Latest / Mystery Archives Episodes / The Case That Inspired The Exorcist | The Terrifying Exorcism Of Roland Doe

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The Case That Inspired The Exorcist | The Terrifying Exorcism Of Roland Doe · Mystery Archives Episodes

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Considered to be one of the most terrifying films of all time,
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the movie The Exorcist paralyzed the masses upon its release and
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brought the devil home to millions of people.
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Although the horror and special effects enhanced the story being
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portrayed, what if I told you that the story itself was
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inspired by a true story of demonic possession?
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When a young boy loses his beloved aunt, he starts to
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dabble with the occult and makes contact with the other side.
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But what he contacts isn't what he bargained for.
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What follows not only terrified a family, but by proxy,
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thousands of people all over the world.
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This is the terrifying story of the exorcism of Roland Doe and
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the demons that plagued him. Our story starts in 1949 in a
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small town known as Cottage City in Maryland.
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A boy, who we'll call Roland Doe, is mourning the death of
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his beloved aunt. Aunt Millie's passing was very
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sudden and the two had been extremely close.
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Millie was known for being an avid spiritualist, perhaps a New
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Age person of her time. Roland was always very
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interested in things like spirits, the afterlife, and
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Ouija boards. Seeing this activity, the young
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Roland became very interested as well, and alongside his Aunt
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Millie, he was taught by her how to properly use a Ouija board to
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contact the other side. Following her sudden death over
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the summer of 1948, as Roland mourned her, tucked away in a
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trunk of her belongings, he rediscovers the Ouija board that
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Aunt Milly had given him. In a moment of desperation, he
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laid the board on her near by table and attempted to speak
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with Aunt Milly once again. But alas, despite his best
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efforts, no movement came from the board.
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It is this moment that is believed to be the catalyst for
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what would follow. Just days after Roland had used
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the board, things started happening, but not with the
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board itself. The entire family started
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hearing a steady dripping sound with seemingly no origin, and
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after this continued for about a week, they called in a plumber
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who ultimately would find no evidence of any sort of a pipe
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leak. Then the drips turned into
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thumps, scratches, both of which were seemingly coming from
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inside of the walls. The family, trying to make sense
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of the activity first suspected mice, so as they had with the
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potential leak situation they scheduled, and then had a well
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known exterminator come out, he too would find no evidence of
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any sort of infestation. Over the next several months,
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things would continue to escalate.
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Furniture began to move by itself, and other items were
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hurled across the room by an invisible force.
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The portrait of Jesus that hung on the wall began to rattle and
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shake as if it was being hit from behind.
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The happenings continued to grow with intensity, leading to a
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crescendo. The force seemed to move out of
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the walls and into Roland's room, and then into his bed.
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One night he was violently awakened to his bed, shaking
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profusely. He screamed for his mother, who
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came in and experienced the terror as well.
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Leaving both of them at a loss for words.
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The family tried to decipher what was happening.
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They soon had Roland examined by a doctor and then a
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psychiatrist, both of whom concluded that the young man was
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very stressed out but otherwise healthy.
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Day after day, the poor boy was being plagued by forces that he
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couldn't see or defend himself against.
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Markings began to materialize on his body.
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The first markings spelled out the word Bowden.
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Beyond frightened and trying to find a resolution, the family
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used the Ouija board to try and contact Aunt Millie.
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They would indeed contact something.
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When the board began to interact with them on its own and the
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atmosphere of the room changed, they asked the spirit to prove
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that it was real. It obliged by hurling a chair
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across the living room. And this wasn't the only sign.
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The following morning, long burning welts appeared on
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Roland's legs, just as the previous markings had.
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This time it spelled out the words Saint Louis.
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The family now had to consider the unthinkable, that their son
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was perhaps in the grip of something demonic.
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They quickly contacted their local pastor, who was a
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Lutheran, who came to the house to pray with the family.
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But after he too witnessed the marks appear on the young man's
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body, he suggested that the family contact the Catholic
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Church since they tend to deal with these kinds of things.
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The family went ahead and fled the area in hopes that the
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activity would stay at the house.
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But after relocating with a family member in the suburb of
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St. Louis, MO, the paranormal
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happenings continued. Terrified and not knowing what
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else to do, the family reached out to Father Bowden at the
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local Catholic parish, who, after a lengthy discussion,
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wasn't convinced that the boy was possessed.
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Bowden, who was a World War 2 combat veteran, was a hardened
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man, very practical and religious.
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No doubt not convinced, but wanting to help ease the
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family's stress, he agrees to pray over the boy.
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In due time he would arrive at the house and he would also be
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joined by a fellow priest by the name of Raymond Bishop.
