Demonic possession and the holy spirit: insights into the contested debate of ecstatic religious experiences in Brazil

Schmidt, Bettina (2023) Demonic possession and the holy spirit: insights into the contested debate of ecstatic religious experiences in Brazil. In: The Bloomsbury handbook of religious ecstasy. Bloomsbury Handbooks . Bloomsbury, London. ISBN 9781350347014 (Submitted)

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Abstract

‘Demonic possession’ is an ambivalent topic. While the belief in the power of spirits – including the Holy Spirit, spirits of the dead, angels, African deities, Satan and demons – is widespread, Christian theologians including Pentecostals argue that Christian cannot be demonized, and demonology is therefore irrelevant for the theological practice. However, deliverance from demons is core practice of many neo-Pentecostal churches in Brazil today. This article focuses on the experience of ‘demonic possession’ which is seen as an increasingly popular sub-category of religious ecstasy. In addition to the experience itself, the article discusses the impact of a diagnose of demonic possession, in particular when healing does not happen. While an improvement of the exorcised person is regarded as a successful exorcism, a failed improvement is interpreted as the ongoing presence of the demons. Everyone who is not healed is seen as either still under the influence of the demons or having insufficient faith. This leads to a wider discussion of the term possessão (spirit possession) and its usefulness in the ethnographic context of Brazil. The paper argues that while the term ‘spirit possession’ is an accepted academic category it has limited usefulness in the field. Inspired by fieldwork carried out in Brazil among communities of African derived religions, Spiritism, and Charismatic Christianity, the author reflects on criticism against the term possessão among religious practitioners.

Item Type:	Book Section
Uncontrolled Keywords:	ecstatic religion, Brazil, anthropology of religion
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion F History United States, Canada, Latin America > F1201 Latin America (General) G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology
Divisions:	Institutes and Academies > Institute of Education and Humanities > Academic Discipline: Humanities and Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Bettina Schmidt
Date Deposited:	09 Apr 2025 13:29
Last Modified:	09 Apr 2025 13:31
URI:	https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/2012

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