Anneliese Michel Aka Emily Rose

[MithLuin]

According to the account given by her mother in the videos linked above, she claimed to have a vision of the Virgin Mary in which she was given the choice - will you suffer for souls, or no? If God is going to ask something this unusual of someone, I'd hope there would be a more explicit communication than most of us receive! So, in other words, yes, I think that visions of Mary would go along with the request to become a suffering soul. Doesn't mean I have any reason to think her vision was real (it may have been, but then, who knows?), but anyone has to admit that she did suddenly recover physically (albeit temporarily) from the point where she claimed to have had the vision. So, [i]something[/i] happened.

Was it true possession or not? Again, I wouldn't know, not having much basis for comparison, but it's certainly quite disturbed. If she wasn't possessed, she was extremely ill psychologically. Either way, we're talking about great suffering.

The trial accused her parents and the priests of allowing her to starve to death without seeking medical treatment. I'm not sure that was unfair - the girl [i]did[/i] starve and become emaciated, and there may have been some way of feeding her better. Certainly when it became clear that the exorcisms weren't going to work, you'd think....well, it's not like they could cure her, but the doctors could have at least tried to do something. It certainly looks like neglect, and I understand why it became a criminal case. It seems unfair that the tapes were not allowed as evidence, since they at least make it clear that the girl wasn't simply locked in a closet and starved to death.

[Paddington]

[quote name='Sternhauser' timestamp='1282861555' post='2163707']The demon wrenched around and said, "He doesn't believe in me, but he sure believes in [i]women[/i], yes indeed!" The priest turned bright red and left the room.[/quote]

At least the demon didn't get all specific.

[Sternhauser]

[quote name='Paddington' timestamp='1283274584' post='2165925']
At least the demon didn't get all specific.
[/quote]

What a nice demon. : )

~Sternhauser

[HollyDolly]

i have only read what was in Parade magazine at the time this all occured. As a layperson as I understand it, you have to in someway give your consent
in order to be possessed, but don't hold me to that.Some of the saints,like St.John Vinneay,the Cure D'Ars was troubled at one point by a demon.
It would call him a truffle eater and throw things about,etc. At no time was he ever possessed by this spirit.
Most demons never lived as human beings. In her case and in some others some of the possessing spirits claimed to have been people once, who for their sins were dammed to hell by God.There was a woman in the 1920s in America,who was possessed.Her first name was Emma,forgot the last name.
She was exorcised at a convent in the Midwest.Wikipedia has an article on it.Two of the spirits that possessed her were her late father and his girlfriend or stepmother .As a girl, her father was a rather nasty and dirty man, and tried to pervert his daughter,but couldn't and so he cursed her.

In the Robbie case on which the movie, The Exorcist was based, the boy and an aunt or grandmother fooled around with an ouija borad and this may have been the source for what started with him and his possession.
Annaliese for what ever reason thought she was having visions of Our Lady. Yet, even though she claimed to have a vision of mary, she still was possessed.The Virgin asking her if she would suffer for souls or not sounds odd. Usually in cases were some saint offers to be a victim soul, the saint or saintly person freely and of their own volition offer themselves to Christ for this purpose. Christ does not come down and tell everyone of us we have to do this.One maybe moved by thoughts of pleasing Christ or be inspired by the Holy Spirit to offer themselves up to Christ for this purpose,
but in no way is it demanded of His followers. There are many saints who led ordinary lives,like St.Thomas More, St.Margaret Clithrow and many of the english martyers,but these saints and others even in our modern times are not any less holy than someone who offers to be a suffering soul.
From the comment made by this vision of the so called Virgin Mary, I think that this was what opened the door to her possession.What she was seeing was not Mary, but some demonic or other spirit in the form of Mary. There is something in the bible in which we are told to test spirits.
It also speaks of false visions and prophets as well. I think Annelieise was decieved by whatever she saw,thous opeing the door to the possession.
Is it possible that she may have had mental illness,yes. The church wants medical, and mental evaluations of these people before they do any exorcism.
This is what should have been done first in her case. Then,if these causes can be ruled out, then they proceed with a full exorcism.
It's really sad what happend to her.She should have been monitered by a doctor so she wouldn't have starved to death.
I know her parents and the priests invovled are pious persons and meant well, but because they went off on their own, a very nice young lady wound up passing away.

[Nihil Obstat]

It would be poor theology to say that any demons used to be humans. At least as far as I've always understood it. Demons are only demons, and have always been demons. Same as angels.