Paranormal State

I'm not particularly interested in these types of shows...personally they seem a little cheesy to me, however my s-i-l likes these types of shows and because she's visiting, I'm kind enough to let her have full reign of the remote (lol).

I'll admit, I've never watched this show. But now that I've watched 2 cases on one show, I have some problems with it. For one thing, claiming "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to give me a sign of your presence" doesn't mean a spirit HAS to answer you. You have no power over the spirit...you are only a human, they are spirits living on a totally other plane. They no longer adhere to the regulations of this plane, including commands in the name of particular deities. I could go through a possessed house and demand "In the name of the Great Goddess Hecate, I COMMAND you to show yourself" that doesn't mean a spirit WILL show themselves. If they show themselves it's because they wish to, not because you commanded in the name of your God.

Another thing I have a problem with, the spirits don't HAVE to show themselves if they don't want to (as I touched on above). Spirits only show themselves if THEY wish to.

Another thing that actually ticked me off...this guy basically hollars at this "spirit"...
"Do you want me to throw holy water around? Do you want me to bring in a priest?" What does that have to do with anything? Priests are NOT the only ones who can banish a spirit. I am no longer a Catholic because I have no faith in the church anymore (Oh, I'll attend out of respect for my husbands beliefs, but I won't hold faith with it anymore). I am now a Pagan Witch and have had numerous "paranormal" experiences, though very minor. I at one time felt a scary presence in my home, grabbed my sweetgrass, lit it and cleansed my home. I didn't feel it anymore. There are numerous people who may dismiss spirits, I don't understand why people must go with the stereotypical "Exorcist" Catholic Priests to dismiss spirits however benevolent or malevolent.

Sorry, just a rant. This is why I won't watch shows like these because it's always the same thing. A spirit is roaming a house, and they bring in the stereotypical priest to "cleanse" the house.
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Lack of Logical Sense...**Update**

Yet again, we're watching Paranormal State. I'm sorry but this is definitely not something I'm going to watch ever on a regular basis. It's outrageous!

This one particular show depicts a young girl whom the family and the (exploiting show) deem is possessed by some devil. It's perfectly clear this poor girl has multiple personalities, NOT possessed by some devils or demons. Multiple Personalities are a mental disorder, not some occult offense.

I also find it absolutely ridiculous (though not surprising) that with her eyes closed, the girl drew a pentagram. Ugh, that makes me utterly sick. How stereotypical that a pentagram (a design originating with Pythagoras, a geometric shape) is the symbol of something evil. I also find it quite funny that now we deem the pentagram as an evil symbol, that the church felt no fear from it in the beginning and used it themselves as a symbol of their faith before the cross. Talk about hypocritical.

This show exploits people's fears, and turns them into entertainment for the masses. People are so scared of being possessed by demons and devils, and losing their place in heaven, that people take that fear, exploit it and make them think what's happening is exactly what they fear. This show is utterly disgusting in so many ways.