Demons are real; they roam our world looking for opportunities to heap destruction upon us. They are ruled by blind hatred toward humanity, and they don't discriminate. Man, woman, or child-all are fair game. Journey into the realm of these horrific creatures with a real demon hunter to see the intense carnage unleashed on an unsuspecting public. Find out how prevalent demons are in our society outside religious persuasion, consider relevant and new research, and read true stories of possession. Discover what these parasites are and what they do, understand their makeup and behaviors, and learn how to get rid of them should you become afflicted. Through trial and error, with significant physical and mental risk to the author, a new exorcism technique of binding demons is unveiled here. Against all odds, the author survives to tell his story. Consider this book a warning . . .

In "The Devil and Philosophy," 34 philosophers explore questions about one of the most recognizable and influential characters (villains?) of all time. From Roman Polanski's "The Ninth Gate" to J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Silmarillion" to Bram Stoker's "Dracula" to Darth Vader to Al Pacino's iconic performance in "The Devil's Advocate," this book demonstrates that a little devil goes a long way. From humorous appearances, as in Kevin Smith's film "Dogma" and Chuck Palahniuk's novels "Damned" and "Doomed," to more villainous appearances, such as Gabriel Byrne's cold outing as Satan in "End of Days," "The Devil in Philosophy" proves that the Devil comes in many forms.
Are there any good arguments for the actual existence of the Devil? Does demonic evil thrive in Gotham City? Can humans really be accountable for all evil? Which truths about the Devil are actual facts? Is Milton correct, in that the Devil believes he is doing good? Through the lenses of Jung, Kant, Kundera, Balkan, Plato, Bradwardine, Aristotle, Hume, Blackburn, Descartes, Lavey, Thoreau, and Aquinas, "The Devil and Philosophy" takes a philosophical look at one of time's greatest characters.

Finalist, 2021 Bram Stoker Awards (Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction) The first collection of essays to address Satan's ubiquitous and popular appearances in film Lucifer and cinema have been intertwined since the origins of the medium. As humankind's greatest antagonist and the incarnation of pure evil, the cinematic devil embodies our own culturally specific anxieties and desires, reflecting moviegoers' collective conceptions of good and evil, right and wrong, sin and salvation. Giving the Devil His Due is the first book of its kind to examine the history and significance of Satan onscreen. This collection explores how the devil is not just one monster among many, nor is he the "prince of darkness" merely because he has repeatedly flickered across cinema screens in darkened rooms since the origins of the medium. Satan is instead a force active in our lives. Films featuring the devil, therefore, are not just flights of fancy but narratives, sometimes reinforcing, sometimes calling into question, a familiar belief system. From the inception of motion pictures in the 1890s and continuing into the twenty-first century, these essays examine what cinematic representations tell us about the art of filmmaking, the desires of the film-going public, what the cultural moments of the films reflect, and the reciprocal influence they exert. Loosely organized chronologically by film, though some chapters address more than one film, this collection studies such classic movies as Faust, Rosemary's Baby, The Omen, Angel Heart, The Witch, and The Last Temptation of Christ, as well as the appearance of the Devil in Disney animation. Guiding the contributions to this volume is the overarching idea that cinematic representations of Satan reflect not only the hypnotic powers of cinema to explore and depict the fantastic but also shifting social anxieties and desires that concern human morality and our place in the universe. Contributors: Simon Bacon, Katherine A. Fowkes, Regina Hansen, David Hauka, Russ Hunter, Barry C. Knowlton, Eloise R. Knowlton, Murray Leeder, Catherine O'Brien, R. Barton Palmer, Carl H. Sederholm, David Sterritt, J. P. Telotte, Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock

