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MODERN NEO-PAGANISM & THE OCCULT
A Guide to Alternative Religions
And Their Opponents (Vers. 2.0)
Chapter 12
What About Satan?
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SATAN AND DIABOLOS, THE ADVERSARY AND THE FALSE ACCUSER
-an anonymous Christian
In order to bring home to us just how much ignorant superstition has
grown around the words "satan" and "devil," (the word "devil" being commonly
used as a translation of the Greek word "diabolos"), let us suppose that two
men visiting a Zoological Garden came upon a huge serpent in captivity, and
one exclaimed, "Look at the huge dragon!"
"Dragon!" the other would say scornfully, "That's a serpent."
Yet the first man was not exactly wrong, but he was not speaking the
language intelligible to an Englishman. In the same way, if he was passing
an old enemy in the street and remarked to his companion, "See that man
passing us? He is a devil!" His companion would not understand him merely
to be intimating that the man in question had defamed him and made
accusations against him falsely.
One can see then how our English thinking minds are led along strange
paths ending in confusion, by our use of words which, to us, are foreign and
surrounded by mystery. Such words are "satan," "devil," "dragon," which
ought to appear in our English texts of the Scriptures as, respectively,
"adversary," "accuser" or calumniator,' and "serpent."
If there is an English equivalent to the Hebrew word "satan" and an
English equivalent to the Greek word "diabolos," why not use them, instead of
confusing our minds by the use of words which are foreign to us, and which on
that account, have been handed down to us through the centuries draped in
tangles of incomprehensible lore and fable and allegory?
IDENTIFYING THE TWO SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT ON "SATAN"
It would appear that with regard to the "satan" of popular theology,
i.e. the mythical, supernatural evil genius, the majority of Christians have
no clearly defined ideas on the subject, and do not consider it a matter of
importance to have such. A small minority, however, make an important issue
of the matter, and this small minority appear to be divided mainly into two
camps:
(1) Those who believe the word "satan" to refer to a supernatural evil
genius who has made a specialty of leading human beings astray, and
(2) Those who believe the word "satan" to refer to any adversary, either
human or heaven-sent, (as, for example, the heavenly messenger sent to block
Balaam's path - Num 22:22), and "diabolos," to refer to any accuser,
calumniator or slanderer without qualifications, and regardless of sex.
This wide difference of opinion between these two companies of
Christians, constitutes a barrier which prevents them from seeing eye to eye
or understanding each others language, just as effectively as did the "babel
of tongues" at the building of the notorious tower. This is greatly to be
deplored, as, in very many cases that is the only insurmountable obstacle to
that very desirable unity which our Lord Jesus desired for His followers.
In order to define these two opposite opinions for the purpose of our
search for the Truth, we can describe them briefly as: (1) Those who
believe that the source of evil, wickedness and iniquity in every form is
outside of man, and is centered in a supernatural being who is antagonistic
to God and His Will. (2) Those who believe that the source of evil and
iniquity is the carnal nature of man, as opposed to the Spirit of God.
We take it for granted that both these classes are in agreement
concerning the testimony of the Holy Scriptures, and that neither would
embrace a man-made doctrine if they positively knew it to be opposed to the
teachings of the Word of God. With Paul, they would emphatically declare,
"Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar." Are we then agreed concerning
the truth, and willing to submit that our Lord does not speak wrongly whoever
else may do? If so, we are ready to consider His statement upon where
iniquity originates.
Let us proceed then to hear what our Lord Jesus Christ has to say about
the matter.
THE ACCUSER THAT HAD THE POWER OF DEATH.
To deal now with a text which is invariably quoted in support of the
"supernatural devil" theory, let us consider Paul's statement to the Hebrews
when explaining the reason for Christ's sacrifice of Himself. (Heb. 2:14).
"Forasmuch then, as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He (that
is Jesus Christ) also Himself took part of the same; that, through death, He
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the accuser."
Whom did Paul mean by "the accuser" who had the power of death? Do you
believe that God had given the power of death into the hands of a rebellious
spirit being? If so, do you claim that it was to that rebellious spirit
being that Jesus referred when He said, "...but rather fear Him which (who)
is able to destroy both life and body in Gehenna"? (Matt. 10:28). You will
agree that Jesus was referring to the Almighty One, to GOD. How then could
it be true that a "fallen spirit" had the power of death? But "the accuser"
had the power of death; we say "had" advisedly, because when Jesus died on
the cross "the accuser" was DESTROYED. And "the accuser"? Was the written
decree which had been contrary to us - the word of God which decreed that we
were all under sentence of death in Adam. Jesus Christ, by HIS death, dis-
annulled that decree by which we, as heirs of sin in Adam, were doomed to
death.
Paul explains it thus to the Colossians: "And you, being dead in your
sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened (made alive)
forgiving you all trespasses. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
(the signature of decrees) that was against us, which was contrary to us,
nailing it to His cross." (Col. 2: 13-14).
The decree of death passed upon all flesh by reason of inherited sin was
annulled by Christ's sacrifice. This decree constituted "the accuser"
(Greek: diabolos) which had the power of death and which was destroyed by
Christ's sacrifice.
Time and time again, Paul stresses the fact that the great foe of the
spirit is the flesh, as, for example Romans (7:14), "For we know that the law
is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. (16-17) If then I do that
which I would not...it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me,
(18) for I know that IN ME (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.
(22) For I delight in the law of God after the inward man, but I see another
law in my members (flesh) warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me
into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. ( That is to say,
his spiritual-mindedness and his flesh were opposed) (25) so then with the
mind I myself serve the law of God; but WITH THE FLESH THE LAW OF SIN." Chpt
8:1-13 also stresses this point (8:3). "For what the law could not do in
that it was weak THROUGH THE FLESH, God, sending His own Son, in the LIKENESS
OF SINFUL FLESH and FOR SIN, condemned sin in the flesh."
(Verses 5-7) "They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the
flesh. For to be CARNALLY MINDED is death. Because the CARNAL MIND is enmity
against God." That is to say, the carnal mind is the enemy of God - the
adversary (satan) against God.
Poof! Satan is dispelled to the realms of fiction and fairy tale.
**Annonymous Essay**
POLICE BELIEVE, BUT CAN'T PROVE, SATANISTS ARE `OUT THERE'
By Charles Walston
Staff Writer
From the _Atlanta Journal and Constitution_, 5/22/88
`I don't know of any convictions [for satanic-related crimes]. But I
know some of these officers and they don't overreact. I don't think you can
chalk this up to us looking for something that isn't there.' - Cobb police
Capt. Sharon Moody
Armed with shotguns, automatic weapons and a no-knock search warrant, a
dozen police officers entered an east Cobb County home around midnight.
They held the owner at gunpoint in his underwear, according to a federal
lawsuit filed last month, and searched the house for blood, bones, cages,
altars and other bizarre items.
They were looking for evidence of satanism.
They found nothing.
In the year since that incident occurred, some local law enforcement
authorities and religious leaders have expressed increasing concern about
devil worship. Newspapers, magazines and television stations have reported
allegations that satanists commit hideous sacrifices and sexual abuse.
Despite police scrutiny and publicity, however, few cases of satanic
crime have been proven.
"There are lots of published accounts of people saying they were victims
and they witnessed murders, which may very well be true, but as far as I know
you're not gonna be able to substantiate it," said Cynthia Kisser, executive
director of the Cult Awareness Network, a non-profit group in Chicago that
distributes information about cult activity.
Ms. Kisser knows of only one case in which a satanic murder was proven
in court: Members of a satanic group in California were recently convicted of
killing a drifter and carving a pentagram on his chest during a ritual, she
said. But there is no comprehensive source of information on suspected
satanic crime, she said.
There have been a few instances of such crime alleged in the metro
Atlanta area. The most notable case is in Douglas County, where three
teenagers were charged with the January slaying of a 15-year-old runaway
girl. Investigators said the suspects were satanists who had killed their
victim during a ritual.
One of the defendants, Terry Belcher, was convicted of murder Monday and
sentenced to life in prison. Belcher admitted he had been involved in the
slaying but denied any cult involvement, and the case shed no light on the
veracity of the allegation that satanism was involved. Two other defendants
are scheduled to stand trial in June.
Even when authorities suspect an occult connection to crimes, their
theories often are not presented in court, according to Donald Sparry,
director of the Coastal Georgia Police Academy in Brunswick, who speaks about
violent groups at seminars around the country. Prosecutors are wary of trying
to prove a motive that some jurors or judges may find unbelievable.
"You have a dead body, malice, a murder," he said. "Why complicate it
with all these allegations about rituals?"
While prosecutors may be wary of raising the issue in court, there has
been increasing police interest in learning about it.
Some jurisdictions have designated law enforcement officers to gather
information and intelligence about satanism. After the Douglas County
slaying, the sheriff's department created a task force to investigate devil
worship. No arrests have been made, but a department spokesman said this week
that the group is monitoring suspected cult activity in the county.
Many police and prosecutors are convinced that devil worshippers commit
crimes ranging from cruelty to animals to desecration of churches to murder.
"Worshipping the devil is not a crime, but there are sometimes crimes related
to the rituals," said Douglas County District Attorney Frank Winn.
"When you find literally dozens of officers communicating, and the facts
being very similar in cases, it makes you sit up and take notice that there
must be some truth to it," said Cobb police Sgt. Joe Renner, who has attended
several seminars about satanism in the past year.
"I don't know of any convictions," said Cobb police Capt. Sharon Moody,
who heads the unit that investigates crimes against children. "But I know
some of these officers and they don't overreact. I don't think you can chalk
this up to us looking for something that isn't there.
