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The "Satanic Panic" - did you ever experience this personally?
- Thread starter DeaconKnowledge
- Start date
My mom made my brother and and sell our Pokémon cards. We each got like $50 (I was only 11-12 so it seemed like a lot to me). The catch was we were only allowed to buy something from a Christian Book Store with the money we made 🤷🏻♂️. I bought a couple shitty CDs.
Nah, ours was always the "It'll get them addicted to gambling" panic if anything... and it would come up for the weirdest things, too.
My hair is naturally wavy and when I let it grow out it gets unruly, I remember when I was around 15 yrs old at church one of the deacons saw my hair and said that I had devil horns in my head (formed by my hair) he may have been joking though but he wasn't laughing or smiling.
Grew up in a conservative Nazarene household in the eighties. "Secular" music, DnD, most movies, Halloween, etc...all part of the secret Satanic agenda to corrupt good Christian youth. I remember one Halloween where my parents almost handed out Jack Chick tracts to the neighborhood trick or treaters instead of candy. Thankfully they didn't pull the trigger on that one.
I was also sent to fundamentalist Christian camps where they instructed us to see anti-Christian, pro-Satan messages in EVERY facet of pop-culture. They also railed on endlessly about the supposedly ever growing threat of militant atheists and gays.
I was also sent to fundamentalist Christian camps where they instructed us to see anti-Christian, pro-Satan messages in EVERY facet of pop-culture. They also railed on endlessly about the supposedly ever growing threat of militant atheists and gays.
Did I ever. Went to a Christian school lol I learned a saying later in life "a demon under every teacup " which applies.
One of my favorite memories was the school showing us a video of all the evil bands to avoid..... and all of us knowing all of them just by the album covers
" here's a band who celebrates evil blah blah " * shows album cover of Dr Feelgood *
Us "motley crue!!!!"
Classic backfire . We didn't gaf though. Fuck them they were still hitting us in like 1988
One of my favorite memories was the school showing us a video of all the evil bands to avoid..... and all of us knowing all of them just by the album covers
" here's a band who celebrates evil blah blah " * shows album cover of Dr Feelgood *
Us "motley crue!!!!"
Classic backfire . We didn't gaf though. Fuck them they were still hitting us in like 1988
school didn't allow pokemon, we called them on their bullshit. Parents didn't allow D&D. I love D&D. Honestly banning those things for those reasons just made them look dumb and made me trust them less.
I had neighbors that banned Pokémon for the kids once they heard there were Ghost Pokémon.
My only personal experience was with Harry Potter. My mom heard some weird story on the radio about how the story was apparently dictated to JK Rowling by a demon on a train or something? She told me I wasn't allowed to read it anymore... But then never did anything about it, so I kept reading and it never came up again. Was pretty weird.
My only personal experience was with Harry Potter. My mom heard some weird story on the radio about how the story was apparently dictated to JK Rowling by a demon on a train or something? She told me I wasn't allowed to read it anymore... But then never did anything about it, so I kept reading and it never came up again. Was pretty weird.
My parents were Episcopalians so I avoided the full on idiocy of like, Baptists and the like. Their objections to things were always over violence or sexual content, not some inherent satanic nonsense. They bought me every single Harry Potter book and while they didn't like the amount of headspace Pokémon occupied for me as a kid they didn't think it was of the devil.
Funnily enough the one time my mom strayed into that territory was when I was reading The Sword of Truth series. My mom asked me "Whose truth?" And I laughed it off as her being reactionary in a religious way. Turns out, motivations aside, I should've listened to her on that one.
Funnily enough the one time my mom strayed into that territory was when I was reading The Sword of Truth series. My mom asked me "Whose truth?" And I laughed it off as her being reactionary in a religious way. Turns out, motivations aside, I should've listened to her on that one.
In the mid 80s when I was about 10, my friend and I would play Dungeons and Dragons regularly (on top of videogames and tabletop wargaming). His mother who was fairly Christian decided one day that we needed to stop (or at least not play so much). I don't know that much changed with our play habits outside of the one weekend afternoon where she brought it up.
Given I grew up in NZ "Satanic Panic" was never really a big thing outside a couple of things being shown about it on TV around the same time (I remember some documentary where one sibling murdered another or something while they were having a marathon roleplaying session under a bridge).
I remember being taught that satan worshiping militant gays were tainting the water supply with AIDS.
My neighbor had to give me all of his Pokémon stuff because the church he went to was anti-Pokémon. I got a lot of stuff, including a holographic Charizard. Thanks Satan.
My parents threw away all my Pokémon video games when a tv show came out saying it was Satanic.
My mom really dived on this at late 80s, beginning of 90s. She threw away a bunch of vhs and vinyls that I had. Stuff from Disney and other cartoons.
