2013 saw a sharp rise in the blatant promotion of the occult, black magic and satanic witchcraft in mainstream pop culture. What was once reserved for late night television or R-rated movies, has now become prime time viewing. No better example of this is seen than in American Horror Story: Coven, the primetime cable series on the F/X Network that has become a runaway ratings success as it openly promotes some of the most violent, depraved and satanic imagery on television. As society continues to move away from God, shun the name of Jesus Christ and reject the Bible, it is swiftly descending into satanic rebellion. And this year’s television season is an indication that the deception of the Devil is now becoming mainstream, especially for young adults and children.
American Horror Story: The Most Satanic Show on Television?

From the show’s website:

“American Horror Story: Coven tells the secret history of witches and witchcraft in America. Over three hundred years have passed since the turbulent days of Salem and those who managed to escape are now facing extinction. Mysterious attacks have been escalating against their kind and young girls are being sent away to a special school in New Orleans to learn how to protect themselves. Wrapped up in the turmoil is new arrival, Zoe, who is harboring a terrifying secret of her own. Alarmed by the recent aggression, Fiona, the long-absent Supreme, sweeps back into town, determined to protect the Coven and hell-bent on decimating anyone who gets in her way.” (source).

Coven tells the story of a group of young girls who have been recruited to a witch’s coven with fronts as a prestigious all-girls boarding school. The purpose of the coven is to train the young women to hone their occult powers and skill and protect them from the world which seeks to destroy them. There are various factions of witches who are both for and against the coven and as a result numerous conflicts ensue. The show uses this plot to show some of the most gruesome, violent and blatantly satanic scenes and imagery ever on television. Numerous animals are cut open, bled and burned for witchcraft and voodoo rituals. Eyes are gouged and burned out. Throats are slashed. Witches use telekinesis to smash the heads open of men they do not like (with the shattered skull and brain in full view). In just the first several episodes, American Horror Story: Coven features:

• A teenage witch using her powers to cause a bus accident the leaves the young men on the bus dismembered and dead (with their dismembered bodies and severed heads shown up close).

• A flashback scene focuses on Madame LaLaurie (who is one of the many historical references on the show),  a wealthy slave owner, keeping slaves chained in the attic of her mansion where they are tortured.  They have the skin peeled from their faces and organs dug out of their bodies with a metal hook. The “Madame” then uses their blood as make up on her face to maintain her youthful look and for an enchantment spell to keep her husband faithful.
  
  

  Madamae LaLaurie applies blood to her face to cast a spell.

• Two of the witches enact a spell that requires a pledge to Satan in order to resurrect a young man who had inadvertently died in the bus crash. They take his severed limbs and parts from other victims of the crash to reassemble his body (all shown on-screen).

• A mother sexually abuses her injured son in extremely graphic fashion while he is laying in bed.

• A young witch in the coven has sexual relations with an undead human-animal hybrid.

• Zoe, the star of the show, has the ability to kill any man she has intimate relations with as they suffer violent brain aneurysm and their eyes explode in a bloody mess (shown on-screen). She uses this ability, (again shown in graphic fashion) to murder a young man while he is in a coma in the hospital.

All the while the power of the witches and their air of superiority are on full display. The show makes every attempt to show that witches are genetically and intellectually superior to normal human beings and have no need to regard society’s rules. And certainly God has no role or say in anything they do in their lives. Because they are playing “goddess” themselves.”
Promotion of Sinful Rebellion
Throughout the Bible, in particular in the Old Testament, a battle was constantly waged between the spiritual forces under Satan’s leadership, who sought to bring humanity into sinful rebellion and away from God and eternal life in Heaven. The occult was and is a major lure by Satan to seduce people into sin. Trying to access the spiritual realm in any way, apart from God (through prayer to the Lord, saving faith in Christ, etc) is witchcraft and a clear sin. In the book of Deuteronomy, the Bible goes into great detail is describing all the practices that are an “abomination” to The Lord:

When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. – Deuteronomy 18:9-13.

Practicing witchcraft, using tarot cards and speaking with the dead are just some of the sins listed above that are all shown repeatedly on American Horror Show: Coven. The Bible is clear that demonic forces are real. And contacting them is an easy route to not just pull a person into sinful rebellion, but to being possessed by a demon themselves. Spirit beings are far older than human beings and this allows the Devil to use the same tricks over and over again to entice people into trying “magic.” But any temporary power or experience a magic practitioner may have is not worth spending eternity in hell and the Lake of Fire. This is why in the Old Testament law, practicing witchcraft was a capital offense:“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” (Exodus 22:18). This is how dangerous the practice of witchcraft, Wicca, or any black magic truly is.

