Washed Up, Sold Out and Spreading Hysteria

PETER HUSTON Selling Satan: The Tragic History of Mike Warnke. By Mike Hertenstein and Jon Trott. Cornerstone Press, Chicago, III. 1993. 476 pp. Paper, $12.95.

f you would like to spread some make up a subculture, by virtually any a satanic cult that practiced human sacri- Ihysteria, one method is to firmly definition of the term. They have their fice and ritualistic rape and child abuse. convince members of a small subcul- own mass-market entertainment in- Warnke proudly stated that, through ture that something they strongly fear dustry. They have "Christian" rock, , he now had a blissful family lift. is actually happening. "Christian" aerobics albums, "Chris- Warnke's alleged conversion from If you choose a subculture that inter- tian" books on dinosaurs and evolution, high satanic priest to dedicated acts with mainstream society, then the and "Christian" comedians. They have Christian entertainer made a fascinating hysteria will often ultimately spread schools and colleges with their own story and attracted considerable atten- outside the bounds of its members. "Christian" curriculum that leaves out tion. Unlike Smith and Pazder's Michelle Members of the subculture will believe such facts as the widespread prevalence Remembers, an earlier, influential, die story, and they in turn will tell oth- of other religions, the multicultural allegedly autobiographical, staunchly ers of their fear. People from outside mis nature of the incredibly adaptive and pro-Catholic, satanic-cult-hysteria book, subculture who would not normally flexible human race, evolution (human The Satan Seller appealed to the evangel- believe the story will note the sincerity and otherwise), and the age of the uni- ical Protestant community. and firm belief in the voices and man- verse. In short, many of them seek to In time, Warnke became known in nerisms of their friends from within it live their lives so that they can minimize some circles as an authority on satanic and begin to reconsider their position. contact with all information sources cults, and he appeared in that role on After all, those telling the tales have that contradict their beliefs. If they do "20-20," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," nothing to gain and are firm believers, this successfully, then they can believe "Larry King Live," "Focus on the so it must be true. Or so goes the logic. whatever they like and safely forget and Family," and "The 700 Club." He was In time, you will find many people, ignore the troubling presence of not just cited as an authority on and some with impressive credentials, secular humanists but also the main- living proof of the existence of cults believing the stories. They will be quot- stream churches of America and the engaging in in such ed and their credentials cited. Others world. On the other hand, most funda- works as Friesen's Uncovering the Mystery will remain skeptical, but may begin to mentalist Christians do have regular of MPD [multiple personality disorder], question whether their skepticism is jobs, shop at regular supermarkets, and Stratford's Satan's Underground, and appropriate. Ultimately, many of them live in normal neighborhoods, so they Ryder's Breaking the Circle of Satanic will say, "With all of these stories, com- do interact with mainstream society on Ritual Abuse. These in turn were cited in ing from all of these people, some of a fairly steady basis. other works. Although it would be an them must be true, even if many (or Within this evangelical subculture, exaggeration to say that Mike Warnke even most) are obviously absurd." After Mike Warnke was a media superstar. was solely responsible for the current all (goes the logic), with all this smoke, Undoubtedly, pan of his appeal was the spate of satanic-cult paranoia, he there must be fire. Or, in the case of way in which he proved to people that if undoubtedly had a great influence. Few satanic-cult hysteria, "With all mis they dedicated themselves to Jesus then who have examined die arguments of horse manure piled so high and so they could have a good life, no matter believers in such cults can deny diat deep, there must be a devilish little how terrible they might have once been. many of them tend to have a worldview pony under there somewhere." As proof of this, Mike Warnke offered strongly grounded in Christian belief- Born-again, evangelical, and fun- himself He confessed to having been not systems and frequently a conservative damentalist Christians undoubtedly only a drug addict but also a high priest of fundamentalist orientation.

