A Visual Tour of the History of Demonization

During our season of political madness, it took a lot to trigger a double-take, and yet a pro-Trump, Covid-denialist pediatrician named Stella Immanuel declaring that illness was caused by the semen of demons was an exemplary case. Dr. Immanuel first came to public attention after speaking on the steps of the Supreme Court where, as part of a group calling itself America's Frontline Doctors, she advocated for disproven hydroxychloroquine treatments. Many noted that this was the least of her unconventional medical opinions, including Will Sommer of The Daily Beast who wrote that she "has often claimed that gynecological problems like cysts and endometriosis are in fact caused by people having sex in their dreams with demons." Liberal Twitter understandably snarked, but too much laughing can drown out just how disturbingly prevalent such beliefs are. For example, Reverend Paula White, televangelist and former advisor to Donald Trump's Faith and Opportunity Initiative, claimed that those who opposed the former president were members of "demonic confederacies," according to Frederick Clarkson here on RD.