(The original blog in Japanese is here. 「小さな応援歌」)
In the previous section, I mentioned movies about demons such as "The Exorcist".
A relatively recent movie I saw that was impressive was "Excorcism of Emily Rose", which was based on a real lady.
An exorcist is a person who exorcises demons, but it is a position that actually exists in the Catholic Church.
In the past (up to 30-40 years ago), all priest candidates were appointed as "exorcists" during the process of being ordained as a priest. However, this has now been abolished, and exorcists are appointed as needed by each parish, but their names do not seem to be made public.
Exorcist movies are usually classified as horror movies, but they are not simply occult movies, and many of them are based on true stories. "Excorcism of Emily Rose" is one of them.
What makes this movie a little unique is that it is set in a trial.
The story centers around a Catholic priest and his female lawyer who are sued for the death of a young girl after an exorcism.
I think that few people who read this blog will actually see the movie, so I would like to briefly introduce some of the unique aspects.
The lawyer for the priest is a competent woman who has no religious beliefs herself, so she seems to reserve judgment on the existence of demons and the like. On the other hand, the male lawyer suing the priest is also competent, but there is an irony in that he is a Catholic. That is also interesting.
The trial proceeds against the priest. Despite the powerful testimony, the priest prioritizes a promise to a friend and deliberately conceals the evidence from the lawyer.
In the end, he loses the case. However, the priest is exempt from any compensation, as his suffering in prison was deemed sufficient compensation.
Another thought-provoking point is that the lady possessed by the demon is a very devout christian. Being possessed by a demon is a horrible thing, and it seems like a sign of a curse, but of all things, it is the lady who has a deep faith who is possessed.
According to a letter written by the lady to a priest, this happened.
One day, perhaps in a dream or vision, the Virgin Mary appeared to the girl and said, "It must be painful." Mary then said that if the girl wanted, she could be released from this suffering. However, Mary also said that this suffering would help many people in the world to believe in the existence of demons.
The girl then asked to remain possessed. This was the work of faith.
The girl died a while later. The priest also lost the trial.
However, the uproar over the "demon possession" trial led many people in the world to think about the existence of demons. It was also made into a movie, and became known to the world. The Virgin Mary's wish was realized.
"Winning by losing." From the common sense point of view, both the girl and the priest seem unfortunate and losers. However, the purpose was largely achieved.
It may sound cruel, but Christianity, even from its founder, Christ, redeemed the world with death. He seemed defeated, but that was his greatest power. And he invites many Christians to "take up their cross and follow me" so that they can walk the same path.
That woman walked that path. The priest respects her.
In Japan, a certain religious group is said to be the perpetrator of group stalking, but many people overseas say that it is the Freemasons or others. And the Freemasons were specifically banned from joining in the previous Catholic Church Code as a "secret society that plots conspiracies."
Some say it is a devil worship cult, but it would not be surprising if they were called that. I feel something mysterious behind it.
Some rumors say that the third president of a certain religious group joined the Freemasons, and he may have introduced group stalking to Japan. It is a satanic crime of harassment that drives people to death without leaving any evidence.
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( original japanese draft 10/09/2012)
Not for away, I plan to change the post date to the original post date.