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After meeting Roland, they all decided to pray together, and to
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the priest's great surprise, as soon as the first several
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sentences of prayer were uttered, the boy began to scream
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that his chest was burning. Upon opening the boy's shirt,
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they could see red cuts in his skin begin to appear.
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Now scared, the priest began to pray over the boy more
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intensely, lasting from about 11:00 PM to 6:00 AM.
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At the conclusion of this session, Roland finally fell
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into a restful sleep, Or so it seemed.
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After explaining to the family their thoughts on what could be
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taking place, they decided that they would convene among
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themselves to try and decide how to move forward.
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To better assist Roland and his family, the priests returned to
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their homes and then met the following morning.
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It was here that both men decided that they were dealing
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with the real deal. Together, they made the decision
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to pursue an exorcism. Father Bowden, a senior priest,
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reached out to the Archbishop of Saint Louis to ask permission to
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perform the rites of exorcism, which he was granted under one
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request, that request being that he provided a day-to-day account
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for the church to which he agreed.
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Each segment of this story from here on out is written with
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excerpts of what the priest documented during his
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experiences. Father Bowdern and Father Bishop
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returned to the residence one week later.
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They went upstairs and entered the boy's frigid room and began
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the ritual. Roland began to violently act
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out, so with the help of the boy's father subduing him, they
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were able to continue. It would be written out that the
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boy's blows were beyond that of his age.
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Each punch had the strength of one or more grown men behind it.
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Father Bishop found this out the hard way.
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Mid prayer, Roland managed to break loose from his father and
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punch the priest in the face. It would later be discovered
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that he broke his nose. Following the aftermath of this
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first night, all for the first time in a long time seemed calm.
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The boy did not act out, but rather was unconscious and just
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peacefully slept. Perhaps they thought the prayers
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were beginning to work. However, that was until the
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priests left. Almost as quickly as their feet
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crossed the threshold of the residence, the boy began to yell
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and scream at the top of his lungs.
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This belligerent rage would last for hours at the desperation of
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the parents. Once they were able to re
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contact them, both priests returned as quickly as they
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could and with the assistance of both the boy's father and now
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mother, they had no other choice other than to continue the
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ritual hour after hour for approximately 4 hours.
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Roland screamed and contorted. Suddenly the boy began to lurch
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as if he was going to throw up. He quickly asked for the window
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near his bed to be opened, which his mother did.
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Roland rushed to the window and vomited a thick, black looking
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substance. Within minutes he seemed to be
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normal, like his old self. For the first time in a long
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time, the family and the priests knelt down and thanked God
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kneeling beside him. They gave thanks for what seemed
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like a triumph of good over evil, but from the ritual
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Romanum, the Catholic rites of exorcism.
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Sometimes the devil will leave the possessed person in peace to
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make it appear as if he is departed.
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The exorcist must see through this with the power of God and
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realize this is a trap. The boy seems to rest for the
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first time, and the family feels a true sense of relief, or so
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they think. It's now 2:00 AM and an uneasy
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quiet fills the house. The priests have been gone for
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several hours when suddenly Roland screams begin to fill the
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house once again. Deep guttural screams, as if
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something otherworldly is trying to breakthrough his physical
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vessel. There is no rest for the wicked,
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nor is there rest for the good. Priests are called back yet
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again by Roland's parents and arrive yet again around 3:15 AM
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shortly into the bewitching hour.
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They've returned back to Roland's bedside, where he
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begins taunting and screaming at them and all too familiar
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happening now, after several more hours of intense prayer.
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Out of nowhere, the young man goes catatonic around 6:00 AM,
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frozen like a statue. For all intents and purposes, he
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appears to be sleeping, but with his eyes wide open, the priests,
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not wanting to leave the home in case the devil decides to
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reappear yet again, take to visiting with the family for
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several more hours and conserving what little energy
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they have left. And it's a good thing that they
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did, because bizarre activity resumes around 8:30 AM with a
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vengeance. Various knocking noises
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accompanied by Roland's screams resume a seemingly never ending
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hell. There is now more violence than
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ever before. Roland is exerting strength
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beyond his normal capacity. He begins barking in multiple
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octaves, as if there are two voices inside of him fighting to
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escape. Amidst the chaos, his mother
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breaks down and has to leave the room for her own sanity.
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The boy she's looking at she no longer recognizes as her son.
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Within due time, thankfully, Roland yet again goes catatonic.
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Following this event, Father Bowden suggests that the boy be
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sent away to a worthy place where the exorcism can continue,
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an unfamiliar and sanctified place that will assist them and
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calling upon God to intervene in what is quickly being seen as
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the most intense case of possession that either of them
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had ever seen. This way, Roland is away from
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his mother and can no longer cause her any further distress
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as well. Ultimately, it's decided that
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he'll be sent to a hospital ran by an order of Catholic monks
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not too far from his current home, as well as the Church in
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which the priest operate out of a bit of a crossroads of sorts.