52 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1995 Warnke's book consists of his telling pened during his drug-addicted drug- Trott and Hertenstein uncovered that, stories about the key events in his life dealcr/Satanic-cultist-turned-high-priest in a completely unexpected episode of and how they convinced him of the period. These included being shot three bizarreness, Warnke had secretly been importance of adopting a Christian times, riding a motorcycle to Mexico to ordained as an independent bishop in lifestyle. There were only two prob- make drug deals for a gangster, impris- an obscure Eastern Orthodox sect, lems: He was a pretty lame and oning sex slaves in his apartment, partic- which he practiced on the side. It mediocre comedian, and he was cor- ipating in CIA-funded LSD experiments should be mentioned that this version rupt and untruthful. In such a case, what is one to do? The answer is sim- ple—call in Jon Trott and Mike "Iron and Hertenstein have made a Hertenstein, a pair of born-again valuable contribution to understanding the Christian investigative journalists. 0 Hertenstein and Trott, working for phenomenon of satanic-cult fears. ' Cornerstone magazine, an evangelical publication, conducted a thorough at the college, and kidnapping a variety of would be quite distaste- investigation into Warnke's claims. In of victims for his cult's evil rituals and ful to most of the people who purchased Selling Satan: The Tragic History of Mike orchestrating the abduction of others. or enjoyed his materials. Warnke, they recount die investigation He described walking around campus Warnke's lies remained undiscovered and the findings. Trott and Hertenstein dressed in black with pasty white skin, for many years for several reasons. First, tracked down and interviewed more innumerable scabs on his face, waist- he told people what they wanted to hear. than one hundred of Warnke's acquain- length hair, and six-inch-long finger- Second, those who did uncover signs of tances from throughout his life. Among nails, painted black and sharpened for corruption, either did not know where to the discoveries was that Warnke's lies fighting. As ludicrous as this thrill-a- go to inform his public or else did not were not even very good ones. For minute college semester sounds, it wish to go public because of their person- example, by his own admission, he had became even more absurd as Trott and al financial interest or their approval of been involved in drugs in college. He Hertenstein began pinning down die the way Warnke would successfully gain told how drug use led him on a self- dates even further, based on Warnke's destructive path culminating in involve- converts (to a religion he didn't practice). ment in die occult. This in turn led him descriptions of various diabolic cere- I found Selling Satan fascinating. It is to Satanism, and ultimately to becom- monies held under the light of a full more than the story of one individual; it ing high priest of die group. Following moon. The dates fell apart completely. also deals with his effect on others. the period of occult involvement, Fellow students and college faculty Warnke, evil as he is, is an intriguing Warnke joined the Navy and served in found further problems with the story. character. Hertenstein and Trott also pro- Vietnam with die Marine Corp as a It was, after all, set in the early sixties, vide a very interesting picture of die medical corpsman. While in the service not the late sixties. There were no drugs "Christian" music industry. Their book he was converted and "saved" by two at the junior college at the time, no should be read by all those concerned Christians who were sure that even CIA-funded LSD experiments, and no with satanic-cult hysteria. It is targeted Mike Warnke, former drug addict and people with waist-length hair, much less for an audience that needs to hear this satanic high priest, was not too far gone the rest of the bizarre description message and finds the writings of most for Jesus' love to turn him around. Warnke provided. This pattern of gross skeptics distasteful, or even blasphemous. falsehood continued. His period in As for the rest of us. Cornerstone's The writers uncovered that Warnke Vietnam, described as a "year in Hell," investigative pieces into such claims had entered college, a secular junior col- was six months long, and most of his have been cited favorably by such lege, September 13, 1965. He entered war stories had happened to other peo- authors as Robert Hicks and Jeffrey die Navy on June 2, 1966. During his ple or never occurred at all. Other sto- Victor, both of whom have contributed one semester prior to dropping out, ries could not be corroborated. For articles on this subject to the SKEPTI- there was hardly enough rime for die example, the two dedicated Christians CAL INQUIRER. Many skeptics often many adventures Warnke claimed hap- who had "saved" Warnke had, he find such evangelical Christianity claimed, "died in Vietnam." His blissful objectionable. Personally, 1 did not find Peter Huston is a writer based in family life following the war consisted this to be true as I read Selling Satan. In Schenectady, New York. His first book, of a series of four marriages, each ending fact, it increased my respect for those Shattered Harmony, a detailed study of in divorce, with much womanizing on who profess such beliefs. Trott and Chinese gangs, secret societies, and the side. The donation plate passed Hertenstein have made a valuable con- underground religious cults, will be pub- around after each show supposedly went tribution to understanding the phe- lished by Paladin this year. He is also to a center for aiding satanic-cult-abuse nomenon of satanic-cult fears. I look working on a book-length critique of the victims. Neither the center nor the vic- forward to seeing the results of their traditional arts and sciences of China. tims existed. And as for his Christianity, next project.

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