"I do think it's out there."
Renner said more parents of teenagers in metro Atlanta are calling him
to discuss their children's possible involvement, and Ms. Kisser has noted
heightened interest at the national level. "It might be getting to the point
of hysteria in some communities," she said.
There are several degrees of cult involvement, according to Ms. Kisser.
Satanists who are part of established "orthodox" groups, often stretching
back for several generations, shroud themselves in secrecy and seldom attract
attention.
"Dabblers" in satanism, often teenagers, are more likely to leave
evidence such as animal remains or significant symbols, including pentagrams
or the number 666, the biblical sign of the beast.
Even when such signs are present, cult connections are sometimes
tenuous. Ms. Kisser estimates that 95 percent of teenagers who dabble in
satanism are interested only in trappings such as heavy metal rock music,
clothing or jewelry, and are not likely to become seriously involved.
Some people worry that concern over satanism could become a misguided
obsession, creating an environment in which the statements and beliefs of
suspects overshadow their alleged crimes.
"People love this idea of `The devil made me do it,' " said Kenneth
Lanning, a supervisory special agent at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., who
is an expert on child sexual abuse. "This is not only not new, this is the
oldest theory of crime that there is."
Police must guard against placing too much significance on theories or
evidence of devil worship, Lanning said.
"I think that a great deal of what's being alleged and talked about
[regarding] satanic crime may have nothing to do with a crime," he said. "In
law enforcement, you're investigating the crime. If I'm a sociologist or a
scholar, all this [the occult] may be real interesting to pursue."
Sparry said he has never known of teenage devil worshipers who were not
involved with drugs, and illicit sex is a lure for many youths. "They're
using devil worship as a vehicle for what they were going to do anyway," he
said.
"I don't see it so much as a cause for crime as a justification of
crime," Lanning said. "I see individuals who go out and kill and rape. . . .
The satanism is a symptom of their problem, not the cause of the problem."
Allegations of human sacrifices and cannibalism may mask the real
objective of satanists, some experts believe. Some child molesters may trick
children into thinking they have witnessed murders to scare or confuse them,
Lanning said. If the victims do tell, their stories are implausible and
impossible to prove.
The search of the home in affluent east Cobb, in the early hours of May
1, 1987, indicates that police suspicions about satanism are sometimes
unfounded. That incident has resulted in a federal lawsuit filed April 19 in
U.S. District Court on behalf of William Oakes and his wife.
The complaint alleges that the search of the Oakes' home violated their
constitutional right to privacy, and that it was the result of a "reckless"
police investigation. Named as defendants are Cobb County, Ms. Moody, police
Officer James Davis, and Nancy Aldridge, a nurse.
The futile search resulted from allegations that arose in a protracted
divorce and child custody dispute involving a couple whom the Oakes do not
know. A 7-year-old girl and her younger brother told counselers and police
they had been sexually abused by their father and others during satanic
rituals, and had witnessed the sacrifice of four adults and 10 children. The
girl also said she had witnessed her father having sex with foxes and other
members of his family.
The girl said some of the rituals occurred in a "gray house," which
Davis later determined to be the Oakes residence. In a six-page affidavit
that he signed to obtain a search warrant, Davis stated that the girl had
pointed the house out to him, but he later testified during the divorce case
that she had initially seen the house when she was riding in a car with her
mother.
Oakes has never been accused of a crime, according to his attorney,
Harvey Harkness. "The only sin he committed in his life was painting his
house gray."
No criminal charges have resulted from that investigation, and Cobb
police decline to discuss the search because of the lawsuit. An Emory
University professor said some aspects of the incident have disturbing
historical precedents.
"That sounds so incredibly reminiscent of the Salem witch trials," said
professor Nancy T. Ammerman, who specializes in the sociology of religion.
About 30 women were hanged as witches in Salem, Mass., during the 16th
century, Dr. Ammerman said, many of them named by children who had heard
stories about witches from a slave from the West Indies.
Some people, particularly religious fundamentalists, may have a need to
identify evil in order to explain to themselves why human atrocities occur,
Dr. Ammerman said.
"We should exercise caution of people who are engaged in these [satanic]
activities, and we also have reason to be cautious of our response," she
said. "We have ample evidence in history that accusations of satanism and
witchcraft have been used as reason to persecute people."
HALLOWEEN: MYTHS, MONSTERS AND DEVILS
by W.J. Bethancourt III
(c) copyright 1992 W.J. Bethancourt III: used by permission
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MATTHEW 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own
eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote
out of thy brother's eye.
LUKE 11:39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean
the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part
is full of ravening and wickedness.
LUKE 11:41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold,
all things are clean unto you.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Every year, right around Halloween, we are treated to an outpouring
of what can only be described as "scare" literature telling us all about how
the holiday is 'satanic' and evil, and should not be celebrated by
Christians. These opinions are backed up with some rather unusual, and very
frightening, fantasies masquerading as historical facts.
This article is -not- intended to address whether or not Satan
exists, nor to show that 'witches' are all nice, grainola-eating vegetarians
and tree-huggers who wouldn't harm a fly, nor is it an attack on
Fundamentalist Christianity, but rather to discuss some of the so-called
'facts' offered in some of the anti-Halloween publications.
Let's look at four such tracts circulating around the computer nets:
"Halloween Oct. 31: What's It All About?", by someone named Sylvan
Margadonna, Mrs. Gloria Phillips' "Halloween: What It Is From A Christian
Perspective" (Bay View Church, P.O. Box 9277, Mobile, AL 36691), and two
anonymous tracts, here identified as "Tract 1" and "Tract 2."
I have not corrected transcription errors in either of these tracts.
They are exactly as received.
Margadonna:
Halloween (the name) means the evening before All Hallows or All
Saints' Day, which is Nov. 1. All Saints' Day is observed by Roman
Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherans, to honor all the saints in
Heaven, whether known or unknown. The day also used to be called
Hallowmass from Old English word hallow, meaning sanctify. In the
Roman Catholic Church, it is, with all solemnity, considered one of
the most important observances of the church year. It is a day on
which all Catholics are obliged to attend Mass. It is preceded by a
vigil of preparation on the evening of Oct.31. And it is this vigil,
All Hallows' Eve or Halloween, that is the most widely known feature
of the observance.
This is true, though Margadonna's linking the Church vigil to the
current American celebration (in the light of what is said later) seems to me
to show a possible agenda of anti-Catholicism, (and a mild quibble over the
use of the word "Old English," as OE is more the language of "Beowulf" than
Chaucer or Shakespeare.) Even so, the tracts tend to very quickly degenerate
into myth and pseudo-factual statements that cannot be backed up by hard
data.
Margadonna:
However, Halloween is really of DRUIDIC origin. Most of the customs
connected with the day are remnants of ancient "religious" beliefs
and celebrations of the New Year, first of the Druids and then of the
Romans who conquered them.
Margadonna:
For the Celtic tribes who followed the religion of the Druids and
lived in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and Britan, Nov. 1 was New Years
Day. It was also a joint festival honoring their Sun "god" and
"Samhain", the lord of the dead.
Phillips:
In 834 A.D. Gregory IV extended the feast for all the church and it
became known as All Saint's Day, still remembering the dead. Samhain,
a Druid god of the dead was honored at Halloween in Britain, France,
Germany and the Celtic countries. Samhain called together all wicked
souls who died within the past year and that were destined to inhabit
animals.
Tract 2:
It was the Druid's belief that on the eve of this festival, Saman
called together the wicked souls that within the past 12 months had
been condemned to inhabit the bodies of animals. They were released
in the form of ghosts, spirits, witches or elves.
Tract 1:
Halloween is a rite with pagan, demonic roots. The Celtic people who
lived over 2,000 years ago, feared the evening of October 31st more
than any other day of the year. It was the eve of the Lord of the
Dead. To celebrate, the people built bonfires, wore masks and
costumes in order to prepare for the arrival of spirits. Fire
rituals and divination were part of their celebration. Pagan priests
even offered human and animal sacrifices.
Tract 2:
The American celebration rests upon Scottish and Irish folk customs
which can be traced, in a direct line, from pre-Christian time.
Although Halloween has become a night of celebration to many, its
beginnings were otherwise. The earliest Halloween celebrations were
held by the Druids in honor of Saman, lord of the dead, whose
festival fell on November 1.
The Druids were an 'oral' tradition; they didn't write down their
teachings. Unfortunately, most of what we have on them from pre-Christian
times was written by their mortal enemies: the Roman Empire. To take what the
Romans said about the Druids as fact is rather like taking what the Romans
said about Christians as fact. (Athenagoras, in 176 CE, writes a whole tome
to repudiate the accusations of atheism, cannibalism and lust directed by the
Romans at the Christians).
The attempt to associate Hindu-like reincarnation beliefs with
Druidic beliefs has no basis in fact. We know that the Celts believed in an
afterlife, as they would do things like promise to pay debts "in the next
life," but there is no evidence of a belief in reincarnation (coming back to
this world, as an animal, insect or human, not another life in Heaven or
wherever) as such.
The link with Irish customs is ephemeral (to say the least!) as the
Romans never conquered, nor even invaded, Ireland. There is no Roman overlay
on Irish folklore and myth before the advent of Christianity. Had Halloween
come to America from France (Ancient Gaul), whose Celtic culture was
thoroughly Romanized, I might have bought into this connection, but it is a
fact that Halloween came from Ireland. There was no Roman occupation in
Ireland, therefore (and archaeology bears this out) there was no Roman
culture in Ireland, so it follows that there can be no credible Romano-Pagan
connection with Irish pagan beliefs.
