Satanism & Self Worship (Special Guest Matt Adkins) | S6 E5

Point Taken

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March 23, 2024

00:01: And welcome! I'm here, so... We're here to the Point Taken Podcast. And we are here with Anna, as always, ever tried and true, and our friend
00:12: Matt Adkins. Say hello, Matt. What's up? Now, today, we definitely do have a heavier topic, and I'm just going to let you on the front end, but it's a beautiful end result.
00:22: The topic is Satanism. What is it? Experiences with it, and how, through God, able to overcome that mindset.
00:33: And I'm sure Matt has a lot prepped for us. Just on the outset, when the
00:38: Bible talks about, and Matt may get into this passage in Corinthians, about how we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised up against the knowledge of God, there are ideals that we should fight against.
00:54: It's not people we're fighting against. It's ideals from the enemy. And this is just another one of those.
01:00: So, I'm going to let Anna kind of pitch the questions. But that's our topic for today. What is
01:05: Satanism, and how do we battle against it, and experiences with it. So, Anna, go ahead and do your thing and take it away.
01:11: Okay, well first I wanted to mention, if you haven't already subscribed, please do that. Comment, if you want.
01:17: Ask other questions down in the comments. That would be great for next season to help us film our episodes. Also, like, share, do all the things.
01:26: So, we'll go ahead and get into it. So, what is Satanism? Basically, in a nutshell,
01:32: I found Wikipedia's got about the best condensed list. I love that website. I'll say it.
01:38: I know, right? I love Wikipedia. We were never allowed to use it for research papers. No, we weren't, but I mean, there's a lot of gold there. You've got to sort through some stuff.
01:44: But basically, Satanism refers to a group of religious, ideological, and or philosophical beliefs based on Satan.
01:52: I mean, just in a nutshell, that's what it is. It's worshiping Satan as opposed to God, Christ, the whole righteous creator.
02:03: He tries to steal the show on a lot of things. I mean, he's the one that tried to lift himself up to be worshipped himself, and that's basically what that is, is him deceiving us, which he's already done, to worship him rather than God.
02:21: He doesn't care for us. He doesn't care. He cares about himself. And so, if he can get our attention drawn from God, then he's doing his job, basically.
02:32: And so, I've heard that there's two different types of Satanism, or like branches, if you will.
02:39: Lots of different. Okay, because I've heard of two, and I can't remember them for the point of this conversation, so I apologize, but I know that one of them, they essentially use
02:49: Satan as their mascot. They don't necessarily worship Satan, but they just use him as their mascot for their ideologies and things like that that they got from Satan.
02:59: So, I didn't know if that was what you were referring to or not. Well, you've got to think this is like 30 -something years ago.
03:07: Yeah, so it's evolved since then. Well, I mean, it has, but it hasn't. The nuts and bolts of it is going to adapt with the times.
03:16: I mean, you look at like the Mormon Church or Jehovah's Witnesses, they keep, you know, oh, it's this.
03:23: Well, it didn't happen. So, okay, well, maybe it's this, you know, kind of thing. Yeah, they just keep changing it. So, like,
03:28: I was more of, I don't know if this is one of the two you're talking about, like, LeVayan, Anton LeVay is the author of the
03:36: Satanic Bible, written, yeah. That's more of the belief system that I was adhering to, and it's more of a humanistic kind of I am my own
03:52: God, which they're all, I mean, anything apart from God is making yourself God.
03:57: So, I have to clarify that, but this one is directly, like, one of the highest laws is, you know, and this isn't verbatim, don't quote me verbatim, but it's basically if anybody comes against you, then throw them down, kick them, you know, basically you can, you have the privilege to do whatever you want to that person since he crossed you.
04:19: Your highest holiday is your birthday. Wow. Yeah, so, I mean, it's all about self, right?
04:27: So, what's the difference, if there is one, between Satanism and humanism? Because you mentioned humanism.
04:33: Humanism, yeah, yeah. So, let's look at what the suffix "-ism means, okay?
04:39: So, and this was Michelle's idea, actually. She said, you better do this. She's a smart. She is awesome, oh my gosh.
04:46: So, it literally means taking the side of. It comes from Greek ismos,
04:53: I think, or ismos, ismos, I can't remember, but it's taking the side of.
04:59: So, taking the side of human. So, if human is on this side, then what's on the other side?
05:04: God, obviously. It's a choice, like, go back to the garden. Yes. You know, Eve, well, she wasn't
05:10: Eve at the time. She didn't get her name until later, but. She was this woman. Right, she was just the woman. Never, yeah, never.
05:15: She got her name after the garden. So, the woman was deceived by the serpent with attaining knowledge and everything on her own apart from God.
05:30: And that's what that, you know, the tree of knowledge of good and evil is the tree of knowledge. It's everything.
05:37: You can figure it out. You can see what God already knows. You know what
05:42: I mean? It's enlightenment. It's apart from God. So, it's everything us.
05:48: And I think that's partly why falling into the LeVay insect was so easy.
05:55: Because that's, I mean, it's already what it is. Everything's about us, right? And even, like,
06:01: I remember in high school is really when I started to see this outside of just, like, music and things and TV shows and stuff.
06:12: You know, like, I remember going into algebra class and if you remember a lot of classrooms had posters, you know, around the wall with, you know, different motivational things.
06:21: And I started to see a trend even back in ninth grade is, like, you choose your destiny.
06:30: You this, you that. And so, I attributed that to me -isms. You know what
06:36: I mean? And even after I got saved, looking back, it's all, they're teaching us me -isms and that's what they're trying to train our brains into.
06:44: And so, it's just natural society to get into a humanistic, to be on the side of our own apart from God.
