The trial and appeal of Korean exorcist Luke Lee began with a dead body and ended with a victory for religious freedom.
The arrest of Korean immigrant Luke Lee in 2001 was headline-generating material. Pastor Lee, founder of the Mt. Roskill Lord of All's church was charged with manslaughter when a woman, Joanna Lee, died during an exorcism. As the trial unfolded a bizarre tale of daily exorcisms emerged, generating media analogies with the bile-spewing, head rotating rituals in The Exorcist.
If ever there was a case that called into question religious freedom, this was it. While the judge, Justice Paterson, announced that Lee was not on trial for his religious beliefs, outside of the court room Lee's repeated announcements that the deceased would rise from the dead compelled public comment and often amusement. Moreover, Joanna's consent to a demeaning and - as it turned out - lethal ritual challenged the Courts to decide whether they would respect her religious choice.
As a researcher of extreme religion and altered states I was fascinated by Lee's case - I had seen such behaviour and activities many times before but never with such tragic consequences. I was keen to interview him. A series of bureaucratic obstructions and University ethical considerations delayed me from getting in touch with Lee and it was not until 2005 that I finally made contact with him via email. At this stage Lee had ceased to believe that Joanna would rise from the dead, but continued to maintain his innocence.
This is his story followed by a discussion of the religious issues.
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