Southwestern Pennsylvania League of Apparition Technologists

A New Book That Will Certainly Put The Fear Of God In You!

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:20:00 +2000

Since the time I had my own personal encounter with an entity I have been reading book after book trying to understand the ins and outs of the spirit world. Recently I have come to the conclusion that the vast majority of what is there is a mystery for a reason. A reason we may never know while here on Earth. However, there are some truths to the spirit world that we are given. Some see these truths first hand as an eye witness to the activity and others just hear the story second hand. Many who have never first handedly experienced an event involving a spiritual entity (I'm referring here to those of the negative kind) always seem eager to have that experience. Yet, those who have had an experience of this nature would never wish it on their worst enemy. As I said, I have read many books over the years on this topic, and only a few select have had the vivaciousness to drive home the true feeling of terror experienced by those who have had these sorts of experiences. Author Bill Scott is one of those exceptional authors who has written a book so frightening it should make everyone think twice about "wishing" for ghostly experiences of any kind. Bill Scott in his book "The Day Satan Called: A True Encounter With Demon Possession And Exorcism" has captured the exhilarating fear that comes with a real demonic encounter. Scott describes all the details of his encounter in explicit detail. This detail does not come without a perfect resolution to the problem. If you wish to have a dramatic paranormal experience from the safety of your own home while also learning what it would take to truly defeat an evil of this magnitude, read the book. I cannot recommend this book more highly. Even if you think you are too squeamish to read such a book, just give it a chance. And if you are a Christian looking at the cover of this book and are thinking, this is just wrong and I refuse to read it, open up that closed mind of yours and read it. If not, don't point your finger at anyone else and don't judge a book by its cover. I'm personally sick of hearing "Christians" talk of evil in this world but who also refuse to even acknowledge the presence of demonic entities in this world. Open your eyes, the evidence is everywhere we look, and the resolution is right in front of us and has been starring us straight in the eyes for 2000 years now. We are blind but can see, deaf yet can hear...change is going to come no matter if you're ready for it or not.

Bill Scott opens this book with the perfect quote and I'd like to share it here as well.

"We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
-- Ephesians 6:12

I've heard this passage many times before, but have never fully understood what it is inferring until reading this book.

"The Presence" A Must See Movie

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 23:30:00 +2000

I am writing this fast and without much detail because I want to get this review up on the S.P.L.A.T. Website quickly so you all can see this film. The film I am talking about is called "The Presence" starring Mira Sorvino and Shane West. I'm always on the lookout for the next good "ghost" movie. Now, by my definition, a "ghost" movie is not a gristly slasher film with guts flying everywhere or heads getting chopped off. I'm personally disgusted by those movies. The kinds of "ghost" movies I enjoy are the ones which fill you the viewer with empathy towards the entity, remorse for the entity's confusion, a feeling of believability as the how the spirit world is portrayed, and a movie that will make you laugh, cry, think, feel, and even perhapse analyze your own life. What movies could I compare "The Presence" to? Well, the original "Ghost" is a big contender...it is a movie that contains all of the above mentioned and more. Others that I could maybe compare "The Presence" to could be "The Canterville Ghost", "Sky High" (the Asian film), "The Changeling", or "Left In Darkness". Some of my personal favorites. This movie is eerie, well shot,....ya know what, I can't put into words how cool, refreshing, fun and absorbing this film is, so just go pick up a copy and enjoy it...it's not every Halloween that a ghost story of this caliber comes along. Enjoy!

*Not recommended for younger viewers. Contains some mild coarse language and frightening images.*

Possessed Chair

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 02:50:00 +2000

Fall has arrived, and as everyone knows, that means Halloween is right around the corner. Halloween always seems to garnish thoughts of the supernatural and spooky ghosts stories. The paranormal is on people's minds a lot more than at most times of the year. In anticipation of Halloween, we'll be posting updated investigation data and some new fresh content to the site that is sure to keep you pondering what lurks in the shadows this Halloween season. Check out our H17-1 investigation where we tackled a case in which possessed chairs haunt a family. And as always, check back often for new site content and postings.

