Bobby Jindal's exercise in exorcism

Governor Jindal  (Photo by Gage Skidmore)

Louisiana governor Piyush “Bobby” Jindal, who converted to Roman Catholicism after growing up within a Hindu family, has made no secret of the fact that he once took part in an exorcism.

According to New York Times blogger Charles Blow, the exorcism was for a college friend of Jindal’s named Susan.  Susan was a “charismatic Christian” who had been recently diagnosed with cancer at the time.

Jindal's own account of this exorcism can be found in an article he wrote for the New Oxford Review titled “Beating a Demon: Physical Dimensions of Spiritual Warfare.”  

Jindal describes these “physical dimensions” rather vividly in passages such as this:  Suddenly, Susan emitted some strange guttural sounds and fell to the floor…  Susan’s sister… ordered us to gather round and place our hands on Susan’s prostrate body.

Some of Jindal's friends were commanding Satan to “leave this woman.”  Jindal self-reportedly began to “feel as if something was pushing down on my chest.”

The exorcism apparently went well since “Susan wound up claiming, “Jesus is Lord.”  She then seemed not to remember anything that had occurred during the actual ritual.

Jindal is currently contemplating a presidential run, and some are wondering whether this exercise    in exorcism might deter voters.  Others feel that it might instead be a plus because “nearly 70 percent of Americans believe [per 2008 Pew Forum survey results] that ‘Angels and demons are active in the

world.’”

Resources

http://blow.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/28/bobby-jindal-the-exorcist-pro-or-con/?_r=0

Copyright February 20, 2015 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved