The Irony in Fr. Ripperger's View on Emotions and Demons: A Cycle of Emotional Reasoning and Superstition

Fr. Chad Ripperger, a prominent Catholic exorcist, claims that demons can "move" our emotions, suggesting that negative feelings like fear, anxiety, or sadness are often caused by demonic influence. He emphasizes that throughout Catholic spiritual tradition, saints have cautioned against following one's emotions, as they can be deceptive and potentially lead us astray.

While his intention may be to protect the faithful from spiritual deception, there's a profound irony in his approach: by suggesting our emotions are frequently manipulated by demons, he inadvertently creates the very problems he seeks to address—emotional reasoning, superstition, and internal division. This teaching risks fostering a cycle where normal human emotions become evidence of spiritual attacks, creating unnecessary fear and hypervigilance that demons would actually benefit from.

The Nature of Emotions and Emotional Reasoning

Emotions are not reliable guides to objective truth, but they are extraordinarily reliable indicators of how we're interpreting our experiences. When we feel anxious, that emotion doesn't necessarily mean danger exists, but it does faithfully reveal that we're interpreting our situation as threatening. When we feel joy, it accurately reflects that we're interpreting our circumstance as beneficial or fulfilling.

This distinction is crucial: emotions don't tell us what's objectively true about external reality, but they do tell us what's happening in our internal reality. They reveal our perceptions, beliefs, and interpretations—making them valuable signals for self-awareness and growth, not threats to be feared or suppressed.

Scripture tells us in James 1:14 that "each person is tempted when they are lured and enticed by their own desire." This suggests that our emotional vulnerabilities come not primarily from external demonic manipulation but from our own internal desires that aren't yet fully aligned with God's will. Demons may suggest, but they cannot force emotions upon us.

When Fr. Ripperger suggests that demons move our emotions, he inadvertently promotes emotional reasoning—the cognitive distortion where we believe our feelings reflect objective reality rather than recognizing them as responses to our perceptions. This creates a dangerous pattern: feeling anxious or fearful might lead someone to conclude they're under spiritual attack, which then creates more anxiety and fear, reinforcing the very cycle they're trying to escape. A teaching meant to protect people from emotional deception ends up creating a framework where emotions become even more confusing and frightening.

Superstition: The Self-Reinforcing Cycle

Superstition, at its core, is a false causal belief—attributing an effect to a cause that isn't actually responsible. When Fr. Ripperger suggests that demons are responsible for moving our emotions, he unintentionally promotes a superstitious view of emotional experience that creates a self-perpetuating cycle.

This cycle works as follows: A person experiences a negative emotion like anxiety or fear; they attribute this emotion to demonic influence; this attribution increases their fear and vigilance; their heightened fear reinforces the belief that demons are attacking them; this leads to more emotional distress, interpreted as further evidence of demonic activity.

The Illusion of Relief: How Interventions Reinforce Superstition

One of the most powerful ways this cycle perpetuates itself is through the temporary relief that often follows spiritual interventions. When someone believes their emotions are caused by demons and engages in prayer, deliverance, or other spiritual practices to combat this perceived attack, they may experience a genuine sense of relief afterward.

This relief, however, doesn't necessarily validate the superstitious belief. It may simply result from the psychological comfort of taking action against a perceived threat, the calming effects of prayer and ritual, the power of suggestion and expectation, or simply the natural fluctuation of emotions over time (the problem would have subsided anyway).

When this relief is interpreted as proof that demons were causing the emotions, it reinforces the superstitious belief system. The person becomes more convinced that their emotions are externally controlled, making them more likely to attribute future emotional experiences to demonic influence.

Creating Internal Division Through Emotional Distrust

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of this teaching is how it fosters internal division. By suggesting that our emotions might be externally controlled by malevolent forces, Fr. Ripperger inadvertently teaches people to distrust a fundamental aspect of their humanity. This distrust creates a split between emotional life and spiritual life—exactly the kind of internal division that would benefit demonic influence.

When we're taught to view our emotions with suspicion, we lose access to the valuable information they provide. Instead of integrating our emotional experiences into our spiritual journey, we compartmentalize them, creating fragmentation rather than wholeness. Ironically, this fragmentation makes us more vulnerable to spiritual confusion, not less.

Misinterpreting the Mystical Tradition

Fr. Ripperger suggests that "all Catholic mystics" discourage following emotions, but this oversimplifies a nuanced tradition. The mystics didn't teach that emotions are untrustworthy because they're demonically influenced; rather, they cautioned that emotions shouldn't be the sole guide for spiritual discernment because they can reflect our unhealed wounds and disordered attachments.

St. John of the Cross, for example, doesn't suggest that the difficult emotions experienced during the "dark night of the soul" are caused by demons. Instead, he sees them as part of a purification process where our attachments and expectations are gradually transformed. The spiritual journey isn't about rejecting desires and emotions but about transforming them. As Psalm 37:4 instructs, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

The mystics encourage us to integrate emotions with reason and faith, not to reject them as potentially demonic. Their approach is about integration, not rejection—bringing emotions into harmony with faith and reason, not treating them as external enemies.

