The Devil in the Details

Netflix's latest documentary, The Devil on Trial, tells the story of David Glatzel who infamous con artists-er, I mean, demonologists- Ed and Lorraine Warren convinced the Glatzel family was possessed. When a young man named Arne Johnson convinces the demon to take him instead, the Warrens claim the evil drove Johnson to commit murder. The ensuing court case and media blitz would be known as the "devil made me do it" case and became a cash cow for the Warrens with their book The Devil in Connecticut and later part of the Conjuring franchise. But what really happened? Were the Warrens fighting the forces of evil, or exploiting a family to line their own pockets? Warlock Sword, the Satanic Skeptic, will give you the rundown.

On this episode, the Satanic Skeptic discusses laws criminalizing fortune telling and how exactly they might be unconstitutional, as well as giving his own opinions as to whether these laws really protect the public from fraud.

On this episode, the Satanic Skeptic explores Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey's history as a paranormal investigator as well as his familiarity with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry- the organization which the Satanic Skeptic writes for! Drawing on a long out-of-print essay featured in the Cloven Hoof as well as other archived Church of Satan material, this episode shows just how much Anton LaVey meant it when he said "Herein you will find truth-and fantasy. Each is necessary for the other to exist; but each must be recognized for what it is."

Did the actors and assistants who worked for or were in relationships with rockstar Marilyn Manson, and allege that he sexually abused them, really repress the memories of their abuse? The Satanic Skeptic discusses the history and controversy of repressed memories and proposes several alternative explanations as to what might've happened.

On this episode, the Satanic Skeptic reviews an FBI report into a community known as "the Finders" accused of being a CIA-fronted satanic cult involved in child abuse and ritual sacrifice. Are the rumors true? Hell no!

On this episode, the Satanic Skeptic covers a report, released last year, commissioned by the Minister of Justice for the Netherlands investigating claims of "organized sadistic abuse." The conclusion? Listen to find out!

On the first episode of the new year, the Satanic Skeptic, JD Sword, examines a long-standing urban legend of a "demonic cat" said to stalk the halls of the United States Capitol building.

On this episode, the Satanic Skeptic examines a case of alleged Satanic Ritual Abuse that went viral after video interviews between police and children as well as a list of 175 alleged cultists, was leaked online. Ultimately, the children recanted their testimony, confessed their mother and her boyfriend had made it all up and coached them on what to say, and rather than face questioning by police both hoaxers fled the country! But, the story doesn't stop there...

On this episode, the Satanic Skeptic examines several plausible candidates for the "true events" which author and showrunner Daria Polatin may have drawn on for inspiration in writing Netflix's latest limited series, "The Devil in Ohio." We're talking a kooky occultnik, a high-profile murder, and a Keystone Cop, all bringing the mass psychogenic illness of the Satanic Panic to poor Toledo, Ohio!

On this episode, the Satanic Skeptic investigates a Devil worshipping Neo Nazi group calling themselves the Order of Nine Angles and their ties to the Alt-Right. While a minority among the extremist fringe, the Order of Nine Angles have been linked to several attempted terrorist attacks and actual homicides. Just how dangerous are they?

On this episode, the Satanic Skeptic revisits an article he wrote for Skeptical Inquirer back in 2021, investigating a video in the tabloid, The Sun, allegedly showing a ghost manipulating a lamp in the haunted former home of both Katharine Hepburn and Boris Karloff! https://www.the-sun.com/news/1655849/poltergeist-ghost-shakes-lamp-katharine-hepburn-video/

Incensed by an article titled "The Devil Went Down to Texas" in which Director of Content and editor-in-chief at the Foundation for Economic Education, Dan Sanchez, writes that "To Massacre Children is Literally Satanic," The Satanic Skeptic addresses the popular narrative of school shooters as "outcasts" and social rejects and argues why, in fact, massacring children is decidedly un-Satanic!

In 1983, ethnobotanist Wade Davis published The Serpent and the Rainbow- an account of his journeying to Haiti in search of a fabled zombi powder used by Vodou bokors to induce a state of somnambulism. Davis claimed to have obtained samples of the powder, and hypothesized that one of the main ingredients was a deadly neurotoxin known as tetrodotoxin, setting off a firestorm of academic controversy. The Satanic Skeptic examines Davis's claims as well as those of his critics. Is there a scientific basis for zombi folklore, or are they mere superstition?

On this episode, the Satanic Skeptic examines the safety and efficacy of abortifacients- herbs taken to induce miscarriage- as well as a "Woman's DIY Guide" to herbal abortions circulating on social media. While the use and interest of abortifacients is nothing new, the recent threat of the United States Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 ruling of Roe v. Wade has the potential to create conditions whereby more women may turn to these herbs when they no longer have access to adequate medical care. How effective and dangerous are these herbs?

On this episode, the Satanic Skeptic, JD Sword, examines the musical myth that the Catholic Church banned what's known as the tritone during the Middle Ages for being Diabolus in Musica. Is there any truth to this myth and what relationship does the tritone have to rock and heavy metal music?

On this mini episode, the Satanic Skeptic reviews the 2019 book, The Genealogical Adam and Eve, after reading a January 2, 2022 Fox News article "Christians point to genetics breakthroughs to show Adam and Eve are not incompatible with evolution." Life finds a way, but the Satanic Skeptic finds this book unconvincing

On this episode, the Satanic Skeptic examines ritual magic, specifically, whether or not there is reason to believe ritual magic works by way of human will influencing the physical world, or, does ritual magic work on the individual as self-transformative psychodrama?

On this episode, the Satanic Skeptic examines The Satanic Temple, a political activist group who also claim to be Satanists- but are they really? We'll be discussing some of their more well-known publicity stunts such as the Baphomet Statue and their After School Satan program, whether or not their strategy is actually effective, and finally, whether or not they are a religion at all and, if so, are they Satanic?

On this mini-episode, the Satanic Skeptic reviews a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "National Religiosity Eases the Psychological Burden of Poverty." Is religiosity, the degree of religious belief, likely a major factor that makes poor people feel better? Is that true of both developing and developed (first world) nations? As Satanists, why should we care? What does that have to do with taxing churches? Listen to the show and found out!

JD Sword, the Satanic Skeptic, examines the case of Anneliese Michel, who's exorcism inspired the movie "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." Diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy, was this a case of neurological disorder or diabolical possession?