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After strange happenings and his terrifying behavior his first
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night there, Roland is placed in a private room on a private
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floor above the psychiatric ward, not only for his own
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protection, but to keep him from scaring the other patients
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within the hospital walls. Father Bowden returns the
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following evening with Father Bishop and now with the
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additional help of Father Halloran.
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Halloran, who is a young seminarian then, was tasked with
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the main job of restraining the boy if need be.
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During the prayers and during times where things were calm, it
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was his job to visit with him and keep his spirits up.
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As the priest made their way to the top floor and entered
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Roland's room, Father Halloran began visiting with Roland and
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his father, bowed and then blessed them with a small vial
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of holy water and then placed the vial on the dresser next to
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the bed. Just a few seconds after this,
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the vial flew across the room and smashed into the wall,
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shattering it into multiple pieces.
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In a later interview, as the only surviving priest who
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witnessed the activity, Father Halloran stated that that's how
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I knew we were dealing with the real deal.
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When that vial flew by itself across the room and smashed into
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the wall opposite of the dresser it was placed on.
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You read about these kinds of things, but they never really
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happen. Realizing that they needed to
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begin to do battle with the darkness that resided within the
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young man known as Roland Doe, the ritual formally began.
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Yet again. The boy began screaming and
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cursing the priests. He also revealed one of the
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telltale signs of possession as things began to escalate.
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Father Halloran's mother had recently passed away, something
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that Roland had no way of being able to know, especially since
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the two had only met for the first time before the prayers
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began this very day. He looked over at the priest and
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with a dark and sinister smile across his face, said that his
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mother said hello, that she was rotting within the depths of
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hell. This both angered and scared the
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young priest, but also served as a distinguishing factor for him
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personally that there indeed was another entity inhabiting the
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body of the boy that sat within this very room with them,
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Something dark and malevolent. As many of you may or may not
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know. Exorcism, typically speaking,
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isn't A1 and done kind of situation.
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It can take months or even years to fully rid someone of one or
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several demonic entities, if at all.
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In this case is no different. The prayers continued until
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Roland went catatonic and was laid peacefully back into his
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bed, wanting to take an aggressive stance to rid the boy
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as fast as they could. All three priests along with
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Roland's father would again return the following day.
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Roland by this time was so violent that all four men were
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having a hard time holding him down.
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Aside from the multiple voices and curses, he began spitting a
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foul smelling liquid at them as well.
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As the day continued, the boy was screaming that Father
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Halloran was hurting him. As he was restraining him, the
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young priest loosened his grip and was instantly punched in the
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face, breaking his nose, leaving him a bloody mess.
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This concluded the ritual for that day.
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The ordeal for all those involved was quickly becoming an
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excruciating nightmare that they couldn't wake up from.
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Every day, all day. There was very little sign of
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progress. As for the priests, the task is
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exhausting, soul draining, and at times faith breaking.
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But despite the discouraging signs, like any battle that has
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to reach an inevitable conclusion, the ritual must go
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on. With each exorcism, Roland
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becomes more violent, more angry, and also begins
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spontaneously urinating on top of his other abhorrent behaviors
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as more objects begin to move more regularly as the paranormal
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manifestations continue. On day 18 of Roland being in the
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hospital, he asked for a pen and paper from the priests, and upon
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receiving it, he writes I am the devil himself, and within 10
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days I will give you a sign. Shortly after writing this, Down
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begins to scream as the Roman numeral 10 carves itself into
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the skin on his chest. Witnessing this, Father Bowden
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decides to baptize the boy to hopefully aid his crusade
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against the demons that plague him.
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The following day, with Roland's permission, he performs A
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baptism which seems to calm him down.
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But this calm was all too short lived after just about 10
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minutes. He returns to his fits of anger
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and curses. Night after night the prayers
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continue, and night after night the boy is still overwhelmed.
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Roland screams and the word in capital letters is seen carved
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into his chest. Exit.
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Horrified, the priests continue on with their prayers.
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The devil now seems to be speaking through Roland's body.
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As he says, you need to say one more word, but you never say it.
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After the night's end at the hospital, the priests were
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puzzled as they pondered what this strange statement could
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have meant. But as they read through the
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Book of Exorcism, they realized that Father Bowdern was
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forgetting to read the word Lord Time and time again.
