The Unborn

Q. My daughter was telling me about a new movie coming out very soon about a demon child.  She had questions about…” Are demons real?”, “Do demons enter people’s bodies?” and “ Do exorcisms really occur?”  I know that satan does have demons in the world helping him, but I am not sure how to answer her questions.  I do not want to scare her.  She is scared from the previews of this movie as a lot of teenagers will be.  Of course, I told her she does not need to see a movie like that, but it still sparked her curiosity about demons.  Can you help me with answers?

A. The Bible it is clear in saying that demons are real and they afflict people.  It also clearly demonstrates our power over them in Jesus’ name (Luke 10:17). Exorcisms are the process of casting out demons, which Jesus and  his disciples did on numerous occasions.  In my opinion believers cannot be demon possessed, but unbelievers are fair game.  Up until a couple of generations ago, much of what we now consider to be mental illness was  believed to be demon possession.

Concerning the movie, it’s a made up story and is therefore fiction.  It’s designed to be scary, because people like to be scared in fantasy settings. The movie is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and terror, disturbing images, thematic material and language including some sexual references. I personally don’t see the appeal of movies like this, and don’t know of any that have ever received critical acclaim.  But if she’s of the proper age, wants to see it, and you approve of her seeing it, maybe you should take her and talk about it with her later.