Remember the old story that a sneeze signifies the expulsion of a demon, hence “Gesundheit!”, or “God Bless You?” According to a Florida teacher, some demons require a more proactive approach if you want to be rid of them.
A literacy teacher at a community center in St. Petersburg, Florida, is accused of encouraging her students to cut each other in a bizarre cleansing ritual.
Police say Danielle Harkins, 35, told half a dozen teens that they had demons inside them and the only way to get them out was to slice open their skin and then burn the wounds.
[ ... ]
Lisa Cope, Harkins’ next-door neighbor, said the teacher had recently taken an interest in extreme religious beliefs. ‘She told me I was okay,’ Ms Cope said to The Tampa Bay Times.
‘She said I didn’t have any demons.’
Most of us would be quick to agree that Ms. Harkins has mental problems, but if she does her illness is a matter of degree rather than a unique pathology. Recall for instance that Father Amorth, the Vatican’s chief exorcist, claims to have scared tens of thousands of demons out of people.
Shall we say then that Father Amorth is mentally ill, too? I’m game, but prepare for the wrath of Pious folk everywhere.