This is significant for Scotland also, as the inhabitants of Scotland
at the time of the Roman occupation of Britain were the Picts (a generic term
for a confederation of different tribes.) They were not conquered by the
Romans either; Hadrian's and Trajan's Walls mark the limit of Roman conquest
in Britain. The people that we know as "Scots" (the word "Scot" orignally
meant "Irishman") are actually an amalgamation of Norse, Pict and Irish that
happened well after the Romans left Britain.
As for "Samhain" being the 'lord of the dead,' this is a gross
fallacy that seems to have been perpetuated in the late 18th and 19th
centuries CE. I have found it in Higgins (first published in 1827, and trying
to prove the Druids emigrated to Ireland from India!) where he quotes a Col.
Charles Vallency (later a General, who was trying to prove that the Irish
were decended from the inhabitants of Armenia!!!) Higgins also refers to an
author named "Pictet," who gives this name as that of a god, associating the
word with "sabhan," (which word I cannot find in any Gaelic dictionary at my
disposal) and trying for a connection with "Bal-sab," to prove a Sun god and
Biblical association.
Bostwick (originally published in 1894) associates "Samhuin" with the
Moon, but translates "Samhain" correctly, though he tries to derive the roots
of Gaelic and Erse from Latin. He refers to a book named "Bards" by a person
only identified as "Walker" as his reference. I have not been able to locate
this work, nor Col. Vallency's ("Collectanaea de Rebus Hibernicis" circa
1770 in 6 volumes.)
With modern research, archaeology and the study of the Indo-European
migrations, these conclusions can be seen as the complete errors they were,
(though further research into proto-Gaelic is still going on, and may yet hold
some surprises.)
All of this may be connected with the "British Israelite" sort of
thing so popular then, when British antiquaries were trying to connect the
Druids of the British Isles with Biblical nations and races, Freemasonry, the
"religion of Noah," "Helio-Arkites," and many other fanciful blind-alleys.
Some of the more luminous (?) names of this movement were William Stukeley,
Edward Williams (who called himself "Iolo Morganwg" and can be viewed as one
of the classic British cranks, forging documents right and left to back up
his theories), John Williams ab Ithel, Owen Morgan (who called himself
"Morgan O. Morgan"), the epic-forger James MacPherson (he wrote the "Ossian"
stuff), Edward Davies, the aforementioned Godfrey Higgins and James Bostwick,
and others.
It rather reminds one of the Mormon identification of the indigenous
populations of North America with the Lost Tribes of Israel, or the Blacks
with the descendants of Cain.
Seumas MacManus, in his book "The Story Of The Irish Race," quotes a
source only identified as "O'Halloran" as identifying "Samain" with the Moon,
though later he correctly translates the word as "Hallowday," (and includes
the three days before and after in the name) in connection with the supposed
first Irish Parliament at Tara under Cormac, and as the occasion for Fairs at
Muiremne. Hardly the appropriate time to hold such festive occasions, if
these tracts are to be believed!
I should also quote a well-known Wiccan, "Rowan Moonstone" (pseud.):
"There is no such deity as "Samhain, Druid god of the dead"!!! The
word Samhain means summer's end. (Sam + Fuin = Samhain). The "Great
God Sam" myth seems to have come from Col. Vallency's books in the
1770s before the reliable translations of the extant Celtic literary
works and before the archaeological excavations."
Ms. Moonstone further comments:
"I've spent several years trying to trace the "Great God Samhain" and
I have YET to find seminal sources for the same. The first reference
seems to be from Col. Vallency in the 1700s and then Lady Wilde in
her book "Mystic Charms and Superstitions" advances the "Samhain,
lord of the dead" theory. Vallency, of course was before the work
done on Celtic religion in either literature or archaeology. Wilde,
on the other hand, gives NO references in her book, claiming it to be
first-hand field work. (NOT!) I have no problems to Christians
being theologically opposed to Samhain. What I absolutely refuse to
tolerate is sloppy and improper scholarship!"
In more current books in print I have only found "Samhain" named as
the 'lord of the dead' in Claudia DeLys' book on American superstitions (see
my bibliography below) and I find it interesting that both these tracts seem
to reproduce, almost word-for-word, what Ms. DeLys has to say on the subject
relating to 'Samhain, lord of the dead' and about Halloween in general.
Looking thru Maclennan, we find that the (Scots) Gaelic "Samhuinn"
(pronounced in Scotland as "SAV-im") is translated as "Hallowtide; the Feast
of All Souls" and is the same word as Erse (Irish Gaelic) "Samhain"
(pronounced "SEW-ain (sort of!)" in Erse), Early Irish "Samfhuin" (also found
as "samuin" and "samain") and has the possible Old Celtic root of "samani-."
Herity/Eogan also mention "Bealtaine, Lughnasa and Samhain" as
holidays of the Iron Age Irish.
The Celtic Gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd (British) and Arawn
(Welsh.) I have not found any Irish "lord of death" as such, and neither have
I located any Gaulish (French Celtic) god's name, if any. Lugh would be the
nearest thing to a sun-god of the Celts, and even that association is a bit
tenuous.
Bear in mind also that the Celtic "Lord of the Underworld" was -not-
considered to be anything similar to the Judeo-Christian Satan, (we are,
after all, dealing with an entirely different mythos here!) but rather
something different, and -not- an evil anti-God.
(I will not address the issue of the various Horned Gods of Western
European paganism being Satan. The concept of "God and His adversary" seems to
have had no place in pre-Christian Celtic mythology.)
"Samhain" is the name of the holiday. There is no evidence of any god
or demon named "Samhain," "Samain," "Sam Hane," or however you want to vary
the spelling.
The association of "ghosts, spirits, witches (and) elves" in Tract 2
is also interesting, as it betrays the author's lack of knowledge of Irish
folklore. Ghosts, spirits and witches were regarded by the post-Christian
Irish as evil indeed, but elves had a rather unique position in Irish
folklore as being neither of Heaven or of Hell. They were not regarded as
evil so much as very different and very dangerous to mess with. There is a
differentiation made between "good" and "bad" elves/fairies in the "seelie
court" and the "unseelie court."
Insofar as the -ancient- Celtic attitude towards the four items
mentioned there is no hard evidence.
Margadonna's usage of the phrase "ancient 'religious' beliefs,"
implying that ancient religions were not really "real" religions, is also
interesting. If they weren't "real" religions, what were they? They may not
have been Christianity, they may have been wrong, but they were still "real"
religions.
Tract 2:
It was the Celts who chose the date of October 31 as their New Year's
Eve and who originally intended it as a celebration of everything
wicked, evil and/or dead. Also during their celebration they would
gather around the campfire, and offer their animals, their crops, and
sometimes themselves as a sacrifice.
And yet again we see statements being made that are not supported by
available hard evidence. I fail to see how a "celebration of everything
wicked, evil and/or dead" would be made the occasion for the beginning of a
new yearly cycle and for feasting, parliaments and formal games as recorded
by MacManus. A culture-wide Celtic celebration or honoring of Evil would
certainly be something that cultural anthropologists would jump on, since it
would require hundreds of tribes/clans in several separated geographical
areas to be doing something that no other major human culture has ever done,
that is, to define Evil and Good, and conciously celebrate Evil.
Such a culture would not be expected to adopt Christianity as quickly
and easily, not to mention as strongly, as the Celtic peoples did, would it?
Besides, there is some evidence that the Samhain holiday would
actually occur (in the modern Gregorian calendar) on November 11 (Martinmas),
which is regarded as "Old Samhain" in some Celtic countries. The ballad "The
Wife Of Usher's Well" (Child #79) could provide some clues towards this.
Phillips:
This celebration of the dead honored the god of the dead on this
particular night.
Margadonna:
The Celts believed that the sinful souls of those who had died during
the year had been relegated to the bodies of animals. Through gifts
and sacrifices their sins could be expiated and their souls freed, to
claim a "heavenly" reward. Samhain was the one who did the judging
and decreed in what form their existence was to continue, whether in
the body of an animal here on earth or in a human body in "heaven".
Once again, we have information on Druidic beliefs that I have seen
nowhere else, save in unsupported theories in publications of the 18th and
19th centuries, and no references are given by Margadonna. And the mysterious
god 'Samhain' pops up again. The "gifts and sacrifices" bit sounds
suspiciously like a dig at the Roman Catholic Purgatory dogma with no
justification from extant knowledge of Celtic religion.
Margadonna:
Therefore it was common for horses to be sacrificed since they were
sacred to the Sun god. There were also human sacrifices. Men, mostly
criminals, were put in wicker thatched cages and were set on fire by
the Druid priests. The human sacrifices were prohibited by the Roman
conquerors. However, horses were still being sacrificed as late as
A.D. 400.
The -only- reference to Celtic human sacrifice as described is from
Julius Caesar in his wonderful justification of "why we have to conquer these
people." Remember that the Romans, with some justification, regarded the
Celts as the ultimate enemy. And considering the Celts periodically invaded
Italy (and sacked Rome several times) during Roman history there is certainly
some justification for their attitude. Caesar was also drumming up popular
support for his wars in Gaul against the Gallic tribes and the Germans. Ol'
Julius was writing propaganda to make himself look like the bringer of
civilization to the benighted savages, and reads rather like the writings of
similar American military men in the mid-1800's CE discussing the Indian
Wars, or the Boers talking about South African Blacks.
Ross/Robbins make a good case for Lindow Man being a Druid voluntary
sacrifice about 65 CE, but that was not by burning, and was a single man.
