This Easter, Faithful Christians See Demons and Dark Times in America

Experts warn against wanton use of dehumanizing rhetoric as US culture war escalates

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—As sure as night was settling over the big tent in Bakersfield, California, Rose Jaime believes America has fallen on profoundly dark times.

“The devil is real—and so is God,” said Jaime, watching and listening as Pastor Mario Murillo delivered his sermon to more than 1,500 evangelical Christians during the Living Proof Tent Crusade on March 12.

The purpose of the traveling ministry from Lafayette, Tennessee, was “soul-winning” in a nation turned away from God.

Jaime observed the faithful with a serene calm. Many sat or stood and prayed with their eyes closed, palms open, and raised high to receive the spirit of the word.

Rose Jaime points heavenward during a tent crusade in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Goodness—and godliness—are under attack in America, Jaime proclaimed with passionate certainty above the soulful rhythm of organ music and Murillo’s resonant voice as it reached a crescendo.

“There’s so much hatred between families. There’s division in the cross. There are overdoses, killings, murders, gang violence, hit-and-runs—people running over people. And they keep driving,” Jaime told The Epoch Times.

“The devil is running around. He doesn’t even hide anymore. The world still does not see him.”

Jaime firmly believes evil exists—pure, demonic, metaphysical evil. And that it’s getting out of hand in America.

Only a return to godly values can stop it, she says.

A young woman listens in rapt silence during a tent ministry program in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

“Yes, evil—the devil is running wild, breaking up marriages and churches. Kids are going against their parents; parents are going against their children. Family against family,” Jaime said.

“The devil is running around because he knows his time is short. It’s evil, evil, evil.”

Agree To Disagree?

Not everyone would agree with Jaime’s religious conception of an evil supernatural force running amok in America—secular people and those on the political left might well object. Instead, many on the left believe Christian conservatives and the Donald Trump phenomenon are at fault for the violence sweeping the country.

Unfortunately, some have chosen to take matters into their own hands.

A woman holds her hands aloft in prayer during a church revival ministry service in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Rosalene Galego of Tennessee said she believes evil forces are working against America as she attended an outdoor church service in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

On March 27, a 28-year-old biological woman—who identified as transgender—armed herself with a semi-automatic rifle and entered the Covenant School, a private Christian academy in Nashville, Tennessee, and killed six people before police officers fatally shot her.

Many conservative pundits blamed the motive for the shooting on a growing hatred toward traditional Christianity, which opposes transgender ideology.

The net effect of such tragic incidents has been an increase in national tensions and division along social and cultural lines. One GOP politician even called for a “national divorce” as the only peaceful solution to partisan conflict.

Paul Froese, an associate professor of Sociology at Baylor University in Texas and director of the Baylor Religion Surveys, sees an unsettling development in the term “evil” when used to demonize opponents, since harsh rhetoric often precedes or coincides with extreme behavior.

Devil In Disguise?

“At least in my mind, in a secular way, when people say evil or demonic, what they’re saying is ‘immoral,’” Froese said. “In a religious sense, that is connected to some supernatural force of evil in the world.”

As a teacher of social theory, Froese said that whenever he uses the term “evil,” it’s usually as a “rhetorical flourish.”

Evangelical Christians listen as Tennessee-based Pastor Mario Murillo delivers a sermon in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

“I think that’s a confusion there—what does it mean? I think for many people, [evil] has a supernatural meaning. I think the word evil is trying to express that something is immoral, but at the highest level,” Froese said.

Froese is co-author of “America’s Four Gods: What We Say About God—and What That Says About Us.” He believes that viewing the world through a lens of good and evil is how humans try to make sense of chaotic times.

“The future seems unclear. There are a lot of narratives about how scary things are out there,” Froese said. “It can come in many directions—Global Warming and whatnot. I think a similar trend happened with the advent of nuclear weapons. People started to think apocalyptically about things.”

During confusing times, Froese said people demonstrate an innate need to create order out of disorder.

“There are economic downturns for people—the pandemic,” Froese told The Epoch Times. “There are many events that have occurred recently.”

Families with children made up a large proportion of the congregation who attended a church revival ministry in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Froese said a “media ecosystem” that promotes and sells fear and hatred can reduce people and current events to simple terms of good and evil.

