Genesis 3 and the Roots of Paganism: The Ancient Lie That Still Deceives Today

by Doreen Virtue, author of How to Avoid New Age & New Thought Deception

Genesis 3 is one of the most pivotal passages in Scripture because it explains not only the entrance of sin into the world but also the foundation of false religion and pagan deception.

God created and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden in a state of innocence. He provided them with every tree for food, except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The serpent in Genesis 3 was more crafty than any beast of the field. He spoke as an instrument of Satan, who’s described in Revelation 12:9 as “the deceiver of the whole world.” His first tactic was to twist God’s Word: “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1).

Satan‘s temptations and lies to Eve were rebellion against God’s authority which led to the fall and the roots of paganism that we still see today.

Paganism, both ancient and modern, still echoes Satan’s temptation in Genesis 3. Paganism promises hidden knowledge, mystical practices, and paths to self-divinity just like the serpent used to seduce Eve.

To understand the spiritual deception of today’s New Thought, New Age, goddess worship, and witchcraft, we must first understand the ancient strategy of Satan in the garden. Paganism is the serpent’s lies recycled. The devil isn’t creative; he’s a counterfeiter who repackages his tired old scheme to deceive people into following him.

Every false gospel begins with questioning or distorting the clarity of God’s revelation. Ancient pagan myths often presented their gods as withholding knowledge from humanity, requiring secret rituals or initiations to attain hidden truths.

In the same way, modern New Age movements claim that Christianity is too simplistic, so one must discover a “higher” or “deeper” truth beyond Scripture. Those who ascribe to this belief become prideful and believe that they’re wiser and more aware than Bible-believing Christians.

The New Age also repeats the serpent’s lies that “God didn’t really mean that,” by claiming that God’s Word the Bible isn’t trustworthy and that it has “missing books” or has “been mistranslated.”

But the Word of God isn’t veiled. Deuteronomy 30:11-14 shows that God’s commands are written and given plainly. Satan’s lie is that God’s Word can’t be trusted, and every pagan system builds upon that dangerous suspicion that points them away from Scripture.

The serpent’s bold contradiction: “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4), was followed by a promise: “Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). Here lies the essence of paganism: the deification of humanity through secret knowledge.

Pagan mystery schools of the ancient Near East taught that through initiation, sacrifice, or ecstatic experience, worshipers could ascend toward godlike status. In Mesopotamian myth, divine councils of gods conspired and imparted knowledge to mankind, often through supernatural means.

The Canaanites worshiped Baal and Asherah with rituals intended to manipulate fertility and blessing. In every case, the lure was the same as Eden: knowledge, power, and self-exaltation apart from submission to the Creator.

Modern paganism is no different. Whether it’s Wicca with its promise of magical power, or New Age with its so-called “awakening of the higher self,” the serpent’s whisper is unchanged. The human heart is promised enlightenment, freedom from limitation, and access to hidden wisdom, yet it always comes at the dangerous cost of rejecting God’s truth.

The Apostle Paul described this same dynamic in Romans 1:21-23, where mankind exchanges the glory of the incorruptible God for images and worship of creation, claiming to be wise but becoming fools.

When I was first saved, New Agers wrote me angry messages claiming that I was going backwards in my spirituality. “You’re supposed to start off as a Christian and then progress into New Age!” they scolded me. Yet the truth is that paganism isn’t the progress that its teachers claim. It’s spiritually blind and foolish regression and a return to the original deception. Paganism is a dark path into the backwards and upside down world of the devil, and his followers who don’t turn to Jesus and believe the Gospel will tragically follow the devil to his lare of hell for eternal torment.

Genesis 3:6 records Eve’s perception of the serpent’s lie: she saw that the tree was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. This threefold temptation parallels the New Testament description of worldliness described in 1 John 2:16: “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.”

Paganism always appeals to these same desires. Ancient fertility cults promised physical provision through evil sacrifice and adulterous rituals; idolatrous images were visually dazzling; and the pursuit of wisdom through sorcery or divination offered the pride of the appearance of superiority over others.

