Paul McGuire

A few weeks ago, Jack Black appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards dressed as Eddie Riggs, the character he voices in the new video game "Brutal Legend" where he introduced the nominees in the category of Best Rock Video and jokingly offered a prayer to "dear Dark Lord, Satan" asking him to grant the nominees continued success in the music industry.

Shockingly, the Religious Right doesn't see the humor but sees it, rather, as proof that Black and Hollywood are trying to lure kids into Satanism and warning that soon "Satanists [will be] demanding and getting the same rights as any other religion": 

Black's prayer went basically unnoticed among most conservative and Christian media circles -- perhaps because they feel the comedian was simply joking as he displayed his contempt for Christianity with the prayer invocation. In fact, this would be in keeping with Black's previous behavior.

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[R]gardless how one looks at Black's actions, it sets a dangerous precedent. Author and King's College professor Paul McGuire labels Black's prayer to Satan as "just the tip of the iceberg of what is happening in our nation and in the entertainment industry." The conservative commentator contends that "although it is hidden, Satanism is one of the fastest growing religions in America." He adds: "We can expect to see Satanists demanding and getting the same rights as any other religion."

Former Hollywood actor Bob Turnbull says Black's prayer to the "dark side" was "pathetic and sick," which shows a "heartbreakingly sad" side of Hollywood's culture ... Phil Magnan, director of BFamilyAdvocates.com, chimes in, wondering if Black "really knows what he is invoking or has any idea how destructive Satanism really is."