“I don’t know to what extent it’s a function of the internet—people falling into these information bubbles and the corporate model of selling anger and hatred through media,” Froese said. “If all you’re doing all day long is consuming anger, grievance, and hatred, there’s nothing to counterbalance that. You can live in this world of anger all the time.”

‘Jesus Revolution’

There is a “Jesus Revolution,” Murillo told the large gathering in Bakersfield on March 12—a biblical cleansing of America taking place where the return to faith is the key.

“I will tell you that I believe God will not destroy America. He is going to save America. How many of you believe that over there?” Murillo said to shouts of “Amen!”

Tennessee-based Pastor Mario Murillo holds his arms aloft during a tent sermon in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Volumes of The New Testament lie on a chair during a tent ministry program in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

At the same time, however, Baylor Religious Surveys has revealed a trend toward decreasing church attendance in the United States.

“What’s interesting is that we’ve seen a decline in church attendance and affiliations,” Froese said. “On the one hand, it appears the population is getting less religious. Probably what is showing up is [people] are becoming less religious in an institutional sense. That can lead people to become agnostic, atheist, or non-religious.

“Or, it could lead people to be much more having a personal religiosity that’s not attached to any religion,” he said. “What’s scary about that is that nothing kind of moors you to reality. If your belief system is free-floating and you capture ideas off the internet, nothing moors you anymore, and you’re not attached to real people. That can have a damaging effect on people.”

The Baylor surveys also found a belief in demons to be common among young adults.

Joseph Laycock, assistant professor of religious studies at Texas State University, told The Epoch Times that during the pandemic, he would receive emails several times a week inquiring about how to perform an exorcism.

An outreach worker explains how to become involved in the church ministry in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

“No one is saying they’re levitating, or my head is spinning around backward, or I’m speaking in Latin,” Laycock said jokingly. “It’s always things like ’my kid is annoying, and I think they’re possessed.'”

“If they do have a demon, I can’t help,” Laycock said.

Rick Grunewald of Washington and more than 1,500 other evangelical Christians attended an outdoor tent service in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Laycock said the number of messages increased during the COVID lockdown, nearly doubling from an estimated once a month to once every other week, or even weekly.

“I just got one last week. This person said they got a video of a demon. It looked like a moth to me. Maybe it was a demon in the form of a moth!” Laycock said.

He said he suspects that if strangers feel they need to reach out to him about performing exorcisms, it’s either because their church doesn’t want to get involved or they are not part of a religious tradition.

“We know the fastest growing religious demographic in America is the so-called [unaffiliated] NONEs. These are not atheists. These are people that are spiritual, but not religious. They don’t belong to a church or something like that. So, who do you go to if you think of exorcism and don’t have a religion? Maybe the academics,” Laycock said.

Laycock agrees that using the term “evil” to vilify people is poisoning the national discourse. “When the social order changes too fast, you tend to see a trend towards conspiracy theories, witch hunting, and exorcism,” he said.

“I see a similar pattern where things are changing rapidly. There is a question of the order of things—including who is the rightful president of the United States. There is, once again, this resurgence of demonology.”

Today, the Catholic Church routinely performs exorcisms following revision of the rite in 1999.

Three women hold their arms aloft in prayer during a service in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

According to the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., people may receive an exorcism after satisfying several protocols to determine whether circumstances warrant it.

“I think a lot of churches have been scared even to broach the subject [of exorcism] because it can appear messy,” said Tennessee-based pastor, Todd Coconato. “It could scare people.

“As people, we see the world getting darker. It’s just so in our face,” Coconato said.

‘Writhing Like Snakes’

Coconato also sees a trend in the wanton rhetorical use of the word “evil.” But as a Christian, he believes evil is a spiritual force that seeks to do harm in America. Through his deliverance ministry, Coconato often encounters what he can only describe as “demonic” afflictions.

“I think a lot of people are demonically afflicted. In our human minds and finite brains, we try to fix a spiritual problem with a chemical solution,” Coconato said. “We try to give somebody more drugs, this or that. A lot of times, it just masks the issue. The reality is they are demon-possessed.”

