Criteria for Recognising Cases of Demon Possession: A Response to John Woolmer – Part 2

In his book “The Devil Goes Missing?” John Woolmer presents 5 criteria for recognising a case of demon possession:

1. Being simultaneously attracted to and repelled by Jesus. 

2. Speaking in voices not one’s own – this can be unknown languages or manners of speech untypical of the person themselves. 

3. Possessing super-human strength. 

4. Engaging in self-harm. 

5. Having wild or blazing eyes. 

In Part One I discussed the first two criteria, commenting that the real-life examples Woolmer provides are far from convincing. In this part I examine criteria 3-5.

3. Superhuman Strength

Woolmer’s example of the strength criterion concerns a man – James – who called to his manse and collapsed, unable to talk. After confessing to having beaten his wife, he asked Woolmer to go and see if she was OK. Woolmer went to James’ home and found his wife was calm. She told Woolmer that her husband was “a binge-drinker and these things happen.” By the time Woolmer returned to his own home, where James had been left with some of Woolmer’s friends, the dining table was upended and James was growling and gnawing at one of the legs with 4 policemen trying to restrain him. Woolmer reports that on another occasion James broke a chair he was sitting in and later Woolmer thought James was about to pull a pew out in Woolmer’s church. 

Super-human strength? I hardly think so. In passing, Woolmer mentions a crucial detail about this man, describing him as a “large, tall ex-marine…over 6-foot.” That certainly puts things in a different light! I’m not far off 6 foot and currently weigh 182lbs, and I reckon I could make it difficult for 4 policemen to restrain me. Breaking a chair or almost breaking a church pew strike me as feats that are well within the natural capabilities of a large, tall ex-marine.

4. Self-Harming

Woolmer remarks that self-harming is often a symptom of physical or sexual abuse, or severe emotional distress. Mental health problems such as anxiety and depression can cause self-harm up to and including suicide. Oddly, the example Woolmer provides is of a woman who engaged in self-harm, but about whom he says, “there was nothing demonic in her actions, but they did display an inner turmoil which needed to be addressed.” So, after years in deliverance ministry Woolmer illustrates an example of a criterion for demon possession that by his own admission didn’t actually involve demon possession? 

5. Wild/Blazing Eyes

The example provided by Woolmer of “wild/blazing eyes” isn’t obviously a case of possession either. It involves a woman in the midst of depression who had suffered at the hands of her abusive Mason father. After Woolmer had prayed to cut her free from masonic influence, “her eyes had changed. They looked much clearer. The depression had lifted.” It’s great that Woolmer was able to help a woman in the midst of a deep depression, but we must be careful not to read more into the case than there actually is. Eyes can convey all manner of emotions: from joy to anger, and they can flash from one emotion to another incredibly quickly. Often “wild/blazing eyes” is symptomatic of psychosis, drug addiction, extreme anxiety, and even minor infections. My late father in law would always have a wild look in his eyes when he had nothing more sinister than a urinary tract infection. Others simply have a wild look about them for no other reason than that’s simply how they look! To be fair to Woolmer, I think he would readily agree. However, he presents no way to differentiate between a case of demon possession and something completely natural, and this is perhaps my biggest criticism of him concerning any of his 5 criteria.

Although these are the main criteria Woolmer discusses, he does add others: unexpected deafness, mocking laughter, severe shaking, inability to speak, inexplicable fear, retching, and uncontrollable coughing. Space prevents me dealing with each of these, and I fear the reader is bored enough already. Suffice to say much the same can be said of all these symptoms. There’s just one other that almost all “exorcists” or practitioners of “deliverance ministry” speak of, and I suspect it’s the crucial one: discernment. Often it’s described as a feeling or sensing that such and such is the case. What are mere mortals supposed to do, then? It seems we can do one of two things: we can take the word of the ‘spiritually enlightened’ when they tell us that someone is demon possessed, on the grounds that they’re in tune with the powers that be; or, alternatively, and more reasonably, we can remain skeptical and resist the notion that someone’s spiritual feelings provide good enough grounds for accepting a case of demon possession when there are perfectly good alternative explanations at hand.

Stephen J. Graham