Robot Soft Exorcism

by Molly Baskette | published on Jun 15, 2026

Discussion Questions 

  1. Read Luke 8:22-40, as Jesus travel across the Sea of Galilee to the southeastern shore and then back again; you can find it here. Then read the devotional below, “Robot Soft Exorcism.” 
  1. Are demons, and demonic possession, real? 
  1. What “robots of oppression” do you find yourself trapped inside (a kind of reversal of the traditional idea of possession)? What keeps you from leaving those systems? 
  1. Imagine that the violent robot of anti-immigrant enforcement has been dismantled so that it can’t cause pain or fear anymore. Instead, the resources that went into the robot now flow to the communities they once terrorized. What needs are there? 

Devotional 

On the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding, and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd stampeded down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. – Luke 8:32-33 (NRSVUE) 

Does anybody ever feel empathy for the pigs when they read this exorcism story? After all, they didn’t ask to be taken over by demons, then plummet off a cliff to their deaths. 

I was present at a modern exorcism recently. Honestly, it gave me empathy for everybody, too. About 50 of us gathered early one morning in the parking lot of an ICE substation. We carried large photographs of everyone who had died in ICE custody so far this year, placing them on the ground among candles. 

Then we turned our prayers toward the squat beige office building, utterly banal in presentation (what was that Hannah Arendt said about the banality of evil?). A pastor led the liturgy, inspired by “Robot Soft Exorcism” by Thrice, including the lyrics: You don’t have to stay inside of that machine.  

We called directly to ICE that morning: “You don’t have to stay in a job and a system that is making people’s lives hell on earth. Maybe the need to pay your bills and feed your kids has felt too strong. But we want you to know, it’s not too late to reclaim your humanity by leaving. We are here to love you and support you as you do the right thing.” 

I detected no spirits moving out of the building and into the nearby wildlife that day. No federal workers falling on their knees in repentance. The beige building kept beiging.  

But I want to believe that our words dented those walls, one soft blow toward breaking open the machinery. I want to believe the spirits of the dead heard us and took heart. I know that we did.  

Prayer
Until every robot of oppression has disgorged our human kin, we will pray. Amen.

Molly BasketteAbout the Author
Molly Baskette is a UCC minister, psychedelic facilitator and author of books about church renewal, parenting, post-traumatic joy and more. Learn more at mollybaskette.com.