An Exorcist Explains the Demonic: The Antics of Satan and His Army of Fallen Angels Paperback – October 31, 2016

You would be hard-pressed to find a better book from a more respected authority on the subject of the demonic. The author himself was an esteem exorcist, priest, and figure at the Vatican and had been doing this work longer than most of us had been alive, probably. As for the content, it walks beautifully that fine line between minimizing the subject matter and sensationalizing it.Amorth addresses, first and foremost, the underpinnings of the topic in Catholic theology, scripture and tradition and starts from the basics on towards the "big guns." Something you don't often see in discussions of demonic possession is the reality that if one encounters Satan, he would much rather NOT manifest extraordinary action, i.e. vexation, possession, et al. He would much rather act in more ordinary means, such as temptation and sin. He deftly explains all the ways that Satan manifests in the ordinary, the spiritual implications, and how to deal with them.In the sections regarding extraordinary action, he details each type of action and how they are addressed, ranging from the use of prayers and sacramentals to full-blown exorcism. I have read about the subject of exorcism over a number of years and Amorth gives the best explanation of how real-life exorcisms happen that I have seen, the kind of knowledge you can only get from the inner sanctum of demonology. Something else I noticed is that he doesn't just tell us what happens, but can tell us, physically, emotionally, and spiritually WHY it happens, in almost scientific fashion.One of the best and strongest features of this work is the insistence of ruling out the mundane before jumping to the spiritual. Amorth insists that physical, medical, and psychiatric explanations be found first, and revealed that he refused to see clients until he could ascertain that the problem was spiritual. He and other exorcists admit that some of their clients were not, in fact, demonaics and thus turned them away, encouraging them to find the real, non-spiritual cause of their problem. I have always admired this quality in people who deal in the paranormal, when they are able to only use their hammer on actual nails, to not mislead or cheat people regarding their beliefs and abilities. It instills confidence in the reader.Another best and strongest feature? The calm and understanding that is reflected in his work. Amorth tells us the need and the means to welcome people experiencing spiritual evils and to not treat them as modern day lepers. He shares with us the view that many of the poor women persecuted in times past were innocent, likely struggling with some kind of evil, spiritual or otherwise, and sympathizes with the view that our modern rationality was born out of the abuses of the church in centuries past. His case histories include people from all walks of life and all levels of demonic influence, so he doesn't just serve the far right of Catholicism, for lack of a better way to put it, nor does he exclusively serve the least active of believers.In additional to respecting modern advancements, the work shows a reverence for history and tradition, reflected in the exorcist's preference for the exorcistic rituals of 1614 and in oldie-but-goodie ideas including, but not limited to, the idea that exorcism isn't just a means of healing but a means of diagnosis. Anyone versed in Catholic theology and sacred tradition will be pleasantly surprised at the mixture of ancient, centuries old, and modern sensibilities, trending neither towards clinging to musty ideas of a previous time, nor towards iconoclastic and post modern attitudes that discard everything passed down to us.One minor criticism: Understandably, given the man's background, he tends to "see the devil everywhere," something he himself realizes and alludes to in his text. Especially when talking about swearing but also in other areas, I feel he overestimates the danger of these things, either seeing them as uniformly evil or at best, being of no value and being too dangerous to bother with. I appreciate his concerns as a reader and a believer, but I think he overstates his case here.All in all, this is a work that deserves to be read by all. Truly impressive!

Great explanation on evils, deliverance and what is expected of a faithful life.Explores the topics of deliverance in depth.

For those who are devout, this book is a delightful read. He assumes the reader to be Christian and to be Catholic but they need not be. His treatment of the subject is of a man who, like a car mechanic, just does the work and doesn't get all caught up in the "overhead," or hollywoodism of the subject. He is truly subject to his superiors and fights for what is right and fights to change from within what is wrong. This is wonderful to know.He is very practical in dealing with his ministry.For those who are not a practicing Catholic or Christian, this book is quite .... different. The subject demands one know that demons, devils, evil spirits, witches and warlocks are real, else the material is useless. In our techno-age which denies these facts of living, it is quite hard to take this subject matter seriously. However, any good study of Buddhism will reveal very very similar facts, though cast in a different language.I appreciate the "signs" of demonic disturbances as well as how a person will/can act under such disturbance. As people created in God's likeness and image, we have spiritual capabilities and one of them is to hear and speak spiritually - and to be spoken too, which can be quite upsetting to anyone.Pray hard, play hard, work hard...and give alms, repent regularly and love well sum up this book.Enjoy the read

Excellent read! Very insightful and informative.A thorough telling of the motives and tactics of demons, as well as the mercy and motive of God.

As an author of horror, I am fascinated by demons—especially as portrayed in movies like ‘The Exorcist,’ ‘The Conjuring,’ ‘The Conjuring 2,’ and the more comic ‘Supernatural’ television series. But as a Catholic, I am in truth terrified of the demonic. I believe they not only exist but are striving every day to win over our souls. Strong words? Well, we’re talking about the ultimate battle between Good and Evil, after all.Fr. Gabriele Amorth, who died in Rome this past September, was an exorcist and author. AN EXORCIST EXPLAINS THE DEMONIC is the first book of his I have read, and I intend to read more. I found his words to be both direct and comforting. Direct, because he doesn’t mince words when it comes to Satan. And comforting because, in the end, he offers hope for those suffering from ailments such as Possession, Vexation, Obsession, and Infestation.For authors interested in true stories of the paranormal, I can highly recommend this work. Movies and television may exaggerate some of what happens during an exorcism, but apparently, they get a lot of it right. And I believe that if you’re going to write about something unfamiliar, you should research the hell out of it. For believers, Fr. Amorth offers advice on how to keep yourself safe from the forces of Evil. And for nonbelievers, the book is a fascinating read.

good product