Blame It On The Devil: A Look Into Moral Panic In The American Church
Uncertainty breeds fear — and we live in uncertain times. When fear grows widespread we face a resurgence of finger-pointing ideologies, like one I grew up in the wake of and that shows resurgence today: the “Satanic Panic.”
During the Jesus Movement in the 60’s, Christian Fundamentalism preached a warning about the devil’s influence in pop-culture, ranging from children’s cereal to metal music. This charismatic dynamism became known as the Satanic Panic, in which the church labeled any religion or spiritual practice outside of itself as the Occult. This was a time of fear and confusion as the church cried out that everything spiritual outside of itself was demonic and dangerous. False accusation of Satanic child abuse, and ritualistic murders were regular news stories. Demonic messages hidden in rock albums, and the rejection of science and rationality in favor of spiritual warfare, were laying the ground for the religious far right. Every “vague spirituality” and world religion or power outside of the god of the Bible was backed by its own demon. The message may be less prevalent in pop-culture today, but it is still rampant within Evangelical churches and communities.
Many side effects of the Satanic Panic can still be seen today. Ideas and superstitions still linger, but hold very little reason for why they’re still around. In the early 90’s, many children around the United States were still not allowed to watch the Smurfs. When parents were pressed for an answer, all they could come up with was that it was bad. What had been forgotten is that they were assumed to have represented the dead and push a homosexual agenda. This idea, and many like it, was pushed by evangelists like Phil Phillips (author of Turmoil In The Toy Box, and Saturday Morning Mind Control). He held the belief that “80% of all cartoons deal directly with the occult, and 40% of the toys on the market have occultic influence.” He stated in the same interview with Gary Greenwald that practices such as yoga, meditation, and martial arts are occult practices. Some of this is still preached today.
Among the seemingly lighter offenses like CD and book burning parties held by youth groups, several accounts of Satanic ritual abuse and murder flooded the news across the world, often with little evidence or ties to occult practices. This was the case of the West Memphis Three, who were accused of a ritual murder of three children as part of a Satanic ritual. Damien Echols, the oldest of the three who was sentenced to death, was exonerated while on death row, 17 years after DNA evidence proved that he was innocent. There was a wide held belief that the devil was behind these events, and that he was using pop-culture to influence a new generation for his bidding.
“The Satanic Panic is a way of being for the evangelical church.” says an anonymous ex-Evangelical. “Anything they didn’t invent, birth, or hijack for their own purposes is subject to be labeled demonic. It may not have the fervor of the 1980’s, but it stills simmers. It’s alive and well.” After the origins of the earth, the bible opens with a struggle between good and evil (Genesis 3). The desire to be like god, and knowing good and evil lead Eve to take the fruit from the serpent in the garden of Eden. There is debate on whether this serpent is Satan or Lucifer himself, but overall, the general consensus is that he served the purpose of Satan to lead Eve into temptation. When a Christian is deep in the faith, it’s easy for them to see who the adversary is. So it stands to reason that fear or worry of this entity would arise as subject matter behind the pulpit. The message of heaven and hell, good vs. evil, and god vs. the devil are regular topics in this community.
It is important to differentiate doctrinal ideology from religious fanaticism. “I was in the Jesus Movement. Still Am.” says a local church pastor, “Most understood the backward masking, etcetera, was nonsense. Yes, false prophets use Satan as a weapon of fear to manipulate the weak. They will face severe consequences. And Should. Jesus is about freedom, not bondage to fear.” This is much like differentiating infamous televangelists like Kenneth Copeland who claims more than 600,000 subscribers in 134 countries from the Mega Church Pastors like Matt Chandler with an average weekly attendance of 10,200. Both have their shares of scandals and claim Jesus as Lord, but take different approaches as they preach from their scripture.
Though the term was coined to surround the events of the late 60’s to early 80’s, a Satanic panic can be traced through history to the Spanish Inquisition in 1478. This was said to have begun to maintain orthodoxy in the church, but spread to justify hunts and accusations of witchcraft. Men and women were tortured into confessing their league with the devil and burned alive as a consequence. Much like the widely known Salem Witch Trials, these events extend far beyond the time frame of the Satanic Panic and tend to have the same common denominator.
Within Catholic and Christian circles, It is still a widely held belief that Satan and his demons are behind everything outside of Jesus. Throughout the bible, Satan is said to have dominion and be the god of this world. Though the christian may not panic in the same way, they abstain from the things of this world, or Christianize them to fit their needs, much like common holidays stemming from pagan traditions that we celebrate today. This is also why we end up with t-shirts that say “Jesus” in the Reese’s, or Coca-Cola logos, “HisWay” built into the Subway logo, and “Life Savior” in the Life Savers Mints. It’s also why we see things that were once demonized, like The Lord Of The Rings, now redeemed for the spreading of their gospel.
Beyond existing solely in the church, there are still many attacks on people who have been accused of witchcraft. “Every year, thousands of people, mostly older women and children are accused as witches, often abused, cast out of their families and communities and in many cases murdered.” This from the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. Children are being targeted increasingly “where there are few if any prospects of a better life, and where revivalist churches confirm signs of witchcraft, children are often accused of supernatural powers and persecuted.”
This is not a problem that should be overlooked. Throughout history, churches have abused their power in the name of their god. Yes, abuse of scripture takes place, and it can be weaponized to serve a purpose beyond loving thy neighbor. But perhaps what we should be looking out for, more than the devil, is the bible itself. It has a history of being wielded as a sword, and most christians would proudly claim it as such.