'A breathtaking page-turner of a mystery' Susi Holliday Don't trust everyone you meet here...A young British backpacker goes missing on the West Coast Trail. No one is sure whether she died or simply disappeared. Apart from Laura. Twenty years later, a body has been found. And there's only one person who could reveal the secret that Laura's been hiding all this time. But she knows that two can keep a secret. IF ONE OF THEM IS DEAD. A tense and suspenseful thriller perfect for fans of M.J. Ford and Susi Holliday. Praise for Jenny Blackhurst'Electrifying' Woman's Own 'Fabulously tense' Prima 'Addictive stuff' Woman & Home 'An addictive thriller' Good Housekeeping 'A thoroughly twisty treat' Heat 'Utterly gripping' Clare Mackintosh 'Jenny is an evil genius' Lisa Hall 'Hooked from the first page' Claire Douglas 'This talented writer knows a thing or two about her craft' Amanda Jennings 'Compelling, disturbing and thoroughly enjoyable' Sharon Bolton 'An outstanding and original thriller' B A Paris 'Gripping and hugely enjoyable' Jane Casey 'Had me hooked from the very first line. Tense, dark and highly compelling' B.P Walter 'A dark, clever, and twisty read... I devoured it' A.A. Chaudhuri 'A twisting tale... I was gripped until the final page' Sophie Flynn What readers are saying about The Hiking Trip 'A heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat.' Reader review 'A clever and enthralling story that I could not put down. Highly recommend this author as a whole as all her books are just brilliant.' Reader review 'A brilliant book by one of my favourite authors. I knew there was a twist coming and thought I had it all figured out until another twist blew me away! It's not often a book blindsides me so this was an amazing surprise.' Reader review 'The story is fast paced, the writing was really great, the thriller itself is unputdownable with twists and turns.' Reader review 'Definitely one of her best. I raced through it, just had to know how it was going to end and it did not disappoint.' Reader review 'I'd easily say this is one of my favourite thrillers of the year! It's modern and fresh and the main character makes smart choices. There are plenty twists and turns and it is a really fascinating story that unfolds at such a good pace.' Reader review 'As usual Jenny Blackhurst never disappoints. What a great book, I could not put this one down.' Reader review 'I raced through this... It is a fast paced psychological thriller which will keep you on the edge with the twists and turns. Will definitely be recommending this book to all.' Reader review 'This novel of mystery and intrigue is difficult to put down. I usually can guess the ending of a mystery story, but not in this case...' Reader review 'I was absolutely delighted to read another Jenny Blackhurst thriller... I was hooked from the opening paragraph. Jenny's books are always wonderful to read and so deftly written.' Reader review

First Published in 1968. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The book explores the issues of exorcism and demonic possession and its meaning on this new twentieth century. The author presents leading experts in the field of mental health, sociologists and theology which face off the classic battle royale of science versus religion and good versus evil. Framed within the most famous and widely documented exorcism case in the history of Christianity, the 1949 exorcism of a thirteen year old boy in Mt. Ranier, MD on which William Peter Blatty based his celebrated novel and later film The Exorcist, the most frightening horror film to come out of Hollywood, the author explores the controversial subject in the light of science. "Is demonic possession, like sin, one of the dead metaphors supposedly killed off by scientific spirit of the 21st century?" "Is our quest for the existence of such phenomena reflected in the human need to live in a world where evil embodies the image of Satan-the fallen angel who inhabits the inner circle of Dante's inferno?" "Is the Antichrist a living and viable force at work in our lives, awaiting his next opportunity to exert his influence as he attempts to drag the world into a state of chaos?". The author presents documents on the Mount Rainier Exorcism never before unveiled that had remained hidden in the archives of the prestigious Rhine Research Foundation, former Duke University Parapsychology Laboratory since 1949. For the first , he uncovers the mystery of the Mount Rainier Exorcism, via a rigorous scientific methodology ,and presents interviews with actual witnesses of the case and photographs of the actual sites where the mysterious events took place never before released. The author may finally settle down the mystery surrounding the Mount Rainier case and The Exorcist.

