Stories of demons physically attacking saints is really ancient. St. Anthony the Great - the 4th c. father of Christian monasticism, famously among them.
Members of my own family (my parents, some aunts and cousins too) have all had experiences of the paranormal, mainly ghosts. Most of them occurred in Southeast Asia, with a few in North America. I myself have never been sensitive to the paranormal, but I believe it. Humans across the globe in their various religious and mythical traditions have described many things we deem supernatural, so despite my struggles with the specifics of Catholic rigidity, I am still inclined to believe there is a layer of reality that is beyond our ordinary day to day experiences. For me, the problems tend to occur when our fear of things beyond our perception and experience is weaponized to control or manipulate us. I'm sure that is something you are quite familiar with.
I'm curious where you got the impression that Catholicism has no place for ghosts. Check out the podcast https://sqpn.com/2018/08/mys001-ghosts/ exactly on this topic. While there is admittedly not a lot of magisterial discussion of ghosts, they fit in very well with the concept of purgatory and of private revelations of saints.
I got it from the teaching that "Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven—through a purification or immediately—or immediate and everlasting damnation." (CCC 1022)
So if the Catholic/Christian view of the supernatural isn't at least somewhat accurate, then why does it work? I mean, how is it that holy water and crosses and whatnot can have an impact on whatever these beings are if there's not real power present and truth to what these sacred items represent?
It's a good question. Probably the best distinguishing question. Since it's just a theory, obviously, I don't know, but if I'm guessing, it could be a couple things:
1) Resistance itself is the key. Not accepting their influence over you is what matters, which is why people of other beliefs also believe they can drive them away.
2) As John Keel said above, perhaps they manifest according to our beliefs. What if it's an act? What if they correspond to the things we think will work so that we continue to believe in a battle between good/evil that we have to play a part in? One of the theories I claims I hear repeated from experiencers or researchers is that whatever these things are invented religion as a means of controlling the human race.
Obviously, the most simple answer is that sacramentals have a real effect on them. If we're dealing with psychic entities, could our beliefs matter in how we resist them? Or do these things have a real, divine power that has an effect for some other reason?
If it seems I'm straining not to take the religious explanation, it's because even though it seems the best explanation for this particular aspect, there's so much left unexplained about how the preternatural & supernatural work in the physical world that I find that implausible as well. Why are demons allowed to roam around and tempt people if they've already been sent to hell? Why are they allowed to torment some people who have done nothing wrong, and are limited in what they can do to other people who invoke them? Why did they fall in the first place when they knew God, and knew that they were rejecting him and could never prevail? Why was Satan allowed into the garden to tempt and corrupt the human race? For prisoners, these guys are everywhere. And for beloved creatures of God whose salvation is desired, demons are sure allowed to try every trick in the book to stop us from getting there.
I don't think much about any of this makes sense, so I kinda just wonder out loud.
You might find a lot in common with Rod Dreher and his book "Living in Wonder". Similar things from an Orthodox perspective.
Stories of demons physically attacking saints is really ancient. St. Anthony the Great - the 4th c. father of Christian monasticism, famously among them.
Fascinating stuff, Steve.
Members of my own family (my parents, some aunts and cousins too) have all had experiences of the paranormal, mainly ghosts. Most of them occurred in Southeast Asia, with a few in North America. I myself have never been sensitive to the paranormal, but I believe it. Humans across the globe in their various religious and mythical traditions have described many things we deem supernatural, so despite my struggles with the specifics of Catholic rigidity, I am still inclined to believe there is a layer of reality that is beyond our ordinary day to day experiences. For me, the problems tend to occur when our fear of things beyond our perception and experience is weaponized to control or manipulate us. I'm sure that is something you are quite familiar with.
I'm curious where you got the impression that Catholicism has no place for ghosts. Check out the podcast https://sqpn.com/2018/08/mys001-ghosts/ exactly on this topic. While there is admittedly not a lot of magisterial discussion of ghosts, they fit in very well with the concept of purgatory and of private revelations of saints.
I got it from the teaching that "Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven—through a purification or immediately—or immediate and everlasting damnation." (CCC 1022)
So if the Catholic/Christian view of the supernatural isn't at least somewhat accurate, then why does it work? I mean, how is it that holy water and crosses and whatnot can have an impact on whatever these beings are if there's not real power present and truth to what these sacred items represent?
It's a good question. Probably the best distinguishing question. Since it's just a theory, obviously, I don't know, but if I'm guessing, it could be a couple things:
1) Resistance itself is the key. Not accepting their influence over you is what matters, which is why people of other beliefs also believe they can drive them away.
2) As John Keel said above, perhaps they manifest according to our beliefs. What if it's an act? What if they correspond to the things we think will work so that we continue to believe in a battle between good/evil that we have to play a part in? One of the theories I claims I hear repeated from experiencers or researchers is that whatever these things are invented religion as a means of controlling the human race.
Obviously, the most simple answer is that sacramentals have a real effect on them. If we're dealing with psychic entities, could our beliefs matter in how we resist them? Or do these things have a real, divine power that has an effect for some other reason?
If it seems I'm straining not to take the religious explanation, it's because even though it seems the best explanation for this particular aspect, there's so much left unexplained about how the preternatural & supernatural work in the physical world that I find that implausible as well. Why are demons allowed to roam around and tempt people if they've already been sent to hell? Why are they allowed to torment some people who have done nothing wrong, and are limited in what they can do to other people who invoke them? Why did they fall in the first place when they knew God, and knew that they were rejecting him and could never prevail? Why was Satan allowed into the garden to tempt and corrupt the human race? For prisoners, these guys are everywhere. And for beloved creatures of God whose salvation is desired, demons are sure allowed to try every trick in the book to stop us from getting there.
I don't think much about any of this makes sense, so I kinda just wonder out loud.