Latest update April 24th, 2026 12:40 AM
Apr 02, 2010 Letters
Dear Editor,
On what basis does one human being decide that another human being is possessed by evil spirits? What authority is needed for such a prognosis?
I ask these questions because it seems as if the superstitious nature of some Guyanese will be the cause of some of them going to jail for serious crimes.
What are the qualifications of an exorcist? Are there Guyanese who might have studied and worked extensively with the dark forces of evil that many claim exist in the world?
Apart from the movie The Exorcist, I have never seen an exorcism. But neither in the movie nor the Bible have I ever come across anything about demons being cast out of persons by the use of physical blows. If one was to be logical, one can question how it could be possible for a spirit to be cast out of a person by someone else or a group repeatedly striking the allegedly possessed about their body for sustained periods. Will the evil spirit be hurt from the blows inflicted on the person it has allegedly possessed and just give up and leave? This action doesn’t seem to be a very spiritual exercise.
Little Sangeeta Persaud from Canal Number Two is dead because she was beaten and possibly choked to death by one or more persons. This was done mainly because a Pastor decided that Persaud was possessed by demons that he had authority to cast out. How much more unwise can people get? How much more gullible can people become?
The guardians of Sangeeta Persaud along with the Pastor and his followers should all be held responsible for the loss of this child’s life. The Police needs to act condignly with these persons and institute the necessary charges. Guyanese need to know that any form of ‘exorcism’ that results in physical discomfort to the alleged possessed must be met with the strictest punishment by law.
All these so called Guyanese exorcists must know that the laws of the land will certainly bring them to justice if they persist with their so called holy assault causing grievous bodily harm that they call exorcism. Someone who causes death by exorcism is just another baseless killer.
An exorcism that results in death can be known as either manslaughter or murder!
Richard Francois
Dubai, UAE
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