Journey into the underworld through three thousand years of visions of hell, from the ancient Near East to modern America From the Hebrew Bible's shadowy realm of Sheol to twenty-first-century visions of Hell on earth, The Penguin Book of Hell takes us through three thousand years of eternal damnation. Along the way, you'll take a ferry ride with Aeneas to Hades, across the river Acheron; meet the Devil as imagined by a twelfth-century Irish monk - a monster with a thousand giant hands; wander the nine circles of Hell in Dante's Inferno and witness the debates that raged in Victorian England when new scientific advances cast doubt on the idea of an eternal hereafter. Drawing upon religious poetry, epics, theological treatises, stories of miracles and accounts of saints' lives, this fascinating volume of hellscapes illuminates how Hell has long haunted us, in both life and death.

In 2013, when the state of Oklahoma erected a statue of the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the state capitol, a group calling themselves The Satanic Temple applied to erect a statue of Baphomet alongside the Judeo-Christian tablets. Since that time, The Satanic Temple has become a regular voice in national conversations about religious freedom, disestablishment, and government overreach. In addition to petitioning for Baphomet to appear alongside another monument of the Ten Commandments in Arkansas, the group has launched campaigns to include Satanic "nativity scenes" on government property in Florida, Michigan, and Indiana, offer Satanic prayers at a high school football game in Seattle, and create "After School Satan" programs in elementary schools that host Christian extracurricular programs. Since their 2012 founding, The Satanic Temple has established 19 chapters and now claims 100,000 supporters. Is this just a political group perpetuating a series of stunts? Or is it a sincere religious movement? Speak of the Devil is the first book-length study of The Satanic Temple. Joseph Laycock, a scholar of new religious movements, contends that the emergence of "political Satanism" marks a significant moment in American religious history that will have a lasting impact on how Americans frame debates about religious freedom. Though the group gained attention for its strategic deployment of outrage, it claims to have developed beyond politics into a genuine religious movement. Equal parts history and ethnography, Speak of the Devil is Laycock's attempt to take seriously The Satanic Temple's work to redefine religion, the nature of pluralism and religious tolerance, and what "religious freedom" means in America.

Power over Satan Can Be Yours...This book is written for all those children of God who hunger and thirst after a close personal relationship with Him. It is for those who long to hear His voice in their innermost being, who will not be satisfied with anything less than the experience of His presence and glory. It is for those who value such a relationship with our wonderful Creator enough to be willing to pay the price in their own lives to achieve it--the pain of daily carrying the cross. This book is for those who are willing to strive for holiness in obedience to our beloved Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.The purpose of this book is to help you understand the rapidly expanding world of the occult so that you can not only cleanse yourself from any involvement in it, but also so that you can avoid its traps.--Rebecca BrownSubjects include: * The key to spiritual power--personal holiness* The armor of God--how to use it effectively* The sin nature--how to understand it and control it* Defilement of God's temple--how to avoid it* The Holy Spirit vs. demon guides--knowing the difference* Deliverance--case studies and guidelinesThis book contains secret satanic war plans previously not found in print. It reveals how the followers of Satan are openly confronting the followers of Jesus Christ. You must learn the key to spiritual power before you need it!A must for every child of God!

The bible is indeed a world of the strange and mysterious when it comes to the variety of creatures that are presented in its texts. These often times serve as images of good versus evil, or order versus chaos. Flat and narrowly myopic literal readings of the bible that at times lacks for imagination and creative insight to the bible's occasional and amazingly metaphorical maze fall far short of what is needed to appreciate the full depth of the biblical world's imagery. Therefore this work explores the meaning of the bible's mysterious creatures with an emphasis on three creatures that all appear in the book of the prophet Isaiah: Lucifer (Isa 14:12), Leviathan (Isa 27:1), and Lilith (Isa 34:14). These mysterious creatures of the bible live on and can both inspire and cause fear. It is a marvelous mixed world of biblical metaphor and realism to be found in the likes of Lucifer, Leviathan, Lilith and the rest of the mysterious creatures that make a biblical appearance.

