Digital exorcism and morality

Adam Possamai, Rhys Gower

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Recent works have highlighted that exorcism is not an atavistic ritual but that it has a renewed place in our contemporary Western world. As religious institutions have become more secularized and rationalized, a vacuum has been left for religious professionals to deal with demons. While exorcists claim that there is a higher demand for exorcism, they grow as a profession and warn people of the devil's presence in games, popular culture and family curses. The use of social media has not been left out from these developments as exorcism videos have spread, and remote online forms of exorcism are available. While questions of morality are malleable in this context, for example, giving a sense of security or providing extra insecurity in this world of anxiety, this article points to an attempt by an exorcist on his YouTube channel at re-sacralizing society. This article discovers as part of these practices the importance of passing on messages of morality more so than curing peoples of their demons. The digital world thus provides a greater reach for exorcists to spread their morality with a far wider reach than in a darkly romanticized gothic and secluded room where exorcism is often perceived to take place.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)308-320
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Sociology
Volume61
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

Keywords

  • digital religion
  • exorcism
  • ministry of deliverance
  • morality
  • possession

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