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Amazing "Ghost Image" is a must see!? Part 1 of 4

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 02:50:00 +2000

This image of a "ghost" was shown to me by a few individuals I know...ok, about ten or more individuals I know. All of whom claimed "Look at the picture my cousin took! It's a ghost!". Well, either there are allot of people in this area with the same cousin, or all of these people were lying to make the pic sound more believable to me. For one, it doesn't get you anywhere to lie. The truth comes out eventually. And also, I can't believe how many people are so gullible to take one quick look at a simple picture and start passing it around saying that there is a ghost in it. We also get this with allot of "orb" pictures. "Orb" pictures are always misunderstood, but I am writing a separate article about that subject. For now though I'd like to show everyone the picture I am talking about as well as a breakdown of the picture where I show just how stupid the image really is. This breakdown will be posted in a second part to this article. So for now, take a look at the image for yourself and see what you think. In the breakdown, you'll see how all the image is, is a picture of a room that someone was looking at on a computer monitor and then they took a picture of the picture. To see part 2 of the image breakdown click here.

Amazing "Ghost Image" is a must see!? Part 2 of 4

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 02:40:00 +2000

For image 3 in the series click here...

Amazing "Ghost Image" is a must see!? Part 3 of 4

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 02:30:00 +2000

For image 4 of 4 click here...

Amazing "Ghost Image" is a must see!? Part 4 of 4

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 02:20:00 +2000

Here is part four of my "ghost" image breakdown. If you disagree with me or know of another answer as to what is going on in this picture, please post your comments on the public forum on our site.

Demons and Possession

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 03:00:00 +2000

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Demons and Possession
by Jason A Thornton

As we watched the video on the screen, the eyes of the farmer contracted inward horizontally forming what looked like the eyes of a cat or some other feline. The camera shuddered a bit as they prayed over the farmer. As the camera then panned down, saliva slowly formed in the farmer's lips and slowly dripped down onto his white t-shirt. As soon as the saliva came into contact with the white t-shirt, it turned red like blood. Was it blood? We may never know. However what I do know is that what we were watching that evening was not a Hollywood reenactment or movie. Nor was what we saw happening enhanced with CGI special effects. What we saw was recorded several years prior by two very prominent demonologists within the paranormal community. I won't say here in this article who I am talking about out of professional courtesy and I won't give any other details about the video for the same reason. However, I would like to tell all of you that what I saw that evening was really impressive.

Now, I also saw the movie "The Exorcist" at a friend's house when I was very young. And I will easily admit that "The Exorcist" impacted me deeply. So much so, that I didn't sleep well for months after experiencing that movie. However, seeing a real exorcism of that magnitude really made an impact on me. Not with just simple scares as a movie will do, but with thoughts of just how powerful demons can be. It is awe inspiring to think just how easily demons can affect the physical world in which we live. But in my opinion, way too much credit is given to demons and demonic activity. People all throughout the history of organized religions, have always feared the negative energies at work while thinking of the positive energies as just something calm, docile, peaceful, and weak. Well, calm, docile and peaceful may be true, but weak....no way. As the saying goes, it's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for. This applies heavily to God, the angels, and the other heavenly ascending entities presiding within the spiritual realm. It's almost like God and Satan are playing the ultimate chess game and the demons, the angels, and all the living are the pawns of the game. There are some pawns that are a bit different in capabilities such as the demons and angels in comparison to us, however, we are all still pawns nonetheless. What makes this game different is that it is almost like the computer chess game "Battle Chess" where the game pieces are moved, but then come to life and make their own choices and fight for the move...that is the same as our gift of free will. God and Satan place angels and demons in our way to persuade each of us one way or another, however, even with these influences, we all have to make our own choices. Satan may place a demonic element in our way in something as simple as choosing a movie to watch for the evening. Satan may think that he has the upper hand because you're going to see this movie, however, maybe five years ago, God sent an angel into the life of the screenwriter who placed some very special life lessons in the story. You go to see the film, and checkmate, God gets the one up on Satan's play. The world is so complex that we may never see all the ways that demonic influences and angelic influences play out in our lives, however, when it comes to demonic possession, the battle is all too clear. There is allot to the theology of demonic possession, but to just skim the surface a bit is to say that no matter how terrible the possession seems, the person being attacked still has choices to be made on his or her own part and they also still have both demonic as well as angelic influences at play. This is where God gets cunning. There are some people who invite demonic activity into their lives, however there are times where God allows it to happen. Why you may ask? Well, it is part of the ultimate strategy. God may allow the possession to give the demon a false sense of security making it think that he is in control, when ultimately, God uses the activity as a test of the person's dedication to himself. Such as in the story of Anneliese Michel. She was already a practicing Christian, however God allowed for her to become demonically influenced in order for her to strengthen as a person. Ultimately, she was faced with the choice to just die under the influence of the demonic possession, or she could live and suffer for her God to show others her dedication to Him. She chose to live and suffer out the torment the demons would inflict. Now we may never know all the ins and outs of these opportunities and choices between God and his people, we just need to rest assured in the knowledge that in the end, God is the one with the upper hand. That is the reason why there is so much suffering in the world and why each of us have our own crosses to bear...it is ultimately for our benefit. We may not see it at the moment, but as long as we stick to what we know is the truth and live for God, no matter the obstacle, God will make the checkmate.