A woman wearing face paint smiles during a prayer service in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. It started about three years ago, and it’s been expanding. Although there is a political problem, the core of it is a spiritual matter—light versus darkness, if you will.”

Coconato said people who appear to be demon-possessed will manifest certain telltale signs at the altar.

“They‘ll come up for prayer, and they’ll start manifesting. I’ve seen little kids do this. They don’t even know what’s going on. Suddenly, they’re hissing like a cat or acting crazy. If I hadn’t seen it thousands of times, I probably wouldn’t believe it,” Coconato told The Epoch Times.

“I’m sure some people fake it—but thousands and thousands? That’s hard for me to believe.”

Living Through ‘Dark Times’

From a spiritual standpoint, Coconato said he believes Americans are living in moral darkness that is “in your face” more than ever before. He said that fears of rising crime, the threat of World War III, a looming systemic bank collapse, economic depression, disease, famine, earthquakes, tornadoes—all seem to indicate that “the hour is late.”

“Even atheists are saying—‘Wow, it’s almost like it’s the end of the world,’” Coconato said.

A man applauds during a live church sermon in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

“Things are ramping up. There’s urgency in people’s hearts where they sense something is shifting. People see a lot of dark and wicked things happening. I think it’s like a building up, and people are sensing things happening quickly,” he said.

“The church’s response would be to deliver them.”

Coconato said he is also a believer in establishing facts.

So when it comes to the ubiquitous use of the term “evil,” he believes it’s best not to cast stones at one’s opponents or to “over-spiritualize things.”

A woman holds her hands to her chest in prayer during a tent ministry in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Pastor Xavier, a Texas-based deliverance minister, said he'll receive as many as 40 calls each month from people who believe they’re demonically possessed, asking him to perform a deliverance service.

“Most people that contact us are genuine. I have very few people who I would say have the audacity to fake it,” Xavier told The Epoch Times. “It depends on the case. Some you do need to investigate. I think people staying home [during the pandemic] started it.”

Rick Grunewald of Washington attended Murillo’s tent crusade in Bakersfield on March 12, hoping to spread the light of renewal.

“I think there are dark forces,” Grunewald said. “But also, I believe the Lord is working too—so that’s why I’m here.”

Three men embrace as Tennessee-based pastor Mario Murillo delivers his sermon in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

As a Christian, Grunewald believes in a supernatural spirit of evil in the world, “who can work through us if we’re not careful.

“I think harmful things are happening in all realms of society. Both sides are pointing the finger at each other and saying the same things about each other—they’re evil. But again, that’s why Christians need to shine the light,” Grunewald told The Epoch Times.

Rosalene Galego of Tennessee said she “absolutely” believes in demons influencing both people and global events.

“It’s one of the darkest times we’ve seen in modern history. What’s causing it is they’ve taken prayer out of schools. They are trying to wipe away the word of God and take us away from the truth, which is biblical truth,” Galego said.

“Because of media. Because of video games. Because of music. It’s infiltrated with a lot of darkness and confusion. It’s a different kind of battle we’re in. It’s not about bombs and nuclear war. It’s now about corrupting the minds of the people. And that’s how they can easily weaken a country. They divide and conquer,” she said.

“Where is the darkest place on earth? The heart of man without the light of God,” observed Leah Hess of Modesto, California.

A young girl smiles in her mother's arms during an outdoor ministry in Bakersfield, Calif., on March 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

“My dad used to say human beings have only one power: the power of choice. We get to choose our alignment. There are spirits and forces in this world that are much more powerful than humankind,” Hess said.

“As the spirits of darkness and evil are aligned more and more, there’s more evil on the planet.”

Broken Spirits

Once upon an especially dark time, Rose Jaime of Bakersfield said she used to be homeless. She was “broken, with drug addiction—in and out of jails and prison,” she told The Epoch Times.

“Jesus saved me. I’ve been clean for nine years,” she said, smiling.

Through a personal belief in salvation, Jaime said she can now see a clear difference between right and wrong, light and dark, and good and evil.

And she has no problem calling evil by its name.

“It’s harmful if we don’t tell [people] they’re being evil. That’s more harmful than not telling them. It is getting harder because people don’t want to believe,” Jaime said.