666: Lessons from the Satanic Panic with Mike Cosper
The Holy Post
Phil Vischer
4.6 • 4.1K Ratings
🗓️ 23 April 2025
⏱️ 85 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Pope Francis died on Monday. Will the Catholic Church continue to move in the direction of inclusion and reform, or will it elect a more traditional leader in reaction to the last papacy? Mike Cosper is back to talk about his new podcast from Christianity Today about the Satanic Panic, “Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.” In the 1980s and 90s, the FBI investigated 11,000 reports of satanic ritual abuse, but did not uncover a single credible story. So, why were parents throughout the country worried that heavy metal music, board games, and the Smurfs would lead their kids into devil-worshipping cults? Cosper explains how hucksters leveraged fears over cultural change to create mass hysteria, and why lessons from the Satanic Panic are still relevant today. Also this week, Medieval art reveals the sounds and smells of hell.
Holy Post Plus:
Bonus Interview with Mike Cosper:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/127227607/
Ad-Free Version of this Episode:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/127232165/
0:00 - Show Starts
3:50 - Theme Song
4:12 - Sponsor - Our Place - Go to https://www.fromourplace.com and use code HOLYPOST to get 10% off site wide on beautiful cookware!
5:22 - Sponsor - Rocket Money - Find and cancel your old subscriptions with Rocket Money at https://www.rocketmoney.com/HOLYPOST
12:12 - News of the Butt, Medieval Art Edition
18:46 - Bosch Painting Translated into Music
24:24 - The Legacy of the Pope
32:35 - America vs. The Pope
41:42 - Sponsor - BetterHelp - This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off your first month
42:50 - Sponsor - Policy Genius - Secure your family’s tomorrow so you have peace of mind today. Go to https://www.policygenius.com/HOLYPOST to find the right life insurance for you
42:00 - Interview
46:23 - Why’s the Satanic Panic Relevant?
53:00 - What is the Satanic Panic?
1:01:03 - Hucksters Behind It
1:11:09 - Did People Want it to Be True?
1:28:45 - End Credits
Links from News Segment:
Reddit Discusses Medieval Face-Butts:
Bosch Painting Translated to Music
Other Resources:
Devil and the Deep Blue Sea from Christianity Today:
Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/
Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus
Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost
Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Holy Post. Pope Francis died on Monday. Will the Catholic Church continue to move |
| 0:06.3 | in the direction of inclusion and reform, or will it elect a more traditional leader in reaction |
| 0:11.5 | to the last papacy? Then Mike Cosper is back to talk about his new podcast from CT about the satanic |
| 0:18.1 | panic, devil and the deep blue sea. In the 1980s and 90s, the FBI investigated |
| 0:23.4 | over 10,000 reports of satanic ritual abuse, but did not uncover a single credible story. |
| 0:29.6 | So why were parents throughout the country so worried about heavy metal music, board games, |
| 0:33.8 | and the Smurfs leading their kids into devil-worshipping cults. |
| 0:38.0 | Kaspur explains how Hucksters leveraged fears and cultural change to create mass hysteria |
| 0:43.7 | and why lessons from the satanic panic are still relevant today. |
| 0:47.9 | Also this week, medieval art reveals the sounds and smells of hell. |
| 0:53.0 | On Holy Post Plus this week, we have a ton of new content including two, that's right, |
| 0:57.0 | two bonus segments that we couldn't fit into this week's main show. |
| 1:01.0 | First, Mike Hosper and I talk about some of the lives that were ruined by the hysteria |
| 1:06.0 | surrounding the satanic panic, including teenagers wrongfully accused of murder in Arkansas and daycare workers |
| 1:12.8 | falsely accused of child abuse in California. Their stories reveal the real cost of believing |
| 1:18.2 | lies and spreading conspiracy theories. There's also a bonus segment where Phil, Caitlin, and I |
| 1:23.6 | discuss an article about the impulse to blame our own sins and shortcomings on Satan or |
| 1:29.2 | spiritual warfare. Of course, we also have all the regular weekly offerings at Holy Post |
| 1:34.0 | Plus, including Getting Schooled, 66 verses that explain the Bible, and full episodes of the |
| 1:39.3 | Skypod every Friday. And don't forget about our upcoming live event in Detroit on May 3rd with me and |
| 1:46.2 | journalist Tim Alberta. Those tickets are still available at holypost.com slash events. All right, |
| 1:52.8 | here is episode 666. Hey there, welcome to the Holy Post podcast. I'm here with Skyitani hi sky hi phil hi and kately ches |
... |
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