Right now, the world is in a buzz about the Roman Rite of Exorcism and demonic possession. I really hate to think of something such as this as a fad, but it seems to be. People are always looking for the next shock value or the next quick scare and exorcism seems to do it. It scares everyone, even those who say that it is a joke. I think deep down inside those people are also scared...they just don't want to admit it. The idea that something completely unseen can so easily take control of a person's body, their voice, their sight, and even the objects around them is outright terrifying to think of. As a person, the possessed are trapped inside their bodies, and another force is pushing them aside. However, this idea can also be very liberating. The idea that God and Satan, Angels and Demons are all spiritual energies of one kind or another, and that even though we don't know how they do what they do, it is obvious that if Satan and Demons can control a person's body, can influence their speech, can make objects in the room around them hurl at people, etc., it should be clear to the utmost that God and the Angelic entities can also greatly influence and control us and our surroundings. The difference is that God and the Angels don't have the conceited, self driven thought processes of the demons and Satan. That is what sets the two at polar opposites. It is also this self centered desire of evil that allows God to always gain the upper hand. For the most part, demons destroy themselves...God just gives them what they want. It's kind of like a kid who wants to eat nothing but candy for supper. The kid will throw a fit until mom gives in and allows him to eat all the candy he wants. The kid thinks he got the one up on mom until later that night when the kid is sick and vomiting because he ate too much of the candy. Mom wins... God works the same way with demonic possessions. He gives the demons just enough to "think" they have the upper hand when in reality they never did.

Another aspect of demonic possession that has always kept me in awe is the idea that if demons are capable, and they are, to physically move and manipulate earthy items. What are God and the Angels capable of? Well, let's see, there is raising the dead, giving sight to blind people, curing diseases, restoring hearing to the deaf, restoring speech to the mute, allowing the crippled to walk again, stopping accidents from happening; the list goes on and on. But for some reason, people today and throughout history have always thought as if the only one with the power was Satan and the demons. That's kind of a sad perspective on life to think that we are all at the mercy (term used lightly) of Satan. No way. That is why as the bible says, Satan has no power over those who hold tightly to a faith in God because with God, nothing in Heaven, Hell, or Earth can harm us. Especially Satan and Demons.

History has many remarkable occurrences of demonic possession other than the occurrences found in the Bible's New Testament. Agreeably, Jesus is the most readily recognized exorcist throughout history, however many others have had encounters with demonically possessed individuals. Lucian (born A.D. 125) described a very violent encounter in his "The Lover Of Lying". Flavius Philostratus (a Greek sophist) noted the story of a young boy who was "possessed by an evil" in his biography. Cyril Of Jerusalem (a Christian writer) describes demonic possession in his writing "Catechisms, xvi, No 15" as "the man is filled with darkness; his eye is open yet his soul sees not through it; and the miserable man quivers convulsively before his death." Zeno of Verona (c. 375) in his writing "S. Zenones Episcopi Veronce Sermones" describes very much the same thing describing the victim as dying "a violent death". Gregory of Tours (a 6th Century French chronicler) documented possession in early France in his "Historia Francorum, book x" as an event where the possessed come running into the open churches seeking refuge from the demons and feel a liberation once they enter the church. A young girl is the victim of possession in the account of Saint Gall in the 7th Century who in his writings in "Monumenta Germanice historice" is said that she "could hardly be held by several persons" showing the extreme strength these individuals may possess. A last encounter worthy of listing here is that of Saint Francis of Assisi who recounts the extreme possession of a man named Peter, a woman from a town named Narnius, and many others of his time. Saint Francis' encounters with demons and possessed individuals is so vast and so plentiful that he is depicted in a very famous paint rendering titled " Expulsion of the Devils from Arezzo" by Giotto di Bondone which resides in the Upper Church, S. Francesco, Assisi Italy.

