Incarnation

Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It is a central Christian doctrine that God became flesh, that God assumed a human nature and became a man in the form of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the second person of the Trinity.

Mainstream Judaism totally rejects any doctrine of an incarnation of God and absolutely rejects any concept of an incarnation of God in any form. However, some Hasidim believe in a somewhat similar concept.

Islam completely rejects the doctrine of the incarnation of God in any form, as the concept is defined as 'shirk' (the sin of idolatry or polytheism). In Islam, God is one and "neither begets nor is begotten".

Druze however, believe in theophany and reincarnation or the transmigration of the soul. They believe that at the end of the cycle of rebirth, which is achieved through successive reincarnations, the soul is united with the Cosmic Mind (al-?aql al-kullī).

In Hinduism, incarnation refers to its rebirth doctrine, and in its theistic traditions to Avatar literally meaning "descent, alight, to make one's appearance", and refers to the embodiment of the essence of a superhuman being or a deity in another form.

Whereas, the rebirth doctrine in Buddhism, sometimes referred to as reincarnation or metempsychosis, asserts that rebirth does not necessarily take place as another human being, but as an existence in one of the six 'Gati' (realms) called "Bhavachakra".

Reincarnation

Reincarnation is the philosophical or religious belief that the non-physical essence of a living being starts a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. It is also called rebirth or transmigration. It is a similar process hypothesized by some religions, that involves coming back to life in the same body.

Reincarnation is a central tenet of Indian religions, namely Buddhism, most Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and most Paganism, although there are Hindu and Pagan groups that do not believe in reincarnation but believe in an afterlife.

Both Judaism and Christianity believe in a doctrine that is quite challenging compared to reincarnation. That belief is resurrection of the dead. This is the belief that our dead bodies will someday, like Jesus in the belief of Christianity, be revived and brought back to life.

The Holy Quran rejects the concept of reincarnation, though it preaches the existence of soul. The principle belief in Islam is that there is only one birth on this earth. The Doomsday comes after death and will be judged as to one has to once for all go to hell or be unified with God.

Reincarnation (tanasukh) is crucial to Druze identity. Believers maintain that when a Druze dies, the soul is immediately reborn in another Druze body, or reborn beyond the human realm into the next ascending realm of closeness to God (Bennet, 2006).

Rebirth in Buddhism refers to its teaching that the actions of a person lead to a new existence after death, in an endless cycle called "sa?sāra". This cycle is considered to be 'dukkha', unsatisfactory and painful. The cycle stops only if liberation is achieved by insight and the extinguishing of desire.

At that, the period between death and rebirth lasts 49 days and involves three bardos. The first is the moment of death itself. The consciousness of the newly deceased becomes aware of and accepts the fact that it has recently died, and it reflects upon its past life. In the second bardo, it encounters frightening apparitions. Without an understanding that these apparitions are unreal, the consciousness becomes confused and, depending upon its karma, may be drawn into a rebirth that impedes its liberation. The third bardo is the transition into a new body.

Reincarnation, as a major tenet of Hinduism, is when the soul, which is seen as eternal and part of a spiritual realm, returns to the physical realm in a new body. A soul will complete this cycle many times, learning new things each time and working through its karma.

Exorcism

Exorcism (exorkismós in Greek "binding by oath") is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be done by causing the entity to swear an oath, performing an elaborate ritual, or simply by commanding it to depart in the name of a higher power. The practice is ancient and part of the belief system of many cultures and religions.

The term "exorcism" does not always denote a solemn exorcism involving a person possessed by the Devil. In general, the term denotes prayers to curb the power of the Devil and prevent him from doing harm.