In 2000 and something, some kid killed a friend while playing Vampire the Masquerade, he shot him by accident. But the media here made a whole carnival about how RPG were dangerous and satanic and that those kids were making sacrifices. My grandma FREAKED OUT a lot when I said that I played D&D with my friends everyday at school. She was running to tell my mom and saying that she should ground me, take me to church and such.
In 2000 and something, some kid killed a friend while playing Vampire the Masquerade, he shot him by accident. But the media here made a whole carnival about how RPG were dangerous and satanic and that those kids were making sacrifices. My grandma FREAKED OUT a lot when I said that I played D&D with my friends everyday at school. She was running to tell my mom and saying that she should ground me, take me to church and such.
What a nerd.
We managed to get a room to play MTG, so we didn't get disturbed by assholes.
My next door neighbour wasn't allowed to read my Animorphs books, because his dad said they promoted evolution.
The devils greatest trick wasn't to convince humans that he wouldn't exist; his greatest trick was to convince humans that they would be doing any good in trying to fight him (which allways seems to be resorting to simply antagonizing certain stuff).
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I feel like this really wasn't a thing in my part of Germany. Even in the early 80s I never encountered this. My only Parent Negative Encounter With Pen and Paper story is when my dad chewed me out for coming home at 3AM after a session when I had school in the morning.
I was told the X-Men animated series was evil because there was a character in it who was Christian.
My dumb family believed all the propaganda their church told them, so I was informed that rock music is demonic.
All that accomplished was to introduce me to one of my favorite artists, Marilyn Manson, and also to make me love satanic and "evil" imagery for the way people get spooked by the theater of it all. If made up symbolism can freak out stupid people, I'm all for it.
All that accomplished was to introduce me to one of my favorite artists, Marilyn Manson, and also to make me love satanic and "evil" imagery for the way people get spooked by the theater of it all. If made up symbolism can freak out stupid people, I'm all for it.
The devil's best trick of all is not to exist, while also functioning as a marketing tool for people who wish to manipulate and profit from other people's fear.
I was the victim of this unfortunately right around the time I first discovered The Legend of Zelda. Anything that had magic in it was considered evil by my mom, so she took Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask and burned them. I tried to play other games to try to capture the same feeling those two gave me and they just paled in comparison. It became clear to my dad I was quite depressed over losing them so he argued to my mom about it and I eventually got them back.
That was one of the happiest days of my life. My mom eventually mellowed out on the religious mania and ultimately encouraged my passion for Zelda. I would end up taking her to Symphony of the Goddesses many years later.
That was one of the happiest days of my life. My mom eventually mellowed out on the religious mania and ultimately encouraged my passion for Zelda. I would end up taking her to Symphony of the Goddesses many years later.
Isn't that why Christian kids become metalheads? To revolt against parents and religion? Lyrics are often about non existing stuff like "satan" and other shit.
It's kinda cute when you think about it.
Anyway, my parents aren't religious so while i've heard a lot about it, i never really experienced people saying what i did is "satanic" or things like that.
It's kinda cute when you think about it.
Anyway, my parents aren't religious so while i've heard a lot about it, i never really experienced people saying what i did is "satanic" or things like that.
Religion is weird. Basically just a bunch of ppl believing in made up stories.
They must also believe Santa Claus and the Easter bunny really exist and there's this thing called an "afterlife".
They must also believe Santa Claus and the Easter bunny really exist and there's this thing called an "afterlife".
When we were kids, my cousin could not come with my family to watch the first Harry Potter movie because apparently Harry Potter is the devil or something. I dunno.
A lot of this list reads like a list of D&D perks. Lyncanthropy, astral-projection, necromancy, fire-walking, levitation, vampirism, divination... pretty sure the DM wouldn't allow such an OP player character.
Oh but hey D&D itself is on the list too.
Also I'm curious but afraid to ask/google what "re-birthing" is. Sounds gnarly.
Let's just say that I grew up around Jehova's Witnesses, and the experience turned me into a dumbass edgelord which is why I wear pentagrams and other spooky stuff.
The worst case I saw in the UK was a friend who's dad was very fundamentalist Christian, who didn't like him playing Diablo II (because of the name), although it never reached the point where he actually stopped him from playing it.
Yes.
When I was about 8 and pokemon was taking off shit got so crazy that they forced us to read propoganda in school about how a child worshipped a pikachu pog (we called them tazos and got them in bags of crisps) and how this pikachu came to life and murdered their sister in her sleep.
Didn't mention it to my family at the time but I should've. It's fucking unacceptable and played a big part in shaping my views on organized religion moving forward.