In our modern times, we have several highly noted and respected exorcists and demonologists. One of the most highly recognized exorcists of the Vatican would easily be Gabriele Amorth. Gabriele Amorth has written extensively in Italian on his encounters as working as the unofficial chief exorcist of the Vatican. His two English publications are "An Exorcist Tells His Story" and "An Exorcist: More Stories" which are both excellent compilations of demonic possession in the world today. Others who can be found in many stories of possession are Malachi Martin, Francis MacNutt, Fr. Jose Anonio Fortea, Rev. Theophilus Riesinger, Keith Johnson, and Carl Johnson just to name a few. Malachi Martin, author of the book "Hostage To The Devil" was one of the first to recount full case studies and compare them side by side in an analytical way. I think Francis MacNutt is worth mentioning since he has been pioneering the idea of the Deliverance ministry. Deliverance ministry deals mostly with people suffering from demonic oppression rather than full blown demonic possession which in my opinion is a very important endeavor helping thousands, if not millions worldwide. Fr. Jose Anonio Fortea is the author of the recent book "An Interview With An Exorcist" which is a really informative Q&A session with Fortea about his views on how possession as a generalization develops and is handled. The story of Rev. Theophilus Riesinger is a very intense documentation of a case which occurred earlier this century which has numerous witnesses and has been thoroughly investigated by the Vatican. The last two I'd like to make mention of are Keith and Carl Johnson, two prominent demonologists in the paranormal community. They are also recognized as having been involved in the expulsion of numerous demons both from persons as well as homes.

A topic that I know that is on many people's minds reading this article is the new Warner Brothers and New Line movie "The Rite". As I said earlier, exorcism is a rapidly growing fad in America and the World. But before I tell you all my opinions about the film "The Rite", I'd like to briefly mention the other exorcism or possession films I really admire. Now, you may or may not agree with this list, it is my opinion, but I'd like to rank my top four films relating to this topic. Why four? Well, I have only seen four that in my opinion make me think, inspire me in my faith, make me feel a very deep compassion for the persons depicted as being possessed, and honestly they also scare the crap out of me.

Number four in my ranking would be the original film "The Exorcist". No other film has ever scared me, or driven me to take a closer look at the world around me than the original "The Exorcist". The imagery, the acting, the story, the special effects, and the score music all played an integral part in making "The Exorcist" what it is, a classic.

Number three in my list is a film simply called "Exorcism". The movie has a lame plot, pretty bad acting, B-movie makeup and special effects, etc, but I admire this film because it is driven by a passion for the very faith that drives out the demons it is depicting. The film goes where no other possession film dares to go by digging into the beliefs of us all and depicting scenes of confrontation between demons and angels. The scenes where the demons and angels confront one another are spectacular and very inspiring. It also shows the people driving the battle from their earthly position while the spiritual battle rages. This movie is hard to find, but worth it if you can.

Second in my list is a movie that broke many barriers. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" was a film that came crashing through the wall called Hollywood like the Coolaid Man on a hot summer day. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" took the story of Anneliese Michel, a German Catholic woman who is reported to have become overcome by several demonic forces and underwent a severe exorcism. What sets the story of Anneliese Michel (or Emily Rose as in the film) apart from the others is that at the height of the exorcism, she was confronted by the appearance of Mary who gave her the option as a devout Catholic to either die now in a state of grace and end the suffering, or to continue on with the roman rite of exorcism and to endure the suffering it would bring upon her in order to show the world her love for her God. Ultimately she chose to endure the suffering of the exorcism and eventually passed from the possession. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" also delves into the very heated debate of science versus faith in the portrayal of a courtroom drama. The story plays out where the main priest involved in the exorcism of Emily Rose is being tried on the count of homicide and medical negligence. The priest has to defend himself via "proof" of the unseen by conveying to the court the story of Emily Rose. What evidence could he possibly present to the court you ask? Go see the movie.