The Misleading Concept of "Broadcasting" and True Discernment

Fr. Ripperger shares a metaphor that "God is not the only one who broadcasts on that channel" (an emotional channel) is deeply problematic. He implies that demons and God are operating on the same "frequency," suggesting that spiritual discernment might be blurred by the influence of both God and demons on the same emotional or psychological wavelengths. This metaphor reduces the nuanced and powerful charism of discernment of spirits to a simplistic, almost mechanistic view of competing spiritual influences.

The reality is that discernment of spirits is not about hearing competing broadcasts from demons and God on the same frequency. Rather, it is a charism, a special grace given by the Holy Spirit, that allows individuals to perceive and understand the spiritual realities around them. The Holy Spirit does not simply "broadcast" from an external position but dwells within us, leading us into deeper truth and clarity. This inner presence of the Spirit is what makes discernment possible—it is an intimate, internal knowing, not a superficial reception of external signals.

The Role of Seers and Highly Sensitive Persons in Discernment

Fr. Ripperger's teachings on emotions and demonic influence are particularly problematic for individuals with heightened spiritual sensitivity. Many prophetic individuals, particularly seers, are highly sensitive to the spiritual realm, often experiencing both divine and demonic influences in ways that others may not. In 1 Samuel 9:9, we read: "Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, 'Come, let us go to the seer,' for today's 'prophet' was formerly called a seer." This biblical reference highlights the historical tradition of individuals with special spiritual perception.

These individuals are deeply attuned to spiritual atmospheres and the emotions of others. Their heightened sensitivity manifests as a natural, emotional resonance—feeling the weight of spiritual realities through impressions, thoughts, or even physical sensations.

Most Catholics lack a framework for this type of sensitivity, which leads to isolation and confusion. Without proper understanding, sensitive individuals may feel misunderstood, resulting in disconnection from their emotional boundaries and spiritual authority. When someone like Fr. Ripperger suggests that their experiences are simply demons "broadcasting" on God's frequency, it trivializes their genuine spiritual sensitivity and can lead to fear rather than growth.

For many seers, this sensitivity developed in childhood, where their heightened awareness of their environment—picking up on emotional cues, unspoken tensions, or spiritual atmospheres—wasn't always acknowledged. This often creates a feeling that "things happen TO me," rather than seeing sensitivity as a gift. Their deep attunement is frequently accompanied by wounds from others who dismissed their sensitivities, leaving them emotionally vulnerable and confused about the source of their feelings.

If a sensitive person interprets their overwhelming feelings as signs of demonic activity (following Fr. Ripperger's framework), they risk falling into superstition, where every uncomfortable emotion becomes a spiritual attack. The confusion between their own emotions and external spiritual influences can lead to constant fear, preventing them from embracing their gift and walking in spiritual maturity.

A Healthier Approach: Emotional Integration

A more balanced approach recognizes emotions as valuable signals about our internal state that need to be integrated, not feared. This integration involves acknowledging emotions without judgment, reflecting on what they reveal about our interpretations and beliefs, bringing these insights to prayer and discernment, seeking healing for emotional wounds that distort our perceptions, and gradually aligning our emotional responses with truth and love.

When we integrate our emotions rather than fearing them as potentially demonic, we create the conditions for authentic healing and transformation. This approach respects both the spiritual and psychological dimensions of human experience, recognizing that God works through both.

The Path Forward for Sensitive Individuals

The key to spiritual maturity for seers and highly sensitive individuals is recognizing that the enemy's power is ultimately empty, while God's presence within them is unshakeable. Learning to set healthy emotional boundaries, to differentiate between their own feelings and external spiritual influences, and to reframe their sensitivity as a divine gift rather than a source of fear is crucial to overcoming the emotional reasoning and superstition that may cloud their discernment.

By embracing their sensitivity as part of their identity in Christ, they can move beyond fear and superstition and walk confidently in the fullness of their spiritual gifts. This requires a community that understands and supports their journey—one that doesn't dismiss their experiences as merely emotional or interpret every sensitivity as demonic influence.

Conclusion: Breaking the Cycle

Fr. Ripperger's teaching that demons can "move" our emotions creates an unintentional cycle of emotional reasoning, superstition, and internal division. While his intention may be to protect people from spiritual deception, the teaching itself can lead to unnecessary fear and confusion, particularly for those who are naturally sensitive to spiritual realities.

A more integrated approach recognizes that emotions are natural, God-given signals that reveal how we're interpreting our experiences. They may not always reflect objective truth, but they faithfully reflect our subjective perceptions, giving us valuable information about areas where we may need healing or transformation.

The spiritual journey isn't about rejecting or fearing emotions but about bringing them into the light of God's love, where they can be purified and transformed. As we learn to trust the process of emotional integration rather than fearing demonic manipulation, we move toward the wholeness and freedom that God intends for us—a state where our emotions, desires, reason, and faith work together in harmony, reflecting the divine image in which we were created.