The Power of Christ Compels Him

Posted by J.D. Dunn on 06.29.2008

Why an obscure court ruling in Texas might derail Bobby Jindal's chances of being McCain's veep.





The Texas Supreme Court overturned a judgment against the Pleasant Glade Assembly of God Church on Friday in a civil case surrounding exorcism practices. The justices ruled, in a 6-3 decision, that the jury's decision created an undue entanglement in the First Amendment rights of the church.

In 2002, a Tarrant County jury awarded Laura Schubert $300,000 in damages for injuries, both physical and psychological, during a 1996 exorcism performed by the church. Schubert claims she was held down against her will for several hours during the procedure, suffering severe carpet burns as she tried to break free. She also claims the incident led to psychological trauma, self-mutilation and a suicide attempt.

The jury found that Schubert, who was 17 at the time of the exorcism, had been abused and unlawfully detained by church members. The 2nd Court of Appeals reduced the jury award to less than $200,000, but the Texas Supreme Court's ruling throws the award out altogether.

Justice David Medina, wrote in the majority opinion that awarding a judgment against the church would "would have an unconstitutional 'chilling effect' by compelling the church to abandon core principles of its religious beliefs."

In dissent, Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson countered that the U.S. Constitution does not offer "sweeping immunity" for religious organizations. "The First Amendment guards religious liberty; it does not sanction intentional abuse in religion's name," Jefferson wrote.

Exorcisms are an ancient religious practice in which the exorcist, usually a priest or holy cleric, expels a demon from a possessed person. Virtually every major religion performs some form of exorcism, although the methods and beliefs vary about the practice.

Because the Texas Supreme Court overturned the judgment on the basis of First Amendment religious protection, the case is almost certain to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, which could thrust the subject of exorcisms into the national spotlight.

All of this could spell trouble for Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana governor who many say is on John McCain's short list of vice presidential candidates. Jindal is a former Hindu who converted to Catholicism in high school. A staunchly religious conservative, Jindal has not been shy about letting his religion guide his policies. He recently signed into a law a chemical-castration bill for sex offenders and is in favor of teaching "Intelligent Design" alongside evolutionary theory.

One controversial aspect of Jindal's faith has dogged him throughout his political career, though. In 1994, Jindal wrote an essay for the New Oxford Review in which he details performing an exorcism on a friend named "Susan." Jindal's relationship with Susan is difficult to describe, but one could say they were more than friends but less than lovers.

Jindal says Susan revealed to him that she had been diagnosed with skin cancer and that she was having difficulty coping with a friend's recent suicide. Susan complained of nightmares and smelling sulfur in her room at night, which Jindal immediately recognized as signs of demonic possession. Jindal invited Susan to a prayer meeting, but during the meeting Susan had a seizure and began shouting at her friends. Jindal claims Susan also began to refer to herself in the third person.

Almost immediately, the prayer group went into action.

Jindal describes the event thusly:

"The students, led by Susan's sister and Louise, a member of a charismatic church, engaged in loud and desperate prayers while holding Susan with one hand. Kneeling on the ground, my friends were chanting, "Satan, I command you to leave this woman." Others exhorted all "demons to leave in the name of Christ." It is no exaggeration to note the tears and sweat among those assembled. Susan lashed out at the assembled students with verbal assaults."

Jindal claims the event lasted "a few hours," and when Susan tried to leave, she was restrained by the group.

"Maybe she sensed our weariness; whether by plan or coincidence, Susan chose the perfect opportunity to attempt an escape. She suddenly leapt up and ran for the door, despite the many hands holding her down. This burst of action served to revive the tired group of students and they soon had her restrained once again, this time half kneeling and half standing."

Jindal continues:

"Almost taunting the evil spirit that had almost beaten us minutes before, the students dared Susan to read biblical passages. She choked on certain passages and could not finish the sentence 'Jesus is Lord.' Over and over, she repeated 'Jesus is L..L..LL,' often ending in profanities. In between her futile attempts, Susan pleaded with us to continue trying and often smiled between the grimaces that accompanied her readings of Scripture. Just as suddenly as she went into the trance, Susan suddenly reappeared and claimed 'Jesus is Lord.'"

Jindal claims Susan was tested for cancer not long after and was completely free of cancerous cells.

Jindal has never commented on the essay since entering public life, and his Democratic opponents have had a hard time figuring out how to use it against him.

If the story is true, Jindal's essay would be tantamount to an admission of accessory to kidnapping. According to Jindal's account, Susan was restrained when she tried to leave. Remember, this wasn't even an official exorcism authorized by the church. Jindal and his friends were just members of a church youth group. Fortunately for Jindal, Susan was "cured" of her possession and apparently remains friends with him.

Less disturbing, but equally valid for consideration, is that Jindal expresses no intellectual curiosity in his own account. He says point blank that he interpreted Susan's nightmares, visions and smelling sulfur as demonic possession. He doesn't seem to consider that someone whose friend just committed suicide might suffer from nightmares or post-traumatic stress visions, or that medications used to treat cancerous growths are often sulfur-based (or, given that Susan apparently lived in the dorms, it could, quite reasonably, have been rotten eggs).

He attributes Susan's mood swings, not to clinical depression, but to a demon. Her split personality, Jindal assumed, was a demon, not dissociative disorder (an offshoot of depression, which is often a diagnosis of those who claim to be possessed).

Jindal assumed a Truth according to his own biases and worked backwards from that, the very same mindset, many say, plagues the current administration. Even the Catholic Church, which has an actual branch dedicated to exorcism, tests its subjects thoroughly for mental disorders before performing an exorcism.

If Jindal were to be the vice presidential nominee, it would bring a torrent of scrutiny down on not only his beliefs but his decision-making. It would be similar to Barack Obama's problems during the Reverend Wright situation only amplified several times. While Wright's comments didn't destroy the campaign, they caused a distraction that forced Obama off message. Niether Jindal nor McCain would be able to focus on his plans for national security or immigration without being hounded by lingering questions about this event.

If the story is not true, that creates another set of problems for Jindal from both sides of the aisle.