Is Exorcism an OFFICIAL method used by any church? Has a serious research institution ever investigated this?

I would like to learn if someone knows if a serious research institution like a University or a Scientific organization has ever initiated and published a research on Exoricism and if this institution(s) documented real happenings.





The reason I ask is because I used to be skepticala bout the subject but I learned that during some exorcisms, the "patients" talked in languages they never studied or heard! I don´t know if this info is veridical though, but it certenley called my attention.


Thanks

Is Exorcism an OFFICIAL method used by any church? Has a serious research institution ever investigated this?
http://religion-cults.com/deliverance/ex...


http://www.stmichael.pair.com/


http://www.trosch.org/chu/exorcism.htm





As the first link explains, exorcism is practised in the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church and in the Pentecostal Church, where it is normally referred to as deliverance ministry.


There are academic courses:


http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2...


http://www.ufodigest.com/exorcism.html


http://home.att.net/~revdak/spir243/exor...


http://csicop.org/si/2003-01/exorcism.ht...
Reply:Individual believers can cast out demons if the Lord Jesus gives that person the gifting to, but there is no "method" other than prayer and fasting, as Jesus said in the Gospels.
Reply:I'm not sure if they are done officially, but it is true that Roman Catholic Church have a long history of exorcism. And recently, I've seen some protestant churches invite Protestant exorcists in fact. If it is part of their religion, let it be. But to me, it seems quite inappropriate.
Reply:My parents are both priests. They told me that exorcism is not sanctioned by Anglicans. However in the catholic church exorcism needs to be approved at Vatican level. I asked my mum to exorcise my car (as it appears to be a magnet for random large livestock and rednecks) and this is the answer I got. I was joking, but I got a quick lesson in exorcism. There are a few confirmed cases of successful exorcisms, however most these days are written off to mental illness. Schizophrenia mostly. Also many people die in the process of exorcism, hence the few successes.


There are several criteria that must be filled to qualify for an exorcism, but i can't remember most of them. They're quite different from the movie "The Exorcist".