Exorcism, Church of Scientology , Legal First Amendment, Neo-Nazi The Conversation: The Catholic Church's views on exorcism have changed – a religious studies scholar explains why " ... While exorcism is practiced in the majority of the world's cultures, in the Western imagination it is most associated with Catholicism. That association has been either an asset or a liability to the church at various periods throughout history. For most of the 20th century, exorcism was incredibly rare in Western nations and often regarded with embarrassment by Catholic authorities. After William Friedkin's film "The Exorcist" came out in 1973, Juan Cortez,...