My number one choice if you hadn't guessed it by now ends up being "The Rite". By far, "The Rite". Why? Easily, "The Rite" combines all the aspects of all the movies I have just listed into one spectacular film that in my opinion left me in awe by the time I walked out of the theater. Honestly, I also never thought that I would tear up at the site of a possession film...or any horror film for that matter. However, this film was filled with so much emotion and compassion that it was hard not to feel at least some remorse for the pain the possessed was enduring. Now, I read the book when it came out about a year or so ago...actually I've read it about ten times now, so I may in that respect be a little more devoted to this film translation. But I find it hard to think that anyone could disagree with my sentiments towards this story. The possessed are shown in this film to be so innocent that when the exorcisms are taking place you really feel for them. More importantly though is the strong message this film drives home. The tagline of the film is "You can only defeat it when you believe" and that is so clearly the main theme of this story. The main character, Gary Thomas, is thrust into a world he is reluctant to accept as real. The world is that of the world of demonic forces and the battle to overcome called exorcism. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" depicted a battle in a court room about the truth of demonic possession and whether it exists or not, and the same battle occurs in "The Rite", however the battle takes place within the minds and souls of Gary Thomas, in the film a female journalist who in real life was Matt Baglio, as well as Gary Thomas' mentor Priest who in the film was portrayed by Anthony Hopkins. Each appear in the film with their own doubts and fears as to why what they are seeing is taking place. And by the end of the film, as you have taken the journey into the struggles of faith with these three characters, you as the viewer also are compelled to search within your own soul to decide if after experiencing the facts of possession if you can still deny that they (or more importantly, He) exists.

I know that many viewers are still going to go see "The Rite" for shear scares and thrills (and sickly some even laugh), but I truly pray that at least a few people come away with the true intent of both the film and the original book; that exorcisms are for the most part uneventful and rather mundane no matter what people see in the movies. That the Roman Rite Of Exorcism is held dear by the Catholic Church not because it gets butts in the pews or makes the national headlines from time to time but that God uses the Rite to teach and remind his beloved children that He is the one in control. That no matter how bad we think things get or how in control we think that evil is, that God always has the upper hand if we just put our trust in Him. Do yourself a favor and go see "The Rite". Then come to www.splatinvestigations.com and let me know what you thought.

***** UPDATE 2/20/11 *****
In the previous article, I recounted my favorite (or in other terms most influential) films about demonic possession and exorcism to date. There was one film I was reluctant to discuss due to the fact that at the time of my writing the article I hadn't seen the film. I was desperately trying to track down a copy. I finally got one and was able to sit down to watch it. It is now my number one most influential film based on this subject matter. The film is called "Requiem" and is a German language film based on the true story of Anneliese Michel as is "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". This film as with "Emily Rose" also changes the names and some of the occurrences to make it a bit more ambiguous to the viewer, however, just like "Emily Rose", "Requiem" is a truly impactful film. So much so, I would have to say this is my number one choice when it comes to these films. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" dealt heavily with the court case that ensued after the passing of Anneliese Michel and did an awesome job with it. It dealt heavily with the ideas of Science vs. Faith and demons vs. modern society and so on. So does "Requiem". The major difference with "Requiem" is that it becomes more about the life of Anneliese Michel, her day to day struggles, how she accepted or didn't accept what was happening to her, her influences of St. Catherine of Genoa, and how it all affected her family and friends. I'll warn everyone that this film is not super suspenseful nor is it a super scary horror film. It is a simple and gently flowing drama which eventually depicts one of the best reenactments of an exorcism I have seen to date. It was not overly intense or gory. It showed eloquently how Anneliese was just not in control of herself at the time and how "something" was taking over. It also showed in very believable ways the demon's perversion to holy relics. Her head never spun, she didn't spit pea soup (just some chicken soup she was eating...but that was different), and she didn't levitate off her bed. I can't recommend this film more highly. My only regret is that I hope the original director gets the opportunity to make a sequel to this film following the rest of her struggles and possibly deal with the court case as did "Emily Rose". "Requiem" will show you what exorcism is really like, not what everyone thinks exorcism is like!

New Paranormal TV Shows

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 19:20:00 +2000

For those of you into watching paranormal TV shows, here are a few more that I recently became aware of that I thought I'd share with our site visitors.

A new one, called The Exorcist Files, is already causing a lot of controversy. It's a series that involves cases of demonic possession and exorcisms. The Catholic Church is said to be involved in helping the Discovery Channel produce the series, but the Vatican has recently come out against any such involvement.

Please see the links below for more information.

SyFy Adds Three New Paranormal Show to their Lineup

Exorcist Files

Ghosts of Christmas Video Presenation

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:40:00 +2000

For those of you who could not attend our Ghosts of Christmas Presentation at the Portage Area High School on December 12th, we have posted the entire program to YouTube. It is available in a 4 part series and is about an hour in length. Click here to view it.

We would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year. SPLAT has a lot planned for 2011 and we hope you check back to the site frequently for the latest news and updates.

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