06:51: It's just, it's indoctrinated into us from early on. I'm not crazy. Like, I saw something just recently and this one girl said she had it written in, like, her college dorm.
07:02: It's, I am enough. And she's, like, you know, because a lot of the time women or men, like, whomever, they don't feel like they're enough.
07:13: And she's, like, and you know, that was very motivational to me back then. She's, like, that was good for me back then.
07:18: But she's, like, now as a Christian and I'm a more mature Christian, I look back at that and she's, like, I am not enough.
07:24: That's why I need Jesus. And it's just, it's the fact that, like, oh, you are in charge of your own destiny and you can make this happen and you can, what is the word?
07:34: Manifest. Like, you can manifest whatever you want. And so, I just think it's a bunch of crap, to be honest.
07:41: But with that, like you explained, there's really no difference between Satanism and humanism.
07:47: They're synonymous. Pete – For the most part, yeah. Stephanie – Because it's all about me, me, me, me, me. And like you said, with the
07:53: Garden of Eden, with the tree of, like, good and knowledge, or whatever, what is it? Knowledge, good and evil?
07:58: Pete – The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, yeah. Stephanie – Good and evil. Thank you. And talking about that, it's, like, the whole reason Satan was kicked out of the
08:06: Garden of Eden was because he wanted to be like God. He wanted to be all -knowing like God and he was competing with Him.
08:11: And it's, like, so that's what he tempted Eve with. You can be just like God and know everything. So, it's, like, okay, this is not working, guys.
08:18: Like, this is why he was kicked out. I just want to know, like, how they didn't know who he was. But I guess, like, that just wasn't explained at the time.
08:25: Pete – How they didn't know who he was, what do you mean? Stephanie – Like, how Adam and Eve didn't, or the woman and the man at the time didn't know who the serpent was.
08:32: And like, there's a snake talking to me. Why is no other animal talking to me? Pete – Well, if you think about it, the snake had legs.
08:38: Stephanie – Oh, yeah, at that time it was a lizard. But still, an animal is talking to me. Pete – But yeah, think about it. They didn't have any written word of God yet.
08:46: They only heard the Word of God that they had heard. And that was supposed to be enough for them. They were supposed to trust that, which they had heard.
08:52: Stephanie – Right. Pete – And I'm not opposed to the thought that they were able to communicate with the animals.
08:58: I mean, they all came to him for Adam to name. Pete – You know, there is a line of thinking there a lot of people have thought, it, without, with the woman not seemingly being surprised at the talking snake, was there more communication with all
09:12: God's creation before that? It's a possibility. Stephanie – I was just thinking about that. That was, like, totally off topic.
09:18: I apologize, but that, I've just always wanted to know. Pete – That's a whole neat little study all by itself.
09:24: Stephanie – I'll have to look into that. But with Satanism, so, like you said, back in high school. So, this is when you were, like, a teenager when you started.
09:30: Tell me about, like, kind of a brief background of your childhood, kind of what led you into Satanism and, like, your whole experience with it.
09:38: Pete – So, originally from Michigan. Four years old, my parents started working against each other, if you will.
09:48: So, what would happen is we would be shipped off to grandparents on the weekends, right?
09:54: So, one weekend I'd be at my mom's parents, the other weekend I'd be at my dad's. One was
10:00: Presbyterian, one was Assembly of God. Stephanie – Look at that! Man! Pete – So, every other weekend, it's like, this right here, it's like, oh my gosh, right?
10:07: Stephanie – We should add him on last week for a different denomination. Pete – Right. Well, I remember the
10:13: Presbyterian church had pancakes, so I was good with that. Stephanie – Yeah, I was good. Pete – So, with that,
10:20: I kind of started to shut out because I saw the differences. I'm like, okay, so what's real? Are they just doing it because it's a tradition?
10:28: I mean, you know, eight, ten years old, or I guess it was between four when
10:33: I started realizing, between, like, six and eight before the divorce and we moved down here. Stephanie – It's amazing how young kids can be influenced by this.
10:38: Pete – How young can you actually be thinking of this? Stephanie – Yeah, kids are not dumb. Pete – Right. No, not at all.
10:44: Stephanie – Kids are very aware of what's going on. Pete – And that's why me and Michelle are very specialized when we talk to Betty, because I know.
10:54: But yeah, so I pretty much shut that part of it all out, right? So, fast forward a little bit, divorce, we moved down here, stepdad, we never went to church.
11:04: The only time I ever went to church was if I spent the night at a friend's house and they happened to go to church, which it could have been
11:11: Baptist, it could have been Lutheran, it could have been Catholic, you know, and so still,
11:17: I was just there because I was with friends. Right? So it just, to me, it was meaningless at that point.
11:28: And then you've got a very secular stepdad kind of teaching certain things from his point of view, like, well, you know, they ate the apple, but it wasn't really an apple, it's all metaphors, all the
11:38: Bible's a metaphor, yada, yada, yada. And so that's what I had to teach me. Of course, I had a prayer warrior grandmother, the assembly of God, that was always in the background, you know, praying, so thank
11:49: God for that. But fast forward a little bit, seventh grade, start smoking pot, eighth grade, start drinking liquor.
11:58: I think seventh grade is when I was introduced to satanic music, like, and I'm not talking like…
12:03: Rebekah And the backwards Ozzy Osbourne record. Have you heard about that, doing it backwards and it looks satanic?
12:10: Pete Yeah, Led Zeppelin's got one where it praises Satan if you do it backwards, whatever, sorry about that.
12:16: But it's like, you look back at bands like Slayer, Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, whatever, that's what society would be, oh, there's some for the money.
