133. Ex-Satanist Explains How Satanism is a Counterfeit of Orthodox Christianity | Erika MacDougall133. Ex-Satanist Explains How Satanism is a Counterfeit of Orthodox Christianity | Erika MacDougall
Raised & Redeemed
Former satanist Erika MacDougall talks with Michaela about her journey from demonic rituals and occult art to Orthodox Christianity, motherhood and family life. Their conversation contrasts satanism and New Age practices, highlighting how small glimpses of goodness helped open their hearts to Christ.
1:14:45•5 Aug 2026
From Demons to Dinner Tables: An Ex-Satanist Finds Orthodox Faith
Episode Overview
- Erika explains how long-term contact with demons grew into conscious satanism and ritual work aimed at spreading evil.
- Michaela shares how yoga, healing arts and New Age practices led her into similar spiritual danger under the guise of self-help.
- They discuss how demonic influence can attach to art and music, and how certain aesthetics and sounds subtly shift people toward sin.
- Both women describe how ordinary, wholesome family life – like simply seeing a family eat dinner together – exposed the lie that goodness doesn’t exist.
- They talk about the ongoing work of repentance, retraining the mind around sexuality and family, and using painful memories as prompts to seek God’s forgiveness.
“Just existing in a wholesome, good way, like, literally can save other people.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? Raised & Redeemed brings a striking one here, as ex-theistic satanist Erika MacDougall talks with host Michaela about how her life shifted from opening demonic portals to raising a toddler in the Orthodox Church. Erika explains how she grew up engaging with demons without even knowing there were names for what she was doing, until a dusty library book on the occult showed her that her practices had a label – satanism.
From there, things escalated. She shares how she and others around the world coordinated rituals to "let as many demons and just what we refer to as demonic energy into the world," even planting sigils in musical instruments to charge albums spiritually. Michaela relates from her own former New Age background, describing yoga, "lightworkers" and psychic channeling as her gateway into the same darkness, just dressed up as healing and self-improvement.
Their overlapping stories make a sharp contrast between Satanism and New Age spirituality, yet show how both paths can lead to deep spiritual harm and, eventually, demonic oppression. The conversation then shifts tenderly towards family, sexuality and healing. Erika describes how seeing a simple scene of a family eating dinner led her husband to say, "We screwed up.
Like, there's something out there that is good." That tiny moment of everyday goodness cracked open their hearts to the idea that Christ and genuine love might actually be real. They talk honestly about relearning sexuality in a godly way after years of lust-driven culture, and how children can become unexpected evangelists just by loving church and their families.
As Erika says, "Just existing in a wholesome, good way, like, literally can save other people." If you've ever wondered how dark spirituality, New Age practices and everyday culture intertwine – and how Christ can pull someone out of that – this raw conversation might give you plenty to think about. Where might small glimpses of goodness already be nudging you toward a different path?
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