Exorcism

The Family believes that individuals can become demonically possessed and they believe in actively fighting this condition through exorcisms. This practice was commonly performed on children exhibiting even minor behavioral problems such as restlessness or "foolishness" and was a staple of most Victor Programs.

This practice usually involved outnumbering the individual with adults acting as exorcists and laying hands on them. The act of "laying on of hands" originates from Biblical references and the cult believed it to have inherent spiritual power. In some cases, doing so was a stepping stone to physical violence against the possessed individual that was believed to aid in the process of exorcism.

Multimedia

• Steven Kelly talks about the exorcism of Merry Berg (2.9MB) — From "The Love Prophet" documentary

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