12:30: You know, there is real satanic music. Like, it was like, if the
12:35: Baptist church that I went to was singing hymns, that's what this music was like for Satan. And it was the real deal.
12:43: And I started studying on, you know, trying to look up and figure out how they believed, even back then without the internet, interestingly enough, and figuring out the path that I took, the
12:56: Levain satanic bible kind of thing. Yeah. Rebekah That's crazy.
13:03: Pete Yeah. Rebekah So, that got you in the door to… Pete That's what got me in the door of it. Rebekah It was just the music.
13:08: Pete It was through music. Pete Music and then your own research through libraries or whatever. Pete Yeah. Rebekah Wow. Pete Yep, yep, yep.
13:15: Rebekah I guess what attracted you to that? Pete Because, okay.
13:21: Rebekah What was the answer? What questions did that answer for you? Pete So, when we moved down here, like,
13:30: I was in all the gifted classes up there, all the advanced, always the last one, you know, one of two in the spelling bees and all that.
13:39: Moved down here. Rebekah No, no, never. Pete Moved down here. Pete He says one or two. Who's the guy that beat you that one time?
13:45: Pete It was, I can't remember the kid's name, but I remember it was me and him. It was always us in the running. Rebekah Yeah. Pete So, moved down here and it was straight ups.
13:55: Um, it was me not doing book reports except just faking it, you know, putting on my mom's police uniform in fourth grade and making up a story and then my teacher giving me a bee with a smirk on her face, you know.
14:09: Um, yeah. Rebekah So, we call BSing. Pete Right. Rebekah That's what we call that. Pete Oh, he's good at it. But I ended up always in the group of the troubled kids, if you will.
14:26: And I always, they were always more close knit together than the good kids.
14:32: They were always backstabbing each other. It was always this. It was so much drama, but we - Pete Camaraderie.
14:38: Pete All we had to do, smoke a joint, everything's good. Pete You know what I mean? I mean, seriously though.
14:45: Rebekah Yeah, I believe it. Pete There was unity. There was looking out for each other. Pete It was all that. I was like, so why would
14:51: I want to be like the preppy kids when - Pete This is it. I mean, I already didn't have a family.
14:57: I mean, I did have a family. Like, my mom and my stepdad were there. We had food.
15:04: We had shelter. We were never, you know, hurting for anything, but they were never there.
15:10: Rebekah Yeah. Pete Sure. Pete So, basically, me, my brother, my sister, my dad's first litter, we raised ourselves, basically, without any direction.
15:20: So, that's - Rebekah I can see that. Pete Yeah. So, and always being with the troubled kids, and that's just the influence, and then the music.
15:28: So, it all just kind of, it built up my own world like that. Rebekah So, how long did you stay in Satanism?
15:36: You said what this was like seventh, eighth grade? Pete Yeah. Rebekah Okay. Pete And so, like, there was never,
15:45: I could never find a real group that we would actually meet on occasion. I did find enough books that I could do my own thing on my own, and it probably,
16:00: I would probably say about the end of seventh grade, because, like, once I started smoking pot, it was like, this is it.
16:10: I'm good to go. I'm my own person. So, end of seventh grade, 11, 12, whatever that was, up until,
16:20: I think I was 19 or 20, I think 20, somewhere in there, is when
16:26: I finally crossed over, if you will. Rebekah So, when you would research -
16:35: Pete I'm sorry, when you crossed over - Rebekah Into Christianity? Pete Into Christianity. Pete Into Christianity, yeah. Pete Accepted the truth. Pete Got it, yeah.
16:41: Pete Got it. Rebekah So, when you were practicing, if you will, like, reading the texts that were provided or that you found, like, what were you doing with those resources?
16:51: Like, were you acting on them, like, with worship, or? Pete Not like a church service kind of worship or anything like that, but there's countless nights that I would lay down with the music going, and I would purposely picture and work to feel
17:06: God's spirit being pulled down out of me. Yeah. Just very dark, if you will.
17:15: Rebekah Yeah. Because I've seen some, like, I've YouTubed it before we had this conversation.
17:21: There's like, different variations like we discussed, and like, there are people who will actually worship. They had like, the black cloaks on and had the, what is it, the pentagram?
17:32: Pete The ritualistic type. Rebekah Yeah, they're very much like that. Pete The moon, lunar, basically, like, I looked at a lot of that as just the antithesis of the
17:39: Catholic services. I mean, seriously, because if you look at society and you look at media and entertainment,
17:46: Christianity is based on the image of the Catholic Church, and that's a terribly sad thing. And so, the satanic church in the eyes of the populace, if you will, is going to counter what the
18:00: Catholic Church is represented as. And so, that's with the cloaks and the pentagrams and that and the other.
18:05: Now, there is a lot of merit to symbology, but I never really went that route.
18:13: I did adhere to the 666 and all that, and more so of what
18:20: I was taught as the witch's circle, which is going to be the pentagram with the goat head and the two circles, and you've got your symbols at each of the five points.
18:30: That's what I held to. So, but there was a lot of meaning in that to me back then, but now
18:38: I know it's just what it is. So, what ended up leading you out of that?
18:44: Like, was there something that happened that sparked something in your brain? You're like, ah, like, where you questioned it?
18:49: No, I don't think that there was really any defining moment, and I think it was more of a gradual, because I'm the kind of person that I'll take things in and I'll put it in a box on a shelf in my brain, and it stores that.
19:02: I do the same thing. And when that box gets full, it spills over, and that's when other things start happening. So, with me, like, of course, the prayer warrior grandmother has always been on top, and I remember a few people in high school trying to witness to me, and I would stump them, because I knew enough of the
19:27: Bible that I could twist what they were trying to tell me. And so, to me, it was like a game. It's like, alright, yeah, let's talk about this.
