Back in 2020, the Christian Broadcast Network reported from a Barna survey that Americans stunningly believed more in Satan than God. Only 51% believed in a God of the Bible, which was down from 73% back in 1991. See this in the infographic below.
Juxtaposing this report, the belief in Satan was up to 56%.
But the polling numbers for Satan just seem to be getting better. In November 2021, Pew Research reported that 62% of American adults believe in Hell, up from 58% in 2014.
Pop culture appears to be taking full advantage of the curiosity surrounding Hell and its inhabitants. The Devil is front and center in movies, TV shows, podcasts, and even children’s books. There are Satan After School Clubs, while the proliferating Satanist groups even have their own political divisions. Learn more here about the latest incantations of Satan worship often led by our cultural influences in Hollywood. Have we forgotten Sam Smith’s performance onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023, in Los Angeles, California?
In the latest Satan populist trend, a new film released for 2023, “Satan Wants You,” is a provocative documentary about the origin of the 1980s Satanic Panic. It tells the story of how the Satanic Panic of the 1980s was ignited by “Michelle Remembers,” a memoir by a psychiatrist and his patient. The book relied on recovered-memory therapy to uncover Michelle’s abduction by baby-stealing Satanists. Below is a frightening trailer that gives you an idea of what the movie is about.
Is the 1980s Satanic Panic about to make a revival in 2023? When looking at all the “evil” going on in the current “Culture War,” the answer may well be yes.
Being a Sunday Thoughts article, the Bible has much to say (and here) about Satan. Perhaps one thought comes to mind as many believe that this age is coming to an end. Satan has but a short time, as it says in Revelation 12:12: “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” We quote 2 Timothy 3:1-5 which says the following.
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power …”
The above seems to describe well our debased moral culture in today’s world. Notice as well that evil often masquerades as “a form of godliness.” There is another curious Biblical reference to Satan and his power. This can be found in Ephesians 2:2.
“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”
What is meant by the phrase “the prince of the power of the air?” “The air” may refer to the invisible realm where Satan and his demons move and exist. In Ephesians 6:12, Paul writes, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Other views of the meaning of this scripture could be that Satan broadcasts via metaphysical temptations to our minds – see here. Or perhaps its more simple. Ensuring that the right “evil” people obtain positions of power as influencers in music, movies, TV, academia, business, and government that promote immoral behavior to destroy society.
What about dabbling in the occult? Kinda cool, isn’t it? Again the Biblical texts have a lot to say about this as well – see here. Dabbling in the occult will subconsciously cause one to begin to question their morality and can enter one into a very dark place. In 1 Corinthians 10:20 is one example of its admonishment – “But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.”
What about you? Is Satan worship just a cool thing to be edgy? After all, it is not real, is it? Give us your thoughts in the comment section below.
By Tom Williams