In Christianity, exorcism is the practice of casting out or getting rid of Demons. In Christian practice the person performing the exorcism, known as an exorcist, is often a member of the Christian Church, or an individual thought to be graced with special powers or skills. The exorcist may use prayers and religious material, such as set formulas, gestures, symbols, icons, amulets, etc. The exorcist often invokes God, Jesus or several different Angels and Archangels to intervene with the exorcism. Protestant Christian exorcists most commonly believe the authority given to them by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (the Trinity) is the source of their ability to cast out Demons.

Jewish exorcism ritual is performed by a Rabbi who has mastered practical Kabbalah. Also present is a 'minyan' (a group of ten adult males), who gather in a circle around the possessed person. The group recites (Psalm 91) three times, and then the Rabbi blows a 'shofar' (a ram's horn). The shofar is blown in a certain way, with various notes and tones, in effect to "shatter the body" so that the possessing force will be shaken loose. After it has been shaken loose, the Rabbi begins to communicate with it and ask it questions such as why it is possessing the body of the possessed. The 'minyan' may pray for it and perform a ceremony for it in order to enable it to feel safe, and so that it can leave the person's body. Josephus reports exorcisms performed by administering poisonous root extracts and others by making sacrifices.

Islamic exorcism might consist of the treated person lying down, while a Sheikh places a hand on a patient’s head while reciting verses from the Holy Quran, but this is not mandatory. The drinking or sprinkling of 'Holy Water' (water from the Zamzam Well) may also take place along with applying of clean non-alcohol-based perfumes, called "itter". Specific verses from the Holy Quran are recited, which glorify God (e.g. The Throne Verses “Ayat Kursi”), and invoke God's help. In some cases, the 'adan' (call for daily prayers) is also read, as this has the effect of repelling non-Angelic unseen beings or the Jinn. Prophet Muhammad taught his followers to read the last three Suras from the Holy Quran, 'Surat al-Ikhlas' (The Fidelity), 'Surat al-Falaq' (The Dawn) and 'Surat an-Nas' (Mankind). The Hadith reports both Prophets Muhammad and Issa (Jesus), performing exorcism rites serve as example and permissibility for exorcism rites.

In Hinduism, beliefs and practices pertaining to the practice of exorcism are prominently connected with Hindus. Of the four 'Vedas' (holy books of the Hindus), the 'Atharva Veda' is said to contain the secrets related to exorcism, magic and alchemy. The basic means of exorcism are the mantra and the 'yajn'a used in both 'Vedic and Tantric' traditions. 'Vaishnava' traditions also employ a recitation of names of 'Narasimha' and reading scriptures, notably the 'Bhagavata Purana' aloud.

In Taoism, exorcism is performed because an individual has been possessed by an Evil Spirit for one of two reasons. The individual has disturbed a ghost, regardless of intent, and the ghost now seeks revenge. An alive person could also be jealous and uses black magic as revenge thereby conjuring a ghost to possess someone. Members of the 'fashi', both Chinese ritual officers and Priests ordained by a celestial master, perform Chinese rituals, in particular, exorcism.

Historically, Taoist exorcism include chanting, physical movements, and praying as a way to drive away the spirit. Rituals such as these occur during festivals. Rituals such as these are considered of low order during these festivals. They are more for entertainment than a necessity during festivals.

Science views that Demonic possession is not a psychiatric or medical diagnosis recognized by either the 'Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' (DSM–5) or the 'International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Related Health Problems. Those who profess a belief in Demonic possession have sometimes ascribed to possession the symptoms associated with physical or mental illnesses, such as hysteria, mania, psychosis, Tourette's syndrome, epilepsy, schizophrenia or dissociative identity disorder.

Additionally, there is a form of monomania called "demonomania or demonopathy" in which the patient believes that he or she is possessed by one or more Demons. The illusion that exorcism works on people experiencing symptoms of possession is attributed by some to placebo effect and the power of suggestion. Some cases suggest that supposedly possessed persons are actually narcissists or are suffering from low self-esteem and act demonically possessed in order to gain attention.

That said, in today’s world, one could but wonder if exorcisms are needed?

Food for thought!