possibly a intellectual phenomenon, schizophrenia, or certain depression-manic behavior? As a psychologist, I tried to address this aspect in my master's thesis on spiritual commitment among spiritual movements and emerging stress or anxiety. Under certain influences, a person, in this film, is incapable to cope with reality. We are dealing with a situation in which the simplest action causes unimaginable problems. A religiously active individual blames the situation on the action of the evil spirit as a form of enslavement. All his problems, failures, he sees spiritual reality, theological reality as a form of her failure.

Many exorcist priests very frequently say that actual possessions happen highly rarely, and these are phenomena that happen only after violating God's first commandment. During various Masses for healing, we are faced with screaming and casting out evil spirits. Convulsive and very aggressive or impulsive behaviors occur. As Catholics, we must ask ourselves: how are we expected to view specified phenomena? Isn't intellectual cognition essential to guarantee that there is no psychomanipulation in the environment of those active in charismatic movements? Is it not that the leaders of the communities afraid impose a certain Community mechanics defining behaviour, which is called slavery or possession. Many Catholics, influenced by suggestions from charismatic communities, fall into a trap where they see evil spirit or sin everywhere. A very simple example can be observed among the community of the Warriors of Mary, in which the sword, specifically 2 swords, is symbolized, around the image of the candy parent of God on the banner of this community.

The sword is to be a symbol of the fight against the evil spirit. Defending Our woman from what? Mary's warriors become advocates for a certain phenomenon of superstition. An example can be sold a rosary with a parachute link, which is to be a average of prayer due to its being made from a link utilized during parachute jumps. The full process of religion, which we are dealing with very often, is in the psyche of man. In his interior search for spiritual commitment, but besides his fears, which may be caused by the fear that everywhere we see evil and Satan.

This gives emergence to very frequently disturbing intellectual states, which origin a religiously active individual to conclude that there is something incorrect with her. That she hears unusual voices or is herself influenced by evil spirits. This causes a bad intellectual state, very frequently depression or anxiety. And in specified a situation, alternatively of going to a scientist or psychiatrist, he goes to charismatic communities. I personally believe that we have a serious problem in the Catholic Church with the discrimination of what is simply a intellectual and theological phenomenon. The Church in Poland does not undertake any analysis of reality that could aid in the diagnosis of certain processes. Processes that are inevitable due to the fact that pentostatisation is simply a fast-moving phenomenon, and it besides reaches our conventional piety.

In 2007 or 2008, I joined 1 of the charismatic communities hoping to find God there and last authentic religion. For a long time, I felt like I was losing my commitment to this community. I began to see reality only in the theological aspect. The jokes, conversations, and the environment I was in was very religious. But I was afraid about certain phenomena that I saw personally and were portrayed in the movie “Fighting Satan.” In time, it occurred to me that I could not necessarily deal with a spiritual phenomenon. That there may besides be another factors that origin certain mechanisms, behaviour of believers.

I would like to share a situation that has occurred and that I have witnessed. Well, a individual I know had a problem knowing his emotions and certain anxiety. At the time, I felt that she was a individual who was enslaved and had spiritual problems. She was writhing, screaming. Now in retrospect, I'm certain she was disturbed. It is essential to teach priests in psychology seminars from the ground up, so that they can take any insight into what is the sphere of psychology and what is the theology. I would very much like our religion in God to be based on reason and not simply emotional faith.

Taking intellectual studies helped me to verify this phenomenon even more thoroughly and to take a position on this matter. The master's thesis of spiritual commitment made me realize that it is crucial to talk more about this phenomenon in order not to succumb to certain phenomena that introduce charismatic movements. The phenomenon of a certain illusion that we are dealing with spirituality during Mass for healing or release erstwhile it truly comes to psychomanipulation with believers. There is no specified thing as a demon of cancer, disease, homosexuality, or another ascribed ailments or disorders. These are forms of our disabilities having nothing to do with demonology, and this should be stressed if we want to live in a healthy society of healthy religion and piety.

Mariusz Korolczuk

photo of wikipedia

Think Poland, No. 49-50 (3-10.12.2023)