Thread by @HC_Exvangelical

As @profagagne pointed out, #SatanicPregnancy in this context doesn't mean what people think it means. Paula wasn't calling on God to abort people's babies. This is just spiritual warfare talk. So let's get weird. 1/

https://twitter.com/C_Stroop/status/1221455045872369664

I have wine now, so let's go down the rabbit hole of Evangelical fascination with spiritual warfare. It's a little (a lot) weird. 2/

First of all, let's get something straight. A lot of people find the whole miscarriage statement as asking for God to abort babies. Just stop. Evangelicals, as a rule, do not equate miscarriage with abortion. You ain't convincing nobody of nothing by saying God aborts babies. 3/

Most evangelicals simultaneously believe life begins at conception, and that miscarriage is God's way protecting mothers from damaged pregnancy or sickness. They believe miscarriage is one of God's miracles. It is not, and never will be, considered "divine abortion." 4/

Back to spiritual warfare. Most Evangelicals are scared of many MANY things. Demons and Satan are chief among them. They believe that there are invisible battles being fought right around us, and it is Christian to aid in those battles through a variety of means 5/

According to the belief system I was raised in, when Lucifer was cast out of heaven, he took a third of the angels with him. These angels became the original demons. They scattered through the earth and began manipulating populations. 6/

In this system, the good angels and new demons fight constantly. More importantly, these demons became false gods throughout the world. More on this later. 7/

"Demonic Influence" is blamed on many things. Alcoholism and drugs? Demons. Sickness? Demons. Gambling? Demons. Sexual promiscuity? Demons. Etc. Etc. 8/

If I drink to much wine today, I'll puke. Many evangelicals will tell you this is my spirit rejecting demons that seeded through my alcohol. Same goes for people withdrawing from drug addiction. That's a form of a "Spiritual Pregnancy" being miscarried. 9/

Ever wonder why people say "God bless you" when you sneeze? It's an old belief that demons are leaving your body. File that under "weird." (Disclaimer: there are other beliefs around this, but this was the one I was taught). 10/

Thanks to Frank Peretti, spiritual warfare was white washed (literally) recently, and it revitalised the spiritual warfare belief system in Evangelicalism. 11/

hillcountryexie.wordpress.com/2019/11/11/pie…

People started prayer groups for spiritual warfare, marches around schools, churches, bars, porn shops, and more to battle demons and help angels fight the demons they believed were infesting worldly places. 12/

Regionally, spiritual warfare is used in a way that reflects local superstition. In some ways, it's more sinister on the part of Evangelicals. It's used as cultural appropriation and erasure. 13/

As @profagagne pointed out, the animal kingdoms and watery places prayed against is localized to Florida. I don't know enough about Florida to comment on that. But I know the Southwest. 14/

I grew up in New Mexico. We prayed against the nearby Apache spirits. For example, every 4th of July, there is an Apache cultural event, including rituals and dances for rain. My church believed the Apache people were calling demons to ruin fireworks. 15/

So we prayed against them, so they would fail in their "anti-American" exercise. (re: Christian Nationalism) We were taught that the Apache people (and other indigenous people) hated America and God. Because demons, of course 16/

Other cultures are also "demon influenced." Drums and chants were always telltale signs. I was taught primitive "demon worshipping" people used drums because demons love drums. (File under: "uhhh...okay") 17/

I was also taught that drums in heavy metal music served the same purpose. They "connected us" to our primitive roots and made us susceptible to demonic Influence. Never mind that almost every modern music has drums, and the church had a HUGE drum set for praise and worship. 18/

What's important to see here is the concept of demonic Influence being used to dehumanize people and label them as "other." It's racism, plain and simple. "Other" people are more susceptible to demons based on their Native culture. 19/

Every demonic Influence is a seed inside of people. To fight that influence, Evangelicals pray and exorcise demons. People are vessels with demonic seeds growing inside them. So by praying to miscarry demonic pregnancy, it's a poorly worded prayer for God to cleanse demons 20/

Fighting demons dehumanizes people in other ways. It doesn't address the real problems people are facing. People who can't break addiction or who are sick "lack faith" and are often shunned instead actually getting help they desperately need. 21/

Evangelicals use demons as a mechanism to cope with and dismiss what they can't understand or control. It's stupid but powerful. As a dehumanizing tactic, it's powerful. For Example, Conservative Evangelicals, in my experience, love to call liberals "Demon-crats" 22/

If a "Demon-crat" is under demonic Influence, it makes a person easier to deal with, because they can pray for and/or dismiss them entirely, and the liberal leaders are simply following "Satan's plans". 23/

So there you have it in a nutshell. I could go on and on about spiritual warfare for days. But there is wine to drink, and it's a beautiful day. So just #EmptyThePews and have a wonderful Sunday.

Wrong address:
hillcountryexvie.wordpress.com/2019/11/11/pie…