Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

  Demons, Spirits, and Scary Spirituality Evangelical Christians are warned against activities that invite Satan or evil spirits into their lives. “Don’t read Harry Potter.” Stay away from the Ouija board.” “Yoga is a pathway to spiritual evil.”  Christians who read the Bible in a literal or near literal way have plenty of texts to give them reasons to believe they are in the midst of millennia-old spiritual warfare and the battle is getting more intense as some see the end of the world in sight. In 2020, I completed writing a textbook on Counseling and Psychotherapy with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians . One topic that struck me as unique is the subject of Chapter 14, “ Devils, Demons, and Deliverance. ”  When I looked at books that offer approaches to Christian Counseling, I noticed a gaping hole when it came to helping Christians troubled by what they understand as demonic influence or the work of the devil in their lives. 12 Things to Know About Christian...

The Scary Season Psychology, Halloween, & Mysterious Happenings By Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD Halloween is that time of year when some Christians feel uneasy about how—or whether—to participate. Costumes range from adorable to grotesque, and for some, the real fear lies not in plastic masks but in concerns about the demonic or supernatural evil. In this post, I explore psychological perspectives on Halloween and related topics such as illusions, Ouija boards, witches, disgust, and death. A Christian Objection to Halloween “Setting aside a day to celebrate evil, darkness, witchcraft, fear, death and the demonic brings disdain to God. Period… Jesus has nothing in common with Satan (2 Cor. 6:14), and neither should we.” — Jamie Morgan (2016) This view reflects a long-standing tension: Halloween’s imagery can feel incompatible with Christian values. But psychology offers a different lens—one that helps explain why spooky experiences feel powerful and why people interpret them in such vari...

Raphael, Eusebius of Cremona raising Three Men from the Dead  with Saint Jerome's Cloak (c 1502-3) SPIRIT OF HALLOWEEN LEADS TO FEAR OR FUN Seven Scary Themes 1. Surprise!   That delightful toddler experience on being found or finding a hiding grandparent; The squeal of faux fright when a family member pops up unexpectedly; The ability to hide within a dinosaur costume or some scary character and get a reaction from play-along adults. I’m lost! This is a closely related childhood fear of distress when a child can’t find his or her parents. Especially for a child alone in a mall or who wandered off in a large store. Now this fright is available in a corn maze or the darkened halls of a haunted house. 2. I’m scared!   What fun to trot out the usual fear-inducing spiders and snakes, create faux thunderstorms, or move people into an enclosed space. Fun, unless you are one of the 27,000,000 Americans that have a specific phobia. 3. Yuk!   Blood and go...