There is general agreement that the Celts did in fact practice human
sacrifice, but then, most cultures at that stage of development did. Even the
Romans had, at the time of Julius Caesar, only recently abandoned human
sacrifice. Frankly, for the point at hand, it winds up being moot. We still
sacrifice humans, 'mostly criminals,' but we call it the "death penalty."
The culling of animals was a usual practice at this time with rural
peoples. Most medieval illuminated calendars show such things; do we then
conclude that medieval European peasants 'sacrificed' animals every Fall? Or
that the "in kind" offerings to the Church (animals, food and labor rather
than money) were 'sacrifices?'
Horses were sacred to the goddesses Rhiannon (Welsh) and Epona
(Gaulish), and the last recorded horse sacrifice, as part of the coronation
of an Irish petty King in the 12th cent. CE, at Tyrconnell, was recorded by
Geraldus Cambrensis in his "Topography of Ireland." Such horse veneration was
apparently connected with the sea-god in some way, and -may- be older in the
British Isles than the Celtic peoples themselves.
Margadonna:
And throughout the Middle Ages, in Europe, black cats were thrown
into fires, in wicker cages, because they were thought to be friends
of witches or even witches transformed.
Tract 2:
The Druids, an order of priests in ancient Gaul and Britain, also
believed that the cat was sacred because cats once had been human
beings but were changed as a punishment for evil deeds. From these
Druidic beliefs come the present-day use of witches, ghosts, and cats
in Halloween activities.
Phillips:
The Samhain celebration used nuts, apples, skeletons, witches and
black cats. Divination and auguries were practiced as well as magic
to seek answers for the future. Black cats were considered to be
reincarnated beings with the ability to divine the future. During
this festival supernatural beings terrified the populace. Even today
witchcraft practitioners declare October 31st as the most conducive
time to practice their arts.
Tract 1:
(Cat and Witch): Both symbols obviously relate to witchcraft. Druids
believed the black cats were reincarnated human beings.
Tract 2:
The celebration remained much the same after the Romans conquered the
Celts around 43 A.D. The Romans, however, added a ceremony honoring
their goddess of fruit and trees, thus the association with apples,
and the custom of bobbing for them.
What do the superstious practices of medieval Christians have to do
with the ancient Celts? Domestic cats were apparently not introduced to
Northern Europe until post-Julius Caesar, and didn't really "catch on" until
after 1050 CE. And with (I repeat) no Roman occupation of Ireland, we should
not expect cats to figure very much in their pre-Christian myths .... and
they don't. There is a marked -lack- of cats, as a matter of fact. We -do-
find cats as one of the attributes of the Norse goddess Freya, but that's not
a culture that brought us Halloween, and may be a later interpolation by the
medieval chroniclers of the myths of the Old Norse. We also find a wild cat
in Scotland, but it is not known whether it is a long-feral domestic, or a
native breed. What with all this about cats being "demonic," I am surprised
that I have not seen tracts calling on people to get rid of their pet cats!
In addition, the throwing of cats into a bonfire was a folk custom of
one or two towns in France, not a custom of medieval Europe as a whole, and
still less a general custom in Ireland.
And once more we have a listing of supposed Druidic practices that
cannot be backed up by research: the supposition that Romano-Pagan practices
were grafted onto a people that Rome never conquered (the Irish), and another
attempted link with the Hindu reincarnation belief.
Insofar as "witchcraft practitioners" and Oct. 31 .... I guess that
would depend on who you talk to. The books on Wicca that I have read show it
as a time to honor and remember the dead, and not any better than any other
time to perform "magic," other than perhaps divination of the future. It -is-
regarded as a time when the "veil between the worlds" is "thinner" than
normal, however.
Satanists might be another story, and it would be well to mark the
difference between the two. Most modern Pagans seem to dislike Satanists just
as strongly as Christians do, and to equate them as the same will only close
the Pagans' ears to the Christian message.
Margadonna:
In an effort to suppress and offset this pre-existing paganism, Pope
Gregory III, around A.D. 735, made Nov.1 All Saints' Day. About 100
years later Pope Gregory IV, still trying to put an end to the pagan
customs associated with the day, decreed that the day was to be a
universal church observance of the "highest" rank.
Phillips:
The Christian church tried to eliminate the Druid celebration by
offering All Saint's Day as a substitute. As Christianity spread
over Europe and the British Isles, it attempted to replace the pre-
existing pagan cult worship of Apollo, Diana or Ymir, but to no
avail.
Yup. Just like Christmas, and several other customs and traditions of
Christianity, many pagan holidays and customs were absorbed and -changed- by
the Church. The operative word here is "changed." The customs and traditions
are no longer pagan, being "made new" in Jesus. (As one major example,
December 25th was the supposed birthday of Mithra, who was supposedly born of
a virgin, and visited by Magi! Incidentally, the word "Magus" is the singular
of "Magi," it means "Zoroastrian priest," and is the root of our word
"Magician.")
All Saint's (Hallows) Day was first introduced in the 7th cent. CE,
and was originally on 13 May. It was changed to 1 November by Pope Gregory
III.
"Apollo" was a Graeco-Roman god. "Diana" was pretty much Graeco-Roman
too (though there was quite a little "ecumenical" movement to identify Diana
with the other primary goddesses in the Roman/Greek/Middle Eastern pantheons)
while "Ymir" was in the Norse pantheon, but -not- worshipped like the Aesir
and Vanir (Thor, Odin, Frey, ect.) were. Why the implication that these gods
continued to be worshipped (Margaret Murray's thesis of the underground
survival of Mother Goddess/Horned God paganism is clearly cut from whole
cloth) in the face of all available evidence is unclear to me.
And how in the world do they tie in with Irish Catholics bringing the
Halloween holiday to America? Or even Irish paganism? Does Roman Catholicism
have "secret rites" that we don't know about? I don't think so.
Phillips:
The custom of Halloween is traced to the Druid festival of the dead.
Then the Roman Pantheon was built by Emperor Hadrian in 100 A.D. as a
temple to the goddess Cybele and other Roman deities. It became the
principle place of worship. Roman pagans prayed for the dead. Rome
was captured and the Pantheon fell into disrepair. Emperor Phocas
captured Rome and gave the Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV in 609. He
reconsecrated it to the Virgin Mary and resumed using the temple to
pray for the dead, only now it was "Christianized", as men added the
unscriptural teaching of purgatory.
Hadrian became Emperor in 117 CE. In 100 CE Trajan was the Emperor of
Rome. The Pantheon of Rome was begun by the Emperor Agrippa in 27 BCE, and
Hadrian's involvement was merely a rebuilding. Boniface IV reigned from 608-
615 CE. Phocas (of Byzantium) from 602-610 CE. The Church of the Virgin Mary
and All Martyrs (it's proper re-naming) was dedicated in 609 CE.
Guess we have to holler 'Shame!' at those early Christians for taking
over available, unused space, and saving some of the Roman art treasures into
the bargain. Further, any research at all will show that Cybele was -not- a
goddess of the dead!
Better go after St. Peter's in Rome, too. It was built over a
graveyard, of all things, located outside ancient Rome.
The juxtaposition of so-called Druidic beliefs and the Bishop of Rome
(aka: the Pope) is rather confusing. How does it apply to the matter under
discussion? Do we see more of an anti-Catholic agenda?
Margadonna:
Halloween was not widely observed, in America, during the first few
hundred years of settlement. However, when the potato famine in the
1840s in Ireland, brought thousands of Irishman to America, they in
turn brought the custom with them. Now our children have taken over
this "holiday", making it an occasion to dress in costumes, carve
"jack-o'-lanterns", go "trick-or-treating" and share ghost stories.
Not many realize that these customs have their own origins in various
ancient Halloween/New Year festivals.
Brought to America by the devout, militantly Catholic Irish ....
quite a piece of evidence this .... but for what? Perhaps more anti-Catholic
bias is showing here? And how these tracts connect Roman paganism with Irish
paganism is still a mystery to me, since (I repeat) Ireland was never
conquered by the Romans.
Tract 1:
(Trick or Treat): The Druids went from house to house asking for a
contribution to their demonic worship celebration. If a person
didn't give, their trick was to kill him. The people feared the
phrase "trick or Treat."
Tract 2:
The Pagans believed that on one night of the year, souls of the dead
returned to their original homes. These wandering spirits were in
the habit of haunting the living. To exorcise these ghosts (that is,
to free yourself from an evil spirit) you would have to set out food,
(give the demons a treat) and provide shelter for them by the night.
If you didn't, they would "trick" you by casting a spell on you or
hurting you.
Tract 1:
The Druids wore masks, skulls and costumes, even offered human
sacrifices on October 31st, to ward off evil spirits.
Margadonna:
The custom of going door to door begging for candy, apples and
pennies while masked and dressed in grotesque or outlandish costumes
goes back to the pagan New Year feast. There was an ancient Celtic
practice on Halloween, of groups of peasents going from house to
house, asking for money to buy food for the feast; and demanding
fatted calves and black sheep be prepared for the occasion. These
"contributions" were requested in the name of Muck Olla, a Druid
deity. Prosperity was assured liberal givers and threats were voiced
against those who were stingy. Then, at the feast itself, the ghosts,
that were thought to throng all around were greeted with a banquet
table. At the end of the feast, the masked and costumed villagers,
representing the souls of the dead paraded to the outskirts of town
leading the ghosts away.
Phillips:
Trick-or-Treat came from and ancient Druid practice. Prosperity was
promised to all who were generous donors, and tricks to all who
refused during the Irish Druid event of trick-or-treat. The
contributions demanded were in the name of Muck Olla, an early Druid
deity.