In contradistinction to the many monographs and edited volumes devoted to historical, cultural, or theological treatments of demonology, this collection features newly written papers by philosophers and other scholars engaged specifically in philosophical argument, debate, and dialogue involving ideas and topics in demonology. The contributors to the volume approach the subject from the perspective of the broadest areas of Western philosophy, namely metaphysics, epistemology, logic, and moral philosophy. The collection also features a plurality of religious, cultural, and theological views on the nature of demons from both Eastern and Western thought, in addition to views that may diverge from these traditional roots. Philosophical Approaches to Demonology will be of interest to philosophers of religion, theologians, and scholars working in philosophical theology and demonology, as well as historians, cultural anthropologists, and sociologists interested more broadly in the concept of demons.

Histories you can trust. This history provides a readable and fresh approach to the extensive and complex story of witchcraft and magic. Telling the story from the dawn of writing in the ancient world to the globally successful Harry Potter films, the authors explore a wide range of magical beliefs and practices, the rise of the witch trials, and the depiction of the Devil-worshipping witch. The book also focuses on the more recent history of witchcraft and magic, from the Enlightenment to the present, exploring the rise of modern magic, the anthropology of magic around the globe, and finally the cinematic portrayal of witches and magicians, from The Wizard of Oz to Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Strange Histories is an exploration of some of the most extraordinary beliefs that existed in the late Middle Ages through to the end of the seventeenth century. Presenting serious accounts of the appearance of angels and demons, sea monsters and dragons within European and North American history, this book moves away from "present-centred thinking" and instead places such events firmly within their social and cultural context. By doing so, it offers a new way of understanding the world in which dragons and witches were fact rather than fiction, and presents these riveting phenomena as part of an entirely rational thought process for the time in which they existed. This new edition has been fully updated in light of recent research. It contains a new guide to further reading as well as a selection of pictures that bring its themes to life. From ghosts to witches, to pigs on trial for murder, the book uses a range of different case studies to provide fascinating insights into the world-view of a vanished age. It is essential reading for all students of early modern history. .

Perfect for Hallowe'en: haunting accounts of real-life exorcisms through the centuries, from ancient Egypt and the biblical Middle East to colonial America and twentieth-century South Africa Levitation. Feats of superhuman strength. Speaking in tongues. A hateful, glowing stare. The signs of spirit possession have been documented for thousands of years and across religions and cultures, even into our own time. Unsettling and chilling, The Penguin Book of Exorcisms brings together the most astonishing accounts: Saint Anthony set upon by demons in the form of a lion, a bull and a panther, who are no match for his devotion and prayer; the Prophet Muhammad casting an enemy of God out of a young boy; fox spirits in medieval China and Japan; a headless bear assaulting a woman in sixteenth-century England; the possession of an entire convent of Ursuline nuns in a French town; a Zulu woman who daily floated to a height of five feet; the exorcism in Earling, Iowa, in 1928 that inspired the film The Exorcist; a Filipina girl 'bitten by devils'; and a rare example of a priest's letter requesting permission of a bishop to perform an exorcism - after witnessing a boy walk backwards up a wall. . .