When I was about 8 and pokemon was taking off shit got so crazy that they forced us to read propoganda in school about how a child worshipped a pikachu pog (we called them tazos and got them in bags of crisps) and how this pikachu came to life and murdered their sister in her sleep.
Didn't mention it to my family at the time but I should've. It's fucking unacceptable and played a big part in shaping my views on organized religion moving forward.
In a way yeah.
Around 1998 (i think), a friend and i tried to open a D&D club in our school (we were 14/15 yo), and despite being in France and thus in a relatively religion light country, we had a lot troubles convincing the director that it was just harmless fun. The cross next to the door in his office pointed to him being a somewhat fervent catholic. I think.
Anyway, we finally obtained the autorization but a few weeks after we started to play, he entered the room we used at a moment of stupid hilarity involving a tavern, a demon and a fireball (you know, classic D&D) and he went mad, shoved us out of the room and forbid us to ever play again in the school. That was quite a bummer, i must admit.
Around 1998 (i think), a friend and i tried to open a D&D club in our school (we were 14/15 yo), and despite being in France and thus in a relatively religion light country, we had a lot troubles convincing the director that it was just harmless fun. The cross next to the door in his office pointed to him being a somewhat fervent catholic. I think.
Anyway, we finally obtained the autorization but a few weeks after we started to play, he entered the room we used at a moment of stupid hilarity involving a tavern, a demon and a fireball (you know, classic D&D) and he went mad, shoved us out of the room and forbid us to ever play again in the school. That was quite a bummer, i must admit.
Oh hell yes.
I lived in a public boarding house in high school and one of the supervisors banned video games, Dungeons and Dragons and Pokemon because it was against his religion and they were "Satan's tools". Funnily enough it did not stop him from committing adultery, which he also blamed on the devil.
Meanwhile the Devil is probably just sitting there sipping cups of tea for all we fucking know.
I lived in a public boarding house in high school and one of the supervisors banned video games, Dungeons and Dragons and Pokemon because it was against his religion and they were "Satan's tools". Funnily enough it did not stop him from committing adultery, which he also blamed on the devil.
Meanwhile the Devil is probably just sitting there sipping cups of tea for all we fucking know.
Raised in a black christian home, i remember hearing about the pokemon satan stuff but my family wasn't phased by that.
My mom was hesitant to buy me harry potter books because of it having witchcraft, and i was SUPER IN on HP. Overall she felt it was fine as long as i understood fiction from reality.
My mom was hesitant to buy me harry potter books because of it having witchcraft, and i was SUPER IN on HP. Overall she felt it was fine as long as i understood fiction from reality.
It's nothing too gnarly. It's a breathing/therapeutic technique that was used to stimulate the process of being born again. Like in Yoga. Obviously,since yoga is practiced by non-Abrahamic religions, you can see why they'd consider it evil.
Edit: Forgot to mention. Yugioh was a big no no for me in the household. Still didn't stop me from secretly turning on the tv in my attic to watch saturday morning cartoons along with yugioh.
My elementary school was Greek Orthodox, so trading and smuggling Pokemon Cards was like a fucking cartel. Breakfast, Roll Call, and Lunch were the ideal times while the actual cards weren't even in our bookbags but in this little nook inside our cubbies.
From my family no, but I went to a Christian School for a while and had to draw Xs over anything witch related on our scholastic book order forms. I distinctly remember crossing off a Sabrina the Teenage Witch book thinking it made no sense since I watched the show all the time. My mom thought this was also dumb and bought us Harry Potter books.
I know this is hard for this place to believe, but I learned about D&D through my Christian church friends. My 2 long term games a folks from the church. So no Satanic Panic for me. Also my dad was just as much in Harry Potter as I was, and in the church.Pokemon/Magic the Gathering was on the menu as well. Never experienced that panic from the church growing up, and still part of it as well.
Saw other kid's parents get into a fit about Harry Potter. They were so convinced their precious little dumplings would become UBER SATANIST WITCHES after reading a book about a magical British kid.
OK then you insecure weirdos.
OK then you insecure weirdos.
Not directly as my parents and close family were always relaxed about that stuff. Early 90s TV did go a bit weird in the UK though. A couple of examples that stand out to me are the Satanist episode of Inspector Morse ...
... And in the same vein, the rave episode too. I guess both of these episodes reflected some of the common fears in society at the time. The rave episode was directed by Danny Boyle apparently, had no idea!
... And in the same vein, the rave episode too. I guess both of these episodes reflected some of the common fears in society at the time. The rave episode was directed by Danny Boyle apparently, had no idea!
Nope, me and my parents are (relatively) sane people. My dad didn't like me playing music with "bad language" in it when I was younger but that was pretty much it.