Very nice, and totally misleading! First of all, there is no
documentation for "Muck Olla" being a 'Druid deity.' None. It is apparently a
'boogy-man' type of mythical figure in Yorkshire, which is in England, not
Scotland or Ireland. It is quite common for local residents of Britain to
ascribe the origins of old folk customs, or old monuments or whatever, to
"the Druids." Taking this as fact is poor scholarship indeed.
Second of all, the customs described may be simply survivals of
'Morris Dancers' and 'Mummers,' which appear several times through the year,
and more than probably date back to pagan times, but which now are thoroughly
Christianized indeed, using a player representing St. George, and other
Christian symbols and characters. These dancers appear in England, but not
Ireland or Scotland. The masked guisers, in horrific masks, would seem to be
to scare off the demons, or to represent the souls of the dead. (At least,
that's what most anthropological sources for such acts in other human
cultures at the same or similar stage of development show.)
Thirdly, the Celtic New Year and the Roman New Year were not the
same. The Celtic New Year was indeed Nov. 1, but the Roman was on April 22,
(and the Medieval Christian tended to fall on Easter.)
Fourthly, the major domestic animals of the pagan Irish were the pig
and cow, not the sheep. Sheep were not introduced into Scotland as a whole
until the Highland Clearances of the mid-1800s, though they did exist as a
domestic animal in Ireland by circa 800 BCE, and were found on the west coast
of Scotland in small numbers.
We can infer, from the fact that wool and sheep are so seldom
mentioned in the pre-Christian Irish poems and so forth (in comparison to
linen, silk, cattle and pigs) that sheep were probably not considered all
that valuble. They certainly had no supernatural connotations, like pigs and
cattle did. King Cormac MacArt is represented as being a shepherd in one
tale, but that story may be corrupted by medieval interpolations. Were this
story pre-Christian, as is intimated, I dare say we would find black -pigs-
(an animal sacred to the Underworld) or -cattle- (one of the indicators of
great wealth) being requested, not black -sheep.-
As for the Irish Druids practicing 'trick-or-treat,' (and killing or
cursing people who didn't "treat") .... once again, we have no hard evidence.
The only real evidence of solicitation for gifts and treats on Halloween
seems to be found only in Christian times.
Margadonna:
It was believed that Halloween was the gathering time for
unsanctified spirits; due to this belief a cult of witches devoted to
the worship of Satan sprang up, during the Middle Ages. They held
periodic meetings, called Witches Sabbaths; the most important of
which was All Hallows' Eve. At this sabbath the Prince of Darkness
would appear, to mock the coming feast of the saints. The popular
thought was that the witches would hold orgies at these sabbaths; and
that they would be accompanied by their black cats, and that they
would fly them on broomsticks.
Uh-huh! And all of this information from the 'Malleus Maleficarium,'
Cotton Mather's 'Wonders of the Invisible World,' and other such books
written by witch-hunters of notable credulity and superstition. This is
rather like taking what the Nazis wrote about the Jews as the truth.
I also seriously doubt that the supposed belief in Halloween as
outlined above was the reason for the "witch-mania" of the 12th thru 17th
centuries CE (the greater part of which happened in Germany) though the
practices outlined above seem to have only come into real popularity -after-
the publication of the various anti-witchcraft books and tracts.
The sexual sadism and lack of true Christian values of the leaders of
the witch-hunts should be obvious to anyone.
Margadonna:
With some variations the basis of the Jack-O'-Lantern is as follows:
There was a stingy drunkard of an Irishman named Jack; who tricked
the Devil into climbing an apple tree. Then Jack quickly cut the sign
of a cross into the trunk of the tree; thereby preventing the Devil
from climbing down. Jack made the Devil swear that he wouldn't ever
come after Jack's soul again or claim it in any way. However, this
did not stop Jack from dying and when he did he was not allowed into
Heaven, because of his life of drinking, being tightfisted and being
deceitful. And because of the oath the Devil had taken Jack was not
allowed into Hell either. "But where can I go?" asked Jack. "Back
where you came from!" replied the Devil. The way back was windy and
dark. The Devil, as a final gesture, threw a live coal at Jack
straight from the fire of Hell. To light his way and to keep it from
blowing out in the wind Jack put it in a turnip he was eating. Ever
since Jack and his "lantern" has been traveling over the face of the
earth looking for a place to rest.
Tract 1:
(Jack o'Lantern): An ancient symbol of a damned soul. "Jack-o'-
Lanterns were named for a man called Jack, who could not enter Heaven
or Hell. As a result, he was doomed to wander in darkness with his
lantern until Judgment Day."
Tract 2:
The apparently harmless lighted pumpkin face of "Jack-o-Lantern" is
an ancient symbol of a damned soul. They were named for a man named
Jack who could not enter Hell or Heaven. As a result, he was doomed
to wander in darkness with his lantern until Judgment Day. Fearful
of spooks, folks began to hollow out turnips and pumpkins and to
place lighted candles inside to scare away evil spirits from the
house.
This is a nice little 18th Century Irish folk myth, variants of which
have been heard as explainations for the will o'the wisp, but hardly hard
evidence for anything other than the wonderful Irish talent for making up
stories .... and as a professional folklorist, I have learned to look very
hard at any supposed folk story written down in the 18th and 19th centuries;
the authors/collectors had a tendency to 'improve' on the supposed 'bad
literary qualities' of the stories and songs. Percy, for example, ("Reliques
Of Ancient English Poetry") was notorious for such bowlderizations, and many
were guilty of taking stories down from wandering story-tellers, who did not
just tell folktales, but tended to make up stories out of whole cloth, on the
spot, as often as not.
Also, look at the changes in emphasis within the three tracts quoted.
Margadonna gives the folktale pretty much straight. Tracts 1 and 2, however,
extend the story further to give the jack o'lantern the meaning of an
"ancient symbol of a damned soul." If this were true, we would find it in the
Christian iconography of Western Europe, or the pagan carvings, or somewhere
in graphic representations. It is notable by its absence, even as a carved
turnip.
I should remind everyone that the pumpkin is a New World vegetable.
While I have no hard evidence of when it was popularized in Europe, we have
evidence of other New World vegetables being grown and eaten in Western
Europe as early as 1550 CE, but even that is quite some time after the
Christianization of Western Europe as a whole.
The hollowing out of a turnip to serve as a makeshift lantern would
be simply a clever way to solve a technical problem in the absence of
available metal.
I would also point out that the Big Bad Druids in England adopted
Christianity with NO killings of Christian priests! There are no
authenticated English martyrs from the time of the Druids in Britain. One
would expect such a blood-thirsty belief system as the Druids are represented
to be to have killed the missionaries as fast as they arrived, when, in fact,
they gave them land, listened to them, and adopted Christianity with very
little trouble at all. The only British martyrs date from the Diocletian
persecutions by the Roman Empire.
Phillips:
The uninformed Christian has no idea that there truly are demonic
spirits which are contacted and activated as people call out to them
in jest or in seriousness. Every act around Halloween is in honor of
false gods, which are spirits in the realm of the Satanic. Those who
have been deeply involved in witchcraft and who are now free, declare
that even those who say they worship spirits of nature are in
actuality contacting the Satanic realm without knowing it.
Phillips:
Through the ages, Halloween has gone by various names but all have
been tributes to the same dark force, Satan. There is no place in
the life of the Church or the Christian for such participation.
One could make a comment about the 'haunted houses' sponsored by various
Fundamentalist Christian groups that, (to use one local group's as an
example) first show a lady smothering a baby and saying "I couldn't stand
its' crying anymore" and then show what purports to be a 'typical' abortion,
in graphic detail, and -not- saying in advance to people what was about to be
shown to them, and with a man dressed up as a 'demon' at the door! (news
broadcast, 10:00 pm Ch. 10 Phoenix, AZ, 31 Oct. 1992 CE)
Phillips:
To pray for the dead is against scripture. If one knows Jesus before
death, their spirit is already with the Lord. Paul says to be absent
from the body is to be at home with the Lord, II Corinthians 5:6.
If one is an unbeliever at death, the scripture says there is no
second chance as it is appointed unto man once to die and after that
the judgment. Therefore, prayer for the dead is in opposition to
God's Word and a pagan practice that became "Christianized". While
living, one must make a choice "for" or "against" Jesus and that
determines the destination at death of the spirit. No amount of
prayer can reverse the decision made on earth by the person concerned
while they were alive.
Obviously, Mrs. Phillips is a hard-line Protestant, and here her
anti-Catholic agenda comes on quite strongly.
Phillips:
Although the outward forms of such worship disappeared, the belief in
these deities did not. They found an outlet during the Middle Ages
in the open practice of witchcraft which is presently enjoying a
revival in many countries, including the U.S. In Germany the occult
is considered more prevalent than in the Middle Ages. The deistic
cults held periodic meetings known as witches sabbaths, and it is the
same today with October 31st being of more importance.
The "deistic cults?" The -what-? Does she mean the so-called witches,
or does she mean the Unitarians? In this context, the statement is
essentially meaningless.
It should be remembered that the accusation of "witchcraft" was a
common means of attacking proto-Protestants, such as the Albigensians and
Stedingers, or, through the practice of informers receiving a percentage of
the "take," of getting your hands on your neighbor's land and money. The word
"witch-hunt" is a very ugly word indeed, smacking of mobs and lynching more
than the Love of Jesus. Killing your neighbor (or hassling him or her because
of their beliefs) is not loving him .... or loving Him either.
