AI Satanism INT 10/22/01 2:27 PM Page 1 Satanism AI Satanism INT 10/22/01 2:27 PM Page 2 Other books in the At Issue series: Affirmative Action Animal Experimentation Anorexia Anti-Semitism Biological and Chemical Weapons Child Labor and Sweatshops Child Sexual Abuse Cloning Creationism vs. Evolution Date Rape Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime? Drugs and Sports The Ethics of Abortion The Ethics of Euthanasia The Ethics of Genetic Engineering The Ethics of Human Cloning Ethnic Conflict Food Safety The Future of the Internet Gay Marriage Guns and Crime Heroin How Should Prisons Treat Inmates? Immigration Policy Interracial Relationships Is Media Violence a Problem? Legalizing Drugs Marijuana The Media and Politics Nuclear and Toxic Waste Nuclear Security Physician-Assisted Suicide Rain Forests Rape on Campus School Shootings Sex Education Sexually Transmitted Diseases Single-Parent Families Smoking The Spread of AIDS Teen Sex Teen Suicide UFOs The United Nations U.S. Policy Toward China Violent Children Voting Behavior Welfare Reform What Is a Hate Crime? AI Satanism INT 10/22/01 2:27 PM Page 3 Satanism Tamara L. Roleff, Book Editor Daniel Leone, President Bonnie Szumski, Publisher Scott Barbour, Managing Editor Stuart B. Miller, Series Editor An Opposing Viewpoints® Series Greenhaven Press, Inc. San Diego, California AI Satanism INT 10/22/01 2:27 PM Page 4 No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, electrical, mechanical, or otherwise, including, but not lim- ited to, photocopy, recording, or any information storage and re- trieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Satanism / Tamara L. Roleff, book editor. p. cm. — (At issue) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7377-0806-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7377-0807-7 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper) 1. Satanism. I. Roleff, Tamara L., 1959– II. At issue (San Diego, Calif.) BF1548 .S37 2002 133.4'22—dc21 2001040612 CIP0 © 2002 by Greenhaven Press, Inc. 10911 Technology Place, San Diego, CA 92127 Printed in the U.S.A. Every effort has been made to trace owners of copyrighted material. AI Satanism INT 10/22/01 2:27 PM Page 5 Table of Contents Page Introduction 6 1. Satanism Threatens Youth 9 Elizabeth Karlsberg 2. Satanists Worship Evil and Power 13 James Randall Noblitt and Pamela Sue Perskin 3. Satanic Ritual Abuse Is a Serious Problem 19 Gordan A. Magill 4. Church of Satan’s Advice to Youth 24 Church of Satan 5. Anti-Satanism Is Bigotry 29 Michael J. Mazza 6. The Extent of Satanic Crime Is Exaggerated 32 Jeffrey S. Victor 7. Claims of Satanic Ritual Abuse Are Unsubstantiated 49 Sharma Oliver 8. Teen Satanists Are Rebelling Against the Dominant Culture 67 Kathleen S. Lowney 9. Social and Cultural Forces Were Partially Responsible for 91 Satanic Panic Susan P. Robbins Organizations to Contact 103 Bibliography 106 Index 109 AI Satanism INT 10/22/01 2:27 PM Page 6 Introduction Satan and his various manifestations have been worshiped and revered for thousands of years. However, many people are confused over what makes one a Satanist. Some people think that anyone who believes in any religion other than their own is worshipping Satan, while others believe that any religion other than Christianity, Judaism, or Islam is Satanism. Still others believe that such religions as Santeria, Wicca, New Age, Druidism, and other neopagan religions are Satanism. However, true Sa- tanists are none of the above. Contemporary Satanism began April 30, 1966 when Anton Szandor LaVey, a former carnival barker, founded the Church of Satan in San Francisco. LaVey wrote books titled The Satanic Bible, The Compleat Witch (later revised as The Satanic Witch), and The Satanic Rituals to explain his view of Satanism. According to LaVey, Satanists have an entirely different vision of Satan than Christians do: Satan does not live in or rule Hell; he does not have horns, cloven hooves, a tail, and a pitchfork; and he is not evil. Nor do Satanists worship him as a living deity; the Church of Satan explains that “Satan is used as a purely symbolic figure. Satanists do not even believe in the existence of any Gods or Devils.” Instead, the church maintains that Satan is a force of energy, power, and sexuality, and a symbol of vitality, pleasure, and hedonism. Satanism is “essentially a religion of the self; it holds that the individual and his personal needs comes first,” LaVey asserts. In fact, the holiest day for a Satanist is his or her own birthday. The core beliefs of Satanism are found in the Nine Satanic Statements, written by LaVey in The Satanic Bible. They are: 1. Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence! 2. Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams! 3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit! 4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates! 5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek! 6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of con- cern for psychic vampires! 7. Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours, who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all! 8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physi- cal, mental, or emotional gratification! 9. Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years! However, not all Satanists necessarily believe or follow all of these statements; since Satanism worships the self, it is a highly individualistic 6 AI Satanism INT 10/22/01 2:27 PM Page 7 Introduction 7 religion and the beliefs may vary widely from one Satanist to the next. Satanism is recognized as a religion in the United States; the U.S. Army, for example, includes Satanism in its pamphlet, Religious Require- ments and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains. Al- though it is difficult to determine how many people are Satanists (the Church of Satan does not release membership information), the Army handbook estimated that there were between 10,000 and 20,000 Satanists in the United States when it was published in 1978. Most Satanists are adults who are serious about their beliefs. But Sa- tanism also attracts teenagers, who are frequently “dabblers”—that is, as an act of rebellion against their parents or society, they practice Satanism, usually for a short period of time. These teen Satanists’ numbers are al- most impossible to count as they do not belong to any organized satanic church (most organized satanic churches—such as the Church of Satan— require that members be eighteen years old to join). These dabblers some- times engage in criminal activity such as vandalism and grave desecration, trespassing, and consumption of alcohol and illegal drugs. Researchers who study teen Satanists contend that the thrill of law-breaking makes Sa- tanism even more exciting to them. Many people, especially conservative Christians, view Satanism and Satanists as far more threatening, however. Their concerns are based on Gothic Satanism, which first appeared during the Middle Ages. According to Church leaders of the time, Satanists were evil incarnate: They sold their souls to the devil, killed children in ritual ceremonies, changed shapes between animals and humans, flew on broomsticks, conducted Black Masses, and performed black magic to harm others. Some people believe that Satanists continue to practice many of these evil deeds, espe- cially human sacrifice and ritual abuse. The first modern accounts of satanic ritual abuse and satanic human sacrifice appeared during the late 1970s and continued into the early 1990s. Since then, the reports have tapered off. The first cases consisted of several women who came forward independently and reported that they had recovered long-repressed memories of their sexual abuse and torture as children by satanic groups, some of which included members of their families. These women were from different parts of the country, yet their stories of sexual abuse, ritual murder of babies, cannibalism, and blood drinking were very similar. Then children in day care centers across the country began telling comparable stories of how they were sexually abused, were witnesses to murders in hidden rooms, and were forced to eat feces and the flesh of victims. In response to these claims, some therapists, law enforcement, and ju- dicial officials theorized that an extremely organized secret network of Sa- tanists was responsible for the violence. They estimated that Satanists were performing—and getting away with—as many as 50,000 ritual mur- ders every year. Furthermore, they claimed, leaders of the conspiracy were noted members of the community—government and law enforcement of- ficials, teachers, lawyers, and doctors. Because of their importance in the community, these leaders were able to keep their satanic activities secret. Occasionally, child molesters, serial killers, and other criminals claim to be Satanists, asserting that “the Devil made me do it” or that they killed for the glory of Satan. Some infamous killers who claim to be Sa- AI Satanism INT 10/22/01 2:27 PM Page 8 8 At Issue tanists include Charles Manson, “Son of Sam” serial killer David Berkowitz, and “Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez. Ramirez carved a penta- gram—a star with five points that is a symbol of Satanism—into his left hand and left court one day shouting “Hail Satan!” Satanists claim, however, that Gothic Satanism is a myth that was spread by church officials in the Middle Ages to frighten and persecute personal enemies and anyone who was different.