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This not only frightened the men further, but also affirmed their
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suspicions as well. The following night it was an
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ice cold, rainy night. As the priests arrived at the
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facility, they could immediately sense that something wasn't
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right. From the parking lot, they could
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see that the lights on the floor that Roland was placed were
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flickering on and off and in different rooms as they checked
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in at the front desk, the clerk broke down in tears, trying to
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explain that things were especially bad, that she was
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very scared. As they approached the boy's
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room, they noted a strong sulphuric smell coming from
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inside. And unlike previous nights, as
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soon as they entered the room, Roland began cursing at them,
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but this time in fluent Latin, a language he had never been
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exposed to prior to the Exorcism's beginning, let alone
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one that he should have been fluent in.
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He also had never displayed foreign tongues before.
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As the priest began the ritual again, Roland stated that this
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was their sign. Father bowed her and then
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commanded the Spirit to prove itself.
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And as the words left the priest's lips, the boy smiled
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and touched the priest's purple vestments that were draped over
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his shoulders. They then burst into hundreds of
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individual fibers. Now, with their worst fears
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realized, the priests began to pray harder than they had ever
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prayed before. During the struggle, Roland
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broke a bed spring and attempted to stab Father Bowdern, but
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thankfully was restrained. Before he could do so, he
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thrashed, urinated, threatened and screamed in dual octaves. 5
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hours into the prayers this night, he began to exhibit a new
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and frightening behaviour before everyone's eyes.
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Roland tilted his head back and slowly began to float up and
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towards the ceiling. Before he could reach the
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ceiling, the men forced themselves to power through
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their fear and grab the boy, bring him back down to the bed
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where new restraints were then placed, tethering him from
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further floating. After 7 grueling hours of
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fighting, praying and nerve racking spiritual warfare, the
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boy gasped and exclaimed. He said he saw Saint Michael the
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Archangel use a flaming sword to drive the devil away that he hid
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him and drove him back into the darkest abyss one could ever
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imagine. With these words he fell silent
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and finally closed his eyes, truly and peacefully asleep.
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After this long and arduous night, what began over 28 days
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ago seemed to have finally been worth it.
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Roland slowly but surely returned to normal and in fact
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went on to live a rather ordinary life.
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The records of the events from those 28 days were somehow
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leaked to the press and became an embarrassment for both the
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priests involved and the Church. Father Bowden had always
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regretted Roland's confidentiality being violated.
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William Peter Blatty, who had heard about the case, became
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extremely intrigued and reached out to the priest to discuss it
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with him. When asked about if he knew the
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whole thing was real or not, bowed and replied.
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I had no doubt about it then, and I have no doubt about it
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now, that what was in that room that night was the otherworldly
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source we call the Devil in the flesh.
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William Peter Blatty took his inspiration from this case and
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wrote the book The Exorcist. So was the possession case of
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Roland Doe a genuine one? It has in fact been considered
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to be one of the most substantial cases, if not the
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most substantial case by the Catholic Church in the last 300
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years in regards to the existence of Satanic forces and
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the existence of demonic possession by others.
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However, it was just an emotionally compromised
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adolescent. It was acting out after the
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death of a close loved one. But what do you think?
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Make sure to let me know down in the comments below.
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And if this case indeed was the real deal, those implications
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have far reaching convictions in and of themselves that the
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existence of true evil also implies the existence of true
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good. And I would say regardless, with
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the on screen inspiration and then adaptation of The Exorcist,
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these deep reaching questions were then brought forth to
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thousands if not millions of people all over the world,
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perhaps leading to a wider impact than anticipated.
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I think a deeper moral of this story is that the occult is not
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only very real and I can say that speaking from personal
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experience with that it is not for the non experienced or the
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spiritually weak. You can never be truly sure of
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what you're communicating with. And for the majority of people I
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would say this, just don't dabble.
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It will greatly benefit you if you don't because you might just
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speak with something that may turn out to be your worst
27:32
nightmare come to life. Thank you guys so much for
27:37
watching this new video. Please don't forget to give this
27:40
video a like a comment and subscribe with notifications on
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if you're new here so that you never miss a new video.
27:47
All that stuff helps me out a ton in the algorithm.
27:50
I'm sorry it's taking me so long.
27:52
I ended up taking a last minute trip and having some pretty wild
27:56
experiences which I will be filling you guys in on in the
27:59
next month or so. Then I got really sick with some
28:02
kind of virus, and I've been pretty out of it most of this
28:08
week and I'd say the last three or four days or so, depending on
28:12
when this video goes up. So if I sound a little out of
28:15
breath and just a little rundown, that's why.
28:19
But I appreciate your guys's patience as always, and I will
28:23
see you very soon with a brand new video that's already in the
28:26
works. So I love you guys and this has
28:30
been Cody here in Mystery Archives.
28:32
Remember to stay safe out there and please take care.