Church Exorcism Kills Boy

[Loki]

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/N...407377,00.html

Church kills boy in exorcism

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Prosecutors said they expected to file charges on Tuesday in the murder of an eight year-old autistic boy, who was apparently suffocated during a church exorcism session.

Terrance Cottrell jun died on Friday night at a church on the northwest side of this city during a prayer session in which he was physically restrained by four adults - one of them his mother - seeking to rid him of "evil spirits".

One of the four, a 71kg church elder, Ray Hemphill, lay on top of the boy, according to witnesses. The 45-year-old is being held on suspicion of physical abuse of a child, a felony.

Cottrell's cause of death was given as "mechanical asphyxia due to external chest compression", according to the Medical Examiner's office.

The fatal prayer session was just one in a series of physically grueling prayer sessions the youngster had undergone, according to Tamara Tolefree, one of the women who attended Friday's session, who revealed that Ray Hemphill was dedicated to the task of liberating Cottrell from his demons, as he saw it.

Hemphill had decided to devote his entire vacation from his job as a janitor to "getting that spirit out of Junior", she said. "(Friday) was to be our last and final time trying that kind of prayer," Tolefree said.

According to investigators, Hemphill told them he that he would sit on the boy's chest for up to two hours at a time during the services at a storefront church.

On Friday, after more than an hour of restraining Terrance and praying for him, Tolefree said the group saw the boy had shut his eyes and slowed his breathing.

Hemphill then "took control" of the situation and attempted to revive the boy, she said. Paramedics were called but could not save Terrance.

Mark Williams, assistant district attorney for the Milwaukee county district attorney's office, said he expected charges to be filed later on Tuesday. - Sapa-AFP

[cosmocreator]

It's like some people are stuck in the Middle Ages. Ahhh, the good ole days. :crucified

[Phlegethon]

That was not a legitimate exorcism, and it was done by one of the zillions of American deviant cults of zealots. Some people just watch too much TV and then start beleiving that "The Exorcist" was a documentary.

I met Father Gabriele Amorth, the Church's foremost exorcist, a couple years ago and was quite impressed. This man has seen it all.

You can read about him here:

http://www.catholic-exorcism.org/pag...telegraph.html

[Milesian]

That's awful, Loki. :jaw

I swear some of these groups are no better than some of those bizarre cults you hear about.
Personally, if done properly, I think Exorcisms can be of enourmous benefit.
I once read an article by a psychiatric nurse.
She spoke of a patient who had been in a catatonic state for years.
A priest would visit once a week to say Holy Mass and give Communion.
One day as he was passing by the open door of this patient's room, the patient suddenly became agitated and started screaming and writhing about. The priest thought little of it but the following week decided to pay him a visit. After Mass he entered the patient's room, but he could get no response. The patient was in the usual catatonic state.
This situation persisted for several months - sometimes the person would remain catatonic, other times he would go beserk whenever the priest was near. It took quite a while before the priest found a connection.
Whenever the priest had some of the Holy Eucharist left over, he would put it in his pocket and take it back with him. He realised that it was on these occasions that the patient went into a frenzy.
The priest was puzzled. There was no way the patient could know when the priest was or wasn't carrying the Sacred Host with him , out of sight in his pocket. And yet even when he tested his theory out several times (without and without the Host), the patient's response matched perfectly to fit that theory.

Here's an interesting story of a historical exorcism (done properly )

http://www.olrl.org/stories/exorcism.html

[Ominous Lord Spoonblade]

That was not a legitimate exorcism, and it was done by one of the zillions of American deviant cults of zealots. Some people just watch too much TV and then start beleiving that "The Exorcist" was a documentary.

I met Father Gabriele Amorth, the Church's foremost exorcist, a couple years ago and was quite impressed. This man has seen it all.

You can read about him here:

http://www.catholic-exorcism.org/pag...telegraph.html

You meet everyone don't you?! How come you get to meet all these people? no fair! :angry

[Evolved]

It's blacks at a "church" that was really just a grungy one room diner next to a laundromat. The boy was autistic and they thought it was "demons." That faith healing BS works on the weakminded and appeals to their voodoo spirit.

[Nordhammer]

Soon they'll be trying to exorcise the racist demons out of us.

[Loki]

Soon they'll be trying to exorcise the racist demons out of us.

I've actually attended a church service where the "racist demons" were "rebuked", by jumping up and down, and shouting "IN THE NAME OF JESUS!!" This demon was called a "spirit of tribalism" or something. Hilarious.

[Ominous Lord Spoonblade]

I've actually attended a church service where the "racist demons" were "rebuked", by jumping up and down, and shouting "IN THE NAME OF JESUS!!" This demon was called a "spirit of tribalism" or something. Hilarious.

You didn't happen to catch that on tape, did you?

[Loki]

You didn't happen to catch that on tape, did you?

LOL, unfortunately not. I also haven't had the stomach to attend a similar service yet. Perhaps I am possessed by this "tribal demon".

Btw nice avatar - what is that?