In the late-1940s, a boy who was living a normal life had his fate turned around when he went through several near death experiences. He then endured a nearly-two-month process of exorcisms from several priests for the small mistake he had made. The priests that had performed these exorcisms gave this 14-year-old boy the pseudonym “Roland Doe.” What led Roland to this moment? His beloved aunt had given him an Ouija board as a gift and had taught him how to contact spirits with it. However, she had died shortly after teaching him. Roland, heartbroken about his deceased loved one, decided to contact her from the afterlife. However he contacted a demon instead.1
Before being possessed, Roland used an Ouija (Wee-gee) Board, which is a board usually made of wood with the alphabet spelled on it, as well as the words “yes” and “no,” and it may have numbers “0-9.” The board comes with a pointer that spirits are able to move onto each letter to make words to talk to you. Although it has been rumored that the Ouija Board had just appeared from nowhere, some say the first one was created in Maryland in the 1890s. After many disputes and law suits over what this board was in the 1920s, it was decided that it was not a religious device, but simply a board game instead. Yet, it was still used by mediums as a professional tool to contact spirits.2 The Ouija Board is also a type of seance, which is a French word for “session,” and this refers to the practice of gathering together as a group to receive messages from ghosts or listen to spirits. However in cases that aren’t led by professionals, they may lead into possession by demons.3
The teenage boy Roland Doe started getting marks and scratches all over his body while at home, which led his family to realize there was a problem. These scratches ended up turning into words. The first word happened to be “LOUIS,” relating to his worried mother’s hometown of St. Louis. Once there, the family contacted a medium to talk to this demon that was living in her child. However as the medium was conducting a seance, more marks appeared upon his skin. The marks ended up turning into letters again, which bore the words “NO SCHOOL.” Upon seeing this, the medium contacted a Jesuit Priest by the name of Father Raymond Bishop, who happened to be a priest at St. Louis University, to perform a blessing on the possessed child. However while Bishop was praying to the child, Roland’s bed began to shake and tremble while deep bloody gashes started appearing on Roland Doe’s chest. After witnessing this event, the priest immediately called upon the Archbishop to perform a full exorcism.4
The Catholic Church believes that the devil finds all of the souls he can to torment and bring them to sin. The Church also believes some people will become possessed with demons from hell. A big problem with exorcisms in the eighteenth century to today is that many scientists and skeptics believe that people who become possessed by Satan are faking it and it is just some mental disease. However some cases of exorcisms have shown unbelievable occurrences that have happened while the people are possessed. Therefore, possession, which is a demon taking away your soul and body in order to spread evil and hate, was and still is too difficult and too complex to be equated with any modern physical illness. There is also no space in the Catholic tradition to deny the existence of demons because of the presence of the devil in the Bible and the prayers that expel demons.5 Catholics believe the devil’s existence is rooted in the first story in the Bible, which tells of Adam and Eve disobeying God and giving in to the snake’s (the devil’s) lies and took forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden. This temptation to sin is the easiest form that the devil takes in order to make people become less faithful. Catholics also believe in St. Micheal, who is a defender of the church and people and is hated by demons and the devil all over Hell. There are even prayers in the Bible that talk about the Devil and getting rid of him and his temptation. “Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man”(Psalms 71:4) is a scripture in Psalms that is a prayer for those in need of God to come and save them from the wicked hands of the Devil.6
The tantrums that Roland Doe suffered and the exorcisms that followed after Father William Bowdern went horrifically. A crucifix in Roland Doe’s room began to tremble, at the same time his bed shook, and the vial of holy water that was supposed to be protecting the teenage boy shattered into a million different pieces sending glass shards everywhere. All throughout the exorcism there were continuous markings that other priests believed couldn’t have been self-induced. The explicit language that Roland Doe had shouted and babbled at night reeked of sexual abuse as a child. However, the words he was using should not have been known for a child his age. This suggests it couldn’t have just been a mental disease. It became so bad sometimes that the priests believed they needed to baptize the boy. However, while on the way to the church, Roland tried to swerve the car off the road with the intent to crash and kill. The weirdest part about the events that occurred to Roland Doe is that during the morning, he was completely normal, but as soon as night fell, it was almost like he fell into a trance.7