Making The Occult Cool

Satan’s fate has already been cast. He will be judged and suffer forever. And now he is seeking to take as many people with him. 1 Peter 5:8 says: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”Satan wants to destroy humanity and though he does not have the power to do that outright, he does have limited authority to set up a system of sinful temptation. And pop culture has provided a powerful weapon for the Devil to make the occult, magic and rebellion “cool” and “what’s hot” right now. And to no surprise, young people are tuning into the show in droves. The first two episodes of American Horror Story: Coven were 2 of the top 3 broadcasts in the F/X network’s history. Additionally, it broke the record for any F/X broadcast ever in the highly-coveted 18-34 demographic. Young people are tuning into the show by the millions. Scripture says: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). Hollywood is bombarding society with darkness and making it fun, exciting and even morally good.
And the more entranced by the occult a person comes, the easier it is to move away from God. In Scripture, King Saul, the first divinely appointed monarch of the nation of ancient Israel, was in constant sin against The Lord. His jealousy towards a young man named David (who would grow up to usurp him as King David) after his defeat of the Nephilim giant Goliath started his descent into evil. He plotted on numerous occasions to kill David, was willing to have his own son killed in his maniacal pursuit, performed divine sacrifices that were only supposed to be done by priests from the tribe of Levi (Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin) and repeatedly disobeyed God’s commands. The prophet Samuel, who served as a spiritual advisor to the king, reprimanded him sharply saying: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1 Kings 15:23).

So Scripture is clear that rebelling against God and witchcraft go hand in hand. After God’s Divine protection left him and the prophet Samuel died, Saul, who never repented for his sin, went to see a witch to help him rule his kingdom. It was this action that was the final straw and led to his death in the days following. And this is where coven wants to take its fanbase. The show encourages its many fans to send in their own photos of themselves dressed in black (as the witches in the show are instructed to do by the Supreme, the highest ranking witch). The pictures are then posted on the show’s Facebook page:


The Meaning of The Number 13
A coven is defined in the dictionary and the occult as a meeting of 13 witches. Why is there such an occult obsession with 13? God created all numbers, but that has not stopped Satan taking what God created and distorting it for his own purposes. And the Bible reveals all the “wiles of the Devil” for the reader to know and be warned. The number thirteen in Scripture is often aligned with spiritual rebellion. In fact the first time the word “rebel” appears in the Bible it is linked to the number: Genesis Chapter 10 describes the wicked Nimrod, the first emperor after the Flood, founder of Babylon and leader of the Tower of Babylon rebellion:

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. – Genesis 11:1-9.

The Tower of Babel was no normal building. It was an attempt to try and reach Heaven and replace God through occult means. And Nimrod was the King as the founder and ruler of Shinar (where the tower was located) was at the center of this effort. Nimrod’s name literally means “let us rebel.” And when you count the generations of humanity from Adam, the first man (the genealogy is provided in Chapter 10 of Genesis), Nimrod is in the 13th generation.
Some may find it odd to count generations of Old Testament patriarchs, but the Bible does it itself. Enoch, a Biblical patriarch who lived in the pre-flood world, was a believer in the Lord and was the first man to never die. Scripture tells us:

And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. – Genesis 5:21-24.

Enoch was the first “Rapture.” Hebrews 11 confirms this: “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”And what is the numerical significance attached to him? We are told in the book of Jude: “ And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,”
So Enoch was a righteous believer, prophet and as raptured for his great faith. And the Bible makes the point of noting that he was in the 7th generation from Adam. Seven is a number repeatedly linked with God’s righteousness in Scripture. So we have a Biblical precedent for looking at the significance of numbers, even in generations. And Nimrod, who was in the 13th generation from Adam was clearly in strong rebellion against The Lord. He was the first conqueror, shedding blood in the post-flood world to establish his empire. He also made the first attempt at global government with the Tower of Babel project (a foreshadow of the Antichrist who will also set up a world government in the end times). His actions were so evil, that The Lord personally intervened and ended them.
In Genesis chapter 13 we see the first mention of Sodom and Gomorrah, two cities in open spiritual rebellion against The Lord. Genesis 13:13 says: “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.”
In Genesis 14, the first use of the world “rebel” is also linked to the number:“Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.” (Genesis 14:4).
The Antichrist, the satanically-empowered false Messiah who will rule over the Earth for the final 3 ½ years before the Second Coming of Christ, is described in detail in Revelation Chapter 13. And his city of operations, also known as “Mystery Babylon”, has the full name “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Revelation 17:5), which just happens to be 13 words. While it may seem like coincidence, consider that in the occult there is a major emphasis put on the number 13. To no surprise, real-life witches are celebrating the occult explosion in Hollywood.
Here is an excerpt from an article published in the Huffington Post, from a practicing witch:

“The numerological symbolism [of the year 2013] was obvious of course: 13 moons in a year, 13 fertility cycles, 13 witches in a coven. It’s a number considered unlucky and unlovely for so long, we’ve seemed to have forgotten why, while still obliterating it from our tallest buildings. And so it’s a number inherently bound up in feminine magic, and thus represents a deification of something persecuted; a profanity resacralized, unsullied and crowned.
The archetype of the witch is long overdue for celebration. Daughters, mothers, queens, virgins, wives, et al. derive meaning from their relation to another person. Witches, on the other hand, have power on their own terms. They have agency. They create. They praise. They commune with nature/ Spirit/God/dess/Choose-your-own-semantics, freely, and free of any mediator. But most importantly: they make things happen. The best definition of magic I’ve been able to come up with is “symbolic action with intent” — “action” being the operative word. Witches are midwives to metamorphosis. They are magical women, and they, quite literally, change the world.
Amazingly, though not surprisingly, as soon as I named 2013 the Year of the Witch, I began to see synchronicities and sympathetic signs all around me. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and the 50th anniversary of The Feminine Mystique, two of the past century’s most quake-making reclamations of female power.”  (source).