Modern women are tempted by similar appeals: self-help spirituality promises empowerment; crystals and charms dazzle the eyes and seem to increase her “psychic abilities;” and practices like astrology or energy healing offer the illusion of secret wisdom and control. But beneath the surface, these aren’t harmless curiosities – they’re direct appeals to the same desires that drew Eve away from the safety of God’s Word.

The moment Adam and Eve ate, their eyes were opened but not to the divinity the serpent had falsely promised. Instead, they knew shame, guilt, and separation. The serpent had promised transcendence, but they reaped despair.

Paganism always produces the same bitter fruit. Israel was constantly tempted by the pagan practices of surrounding nations, yet whenever they turned aside, the result was judgment, exile, and destruction. Baal worship, child sacrifice, and divination brought them wrath not blessings. God declared through the prophet Jeremiah, “My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13). Paganism offers false streams of wisdom and life that are poisoned and empty, leading only to destruction and death.

Demonic powers lurk behind every pagan altar (1 Corinthians 10:20). The serpent of Eden still seeks worship and exaltation. Pagan practices, whether in ancient temples or modern yoga studios, are instruments of the enemy’s deception.

Yet, Genesis 3 doesn’t end with judgment alone; it also contains the first gospel promise. In Genesis 3:15, God declared that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent, though the serpent would bruise His heel. This protoevangelium pointed forward to Christ, who triumphed over Satan through the cross and resurrection. The lie of paganism is that we can become like God through secret knowledge. Yet, the truth of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ as fully man and fully God came to earth to redeem and reconcile us.

Colossians 2:2-3 declares that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. We don’t need pagan rituals or mystical secrets; we need Christ. He is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), and in Him we find forgiveness, truth, and eternal life. Paganism is counterfeit; the Gospel is reality. Paganism enslaves; and only Christ liberates.

When we look at modern paganism – whether New Age, witchcraft, goddess worship, or the blending of pagan practices into the church – we must recognize it as the ancient lie repackaged. The language may shift from serpent to “spirit guide,” from forbidden fruit to “manifestation,” from idols of Baal to crystals or tarot cards, yet the essence is unchanged. It’s always Satan’s scheme to undermine trust in God’s Word, to lure people with the promise of wisdom or power, and to lead them into rebellion that results in destruction and death.

For Christian women today, the call is clear: We’re to heed the warning of Eve’s deception, not to despise her but to learn from her. May Eve be our negative role model of what not to do in the face of Satan’s temptations!

As the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Discernment is vital because the same crafty voice still whispers through self-help books, social media influencers, and even churches that compromise with New Age practices.

Our defense is the same as it was meant to be in the garden: the Word of God. Jesus Himself was unfazed by the temptations of Satan in the wilderness by standing firmly on Scripture, refusing to twist or add to it. Jesus didn’t fall for Satan’s twisted Scripture, and neither should we. We must cling to the sufficiency of God’s Word, trusting His wisdom rather than seeking hidden knowledge. We must study the Bible daily so that we instantly recognize Satan’s counterfeits.

Genesis 3 isn’t merely a record of ancient history; it’s the blueprint for understanding every form of ancient and modern pagan deception. The serpent’s lie is always the same: doubt God’s Word, deny God’s judgment, and deify yourself through hidden knowledge. Ancient pagans fell into that trap, and modern New Age seekers continue to do the same. Yet the Gospel shines through even in Eden: Christ, the seed of the woman, has crushed the serpent’s head and offers true wisdom, true freedom, and true life.

Temptation is all around us from the world, our flesh, and the devil. The question is whether we will believe the serpent’s lie, or trust in the Lord. Paganism makes promises that it can’t keep, yet Christ speaks truth that endures forever. Christ died on the cross for the sins of paganism, so why would we want to engage in something that our Lord and Savior died for? As followers of Christ, we don’t dabble in the serpent’s counterfeits. We walk in the light of His Word, knowing that Christ and Scripture are sufficient.

For more from Doreen please check out her page here at Servants of Grace or her podcast at our YouTube.