Trump-loving right-wing pastor Curt Landry posted a video last night in which he sought to remove the "Leviathan Spirit" that is supposedly influencing Americans who criticize or oppose President Donald Trump.
Among certain evangelicals, a Leviathan Spirit is believed to be a demonic force that lies or twists facts or statements in order to sow chaos and confusion. Landry asserted that such a spirit is controlling those who are attacking Trump and blaming him for failing to adequately address the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Father God, we decree and declare over the United States of America as U.S. citizens that this lying spirit that is trying to destroy the current administration from doing good, that Father God it be exposed," Landry proclaimed. "Lord, I pray that all the false and fake news that is happening right now that is controlling the narrative, twisting people into riots and despair, Lord, I ask that you expose it all. I ask that it be brought into the light. I ask, Lord, that the COVID be brought into the light, the twisting be brought into the light, and the false things that have been said."
Interestingly, when Landry laid out the characteristics of how the Leviathan Spirit operates and how it can be recognized, the description sounded a lot like the behaviors that have defined Trump's own time in office.
- "When we can't take responsibility for being able to say, 'I'm wrong' or 'I've missed it,' that usually is a Leviathan spirit twisting thoughts in your soul, allowing you to not be able to take responsibility."
- "Leviathan spirit stirs up strife, and it can't be reasoned with. It lacks truth, and it fails to follow through."
- "It's anti-submissive. It's rebellious. It will absolutely not submit to any type of authority. Leviathan must be in control, must control the narrative, and is narcissistic in its ways when communicating."
- "It has harsh words. It's an unkind spirit, and it apologizes after it realizes it's been unkind, but then immediately does it again."
- "It's unfriendly to people, and the only time it's friendly, it's a false friendly spirit because what it does is it comes in, and it's only friendly with those that can use or use as a ladder to climb to their position."
- Leviathan spirit avoids servanthood [and] only serves when it can get something in return."
- "It creates a hard heart. Why? Because your heart's broken because you can't find truth, because all your thoughts and words are twisted."
- "It dishonors authority. It always bad mouths anybody in authority or anybody that's being promoted over them. It immediately starts in the narrative of negative conversation. ... It's jealous of anybody that gets anything more than them."
- "It uses its tongue as its greatest weapon. The Leviathan Spirit is the master of backbiting."