The world's leading psychiatric authority on demonic possession delves into the hidden world of exorcisms and his own transformation from cynic to believer over the course of his twenty-five-year career. Successful New York psychiatrist Richard Gallagher was skeptical yet intrigued when a hard-nosed, no-nonsense Catholic priest asked him to examine a woman for a possible exorcism. Meeting her, Gallagher was astonished. The woman's behavior defied logic. In an instant, she could pinpoint a person's secret weaknesses. She knew how individuals she'd never known had died, including Gallagher's own mother, who passed away after a lengthy battle with ovarian cancer. She spoke fluently in multiple languages, including Latin-but only when she was in a trance. This was not psychosis, Gallagher concluded. It was, in his scientific estimation, what could only be describe as paranormal ability. The woman wasn't mentally disturbed-she was possessed. This remarkable case was the first of many that Gallagher would encounter. Sought after today by leaders of all faiths-ministers, priests, rabbis and imams, Gallagher has spent a quarter-century studying demonic activity and exorcisms throughout history and has witnessed more cases than any other psychiatrist in the world today. In this eerie and enthralling book, Gallagher chronicles his most famous cases for the first time, including: A professional who claimed her spiritualist mother had "assigned" her a spirit who "turned on her." A petite woman-"90 pounds soaking wet"-who threw a 200-pound Lutheran deacon across the room to the horror of onlookers in a church hall; And "Julia," the so-called Satanic queen and self-described witch, who exhibited "the most harrowing" case, a "once-in-a-century" possession. Going beyond horror movies and novels, Demonic Foes takes you deep into this hidden world, sharing in full details of these true-life tales of demonic possession.

The Witchcraft Reader offers a wide range of historical perspectives on the subject of witchcraft in a single, accessible volume, exploring the enduring hold that it has on human imagination. The witch trials of the late Middle Ages and the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries have inspired a huge and expanding scholarly literature, as well as an outpouring of popular representations. This fully revised and enlarged third edition brings together many of the best and most important works in the field. It explores the origins of witchcraft prosecutions in learned and popular culture, fears of an imaginary witch cult, the role of religious division and ideas about the Devil, the gendering of suspects, the making of confessions and the decline of witch beliefs. An expanded final section explores the various "revivals" and images of witchcraft that continue to flourish in contemporary Western culture. Equipped with an extensive introduction that foregrounds significant debates and themes in the study of witchcraft, providing the extracts with a critical context, The Witchcraft Reader is essential reading for anyone with an interest in this fascinating subject.

An intimate exploration of the life, philosophy, and lasting occult influence of Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan With his creation of the infamous Church of Satan in 1966 and his bestselling book The Satanic Bible in 1969, Anton Szandor LaVey (1930-1997) became a controversial celebrity who basked in the attention and even made a successful career out of it. But who was Anton LaVey behind the public persona that so easily provoked Christians and others intolerant of his views? One of privileged few who spent time with the "Black Pope" in the last decade of his life, Carl Abrahamsson met Anton LaVey in 1989, sparking an "infernally" empowering friendship. In this book Abrahamsson explores what LaVey was really about, where he came from, and how he shaped the esoteric landscape of the 1960s. The author shares in-depth interviews with the notorious Satanist's intimate friends and collaborators, including LaVey's partner Blanche Barton, his son Xerxes LaVey, current heads of the Church of Satan Peter Gilmore and Peggy Nadramia, occult filmmaker Kenneth Anger, LaVey's personal secretary Margie Bauer, film collector Jack Stevenson, and film historian Jim Morton. Abrahamsson also shares never-before-published material from LaVey himself, including discussions between LaVey and Genesis P-Orridge and transcripts from LaVey's never-released "Hail Satan!" video. Providing inside accounts of the Church of Satan and activities at the Black House, this intimate exploration of Anton LaVey reveals his ongoing role in the history of culture and magic.

Satan is not a theological concept, but a literary construct. 'Facing the Fiend' places the character within a well-defined literary tradition. Satan is established to be a highly ambiguous figure, who plays a central narrative role in a wide variety of texts. Acknowledging that the character of the devil is inherently problematic, Eva Marta Baillie deftly argues that the Satan of the Christian faith can be best understood 'phenomenologically' - through his roles and functions in stories. The author goes on to construct a detailed and wide-ranging picture of Satan's depictions in literature, presented with persuasive flair and a strong command of the subject matter. Discourse similarly touches upon wider issues of evil, and how it too is best understood in a literary context. 'Facing the Fiend' offers an intriguing insight into the cultural representations of Satan, making for a thought-provoking and engaging read. Such a comprehensive study will appeal to those with an academic interest in the relationship between theology and literature, as well as to the general reader curious about the portrayal of religion in works of fiction.

