He Lied to 3 Million People. And Started the Satanic Panic.

EDUCATIONAL & INVESTIGATIVE DOCUMENTARY DISCLAIMER: This video is a strictly educational, investigative documentary analyzing the public career and documented fabrications of Mike Warnke, a Christian comedian and author who claimed to be a former Satanic high priest in his 1972 book The Satan Seller. The central thesis of this video is that Warnke's claims were invented and false. This is not a matter of opinion, his story was investigated and thoroughly debunked by Cornerstone Magazine in 1992, a Christian publication. This video examines how those fabricated claims contributed to the Satanic Panic hysteria of the 1970s and 1980s and the real-world harm that followed. This video does NOT glorify, promote, or sensationalize inappropriate content. It does the opposite: it exposes a man who exploited fear of Satanism to defraud churches, Christian communities, and vulnerable people. All analysis is derived from public records, published journalism, and court-documented evidence. This content adheres to YouTube's Advertiser-Friendly Content Guidelines. In 1972, Mike Warnke claimed he commanded 1,500 Satanists, and that he'd converted to Christianity to escape the cult. His book sold an estimated 3 million copies. Then... his own faith community investigated. And found almost none of it was true. This story predates EVERY other story on this channel, and I believe it was the start of the Satanic Panic. This video is part of a series: → Go Ask Alice: The Fraud That Started the Satanic Panic • She Stole a Deceased Boy's Diary and Rewro... → She Started the Satanic Panic: Michelle Remembers • She Started the Satanic Panic. And Got Awa... → Sybil: The Psychiatrist Who May Have Invented 16 Personalities • 16 Personalities. One Woman. All of It Was... Links: 1. Cornerstone Expose: https://web.archive.org/web/201106290... 2. One of Warnke's comedy shows:    • "Mike Warnke:  Do You Hear Me?!" VHS   3. Geraldo Rivera's 1988 TV Special "Devil Worship: Exposing Satan's Underground" This is not the full episode, but the beginning:    • DEVIL WORSHIP: Exposing Satan's Undergroun...   Chapters: 01:22 (Who is Mike Warnke?) 05:22 (The Satan Seller Book) 07:53 (From book to celebrity and comedian) 09:06 (Clips from one of his comedy shows) 17:37 (The Satanic Panic) 22:05 (The Cornerstone Investigation) 27:02 (The fallout after the Cornerstone Investigation) 28:32 (This predates everything… this is where the Satanic Panic started) Other links! / horror_heather https://www.villainess.press/submissions https://confluence-sff.org/ Schedule: New videos every Sunday! All the links! https://linktr.ee/horror_heather My websites: https://hptatton.com/ and https://horror_heather.com Fair Use Disclaimer: I am making such material available in an effort to advance understanding of issues, criticism, or commentary. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. All videos and photos used in this video were originally posted publicly on social media. All commentary in this video is a matter of opinion. All opinions in this video are my own.