Phillips:
The Bible instructs us to have nothing to do with the deeds of
darkness. Both Christian and Jew are forbidden to participate in the
occult practices listed in Deuteronomy 18:10. Necromancing is the
delving into contacting the dead. God said all such practice was an
abomination to Him.
Phillips:
Some may reply, "But we only do this in fun...we don't practice
witchcraft." That which represents Satan and his domain cannot be
handled or emulated "for fun". Such participation places you in
enemy and forbidden territory and that is dangerous ground.
I make no statement as to the validity of these paragraphs. Each
Christian must decide for themselves whether dressing up in funny clothes and
asking for candy from the neighbors is 'satanic' and 'necromancing' or not.
Allowing your children to dress up as mass-murderers and as villains
from the Hollywood slasher movies may or may not be 'satanic,' but it
certainly is stupid. Making such creatures objects of 'hero-worship' might
not be giving the kind of message to children that necessarily enables them
to become sober, productive adults.
I will say that Jesus Himself hung out with a crowd that the local
Pharisees did not approve of (I heard them described once as "Republicans and
sinners.") perhaps because these were the very ones in the most need of Him.
Holding oneself apart from the World is perhaps a good thing, but remember
that we are reminded to be "in the world" as well as being "not of it." I
would think that Halloween would be a wonderful opportunity to include small,
easily understood tracts in the candy given to children, with more appealing
and detailed ones given to teenagers that are out trick-or-treating. A smile,
and a "God bless you!" will save more souls than a grumpy, Pharisaical frown.
At least the two anonymous tracts offer workable alternatives to the
worldly celebration:
Tract 1:
One successful alternative used by a number of churches is a "Faith
Festival" in which children dress as their favorite Bible character
and gather for a special children's service with puppets, a Christian
film, or something special. This offers an ideal opportunity to
explain the spiritual significance of Halloween and to encourage the
children to remember Hebrews chapter 11, which features great men and
women of faith who have gone before us. The "Faith Festival" can be
a time to thank God for His many blessings.
Tract 1:
As believers, we can take this opportunity to provide a creative
alternative to this celebration of darkness. In ancient Israel, the
majority of Jewish festivals occurred at the same time as pagan
festivals. God did not simply tell his people not to engage in pagan
festivals, He provided an alternative. During every major pagan
festival, the Hebrew people would take part in a God-given
alternative, a festival celebrating the same general subject but with
a completely different focus.
I would think that All Saint's Day would serve this purpose very well
indeed, and the Apostolic churches (Roman Catholic, Anglican, Greek and
Russian Orthodox, Old Catholic and so forth) seem to agree.
One final observation may be in order: If the holiday is of such
antiquity, and survived so long into Christian times among the Scots and
Irish, then we would expect to find it as a major event, or even a minor
event, in the lives of the Scots-Irish of the Appalachian Mountains and the
Ozarks. In fact, we do not find it there at all, even among the practitioners
of "folk magic," or "witchcraft," except after the cultural assimilation of
the area into the American mainstream following World War One.
We would also expect to find it, along with all or most of the so-
called "Druid" customs associated with it, in Medieval Western Europe. We do
not.
It may be safe to assume therefore that the customs now attached to
Halloween entered America in the mid-19th century CE, probably with the
immigrations of the Irish after 1840, and may have entered Irish culture
after 1750 CE. We do not find the holiday as much of anything other than "All
Saints'" in modern Ireland or Scotland, however, so it must be said that
"Halloween" as we know it in America, with all the folk stories and urban
legends attached to it, is a distinctly American phenomenon.
I love to see the children, out in the neighborhood streets with
their parents, dressed in funny clothing, having a wonderful time .... and
mocking the Devil with laughter.
I am reminded of a story a friend told me: in a class on electricity,
the Professor asked the class "What should you do if you see one of your
classmates being fried by a wrongly-connected circuit?"
The Professor's answer was: "Point and laugh: he didn't follow
directions."
This Halloween, watch the children pointing and laughing. Do a little
pointing and laughing yourself, and watch the Devil squirm. He didn't follow
directions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mrs. Phillips, and the anonymous author of Tract 2, attach
bibliographies to their articles. Unfortunately, many of the sources must be
regarded as suspect (for the purposes of this article) because of their
author's obvious Fundamentalist Christian agendas (marked with asterisks).
I have done the same with the Neo-pagan references in my own
bibliography, using those so marked as references for modern Pagan and Wiccan
_beliefs only_, and have checked any historical information taken from them
against other references.
I must also point out that bibliographies such as Phillips' and that
of Tract 2 (Margadonna and Tract 1 had none) would be laughed out of a
freshman High School English class. They just give names of publications,
with no publishers and few dates, making it difficult to check the references
for oneself. I have been able to check most of the magazine references, and
the results of that check are noted below.
BIBLIOGRAPHY (PHILLIPS):
Encyclopedia Americana
Encyclopedia Brittanica
The World Book Encyclopedia
(note: Ms. Moonstone's comments on these references are most
interesting indeed:)
"When these books and pamphlets cite sources at all, they usually list
the Encyclopaedia Brittannica, Encyclopedia Americana, and the World
Book Encyclopedia. The Brittannica and the Americana ..... do, indeed
list Samhain as the Lord of Death, contrary to Celtic scholars, and
list no references. The World Book ..... lists as its sources several
children's books (hardly what one could consider scholarly texts, and,
of course, themselves citing no references)."
Christian Life, October 1980*
The Standard Dictionary of Folklore
Babylon Mystery Religion*
(note: this buzz-phrase has always fascinated me. It seems to stem
from a Mr. Texxe Marrs, who has outlined quite an elaborate
Sumerian/Babylonian religion that does not seem to be supported by
archaeology.)
The Satan Seller, Mike Warnke*
(note: Mr. Warnke has been recently exposed as something of a fraud
in "Cornerstone" magazine, (Vol. 21, No. 98) showing his stories of
his involvement with Satanism as being quite impossible.)
Freed From Witchcraft, Dareen Irvine*
Time Magazine, June 19, 1972
(note: This is actually Vol. 99 No. 25, and has a good article on
the occult revival, but no reference to Halloween whatsoever.)
The Supernatural, Grolier Enter., Inc.
Christianity Today, Oct. 21, 1977*
(note: This is really the issue for Oct. 22 (Vol. XXI No. 2) and
has nothing on the occult or Halloween that I could find.)
BIBLIOGRAPHY (TRACT 2):
Encyclopedia Britannica
World Book Encyclopedia
(note: see Ms. Moonstone's comments above)
"Halloween Through 20 Centuries", Ralph Linton
The Book of Festive Holidays
Newsweek (Feb., 1974)
(note: There is an article on exorcism in Vol. 83 #5/6 Feb. 4/11
1974, but nothing on Halloween.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
BIBLIOGRAPHY (BETHANCOURT):
Adler, Margot, "Drawing Down The Moon" (Boston: Beacon Press, 1986)*
Bostwick, James, "Irish Druids And Old Irish Religions" (------, Dorset
Press, 1986; orig. published in 1894)
Briggs, Katherine, "An Encyclopaedia of Fairies" (New York: Pantheon 1976)
Cavendish, Richard, "Man, Myth and Magic" (Vol. 1 et. al.) (New York:
Marshall Cavendish Corp. 1970)
Chadwick, Nora, "The Celts", (Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books,
1982)
Child, Francis James, "The English And Scottish Popular Ballads" (Vol 1-5)
(New York: Dover, 1965)
Coglan, Ronan, "A Dictionary of Irish Myth and Legend," (Dublin: 1979)
Cooper, J.C., "An Illustrated Encyclopaedia Of Traditional Symbols," (New
York: Thames And Hudson, 1979)
Delaney, John J., "A Dictionary of Saints" (New York: Doubleday, 1980)
DeLys, Claudia, "A Treasury Of American Superstitions" (New York:
Philosophical Library, MCMXLVIII)
Durant, Will, "The Age of Faith" (New York; Simon & Schuster, 1950)
Elder, Isabel Hill, "Celt, Druid and Culdee" (London: Covenant Publishing
1962)
Graves, Robert, "The White Goddess" (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giboux,
1966)
Herity, Michael and Eogan, George, "Ireland In Prehistory" (Southampton:
Camelot Press 1978)
Herm, Gerhard, "The Celts" (New York: St. Martin's Press 1976)
Higgins, Godfrey, "The Celtic Druids" (Los Angeles: Philosophical Research
Society Inc. 1977; orig. published in 1827)
Keightley, Thomas, "The World Guide To Gnomes, Faeries, Elves and Other
Little People" (New York: Avenel Books 1978) (nb: this is a reprint of
"The Fairy Mythology" of 1880)
Lane, C. Arthur (Rev.), "llustrated Notes On English Church History" (Vols.
1 and 2) (London: Society For Promoting Christian Knowledge 1886, 1888)
MacCana, Proinsias, "Celtic Mythology" (London: Hamlyn House 1970)
MacCrossan, Tadhg, "The Sacred Cauldron: Secrets Of The Druids" (St. Paul:
Llewellyn Pub. 1991)*
Maclennan, Malcolm, "A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic
Language" (Aberdeen: University Press 1979; orig. published in 1925)
MacManus, Seumas, "the Story Of The Irish Race" (New York: Devin-Adair 1921)
Moonstone, Rowan (pseud.), "The Origins of Halloween" (tract) (Colorado
Springs: Cult Watch Response 1989)*
Oman, Charles, (Ed.) "A History Of England" (7 Vols.) (London: Methuen & Co.