19:35: Well, what about this? What about this? Oh, okay, well, I didn't consider that. And I thought I was going to convert them more than they were going to convert me at some point.
19:43: But there was this one kid, Jerry Thomas, I'll never forget this kid, and if I start to cry right now, you just don't even know.
19:50: This dude, he would pray for me, even right there, and I'm like, okay, whatever, because as far as I knew at the time, it's fake anyway, whatever.
20:02: Like, why stop them? Yeah, I'll let you feel good about yourself kind of thing. But there was this one time, oh my
20:09: God, we were in shop class together, and I'm a little guy. I was even littler then.
20:16: He was wiry. He was built like me. He was a cross -country runner. Oh, okay, yeah. Okay, so yeah, yeah, yeah. You know that, right.
20:22: Very lean. So, we were in shop class, and you know when guys get around, the testosterone flows.
20:29: And so, there was an anvil on the table, and it was huge, right? And so, he was like, all the football players, like these kids, 15, 16 years old, bench pressing 300 pounds.
20:40: You know, they were all trying to lift and see, you know, we were comparing strength, obviously.
20:48: And so, anyway, this wiry kid, Jerry Thomas, Lord Jesus give me the strength to lift this off the table.
20:54: And he lifted it up like it was a box of cereal. Looked around, set it back down. And I was like.
20:59: And everyone's just like, oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, oh, it was the craziest thing. I was like, what the crap was this? How did that happen?
21:05: You know? Just like, everyone see that. And so, I'm going through all the magic, all the, you know. Yeah. The spiritualism, all that, all that.
21:13: But there was always something like, nope, this is the truth, this is the truth. Which leads me to this.
21:18: I've always been one to search for truth. You know, seeing, going from Presbyterian to Assembly of God, look at all the contrast.
21:26: It's, they're not worshiping the same God, they're not worshiping the same way. Right. You know, kind of thoughts that I had.
21:32: But always looking for truth. And ultimately, like, I mean, it got to where, like, whatever girlfriend that I was with, we would come up with our own belief system.
21:42: Just because we both knew that it was all crap. And so,
21:49: I mean, we had, like, the, I don't want to say it like this, but my favorite belief was we came up with the cycle theory.
21:57: Which means that it's happened before, it'll happen again kind of thing. Never heard that before.
22:03: I thought we came up with it. We were original with it. Like, oh my God, this is it. You know? That's what happens with my jokes, by the way.
22:08: I think I come up with them and then someone else has come up with them. It's so upsetting. Right. So, but anyway, searching for truth.
22:17: And I was looking around, and all my friends that were proclaimed as atheists,
22:22: Satanists, this, that, or the other, I really took it as they were hypocrites.
22:28: I thought they were more hypocritical than church people were at some points. Because they were the ones holding to morals and moral standards more so than a lot of church people that I knew.
22:39: I was like, well, I mean, if there's no God, there's no standard, then why? Right. You know what I mean? And so, that led me in a lot of other beliefs, you know, sexual freedom, this, that, and the other.
22:52: And because, I mean, like, I believe through the satanic teachings, you know, if I'm the
22:58: God of my own body, then whatever I do to my body that feels good is worshipping myself, so that's what
23:04: I'm going to do. And so, like with Satanism, you've got the freedom to worship in your own personal ritual chamber.
23:16: And so, whatever you do in that ritual chamber is worshipping Satan, it's worshipping yourself, so you're good.
23:23: And that's what builds you your own personal strength, by catering to yourself on your own terms, that you don't have to worry about anybody else.
23:31: And that's the world that I was falling into. But anyways, just looking for truth, it was all about that.
23:39: And then when I saw that with Jerry Thomas, even though I was, I think, a freshman at the time, it just, that would never leave.
23:47: That would never leave. And it, I guess, fast forward, after high school, after a whole lot of partying and everything else, and every girlfriend
24:03: I've ever had, we always had a pact. If you get saved, we're breaking up. Either one, it didn't matter.
24:10: If I chose to believe, we'd have to break up. If she chose to believe, we'd have to break up. It's just, we weren't going to have that.
24:17: And so, well, it happened. Pete and Kirsten laugh. Kirsten You were the one who broke it.
24:22: Pete Actually, no, she was. Kirsten Oh! Pete She's like, hey, I've got another boyfriend, and his name is
24:27: Jesus. I'm like, what in the are you talking about? But I was so into her, which, looking back, anyways.
24:40: Kirsten Teenager, you're all teenager's ones. Pete Moving on, we ended up, they were at a
24:47: Disciples of Christ church in Fraser, I think. And we ended up, something happened with that church, and we ended up going to, because she lived with her godparents.
24:59: And that's a whole other story that would take up hours to explain. But we ended up at a non -denominational church.
25:06: It was Community Church of Highland or something like that, Highland and Summer, right behind where that Walgreens used to be.
25:15: I think it was an Easter Sunday, and I have to say
25:20: I saw heaven. I saw people worshipping like I've never seen before, but I didn't see them as people.
25:27: I saw them as their spirits worshipping, and that just blew me away.
25:34: And I was like, nah, this can't be real. It's just because it's Easter. It's just all hype, whatever.
25:41: So, I ended up going the next Sunday, and it was the same thing, and then the next
25:46: Sunday, and it was the same thing. And I think one of the Sundays, I can't remember which one, there was a guy that, and I was already privy to the whole talking in tongues thing, because being the of God and all that.
25:59: And so, this guy spoke in tongues. I was like, okay, this is crap. And then he interpreted it. I was like, oh, okay.
