Hollywood’s Demonic Deception: How Satan Uses Pop Culture to Corrupt a Generation
The devil is making a real name for himself in pop culture these days.
In film, music, advertising, comics, and cartoons, his market share is significant. He inspires products with just enough spin to make evil attractive, while satisfying the human appetite for the supernatural. Angels, demons, vampires, werewolves, witches, leprechauns, shapeshifters, aliens, mythological superheroes, and occult symbols are all among the devil’s goods—and they are selling like hotcakes!
Market demand never ebbs; it just presses for increasingly more graphic content. Writers, actors, designers, producers, and directors use their creative skills to wow audiences, but their product is not original. Their storylines and characters come from ancient pagan cultures, the pantheons of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian gods, and even from the Bible. To the uninitiated and uninformed, the names and symbols seem esoteric and inventive. Yet they are mere retreads, carefully repackaged for modern consumption.
By wrapping it in layers of amusement, Satan peddles his larger agenda: abortion, gay marriage, paganism, promiscuity, and other immoral ideologies and beliefs that are anti-God. An important caveat: Not everyone in the media arts is serving Satan, and among those who are, not all are doing so knowingly. For some, it’s just a paycheck or all about a career move. For others, though, it’s intentional issues-advocacy. These people are willing agents of darkness, who understand the power of media to make evil acceptable—and they’re utilizing it to the fullest.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have followed comic books for years. I am not a passive fan, either, but a bona fide geek! My belief is that Christians in the entertainment industry should use the power of story to entertain and inspire, but ultimately, to draw people closer to God. Entertainment media are powerful tools for shaping people’s thinking and behavior, and it’s important to be part of bringing the light of God’s truth to a dark world. A world that seems to be growing increasingly dark.
The occult content in shows and films like Supernatural, The Conjuring, Vampire Diaries, Harry Potter, The Originals, and True Blood is easy to recognize. But occult and pagan themes are sometimes subtler than these. The idea for the Church is to become astute in recognizing and understanding content sources and in choosing their entertainment wisely.
As I tell our church family, I won’t demonize you for watching a horror movie or reading a fantasy book. But I will caution you. The kind of content we are about to discuss can take you places you did not intend to go. The enemy is not interested in entertaining you; he is interested in what he can accomplish through your being entertained. If you are going to partake, you cannot be passive. Ask questions that go beyond the product’s entertainment value: Who or what inspired this movie? Who is speaking through it? Where did these symbols come from, and what do they mean?
My point is not to forbid, but to inform. You get to make your own decisions. The more understanding you have, the better your decisions will be. And the more you know about the origins of popular themes in our culture, the more clearly you will see that Satan is the ultimate horror show, and the self-promoting ruler of this world system.
Supernatural, Preternatural, and Paranormal
The human craving for the supernatural keeps the media in the money. As we explore examples, you will see three specific but often overlapping categories of content: supernatural, preternatural, and paranormal. The supernatural is what isn’t subject to the laws of nature, or what exists above and beyond nature. The preternatural includes phenomena that appear to be outside the natural realm but are presumed to have rational, albeit unknown, explanations. Paranormal is a general term for experiences outside the range of what is considered normal, or what can be accurately explained or measured scientifically.
The Agenda
Entertainment is a powerful vehicle that Satan uses to peddle his larger anti-God and anti-Christ agenda to unsuspecting, mostly passive audiences who want to be amused. For centuries, amuse meant “to divert the attention, beguile, delude… [with the] sense of ‘divert from serious business, tickle the fancy of.’”92 Through the 18th century, “the primary meaning was ‘deceive, cheat’ by first occupying the attention.”93 The Old French word amuser meant “to stupefy…to stare stupidly.”94 All of these imply the subversion of a person’s conscious awareness, which makes Satan’s agenda easy to push.
