One of the craziest jobs of all time has to be an exorcist. Real life demon hunters, these guys travel from town to town saving the souls of the innocent and smacking the crap out of evil.
In honor of this Deliver Us From Evil, out on Blu-ray™ and Digital HD October 28th, we wanted to give you some more info about exorcists and how they do what they do. Check out our top 10 tools of an exorcist.
Brought to you by Deliver Us From Evil, out on Blu-ray™ and Digital HD October 28.
Top 10 Tools of an Exorcist
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Holy Cross
An exorcist’s best friend. This little bad boy (often made out of wood), can repel those pesky demons from lashing out and trying to attack the exorcist. The downside? Crosses have been known to burn the possessed, so when the exorcism is complete, an exorcist might have a pissed-off, crispy-looking customer.
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Holy Water
Ah, there’s nothing like a cool glass of refreshing holy water when your soul is being attacked by a demon. But in all seriousness, holy water is a quintessential tool for any exorcist. Not only is it an integral part of all exorcism rituals but, like the cross, it can also be used for self-defense.
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The Bible
This one is kind of a no-brainer. Not only are there a lot of different Bible verses that are useful during an exorcism, but the book itself is another blessed item that can help exorcists keep the demon at bay. And trust us, the more blessed items that an exorcist has in his trench coat, the better off he’ll be.
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Rosary Beads
Saying the Rosary (a set of prayers especially used in Catholicism) isn’t quite as effective if you don’t have the prerequisite jewelry to do so. But the most important thing about the rosary for an exorcist? It keeps his mind off of the face of evil looking him in the eyes…
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Purple Stole
The stole is a garment that is draped across the shoulders. It looks like a long scarf and is often decorated with some sort of religious iconography (crosses for example). Its purple color represents truth, but its most appealing aspect for exorcists is that it’s a pretty good shield from any sort of green, projectile vomit.
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Beeswax Candles
No, these are not used for mood lighting. You might have been to a church where beeswax candles are lit as a means of prayer. Add that to the fact that the smoke from a beeswax candle can help with the sanctification process and you have another necessity for any exorcist’s toolkit.
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Book of Exorcism Rites
I know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t everything you’ll need to read already in the Bible?” Well, apparently not. The contents of these books can range from Catholic-specific rituals to Orthodox exorcism prayers to non-denominational prayers of Deliverance. Seriously, these books are one-stop shops for all of an exorcist’s demon-fighting needs.
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The Blessed Sacrament
Performing the sacrament (wafer, wine and all) is something that many exorcists do with the possessed to get them geared up for what’s to come…
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Salt
Anything can be blessed. Golf clubs, a computer, a ship… You name it, and somebody can bless it. So it should come as no surprise that blessed salt appears on this list. Blessed salt has been used throughout Christianity’s history in numerous types of rituals and prayers. But what you may find interesting is that it is also used as a means of warding off evil spirits in Pagan religions… In other words, it’s a double-whammy of demon fighting.
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Other People
Probably the most overlooked of this list, but maybe the most important. Exorcists should never attempt to remove an evil spirit from a host without the help (or at least presence) of other people. It’s like the buddy system, but with way more dire consequences.