26:08: And it was nothing to glorify himself. It was all glorifying God through, and I was like, okay, there's something to this.
26:17: And then I think it was the third or fourth Sunday there, I remember the pastor was like, come on up.
26:23: It was the altar call, and he did a countdown, three, two, one. And by the time he said two,
26:31: I was already up and in the aisle before I even realized I stood up. And when
26:37: I got to the altar, there was a guy, he was a youth pastor or something, and he was praying.
26:43: He never did the sinner's prayer or anything like that. He just, he was talking repentance and this, that, and the other.
26:49: I was like, that was it. It was game over for me. So, yeah.
26:55: Sarah - That's crazy. You just think about, well, like you said, yours was a gradual process.
27:01: So, it wasn't just like all one thing. It was like an accumulation of everything, and then that was like the final thing that you could actually see the genuineness of those people worshiping.
27:12: And I like how you said the youth pastor didn't do the Lord's Prayer or whatever, because that's a bunch of, like you're, the pastor says, well, both pastors, it's like that's not in Scripture.
27:22: The sinner's prayer, yeah. It's not like the, I almost said the Lord's Supper's Prayer. Y 'all, sorry.
27:28: We had the Lord's Supper this morning. Pete - I may have said it wrong too, so I don't know. Sarah - No, it's like the Lord's Prayer, like where -
27:35: Pete - Our Father. Sarah - Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. All that stuff, yeah. So, I guess with that, once you became a
27:44: Christian, how did your walk, well, I mean, it was completely different from what you were doing.
27:49: Did you stay at that church and like become a member? Pete - I stayed at that church for a little while.
27:56: They had this class to teach. I can't remember, because this was what, 92, 93, something like that.
28:05: I don't know if some of y 'all were even born then, but - Pete - What year were you born in? Sarah - 95. Pete - 95, right.
28:11: Sarah - I was almost 94. Pete - Well, what year were you born? Sarah - He's older. Pete - 92.
28:17: Pete - I'm 93. Pete - So, what year were you born? Pete -
28:26: O2, wow. Sarah - That hurts. That hurts,
28:32: O2. Pete - O2, wow. Yeah. Sarah - That hurts. Pete - But there was, with the whole gradual thing, that's how my walk has been.
28:41: It's been gradual. It wasn't a night and day, and actually, it's gotten me really discouraged talking with some people over the years, because they're talking about this immaculate just reverse, which
28:53: I think is awesome, and praise God for it, but it always kind of discouraged me, because I always happened to be with these people talking about it.
29:01: Maybe that was something in the back that God was just trying to deal with me, but anyway, they had this class.
29:06: I can't remember if it was for ministry, this, that, or the other, but I ended up quitting the church.
29:13: My girlfriend at the time, she was living with me, and my brakes went out.
29:19: Oh, my tire fell off, this. It was always an excuse, and then all of a sudden, we weren't going, because something always came up, and I never made the point to make it a priority, and so, my walk has been very much a roller coaster and still struggle with some things.
29:40: I mean, like, even in recent past, not like this week or last week or anything, but some of the music
29:46: I used to listen to, sometimes it's just, I hate to say, like, oh, it's calling me. It's calling me, but there's sometimes it's like, oh, yeah,
29:53: I remember that. I'd love to hear that again. You know?
30:00: You know, on that note, when you think about sensory experience, so,
30:07: I mean, the most basic taste, sight, smell, touch, hear.
30:15: Auditory is how you say it? This is one I always say, we all got to be, you know, what's the old song,
30:21: Be Careful Little Eyes? That's a true song, Be Careful Little Eyes. The other day, it was like out of a movie,
30:31: I walked by something on the street, and I smelled a certain smell. It took me back to a memory from 15 years before, and it was like I was there, and then
30:44: I woke up out of it. Like, just that one sensory, same with,
30:50: I listened to a song the other day, just walking by someone was playing it that I heard in 20 years, and I was walking in my brain,
30:59: I was walking where I last heard that song in my brain, like, between classes at the University of Memphis.
31:04: It was just insane. It was like I was walking to somewhere that I hadn't been in 15 years. It's amazing how that works, so that's why, you know,
31:13: I know what you mean when you say calling. It's like, not that it's actually like, hey, Matt, but our senses are like that.
31:19: You know, when you look at, Matt almost referenced it earlier, 1 John, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, because through our senses, we perceive stuff, and that's kind of where our memories come from.
31:32: Absolutely, absolutely. I wanted to say something that he highlighted earlier, if you don't mind, before you move on to your next question with him.
31:41: This is Ephesians 2. Matt and I have talked about this passage before.
31:47: You were dead in your trespasses and sin, in which you once walked, following the course of this world.
31:57: That part of that phrase doesn't really surprise most Christians. Yeah, you're following the world, following the course of the world, but understanding what that means, following the world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.
32:28: Now, obviously, the beautiful part is after this, but my point is, it says, not that Satan had you on a leash, but Satanism removed, in one sense, we all were walking according to the ways of this world.
32:46: Yeah, because we come into this world already deceived. Exactly! Already. Yeah. And if you're walking just according to the ways of the world, it's not that he has you enslaved in a sense to where you're against your will.
33:01: If you walk according to this world, you're walking according with the prince of the power of the air, with Satan himself.
33:07: That's the kind of influence he has on the thought, the ideals, the mindset of the current state of our world.
33:16: Well, and it's like you just think about, in particular, the first thing that came to my mind is like the genders.
33:23: There's two genders. And all of a sudden, in the last 5 -10 years, now there's multiple genders.
33:29: Right. It's because whatever you feel, that's that ritual chamber thing.
