Medical or Otherwise?

I've been researching the Puritans and the Salem Witchcraft Trials for the past year and a half, writing up a 1st draft of my first novel for adults. One thing keeps me baffled about this study. Did those who were "afflicted" with spells make it up, experience a sort of hysteria due to the times and talk of the day, or did they actually experience "fits" caused by real spells and witchcraft? The overwhelming concensus from experts is that the girls who accused folks of witchcraft were partly lying and partly reacting out of fear.

I'm not so sure. I think there probably were some practicing demonic activities and some who were not. I'm still researching as I write.

In the good ole USA today, we tend to explain everything away with medical terminology. Medicate, medicate, medicate. We have sociopaths and narcissists roaming around and ever increasing. Is it all due to some chemical imbalance in the brain or other part of the body?

Or could it be sin that causes it? Could it be a combination? Is it society itself? Hmmmm.

We listened to missionaries speak in church today. They minister to a part of Asia. One of the missionaries told a story about a girl he knows who was possessed by demons - 5 of them. The girl's parents took her to the witch doctors, took her to medical doctors, took her to a Buddhist monk. They all said they couldn't do anything, except for an additional explanation from the Buddhist. He said to "take her to the Christians because they are the only ones who can cast out demons."

This was done and the girl now attends Bible School and is a lovely young woman who loves the Lord. She is free of the possession.

We never hear of people possessed in this country anymore. They're all medically sick. It leaves me to wonder.

**Disclaimer** I am not saying that everyone suffering from illnesses, mental or otherwise, are demon possessed. Please don't assume that.