Ever since creation of the world, in the Catholic view, there has always been the threat of the devil. In fact, Satan even means “opponent,” and it is believed that he is the opponent of God and his children. Many Catholics even believe that if people don’t believe that Satan exists then he has even more power over you. Catholics believe that in order to truly get rid of demons inside of the possessed, they have to acknowledge the demon inside of them and pray to God to get rid of this wicked spirit.8 However for those that are not able to do that by themselves, they need to call upon a priest to undergo an exorcism. The purpose of an exorcism is to dispel or frighten away demons or spirits that were contracted from a seance or another unnatural occurrence. Traditionally, most exorcisms are are carried out by Catholics with the use of holy objects, incense, and loud noises of all kinds (mostly prayer).9 In contrast, Protestants believe that possession is associated with personal guilt so their methods include fasting and many personal prayers. Regardless, whenever a person that is possessed gets to a certain point where they lose control, there is nothing that they can do for themselves any more and they must call upon priests for help.10
Roland Doe was finally cured in 1949 during a lightning storm. He had no memory of what happened over the past months of torture he endured. He did move on past these experiences and had three kids and a successful career. Unfortunately, one of the priests that tried to cure him not only was on the brink of insanity by the end of the exorcisms but had also become possessed as well. On this priest’s death bed it is claimed that he used explicit words against a nurse and tried to choke her to death. Although many researchers of this case believe that this was just a mental illness, it can not be confirmed because of the events that occurred to the young teenager. It is even said that the spot where Roland had the exorcist is permanently cracked into the concrete.11 This case also inspired The Exorcist, which was a novel published in 1971 that was also made into a movie. However instead of a 14-year-old boy, the novel was written with him being a 12-year-old girl. Despite that small change, the events that occurred in the exorcisms were just as gruesome and horrible, including the girl levitating, her head spinning, and projecting vomit at the priests. Nonetheless, the events that occurred on those frightful nights gave many people nightmares for decades, and if Roland hadn’t lost his memory he probably would have lived his life in a mental hospital.12
- Caroline Iggulden, “The Exorcists of Roland Doe,” The Sun, February 20, 2017. ↵
- Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2019, s.v. “Ouija Boards,” John L. Crow. ↵
- Patrick McNamara, Spirit Possession And Exorcism: History, Psychology, And Neurobiology (Praeger, 2011), 34. ↵
- Caroline Iggulden, “The Exorcists of Roland Doe,” The Sun, February 20, 2017. ↵
- Moshe Sluhovsky, “The Devil Within: Possession and Exorcism in the Christian West,” Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft, no. 1 (2014): 113. ↵
- Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments: King James Version. (American Bible Society, 2010). ↵
- Caroline Iggulden, “The Exorcists of Roland Doe,” The Sun, February 20, 2017. ↵
- Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2018, s.v. “Satan,” Rebecca Kraft. ↵
- Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2019, s.v. “Exorcism.” ↵
- Moshe Sluhovsky, “The Devil Within: Possession and Exorcism in the Christian West,” Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft, no. 1 (2014): 113. ↵
- Caroline Iggulden, “The Exorcists of Roland Doe,” The Sun, February 20, 2017. ↵
- Michael Cuneo, American Exorcisms (New York: Broadway Books, 2002), 7-9. ↵
73 comments
Kayla Mendez
I feel very appreciative towards this article, since Mitchell Yocham refuses to shy away from the skepticism and excuses of mental illness that often surround the spirit world. As a believer in God, who happens to be a psychology major, I hope to to merge both aspects of my life to help victims like Roland Doe. In the world we live in today, it seems as if Satan’s presence has sneaked into our daily lives, leaving many people vulnerable. This past weekend, I was shopping at Barnes and Noble, where a Ouija Board was being sold as a fun board game to play with friends. It scared me, as it forced me to realize that there are people who hear stories similar to Roland Doe’s, and view it as a simple tale. Over the years, I’ve learned the danger of allowing Satan’s “wicked hands” near you. For the past five years, I’ve sworn off scary movies due to the experiences I’ve had after viewing them. Although I read this article already knowing the ugliness of the Devil, learning of Roland Doe’s story has still brought me heartache. Thankfully, he was able to escape the demon’s possession, but I can’t help but feel upset towards the undeserving fate one of the priests experienced. The only thing that gives me peace is knowing that he is in the kingdom of God, where the Devil has no power.