33:35: That's what that is specifically. It's, you know, and coming into this world already deceived, you know, if not
33:42: God, then what? Well, it's self and that interhumanism. Right. And it's like you see it everywhere.
33:49: Right. It's everywhere. Like the other day, Ava and I decided to be good parents and introduce our children to Shrek.
33:57: You mean Rachel and you? What did I say? Just Ava. Rachel and I decided to be good parents to Ava, Naomi, and introduce them to Shrek.
34:05: I was trying to make a joke and I still messed it up. We've been loving that movie. Because what a great movie. Well, we started the second one, which I have an unpopular opinion.
34:11: I actually think it's better than the first one. I love the second Shrek. The third and the fourth one can just be removed from the...
34:17: I don't even think I've watched the third and fourth one. Yeah, they're kind of hard to watch. First is solid for me. Anyway, the second one does have some scenes that I have to skip with Ava and Naomi.
34:28: Nothing horrible, but I had forgotten there is, as a joke, because that movie is probably 10 years old.
34:36: Oh, 15. Is it? Easily. The second, easily. Yeah, probably. Thanks, Seth. Just as a joke, there is, like, if I were to call it transgenderism, that's anachronistic.
34:48: It was just, like, as a joke, a dude dressed as a woman. Cross -dresser. Yes. It's just cross -dresser. In that movie.
34:53: Just as a joke. Like, what, it was supposed to be... The guy with the unibrow. 04 of Shrek 2. That's 20 years ago.
35:00: Oh my goodness, I was wrong. 20 years ago. Are you talking about the one with the eyebrow? Yes. Who works at the bar.
35:05: Yeah, yeah. And Pinocchio was wearing something I won't say on the podcast right now, but he lied about it in his nose.
35:12: Yeah, but anyway, think about it. By the way, Ben Bowen can do the voice of the gingerbread man.
35:21: Well, he can do that. Fire up the ovens, muffin man. No, gingerbread man.
35:27: Yeah, perfectly. Have you heard him do it? I can't even, like, fire up the ovens, muffin man.
35:35: We've got a big order to fill. I can't do it. He does it perfectly. But anyway...
35:40: You fast -forwarded through certain scenes. It was a joke. Like, it wasn't meant to be controversial. That movie would be blocked now.
35:47: Yeah. I mean, it's crazy. There are some things that my husband and I watch, and I'm like, they could not make this movie nowadays.
35:52: That's what I'm trying to say. They could never make this movie nowadays, because that's offensive. Back then, 15, 20 years ago, it was humor.
36:01: Steve Carell has talked about that. He goes, I can't say what I used to say anymore. There's a lot of them saying that now.
36:06: Comedy is weird now. I hate comedy now. If it's the censored crap, like Ron Snyder, Adam Sandler's friend that's in all his movies, where he goes, hip -hop?
36:20: Hip -hop anonymous? Then it's Big Daddy. He was doing a skit, and he was saying the quiet parts out loud, and it was just absolute humor.
36:29: I'm like, I wish that more comedians were like this. But we were saying all of that to say just the self -serving of it all, just the ideologies that are present now.
36:42: Me, mine, me, mine. If you watch the news, if you watch the news, anything. I have,
36:48: I follow PragerU, and Turning Point USA, and Live Action, so these conservative platforms and stuff.
36:56: With Live Action, they are a pro -life organization. They actually have videos of these particular procedures that are performed, and they'll ask these people before they show them the videos, what do you think about abortion?
37:11: They're like, oh, I think it's fine, whatever. It's my right, it's my constitutional right, which I'm like, it's not in the
37:16: American Constitution, but whatever. But then they watch the video, and they're like, I had no idea.
37:22: And it's like, so when you're actually presented with the truth in a way that is, I would say gentle, because no one's ever going to, my mind's changed when someone's screaming their opinions down my throat, you know, like that, and hitting me over the head with them.
37:36: It's out of a form of gentleness that people's minds are changed. And like you said with prayer, like your grandma prayed for you for God knows how long.
37:44: That's so beautiful. I know, and I love that. And the thing is, like going back on her episode from last week, she was from a different denomination.
37:51: Yeah. So it's just like there are Christians within the different denominations, which I learned so much from that episode.
37:57: Well, and I learned so much from that episode, and so if y 'all haven't watched that one, please go back and watch that.
38:02: I'm 10 minutes in. Don't look at me. I'm getting there. Look at everyone else. Seth, where you at on it? That's right.
38:08: You see, I'm 10 minutes in. I filmed it, and then I was listening to it this morning. Who was more of a talker,
38:15: Pastor John or Pastor Christian? It was actually, I felt like it was pretty good, but Pastor John probably a little more. All right.
38:20: Like, it was still, it was good. The editor said it was Pastor John, so I'm like, okay. No, but I felt like it was pretty equal conversation.
38:27: But no, I don't know. I just, I like that it just shows the beauty of that, and so how would you say, like you said after, you know, you ended up leaving church for a while, making excuses, like how did you end up?
38:42: I don't want to say like going back to church, but like what changed for you? Just a draw, a pull, knowing that I need to do right.
38:50: Yeah. Conviction, you would say? Conviction. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Again, it wasn't really a defining moment.
39:01: It's just, my mom was sick with multiple sclerosis. She had already at this point had a medical retirement, so she wasn't working anymore.
39:12: Stepdad pretty much left her, so we were,
39:20: I think I was talking to my sister and mom, or maybe just my sister, but it was like, she kept saying, hey, yeah, there's an
39:29: Assembly of God church here in Millington that we've been going to. It's pretty cool. You should check it out, and so I went and checked it out, and it was there.
39:38: It was available. I liked it. The pastor there was phenomenal, old school, just a tremendous testimony all on his own.
