Demons in Bible use they/them pronouns because of English grammar, not gender | Fact check

The claim: Post implies demons in the Bible use singular they/them pronouns

A May 9 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) suggests an ancient text invokes modern-day language about gender identity.

“In the Bible, demons refer to themselves as they/them/we/us,” reads the post, which cites several verses from the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.

"So much of what is going on right now, the Bible describes it," says one comment on the post. "It is amazing!"

"Wow!" says another. "Never really looked at it this way."

The post was shared more than 1,400 times in two days. Other versions of the claim were shared thousands of additional times on various social media platforms. 

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Our rating: Missing context

All five passages cited in the post describe multiple demons, using pronouns that follow the traditional structure of the English language. And regardless, experts told USA TODAY the passages were originally written in Greek and there is no parallel between such pronouns used in the Bible and modern-day understandings of gender identity. 

Demons' use of they/them 'doesn't have anything to do with gender'

Mark Goodacre, a professor of religious studies at Duke University, said he was “astounded” by the claim, which “doesn’t make any sense to me at all.” 

The first verse cited in the post is Mark 5: 1-13, a passage that describes Jesus exorcising a possessed man.

After Jesus asks what the demon's name is, he is given a response of, "My name is Legion, for we are many."

In what Goodacre described as “one of the most remarkable and vivid stories” in Mark’s gospel, Jesus sends the demons into a herd of pigs, which then run over a cliff and into the sea to their deaths.

Matthew 8 – which is also cited in the post – depicts the same scene. But Legion's reference to being "many" demons makes plural pronouns necessary, per English grammar rules.

The three other biblical passages cited in the post also specifically detail multiple demons. Both Mark 16 and Luke 8 reference the seven demons exorcised from Mary Magdalene, while Luke 11 also describes a group of seven spirits.

“If you’re saying a person has many demons, many spirits, the only way to refer to that is to say ‘they/them,’” Goodacre said. “It simply doesn’t make any grammatical sense to say it any other way.” 

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Benjamin Dunning, a professor of New Testament and early Christianity at Harvard Divinity School, similarly described the social media claim as “absurd."

“The idea you’d use the plural pronouns they/them in reference to plural entities is just sort of common sense,” he said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with gender.” 

The cited verses not only fail to live up to the post's implication, but similar grammatical structures can be found throughout the Bible, he said.

“When you look them up, it doesn’t actually make the point that the poster is suggesting it makes,” he said. “Demons refer to themselves as they/them/we/us – well, so do regular people in plural situations.” 

Rusty Barrett, a linguistics professor at the University of Kentucky, said the claim would not even hold up in the scripture's original Greek.

“The claim is based on modern English grammar, and the distinct form of ‘they’ as nonbinary didn’t exist in Greek either,” he said. 

Ross Murray, vice president of the GLAAD Media Institute and a deacon who leads the organization’s religious work, said the usage of singular they/them pronouns to indicate one's gender identity is a contemporary idea. GLAAD was previously known as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

He concurred with other experts that the cited verses were about plural entities and not an indication of gender identity.

“It’s not to say LGBTQ people didn’t exist then, but that was not the way the world was structured,” he said. “It was not language they would use to describe themselves. No one in the Bible calls themselves nonbinary, and no one calls themselves gay or lesbian.” 

Pastor and former Republican political candidate E.W. Jackson made a similar claim in 2017 by saying using they/them pronouns is a “subconscious spiritual admission of demon possession by multiple demons,” as reported by Right Wing Watch. 

USA TODAY has previously debunked claims surrounding pronouns and gender identity, including false claims that a news outlet reported not including pronouns in an email signature is a sign of bigotry, that Fox News reported they/them pronouns are part of a “far-left extremist plot” and that Elon Musk said journalists who use they/them pronouns will be charged more for verification on Twitter. 

USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

• Benjamin Dunning, May 18, Phone interview with USA TODAY 
• Mark Goodacre, May 17, Phone interview with USA TODAY 
• Ross Murray, May 16, Phone interview with USA TODAY 
• Rusty Barrett, May 16, Email exchange with USA TODAY 
• Bible Gateway, accessed May 12, Luke 11
• Bible Gateway, accessed May 12, Luke 8
• Bible Gateway, accessed May 12, Matthew 8
• Bible Gateway, accessed May 12, Mark 16
• Bible Gateway, accessed May 12, Mark 5

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