Vampires:Hollywood is Pushing Them...But are they real?

by William Schnoebelen

Many people today, even Christians, balk at the idea of vampires walking the earth. They relegate them to the category of horror films, or else they ask, how does the discussion of such a subject edify the Body of Christ?

As one who is a former "vampire," now set free by the power of the Cross of Christ, I have a certain vested interest in this issue which goes beyond the academic. Before we answer these questions, let us briefly define what we mean by a vampire.

As with most things spiritual, you can immediately ignore almost everything you have seen from Hollywood. Vampires are NOT undead corpses who turn into mist or become bats. If there are such beings, we have never seen them. That is not to discount their possibility, but only say that they are beyond our experience. No, vampires are people who are often severely disturbed (Biblical translation: demonized). These people get relief from stress through either drinking their own blood or the blood of animals or other people. It is more common for women thus afflicted to drink their own blood and for men to take blood from others. Many survivors of abuse report incredible pressure to cut themselves and then drink their blood. Once they do this, they feel great release of tension. This can be a demonic compulsion.

It is also important to note that while the vampire legend is nearly universal, it reached its most epidemic proportions in heavily Catholic (or Orthodox) eastern Europe. Most cultures have taboos against drinking blood. This can doubtless be traced back to the command the Lord gave Noah after the flood forbidding the drinking of blood (Gen. 9:4). It is ironic that both the Catholic and Orthodox religions feature as their central superstition the idea of drinking blood and eating flesh (under the sacramental appearance of wine and bread) against the specific commands of God. That these religions are dominant in cultures where vampirism (both in legend and in practice) runs deep is significant. People seem to know instinctively that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins (Heb. 9:22), yet Satan will do anything he can to keep them from the one kind of blood which CAN save them - God's own Blood (Acts 20:28). The psychiatric literature is full of cases of people who drink others' blood, often to the point of murder. Such people report an incredible "peace" after such an experience.

A surprising number of these people perform their vampirism in a religious context of some sort, quite frequently rooted in Catholicism. Such was my case. I was introduced to the vampire cult by members of the Orthodox clergy, who led me to believe that they were the ancient custodians of the true secret of resurrection: drinking the blood of the living! (For a full account of my descent into this nightmare world, see Lucifer Dethroned chapters 1 & 18.)

Their claims to me were verified by initiations which I experienced that ultimately produced in me a marked aversion to all food except for human blood, communion wafers and sacramental wine! I developed a genuine addiction to fresh blood - more powerful than bondage to any drug! Only Jesus could subsequently heal me of this, and to Him goes all glory and honor and praise! Satan obviously knows what he is doing. The prohibition of drinking of blood is one of the few commandments of the Lord which cuts across the time of Noah (see above) the Mosaic Law (Lev. 3:17, 7:26) and even into the New Testament church (Acts 15:20, 29). God did this because He knows that there is something compelling and darkly exciting in vampirism, for "the blood is the life." (Deut. 12:23).

True vampirism is not a joke, nor is it a ghost story. Christians need to understand that this is a real (albeit uncommon) affliction, just like drug abuse or child abuse. Sadly, it is getting more common. Because of the universal taboos and biblical commands against blood drinking, many newly saved Christians, whose past included vampirism, now struggle with serious issues. "Can I be a Born Again vampire?" "Can God forgive me?" "Will the church ever accept such a monster as I?"

This has come up in our ministry because on numerous occasions we have prayed with people who could not get set free from spiritual oppression. It was evident to us that they were keeping something from us and trying to keep it from the Lord. These people were terrified to reveal that they had consumed blood and enjoyed it. It is a powerful "access point" for demonic attack if it has not been confessed, and thus Satan fed their fear.

Pastors and prayer counselors need to know that vampirism is real. If a person has genuinely come to Christ, they need not be afraid of confessing that sin and getting set free of oppression. If they hide it out of shame, it may only prolong their oppression. We had to gently pull it out of the people, after all other options were tediously exhausted. They were so relieved that we did not condemn them, and they were even more relieved when Jesus set them free of this sinful compulsion. It is a sin like any other. It can be forsaken and renounced with Jesus' help, but it does have to be acknowledged.

Other books by William Schnoebelen include Masonry: Beyond the Light, Blood on the Doorposts, and Wicca.