Ana Paula
I’ve always been intrigued by stories like these, but I’ve learned to do my research well. It’s important to be accurate and skeptical in order to obtain truth because if you aren’t, the consequences, even unintended, can be very serious. I have been victim to much of it throughout my life. I do have a mental illness. I know what it’s like to wake up with new scratches and injuries. However, I know the cause even if I have no memory of it. I have worked, and continue to work, incredibly hard to live my life normally. Yet I still get many people telling me that I’m possessed, that I should get an exorcism, ordering me go to a priest or get blessed, etc.. It’s never pleasant and many people become frightened of me. I grew up Catholic, my parents did get me blessed (along with out house), but I wasn’t helped by that, I was helped by doctors. I don’t mean to discredit anyone else’s stories or experiences. I only want to share how sometimes blindly believing something can lead to spreading false information and, consequently, harming others. In your piece, there are only four citations associated with the actual events. Of those four, three of them are from the same source, that source being secondary and not officially credible. Also, the picture you’ve captioned as “Ronald Doe levitating above his bed” is a shot from the movie The Exorcist. If you’re studying criminal justice, it’s crucial that you obtain various sources and do extensive research. People’s actual lives will be affected if you don’t.
Destiny Lucero
This article is so interesting and eerie. I love a good scary story. Something that I find really intriguing is that this 14 year old boy went through months of torment and what seems as self harm, but once cured had no memory of it and continued his life as if nothing had happened. I am one to be a skeptic, but there are some cases where it is so unusual and explanatory that make me question my beliefs. Cases where kids or people speak a language that they have never been around or had access to learn, or levitating before ones eyes, or climbing up walls as if it were adhesive. I guess it is something I would have to see to believe but I am not dumb or wild enough to grab a Quija board to test it for myself.
Hali Garcia
Great article!!! I was hooked from the beginning. If I’m honest, Ouijia boards terrify me. I have heard of exorcisms by watching movies but actually reading about one that was actually done, is completely horrifying. What happened to Ronald Doe is very sad because he wanted to talk to his aunt who had died but I kind of expected him to become possessed because of the fact that she had died after teaching him how to use the board. It is true that in prayers the devil is mentioned so there has to be some evil. What was shocking to me was how scratches would form words and they also appeared when they were praying over him.
Stephen Talik
This was a excellent theological description of Exorcisms. The thing I took away most from this story however, was the pain and suffering suffered by the priest trying to drive the demon out. Too often, in cases of exorcism, the trials the priests go through in trying to help the possessed is as bad or worse than the initial possession. Also, don’t play with Ouija boards kids.
Aracely Beltran
I am a huge fan of scary movies; I enjoy the suspense. However, after reading this I think I will stick to the movies because I know it is fake. I hate the idea of someone actually being possessed and being used as a notebook for demons. No thanks. I did not like the visuals you gave me with reading this. That being sad well written article you gave me visuals that I did not need and I won’t be sleeping in the next week (I’m joking).
Zachary Kobs
This article was so grabbing to my attention and I loved every second of reading it. But, one question I kept asking myself is that if professionals believe it was a mental health issue and not a demon. Then how would that explain all the markings and scratches on Roland without him doing it to himself? Maybe it was him doing it to himself or another person but I just do not see how anybody else would not document that and leave it up to the assumption that a demon did it.
David Castaneda Picon
Wow! I remember that when I was around 13 years old, my cousins went to my house with that idea of playing that board game, Ouija. At the time I didn’t knew much about this board game but I knew it was something related with spirits and the after life. I am glad we never got to play. After reading this article I remembered that stage of my life and I only think about what could have happened since none of us was a professional in that game.
Anthony Coronado
Exorcism is a conflict between science and faith, as in justifying a conclusion to instances to how or a conclusion an unorthodox occurrence. Many adults do believe in the evil that is known to Ouija boards. As with teenagers, they get caught in with exorcisms and the Ouija boards and become fixated to do a seance of their own. There is a justification dealing whether the existence of an afterlife, promoting to faith to the scientific justification
Kacey Diaz
I think this was a really cool article to read. Topics such as this can be seen as controversial to an extend which was kind of mentioned in your article. I think it was really well organized and researched. I liked how even though this stemmed from more of a demonic and religious battle including the Catholic Church, that mental health was also mentioned.