Ltd. 1910)
Powell, T.G.E., "The Celts," (New York: Thames & Hudson, 1980)
Piggot, Stuart, "The Druids" (New York: Praeger Pub. 1968)
Rees, Alwyn and Brinley, "Celtic Heritage" (New York: Thames and Hudson 1961)
Rolleston, T.W., "Celtic Myths and Legends" (London: Bracken 1976)
Ross, Anne and Robins, Don, "The Life And Death Of A Druid Prince" (New
York: Summit Books, 1989)
Starhawk (pseud.), "The Spiral Dance" (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1979)*
Starkey, Marion L., "The Devil In Massachusetts" (Garden City: Anchor Books,
(1969)
Squire, Charles, "Celtic Myth and Legend, Poetry and Romance," (New York:
Newcastle Publishing Co., Inc., 1975)
Wedeck, H.E. and Baskin, Wade, "A Dictionary Of Pagan Religions" (New York:
Philosophical Library, 1971)
Wright, Michael and Walters, Sally, "The Book Of The Cat" (New York: Summit
Books 1980)
NOTICE: "Santeria, witchcraft, voodoo, and most religious cults are not
satanism." This article is not for the timid (due to explicit descriptions
of certain crimes). Written by Kenneth Lanning, a high ranking FBI
official, it investigates allegations linking criminal activity with the
occult, and brings sanity to the subject. Although it is targeted at law
enforcement people, it does contain much material of interest to others.
Reprinted with permission by Cassandra-News a news service of the United
Wiccan Church a 501(c)(3) California non-profit, tax-exempt religious
corporation. Cassandra-News grants License for Non-Commercial electronic
and print reproduction and distribution as long as no fee is charged for
these reproductions other than the cost of reproduction and printing. The
name and address of the United Wiccan Church, Kenneth Lanning and this
notice must be preserved on all copies.
United Wiccan Church
P. O. Box 16025
North Hollywood California, 91615-6025, U.S.A., NA.
(818) 899-3687 (3/12/2400 Baud 8N1)
FIDO 1:102/922
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
SATANIC, OCCULT, RITUALISTIC CRIME:
A LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSPECTIVE
NOTE: This article was completed after the killings in Matamoros, Mexico,
became known in April, 1989. There is nothing known to the author about this
case which changes the opinions and recommendations set forth in this
article.
By: Kenneth V. Lanning
Supervisory Special Agent
Behavorial Science Instruction and Research Unit
FBI Academy
Quantico, Virginia 22135
June 1989
Introduction
The belief that there is a connection between satanism and crime is
certainly not new. In fact, one of the oldest theories of crime causation is
demonology. Heightened concern about satanic or occult activity has appeared
periodically throughout history. Concern in the late 1970s focused primarily
on "unexplained" deaths and mutilations of animals, and in recent years has
focused on child sexual abuse and the human sacrifice of missing children.
In 1999 it will probably focus on the impending "end of the world."
Today, satanism and a wide variety of other terms are used
interchangeably in reference to certain crimes. This discussion will analyze
the nature of "satanic, occult, ritualistic" crime and focus on appropriate
LAW ENFORCEMENT responses to it.
Recently a flood of law enforcement seminars and conferences have dealt
with the occult. These training conferences have various titles, such as
"Occult in Crime," "Satanic Cults," "Ritualistic Crime Seminar," "Satanic
Influences in Homicide," "Occult Crimes, Satanism and Teen Suicide," and
"Ritualistic Abuse of Children."
The typical conference runs from one to three days and often includes
many of the same presenters and instructors. A wide variety of topics are
usually discussed during this training either as individual presentations by
different instructors or grouped together by one or more instructors.
Typical topics covered include the following:
1. Historical overview of satanism, witchcraft, and paganism
from ancient to modern times.
2. Nature and influence of fantasy role-playing games, such
as Dungeons and Dragons.
3. Lyrics, symbolism, and influence of rock and roll, Heavy
Metal, and Black Metal music.
4. Teenage "stoner" gangs, their symbols, and their
vandalism.
5. Teenage suicide by adolescents dabbling in the occult.
6. Crimes commmitted by self-styled satanic practitioners to
include grave and church desecrations and robberies,
animal mutilations, and even murders.
7. Ritualistic abuse of children as part of bizarre
ceremonies and human sacrifices.
8. Organized, Traditional, or Multigenerational satanic
groups involved in organized conspiracies, such as taking
over day care centers, infiltrating police departments,
and trafficking in human sacrifice victims.
9. The "Big Conspiracy" theory, which implies that satanists
are responsible for such things as Adolph Hitler, World
War II, abortion, pornography, Watergate, Irangate, and
inflitration of the Department of Justice, the Pentagon
and the White House.
During the conference, these nine areas are linked together through the
liberal use of the word "satanism" and some common symbolism (pentagrams,
666, demons, etc.). The implication often is that all are part of one
continuum of behavior, one big problem or some common conspiracy. The
information presented is a mixture of fact, theory, opinion, fantasy, and
paranoia, and because some of it can be proven or corroborated (desecration
of cemeteries, vandalism, etc.), the implication is that it is all true and
documented. The distinctions between the different areas are blurred even if
occasionally a presenter tries to make them. This is complicated by the fact
that almost any discussion of satanism and witchcraft plugs into the
religious belief systems of those in the audience. Faith, not logic and
reason, controls the religious beliefs of most people. As a result, some
normally skeptical law enforcement officers accept the information
disseminated at these confereences without critically evaluating it or
questioning the sources. Little said at such conferences will change the
religious beliefs of the attendees. Such conferences illustrate the
ambiquity and wide variety of terms involved in this issue.
Deffinitions
The words satanic, occult, and ritualistic are often used
interchangeably. It is difficult to precisely define Satanism (with a
capital S), and no attempt will be made to do so here. However, it is
important to realize how the word satanism (with a small s) is used by many
poeple. Simply put, for some poeple, satanism is any religious belief system
other than their own. The Ayatolla Khomeini referred to the United States as
the "Great Satan." In the British Parliament, a Protestant leader called the
Pope the anti-Christ. In a book titled 'Prepare For War', the author,
Rebecca Brown, M.D., has a chapter entitled "Is Roman Catholicism
Witchcraft?" Dr. Brown also lists among the "doorways" to satanic power
and/or demon infestation the following: fortune tellers, horroscopes,
fraternity oaths, vegetarianism, yoga, self-hypnosis, relaxation tapes,
acupuncture, biofeedback, fantasy role-playing games, adultery,
homosexuality, pornography, judo, karate, and rock music. Dr. Brown states
that the rock music "was a carefully masterminded plan by none other than
Satan himself." The ideas expressed in this book may seem extreme and even
humorous. This book, however, has been listed as serious recommended reading
in law enforcement training material on this topic.
In books, lectures, handout material, and conversations, the
author has heard all of the following referred to as satanism:
Church of Satan Stoner Gangs New Age
Ordo Templi Orientis Heavy Metal Music Astrology
Temple of Set Rock Music Channeling
Demonology KKK Trancendental Meditation
Witchcraft Nazis Holistic Medicine
Paganism Scientology Buddhism
Santeria Unification Chruch Hinduism
Voodoo The Way Mormonism
Rosicrucians Hare Krishna Islam
Freemasonry Rajneesh Orthodox Church
Knights Templar Religious Cults Roman Catholicism
At law enforcement training conferences, witchcraft, santeria, and
paganism are frequently referred to as forms of satanism. It may be a matter
of definition, but these three things are *not* forms of traditional
Satanism. The worship of lunar goddesses and nature and the practice of
fertility rituals is not satanism. Santeria is a combination of 17th century
Roman Catholicism and African paganism. The occult simply refers to the
action or influence of supernatural powers or some secret knowledge of them,
and it is not the same as Satanism nor is it necessarily evil.
Many individuals define satanism from a totally Christian perspective,
using this word to describe the power of evil in the world. With this
definition, any crimes, especially those which are particularly bizarre,
repulsive, or cruel, can be viewed as satanic in nature. Yet, it is just as
difficult to precisely define satanism as it is to precisely define
Christianity or any complex spiritual belief system.
What is Ritualistic Crime?
The biggest confusion, however, is over the word ritualistic. During
law enforcement training conferences on this topic, ritualistic almost always
comes to mean satanic or at least spiritual. Ritual can refer to a
prescribed religious ceremony, but in its broader meaning refers to any
customarily repeated act or series of acts. The need to repeat these acts
can be cultural, sexual, or psychological as well as spiritual.
Cultural rituals could include such things as what a family eats on
Thanksgiving Day or when and how presents are opened at Christmas. The
initiation ceremonies of fraternities, sororities, gangs, and other social
clubs are other examples of cultural rituals.
Since 1972, the author has lectured about sexual ritualism, which is
nothing more than repeatedly engaging in an act or series of acts in a
certain manner because of *sexual* need. In order to become aroused and/or
gratified, a person must engage in the act in a certain way. This sexual
ritualism can include such things as the physical characteristics, age, or
gender of the victim, the sequence of acts, the bringing or taking of
specific objects, and the use of certain words or phrases. This is more than
the concept of M.O. (Method of Operation) known to most police officiers.
M.O. is something done by an offender because of a need. Deviant acts, such
as urinating on, defecating on, or even eviscerating a victim, are far more
likely to be the result of sexual ritualism than religious or "satanic"
ritualism.