Grossman goes on to praise the new TV shows and movies promoting satanic witchcraft:

“And witch stories are being told all around us this year. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Beautiful Creatures, Oz the Great and Powerful, American Horror Story, Salem, and Witches of East End are just a few films and TV shows with 2013 releases. It’s not that we haven’t had centuries of these stories preceding us, but it seems we are witnessing a witchly tipping point.” (source).

These comments underscore a primary seduction of witchcraft and Wicca: it is seen as women’s empowerment. American Horror Story: Coven goes out of its way to emphasize a “women’s rights” angle to witchcraft. Equality in the workplace, politics and socioeconomic sphere is a valid and noble cause (as women have been historically denied this), but it should not come by being yoked with demonic forces. Jesus Christ said: “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Many women and young girls alike have been attracted to the occult for its offer of giving power and a means of leveling the playing field in a male-dominated world. However, this is all a lie as the cost of being yoked with the Devil is eternity in hell. Do not be deceived.

The Creators Of American Horror Story: Coven – Against Christianity
Ryan Murphy is the creator and writer of Coven. And he makes no bones about his stance against Biblical Christianity. We previously covered Murphy’s work as the creator of the hit musical show Glee and “The New Normal”, a sitcom about a gay married couple seeking to adopt a surrogate baby. Both shows have made blasphemous attacks on Christianity in particular The New Normal, whose episode “The Godparent Trap” devoted an entire show to mocking the Christian faith and blaspheming the name of Jesus Christ.

On American Horror Story, the lone Christian character, a neighbor named Joan Ramsey, is portrayed as an angry, semi-delusional woman who is mean to the ladies of the Coven from the onset and comes to their home clutching a Bible and telling them stay far away from her and her son. And once her son falls into a coma, she quickly abandons her faith and embraces one of the teen witches who has psychic abilities and is able to communicate with her unconscious son. The show in very clear fashion shows the lone Christian character giving up on prayer and her Bible in order to seek help from a witch who she then lovingly embraces and thanks for helping her.
More Witchcraft On The Way
As quoted above by the real life witch, there are indeed a number of occult-related programs debuting or set to debut in the near future. Witches of East End, a Lifetime show, which premiered in 2013, is about 2 sisters who discover in their 20s that they are powerful witches born into a family of witches.  For centuries the two women repeatedly die and come back to life, forgetting their past history, as a result of a “curse of fertility” that was put on their mother. Though not as violent or vulgar as Coven, Witches of East End employs a great deal of real witchcraft, incantations and spells. To no surprise, the show has been a ratings success for Lifetime Network, and has been the network’s highest rated show ever in the 18-34 demographic.

The WGN Network is currently producing “Salem” a new TV series set in the 17th century during the time of the Salem witch trials. Like Coven, it uses real, historic witches as its basis. The lead character is Mary Sibley,  a key player in the accusations which led to the witch trials, a series of trials and persecutions in Massachusetts in the 17th century that resulted in the execution of 19 alleged witches and one priest. Oz: The Great and Powerful a film released earlier in the year, starred James Franco who has strong connections to Satanism and the occult (as we detailed our article on his video for the song “Love In The Old Days” which features practicing warlocks and satanic rituals). The CBS Network is also planning a remake of the show Charmed.
Tune Out The Year Of The Witch
The Bible is clear that Satan will use any means to deceive and destroy humanity. In the midst of all of this occult promotion, the light of the Gospel still shines. God’s message is clear: no matter how deep a person has fallen into the occult, nature worship, Wicca or any type of mystical practice, they can be forgiven. While Satan wants believers to follow his Antichrist or burn in Hell, the Bible says that God: “…is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” TV shows like Coven and Witches of East End show powerful, intelligent, attractive women and young ladies who defy death through spells and incantations. All this ignores the truth: we are all going to die. The reason why reincarnation has to be constantly promoted in these programs is so that the viewer does not think about their sin and God’s impending judgment. The Bible says: “it is appointed unto men once to die, and then the judgment.” This life is our only chance to either choose God and eternal life or die in sinful rebellion like the many who have devoted their lives to the occult.
There is a way to eternal life and it does take supernatural power. But that power belongs to Jesus Christ. Christ took on human form to offer Himself, the just dying for the unjust, as a sacrifice to take the punishment we all deserve, not just for the occult, but for lying, stealing, blaspheming God’s name, racism, sexual sin and all the other ways we have violated God’s law. Jesus Christ chose to suffer on the cross and endure God’s wrath so that we would not. And it does not take any action on our part to receive this blessing of forgiveness. It just takes a humble heart to recognize our own sin and faith to believe in God’s way of restoring us.