On Charlie Kirk’s podcast, “doomsday prophet” Jonathan Cahn fearmongers that an ancient goddess “possesses an entire generation” during Pride Month

The interview with Cahn is the latest example of Kirk’s embrace of “prophetic” Christian media figures and Christian nationalist rhetoric

Special Programs LGBTQ

Written by Payton Armstrong

Research contributions from Alex Paterson & Jacina Hollins-Borges

Published 07/14/23 3:07 PM EDT

On July 12, Charlie Kirk hosted “doomsday prophet” Jonathan Cahn on his Real America’s Voice show, where Cahn claimed that an ancient goddess is “seeking to possess an entire generation" to support LGBTQ rights during June and compared abortion to “child sacrifice.” Kirk also agreed with Cahn’s assertion that “we're witnessing a turn from a Christian civilization into a pagan one.”

Cahn is a so-called “doomsday prophet” in the American right-wing charismatic Christian movement who has a long track record of far-right fundamentalist rhetoric. He has claimed that the Bible predicted Donald Trump’s 2016 election and declared that President Joe Biden had put the United States under “demonic possession” by lighting up the White House in the colors of the rainbow for LGBTQ Pride.

Cahn joined Kirk’s show to discuss his recent book Return of The Gods, which argues that progressive cultural change in America is a consequence of the return of ancient gods.

Kirk and other prominent right-wing media figures have recently embraced apocalyptic rhetoric that is steeped in Christian nationalism and warns of spiritual war and the influence of demons. For instance, Kirk recently declared that there are “spiritually dark influences that are fighting for dominion over this nation.” The interview with Cahn is also just the latest example of Kirk’s embrace of prominent “prophetic” Christian media figures as well as Christian nationalist rhetoric.

During the July 12 interview, Cahn baselessly claimed that the reason June is LGBTQ Pride Month is because an ancient goddess “called the god of pride” has “one month of the year where she particularly possessed a culture. … It was the month of June.”

Cahn further claimed that the ancient goddess is now “seeking to possess an entire generation” into supporting LGBTQ rights. Cahn said that “this is the same enchantress” that began “the sexual revolution. … Once she starts taking possession of a culture, then it gets to her deeper work.”

From the July 12, 2023, edition of Real America's Voice's The Charlie Kirk Show

JONATHAN CAHN: Even quote “secular” people and liberal people are actually saying something like this is demonic. What are they doing to children? This doesn't make sense. You know. Well, let me give an idea of cultural — now, again, I'm not talking about individual here, but cultural possession — possession of a culture.

One of the gods I spoke about, the enchantress … This is the same enchantress that begins the sexual revolution. So this couldn't come out in the beginning. But once she starts taking possession of a culture, then it gets to her deeper work. So she is the one who literally turns men into women, woman to man. Look, look what's happening now, Charlie. And you know, not only that, it says that she masculizes women, she defeminizes them. She feminizes men in every possible way.

But also, she had a priesthood, Charlie, that were — her priests were men who dressed up as women, walked around her temples dressed up as women. Parents would take their children to see the men dressed up as women. Not only that she — it's back. And not only that she also would surgically transition her priests from men into women, literally. So that when you see this, you know, when you turn away from God, it all comes back.

And so when you look at — listen, people, again, who are not even believers will look at this and say, what would possess an adult to do this to a child, to mutilate a child? Well, this would possess them. And the other thing is that, you know, we're watching this. You know, back then, remember, Jesus said they come back worse.

So back then, she possessed a priesthood. Now she's seeking to possess an entire generation. And not only that, Charlie, but when you — one of the things was, this was a — she was in charge of parades. Her parades were basically men parading in the city streets and women parade dressed as the other sex with color. Well, it's back. She had one month of the year where she particularly possessed a culture. You know what it was? It was the month of June. Hey, St. Jerome actually identifies it, you know, and she's called the god of pride. So it's Pride Month.

Cahn also compared abortion to “child sacrifice,” claiming that “when a nation like America starts putting God out, it comes back in the form of abortion.”

From the July 12, 2023, edition of Real America's Voice's The Charlie Kirk Show

CHARLIE KIRK (HOST): We have civilizations in every corner of the world that seem to do the same thing over and over again. Why is that?

JONATHAN CAHN (GUEST): Because this is real. Because the spirits are real. You put it very well. There is no natural or geographic or physical connection between these civilizations all over the world, yet they do the same thing. The fact that all these nations from Hawaii to Russia to China are worshiping gods is a strange thing. But then that you have human sacrifice all over, you have child sacrifice all over, and, as you said, the only thing that stopped this, number one was the word of God, number two, it was the gospel through Messiah, through Jesus, that actually put an end to it.

But so notice then when a nation like America starts putting God out, it comes back in the form of abortion. And abortion is not, you know, is not anything else but that because it ultimately is — I mean, we're talking about millions and millions, more than they did in the ancient world. And the other thing is, and I won't go into the detail, but in the book I've actually put in how when you look at the ancient rituals of child sacrifice and the elements of child sacrifice, you actually see it today replaying in abortion.

Cahn claimed that American culture is undergoing a “repossession” and that ancient gods are “affecting our culture.” He said that “we're witnessing a turn from a Christian civilization into a pagan one.” Kirk endorsed that notion by saying: “This is key.”

Kirk went on to ask Cahn whether Satan has “lieutenants that we would call demons” on Earth — to which Cahn responded affirmatively and said that the “pagan world” and “pagan culture” is “literally demonic.”

From the July 12, 2023, edition of Real America's Voice's The Charlie Kirk Show

JONATHAN CAHN (GUEST): The warning is this, that first of all, cultures — not just people — can be oppressed and possessed, they can be delivered and they can be repossessed. So the warning is, for America and for the West and for much of the world, modern world, any culture, any civilization that has been delivered of these spirits by God of paganism, by God, if it should ever turn away from God, then the spirits that were cast out of it will come back into it to repossess it.

If you want to understand what's been happening to America for the last half century. We're witnessing a repossession. We're witnessing a turn from a Christian civilization into a pagan one. And this is the beginning.

CHARLIE KIRK (HOST): This is key.

…

KIRK: So that's a really deep and important point that honestly, I don't even have theological clarity on. And I want your take. I want to spend some of our hour on this because I ask pastors and I get different answers, understandably. And you've obviously done some deep thinking on this, which is what does the Bible say? Who is Satan? Does he have lieutenants that we would call demons? And, so walk us through what the Bible says. Outside of folklore or tradition, what specifically does the Bible say who Satan is, what is his jurisdiction, and does he have, you know, lieutenants or demons or helpers?

CAHN: Yeah. Well, number one, you know, Satan in Hebrew, really, it's a Hebrew word that means, satan, means the one who opposes you —

KIRK: Accuser.

CAHN: And becomes the Greek diablos. We get devil from that. It means the opposer. Well, it says, the Bible clearly says that Satan is, was also a spirit, an angelic being, that fell.

…

The Bible says very clearly there is Satan and then there are spirits that are part of this realm. Just like God has angels, there are spirits. Well, what, you know, what would a spirit do more than draw attention — you know, draw the worship of God away from God to itself? So when you look at the pagan world, you know, there's a reason why it's demonic. You know, when you look at pagan worship, it's demonic. It's not just — you know, they have all the signs of possession, shaking and foaming at the mouth and all and after. And a possessed culture is literally, I mean, a pagan culture's literally demonic. So therefore, yes. And the thing is that we've kind of forgotten that, at our peril, to our peril. Because when you take out God, it all comes back.

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Charlie Kirk