When we listen to music, watch movies, or read books, we allow ourselves to be distracted by the experience. Sounds, pictures, words, and lyrics captivate us. Characters and plotlines occupy our minds and emotions, and keep us wondering whether the good guys will win. We become so focused on sensory and emotional stimulation that we can allow witchcraft, deception, and the operation of spirits to “take us there.” The more we engage, the more desensitized and indiscriminate we become. This is exactly what Satan wants!
Remember that “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). As a master manipulator, he also transforms evil practices into seemingly harmless fantasies, turning false gods into superheroes. He gets millions of people acclimated to the occult, and gets millions more—children included—cheering for gods, aliens, giants, and monsters. In time, they warm up to Satan’s suggestions and embrace the idols that serve him!
The ignorance of fans does not negate the spiritual realities of their superheroes, nevertheless. Yet not all “fans” worship in ignorance. Thor, Zeus, and other ancient gods have been worshipped for centuries, including this current one. When Marvel Comics brought Thor into its fictional universe, creative license was applied that blurred the norms of Nordic religions. In fact, many worshippers of the original Thor were greatly offended because their god of thunder was misrepresented!
Satan is not a purist, however. He will use distortion, inaccuracy, and any other trick available to move the masses in his direction—even if it angers his true believers. His drip-drip strategy is designed to numb and inoculate us, so that we become too wanton and calloused to believe God. This is why we must be aware of his ploys. We need to understand that all entertainment has roots, and we need to search them out. Most of all, we need to search God’s Word and follow Him only.
The Realm of Music
Many hip hop, metal, and other musical artists dabble in the occult. Some don’t know that they are playing with fire; they make pagan references because they think it’s hip or makes them stand out. Others are more willful and methodical; they promote Satan’s kingdom because they have made pacts with him. They serve him, and he gives them fame and fortune in exchange. I’m not talking about obscure artists only, but some very well-known ones as well. If you have children and you don’t yet know what’s on their playlists, it could very well be these types of artists.
Satan knows that music is powerful and influential. As the anointed cherub, he brought forth music from his very being. He knows that music goes straight to the human heart, where it is unconsciously assimilated. He tempts many people—many millions of them, in fact—with music and the seductive images associated with it.
My own testimony about music may help someone. When I was listening to secular music, I told myself that it didn’t influence me. I rationalized: “I’m not killing people. I don’t smoke weed. I don’t steal cars. I just enjoy a little music.” My excuse was about all the bad things I wasn’t doing. But what about the good things I wasn’t doing? What about the time that I wasn’t spending with Him? What about my lack of zeal for Christ and His kingdom?
I finally realized that even if I wasn’t experiencing demonic harassment or any other signs of overt attack, allowing even the slightest chink in my armor was a bad idea. I was erecting invisible barriers to the blessings that God intended for me. No kind of music was worth that. By His grace, I woke up to reality, and my love affair with ungodly music ended.
Television and the Supernatural
There is big money in television, and the supernatural sells really big. The TV audience is a soft target for Satan’s larger agenda. As viewers kick back and scarf down potato chips, they also ingest a steady diet of anti-God ideas.
There was a time when much of what airs today would have been unacceptable to the masses. But the population has been systematically desensitized. The targeted audience has been so softened that if one rejects Satan’s agenda, they’re accused of being a bigot. Popular shows like Modern Family have normalized what God says is wicked. This show and many others cleverly package the homosexual agenda. The more viewers laugh with the characters, the more they identify with their everyday struggles. Eventually, the line between loving homosexuals as humans, as Christians are called to do, and affirming their lifestyle, which Christians are not to do, gets blurred. The agenda-pushers—Satan being the chief one—know that the longer you watch, the more likely you are to retreat from God’s standards.
This is why discernment is so critical. I scour the media landscape for the examples I share here and in our church, but I don’t do it passively; I measure all that I see and hear against the Word of God. I am not subject to Satan’s intent because I am well aware of it and ever learning. What I learn, I share with others. My goal is to help my children, my church family, and the body of Christ to stand against the tide—not legalistically, but from a place of wisdom and understanding.