39:46: He used to be a piano player in the Juke Joints down in Southern Mississippi, you know what I mean?
39:51: Yeah. And he could play the piano like that, and I loved it. He's the one, as a matter of fact,
39:58: I ended up stopping playing music at that point because all
40:03: I was into was death metal and all that, and I was like, well, I'm done with music, because that's what
40:09: I thought all that was. He actually got me back playing. But for worship of God, yeah.
40:15: Absolutely. Is that interesting, since you used the satanic music as like a form of worship, then going to Christian music, because it's,
40:26: I mean, it's complete opposite. Yeah. That's interesting, because you play bass, is that right? Yeah.
40:33: Yeah, it's, well, it's funny, because I think I talked to Christian tourists about this a few times, but it's like, you know, and I didn't think about this earlier,
40:43: I would have looked up the scripture, but it's basically wherever the devil's at, God's always ahead.
40:50: You know, always. You know, it's like a football game. You know, God's winning 35 to nothing.
40:56: You know, oh, look, the devil scored. You look at the score, what's the first thing that happens when a team scores? You look at the scoreboard.
41:02: Oh, it was 35 nothing, but we scored. Oh, wait, it's 42 to 7. You know, it's always going to be,
41:08: He's always going to be, and so that's, you know, just like with the music. You know, I think that God, I don't want to say that He allows us to be nonbelievers, to experience certain things, but He definitely uses…
41:25: He calls us at appointed times. At appointed times. Yeah, it's okay. We, He, you know,
41:30: He takes our experiences to use for Him. Yes, He does. And so, yeah, that's 100%.
41:36: It's appointed times for a reason. And sometimes He tells us the reason, sometimes not. But sometimes we get to see the reason of why.
41:42: With the music, with the people that I hung out with, what I learned and all that, the perceptions that I've developed is very unique compared to most, you know, if you
41:54: I'm not trying to boast myself, but it's just, I am very different in my thinking.
42:02: And at times, I hate it about myself, but at the same time, I praise God for it because it does offer completeness.
42:09: It's just like, you know, I mean, you see me and Michelle. It's like, oh, you like this kind of girl, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
42:14: I'm like, no, that's not it. I like individuals. But what I do is, like, you talk about what we call the races, the different, you know, shades that we are.
42:23: Yeah, different shades of brown. Oh, right. Yeah, literally. It's, you look at,
42:30: I see it as a full spectrum of God's beauty of what He had for us, you know, and then with the different thoughts and even to the extent of some denominations, it's the fullness of God, you know, because we're all different perceptions and different experiences that we can all bring to the table.
42:48: And the more differences that we have to come together for Him, the more of the full spectrum of God that we can realize.
42:55: And I think that's so, not funny that you say that, but it's just opposite of what the culture is.
43:01: It's like, we don't want your different opinions. We want you to have a set list of beliefs. So, isn't it funny that they preach non -binary, but yet everything to them is very binary?
43:12: Very binary. It's just like, it doesn't make any sense. But with that, it's just, it's just so dumb.
43:22: Yeah. Speaking of non -binary, you've already heard this. Sarah - Go ahead. I need a joke.
43:27: Pete - Where did the non -binary prospector find her gold? Sarah - I don't know. Pete - In them there hills.
43:33: Sarah - I don't know. Jared - Get it? Them there hills? Because that's… Pete -
43:39: Okay, anyway, moving on. Jared - No, that was worth it. Sarah - That was worth it. But I just,
43:44: I find it, what were you going to say? Go ahead. I was going to say, we have to be careful of that thought process, those ideals coming into the church.
43:54: Pete - Oh, absolutely. Jared - For example, the me -isms. Let me tell you why. At a very well -intending, in case this person watches, very well -intending, relatively new believer, say to me,
44:09: Josiah, I don't think I should ever say anything that ever offends anybody.
44:14: Sarah - Don't speak. Pete - They don't know me, do they? Sarah - You hear what some of the things that I say on this podcast,
44:22: I'm just like, bless your heart. Jared - And I said, gently, if I may, the name of Jesus offends a lot of people.
44:33: Should you quit saying that? And he went, no,
44:41: I can't say I could stop saying that. I said, right, we should not go out of our way to offend, but in a sense, every time
44:52: I talk about this, I want to offend, including offend myself. This offends me. Pete - Oh, absolutely.
44:57: Jared - Two Wednesday nights ago, I referenced, when I say this, I'm saying it partially in jest, so don't misunderstand me.
45:05: My least favorite verse of the Bible, Philippians 2 .14, it says, do everything without grumbling or complaining.
45:13: What a horrible verse. Not really, but you understand what
45:18: I mean? This offends me. I was showing him,
45:25: Proverbs says, it's a funny proverb, it says, do not answer a fool according to his folly, but answer a fool according to his folly.
45:33: In other words, don't answer him according to his folly, if he's yelling, don't yell back, but hold up the mirror so he can see it.
45:39: I was like, brother, you can't say anything that doesn't offend somebody. That's not an ideal worth living for.
45:46: You'll drive yourself crazy. Pete - Oh, absolutely. Jared - You cannot, there are some things that offend everyone.
45:52: I mean, there's something that's always going to offend somebody. Instead, worry about who you're trying to please, not who you're trying to not offend.
46:01: So, yeah. Kristen - You might as well just become mute at that point. The me -isms of it's all about me and I decide my own fate and whatever makes me happy.
46:11: When we let that culture come into the church, even if we dress it up with beautiful words like love, tolerance, beauty, and all that stuff, we redefine our terms and then we, you know, you'll be called anti -this, anti -this, anti -this.