"In the sixteenth century, a rise in sexual violence in European society was exacerbated by pressure from church and state to change basic sexual customs...As the centuries since have shown escalating levels both of violence, general and sexual, and of state control, the witchcraze can be considered a portent, even a model, of some aspects of what modern Europe would be like."

Over three centuries, approximately one hundred thousand persons, most of whom were women, were put to death under the guise of "witch hunts", particularly in Reformation Europe. The shocking annihilation of women from all walks of life is explored in this brilliant, authoritative feminist history Anne Llwellyn Barstow. Barstow exposes an unrecognized holocaust -- the "ethnic cleansing" of independent women in Reformation Europe -- and examines the residual attitudes that continue to influence our culture.

Barstow argues that it is only with eyes sensitive to gender issues that we can discern what really happened in the persecution and murder of these women. Her sweeping chronicle examines the scapegoating of women from the ills of society, investigates how their subjugation to sexual violence and death sent a message of control to all women, and compares this persecution of women with the enslavement and slaughter of African slaves and Native Americans.

Ultimately Barstow traces the current backlash against women to its gynophobic torture-filled origins. In the process, she leaves an indelible mark on our growing understanding of the legacy of violence against women around the world.

If you think ghosts are only responsible for hauntings, think again. The Demonologist reveals the grave religious process behind supernatural events and how it can happen to you. Used as a text in seminaries and classrooms, this is one book you can't put down. Illustrated with photos of phenomena in progress from the Warrens' private collection.

For over five decades Ed and Lorraine Warren have been known as the world's most renowned paranormal investigators. Lorraine is a gifted clairvoyant, while Ed is the only non-ordained demonologist recognized by the Catholic Church. Together they have investigated thousands of hauntings in their career.

The etiology of the Wimbum people in the Western Grassfields of Cameroon is described through an examination of the way in which the meanings of key concepts, used to interpret and explain illness and other forms of misfortune, are continually being produced and reproduced in the praxis of everyday communication. During the course of numerous dialogues, witchcraft, a highly ambivalent force, gradually emerges as the prime mover. As destructive cannibals or respectable elders the witches are the ultimate cause of all significant illness, misfortune and death, and as diviners they are also the ultimate judges who apportion moral responsibility. Even the ancestors and the traditional gods turn out to be fronts behind which the witches hide their activities.The study is on three levels: a medical anthropological exploration of explanations of illness and misfortune; a detailed ethnography of traditional African cosmology and witchcraft; and an examination of recent theoretical issues in anthropology such as the nature of ethnographic fieldwork and the possibility of dialogical or postmodern ethnography.

Mephistopheles is the fourth and final volume of a critically acclaimed history of the concept of the Devil. The series constitutes the most complete historical study ever made of the figure that has been called the second most famous personage in Christianity.In his first three volumes Jeffrey Burton Russell brought the history of Christian diabology to the end of the Middle Ages, showing the development of a degree of consensus, even in detail, on the concept of the Devil. Mephistopheles continues the story from the Reformation to the present, tracing the fragmentation of the tradition. Using examples from theology, philosophy, art, literature, and popular culture, he describes the great changes effected in our idea of the Devil by the intellectual and cultural developments of modem times.Emphasizing key figures and movements, Russell covers the apogee of the witch craze in the Renaissance and Reformation, the effects of the Enlightenment's rationalist philosophy, the Romantic image of Satan, and the cynical or satirical literary treatments of the Devil in the late nineteenth century. He concludes that although today the Devil may seem an outworn metaphor, the very real horrors of the twentieth century suggest the continuing need for some vital symbol of radical evil.A work of great insight and learning, Mephistopheles deepens our understanding of the ways in which people in Western societies have dealt with the problem of evil.