46:27: Really what we are is pro -God, God's people, and God's world.
46:32: That's really what we are. That's what we should be anyway. Kristen - Yeah, but it's not always like that.
46:38: Jared - I mean, it's not always painted that way, but we're not worried about how they paint us. Kristen - No, for sure. Well, I guess last thing, if you had to give any piece of advice to somebody who was involved in Satanism, Humanism, whatever it is, what would that be?
46:54: Pete - Good question. Oh, gosh. Good question. I think with me was be open to actual truth and recognize things for what they are.
47:08: With Satanism, Humanism, whatever, anything apart from God, what do they preach? Open -mindedness, you know, enlightenment, this, that, and the other.
47:17: But if you, if they could open their eyes to the actual truth, they would see how hypocritical they are.
47:26: They would see how hypocritical their associates are. They will see how hypocritical the whole belief system is, that there is no winning plan with it.
47:38: There's not. There's not. It's okay, so let's conquer the world. Okay, well, now, you know, science is proving that the world is going to die eventually, right?
47:50: Which we already know because that's what the Bible says, but they've proven that with science. Okay, so what are we just self -preserving for the time being and looking to the self?
48:00: Jared - What are we living for? Pete - Okay, so if I'm my own God and Anna's her own God and Josiah's her own
48:06: God, or Josiah's his own God, then which one of us is right?
48:14: Jared - Yeah. Pete - And that's the conundrum that I could never get past, is because there's not, okay, so if it's a question of heaven or hell, well, who's heaven is real?
48:26: You know, who's hell is real? So, that kind of led me to the cycle theory that, okay, well, when we die, we're just born again and live it all over again.
48:37: It's just something that just keeps… Jared - No, thanks. Pete - But then, well, right. And then that led to, well,
48:43: I had to start from somewhere. It has to end somewhere, right? And so, just whatever thought process that you can conceive, it's going to leave too many questions, way too many questions.
48:59: And look, even Josiah's more like Alistair Crowley, I don't know if you guys have heard. So, he was late 1800s,
49:08: I think, early 1900s, anyway, very high up in his beliefs. Um, Satan -wise, and, you know, even
49:16: Josiah was born saying about him going crazy. Anton LaVey went crazy. Jared - Donovan taught about him in Sunday school two weeks ago.
49:22: Kirsten - He did. Pete - Really? Kirsten - I thought, because we were talking about Scientology and how the guy of Scientology, like, idolized him.
49:28: Jared - Read a lot of Crowley stuff. Pete - Oh, I did not know that, Crowley. Jared - Crowley, yeah. Pete - Yeah, I did not know that.
49:35: Jared - He did, he read a lot of his stuff. Jared - In fact, he called him his number one disciple.
49:40: That's what he called himself. Pete - Oh, wow. Jared - Crowley's number one disciple. I didn't know what Donovan said. Pete - That is not a good thing. Jared - Yeah, right, right, right.
49:46: Pete - But, okay, yeah, so he went crazy. So, are you planning to go crazy? Jared - Yeah, right. Pete - Just saying. But, yeah, it's, and anybody who advances that high up gets so twisted that there's no peace anymore, so.
50:00: Pete - Okay. Kirsten - Okay. Pete - Open the truth, then. Pete - Mm -hmm. Kirsten - Great. You want to close this out?
50:05: Pete - Yeah, that was awesome. Thanks, Matt. I really appreciate that. Kirsten - Oh, one really quick. If you guys could, if you haven't already, again, subscribe, like the video, share.
50:14: Go watch some of our other videos. We've done some really good ones this season. I don't know. What was one of your favorites that we've done this season?
50:20: Pete - Well, like I said, I'm in the middle of the one last week. The one two weeks ago on, what mental illness, well, what did we call it?
50:27: Kirsten - Depression, anxiety. Pete - Anxiety. That was a good one. Kirsten - That one's done. Pete - I thought the one we did on public school.
50:35: Jared - Oh, I liked that one a lot. You know what I love about that one? That's kind of what he was talking about.
50:40: We all have these different experiences God has put us through, and we bring them all together and say, all right, what's the biblical
50:46: Christian answer of how you can do this one, this one, and this one, and whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.
50:51: I thought it was excellent. I thought Dalton - Pete - Oh, no, that was perfect. And that's like, I even told Michelle about that one, and she was like, oh, were they pro, you know, this -
50:59: Kirsten - Pub school. Pete - I was like, actually, no, they made sure to put the pros and cons of everything, let whoever watches decide.
51:07: That was awesome. Jared - I thought it was a good one. So - Kirsten - So go watch one of those if you haven't. Jared - Right. And then we've got four or five more this season.
51:17: Then we're going to take a break, and then we're going to start the next season. So the more questions you send in, the less we have to sit around and think of them ourselves.
51:25: Kirsten - Right. Help us out. So if you can, just comment them, or if you go to church with us, just shoot me a text or stop me in the hallway.
51:32: Jared - All right. Well, then I think we're good. Lowell, we got anything else you got to do? All right, Matt, you know how we do our outro?
51:38: I have no idea. Kirsten - No one ever does. Jared - Real simple. Kirsten - Everyone just cuts off. Jared - We do cut it off. All we're going to say is, until next time, deuces.
51:47: That's all we're going to do. Yeah, we need a better one, but every time - everyone says it's not a great one, but I need a better one.
51:55: Lowell - Okay, ready? Jared - Yeah. Lowell - Peas and chicken grease. Jared - We can do that. All right. Well, you ready? Kirsten -
52:00: All right. Jared - Until next time. Both - Peas and chicken grease. Jared - You know, I know a guy who eats raw red meat, like, probably three times a week.