From a criminal investigative perspective, two other forms of ritualism
must be recognized. The Diagnostic and Staistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM-III-R) defines Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder (OCD) as "repetitive,
purposeful, and intentional behaviors that are performed in response to an
obsession, or according to certain rules or in a stereotyped fashion." Such
compulsive behavior frequently involves rituals. Although such behavior
usually involves noncriminal activity such as excessive hand washing or
checking that doors are locked, in some cases this compulsive ritualism can
be part of criminal activity. Ritual can also stem from psychotic
hallucinations and delusions. A crime can be committed in a precise manner
because a voice told the offender to do it that way or because a divine
mission required it.
To make this more confusing, cultural, religious, sexual, and
psychological ritualism can overlap. Some psychotic people engage in
excessive religiosity and hear the voice of God or Satan telling them to do
things of a religious nature. Psychopatic offenders who feel little, if any,
guilt over their crimes may need little justification for their antisocial
behavior. As human beings, however, they may have fears, concerns and
anxiety over getting away with their criminal acts. It is difficult to pray
to God for success in doing things that are against His Commandments. A
negative spiritual belief system may fulfill their human need for assistance
from and belief in a greater power. Compulsive ritualism (e.g. excessive
cleanlinesss or fear of disease) can be introduced into sexual behavior.
Even many "normal" people have a need for order and predictability and
therefore may engage in family or work rituals. Under stress or in times of
change, this need for order and ritual may increase.
Ritualistic crime may fulfill the cultural, spiritual, sexual and
psychological needs of an offender. The ritual behavior may also fulfill
basic criminal needs to manipulate victims, get rid of rivals, send a message
to enemies, and intimidate co- conspirators.
The important point for the criminal investigator is to realize that
most criminal ritualistic behavior is not motivated simply by satanic or
religious ceremonies. At some conferences, presenters have attempted to make
a big issue of distinguishing between "ritual," "ritualized," and
"ritualistic" abuse of children. These subtle distinctions, however, seem to
be of no significant value to the criminal investigator.
What is Ritualistic Abuse of Children?
It is not an easy question to answer. Most people today use the term to
refer to abuse of children that is part of some evil spiritual belief system,
which almost by definition must be satanic.
Dr. Lawrence Pazder, author of 'Michelle Remembers', defines ritualized
abuse of children as "repeated physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual
assaults combined with a systematic use of symbols and secret ceremonies
designed to turn a child against itself, family, society, and God." He also
states that "the sexual assault has ritualistic meaning and is not for sexual
gratification."
This definition may have value for academics, sociologists, and
therapists, but it creates potential problems for law enforcement. Certain
acts engaged in with children (kissing, touching, appearing naked, etc.) may
be criminal if performed for sexual gratification. If the ritualistic acts
were in fact performed for spiritual indoctrination, potential prosecution
can be jeopardized. The mutilation of a baby's genitals for sadistic sexual
pleasure is a crime. The circumcision of a baby's genitals for religious
reasons is most likely NOT a crime. The intent of the acts is important for
criminal prosecution.
The author has been unable to precisely define ritualistic abuse and
prefers not to use the term. It is confusing, misleading, and
counterproductive. Certain observations, however, are important for
investigative understanding.
Not all spiritually motivated ritualistic activity is satanic.
Santeria, witchcraft, voodoo, and most religious cults are not satanism. In
fact, most spiritually or religiously-based abuse of children has nothing to
do with satanism. Most child abuse that could be termed ritualistic by
various deffinitions is probably physical and psychological rather than
sexual in nature.
Not all such ritualistic activity with a child is a crime. Almost all
parents with religious beliefs indoctrinate their children into that belief
system. Is circumcision for religious reasons child abuse? Does having a
child kneel on a hard floor reciting the rosary constitute child abuse? Does
having a child chant a satanic prayer or attend a black mass constitute child
abuse? Does a religious belief in corporal punishment constitute child
abuse? Does group care of children in a commune or cult constitute child
abuse? Does the fact that any acts in question were performed with parental
permission affect the nature of the crime? Many ritualistic acts, whether
satanic or not, are simply not crimes.
When a victim describes and investigation corroborates what sounds like
ritualistic activity, several possibilities must be considered. The
ritualistic activity may be part of the excessive religiosity of a mentally
ill, psychotic offender. It may be a misunderstood part of sexual ritualism.
The ritualistic activity may be incidental to any real abuse. The offender
may be involved in ritualistic activity with a child and also may be abusing
a child, but one may have little or nothing to do with the other.
The offender may be deliberately engaging in ritualistic activity with a
child as part of child abuse. The motivation, however, may be not to
indoctrinate the child into a belief system, but to lower the inhibitions of,
to control and manipulate, and/or to confuse the child. In all the turmoil
over this issue, it would be a very effective strategy for any child molester
to deliberately introduce ritualistic elements into his crime to confuse the
child and therefore the criminal justice system.
The ritualistic activity and the child abuse may be integral parts of
some spiritual belief system. In that case, the greatest risk is to the
children of the practitioners. But this is true of all cults, not just
satanic cults. A high potential of abuse exists for any children raised in a
group isolated from the mainstream of society, especially if the group has a
charismatic leader whose orders are unquestioned and blindly obeyed by the
members. Sex, money, and power are most often the main motivations of the
leaders of such cults.
What Makes a Crime Satanic, Occult, or Ritualistic?
Some would answer that it is the spiritual beliefs of, or the membership
in, a cult or "church" by the perpetrator. If that is the criteria, why not
label the crimes committed by Protestants, Catholics, and Jews in the same
way? Are the atrocities of Jim Jones, in Guyana, Christian crimes?
Some would answer that it is the presence of certain symbols in the
possession or home of the perpetrator. What does it mean then to find a
crucifix, Bible, rosary, etc., in the home or possession of a bank robber,
embezzler, child molester, or murderer? If different criminals possess the
same symbols, are they necessarily part of one big conspiracy?
Others would answer that it is the presence of certain symbols such as
pentagrams, inverted crosses, and 666 at the crime scene. What does it mean
then to find a cross spray painted on a wall or carved into the body of a
victim? What does it mean for a perpetrator to leave a Bible tied to his
murder victim? What about the possibility that an offender deliberately left
such symbols to make it look like a "satanic" crime?
Some would argue that it is the bizarrenenss or cruelness of the crime:
body mutilation, amputation, drinking of blood, eating of flesh, use of urine
or feces. Does this mean that all individuals involved in lust murder,
sadism, angthropophagy, urophilia, and coprophilia are satanists or occult
practitioners? What does this say about the bizarre crimes of psychotic
killers such as Ed Gein or Richard Trenton Case, both of whom mutilated their
victims as part of their psychotic delusions?
A few might even answer that it is the fact that the crime was committed
on a date with satanic or occult significance (Halloween, May Eve, etc.) or
the fact that the perpetrator claims that Satan told him to commit the crime.
What does this mean for crimes committed on Thanksgiving or Christmas? What
does this say about crimes committed by perpetrators who claim that God or
Jesus told them to do it? One note of interest is the fact that in handout
and reference material collected by the author, the number of dates with
satanic or occult significance ranges from 8 to 110. This is compounded by
the fact that it is sometiems stated that satanists can celebrate these
holidays on several days on either side of the official date or that the
birthday of a practitioner can be a holiday. The exact names and exact dates
of the holidays and the meaning of symbols listed may also vary depending on
who prepared the material. The handout material is often distributed without
indentifying the author or documenting the original source of the
information. It is then frequently photocopied by attendees and passed on to
other police officers with no one really knowing who says it is valid or from
where it came.
Most, however, would probably answer that what makes a crime satanic,
occult, or ritualistic is the motivation for the crime. It is a crime that
is spiritually motivated by a religious belief system. How then do we lable
the following true crimes?
a. Parents defy a court order and send their children to an
unlicensed Christian school.
b. Parents refuse to send their children to any school
because they are waiting for the second coming of Christ.
c. Parents beat their child to death because he or she won't
follow their Christian beliefs.
d. Parents volate child labor laws because they believe the
Bible requires such work.
e. Individuals bomb an abortion clinic or kidnap the doctor
because their religious belief system says abortion is
murder.
f. A child molester reads the Bible to his victims in order
to justify his sex acts with them.
g. Parents refuse life-saving medical treatment for a child
because of their religious beliefs.
h. Parents starve and beat their child to death because
their minister said the child was possessed by demonic
spirits.
Some people would argue that the Christians who committed the above
crimes misunderstood and distorted their religion while satanists who commit
crimes are following theirs. But who decides who is misinterpreting a
religious belief system? The individuals who committed the above-described
crimes believed that they were following their religion as they understood
it. Religion was and is used to justify such things as the Crusades, the
Inquisition, Apartheid, segregation, violence in Northern Ireland, India, and
Lebanon.
Who decides exactly what "satanists" believe? In this country, we can't
agree on what Christians believe. At many law enforcement conferences 'The
Satanic Bible' is used for this, and it is often contrasted or compared with
the Christian Bible. 'The Satanic Bible' is, in essence, a 150-page
paperback book written by one man in 1969. To compare it to a book written
by over 30 authors over a period of thousands of years is ridiculous, even
ignoring the possibility of Divine revelation in the Christian Bible. What
satanists believe certainly isn't limited to other peoples' interpretation of
a few books. More importantly, it is subject to some degree of
interpretation by individual believers just as Christianity is.
The fact is that far more crime and child abuse has been committed in
the name of God, Jesus, and Mohammed than has ever been committed in the name
of Satan. Most people don't like that statement, but few can argue with it.
Although defining a crime as satanic, occult, or ritualistic would
probably involve a combination of the criteria set forth above, the author
has been unable to clearly define such a crime. Each potential definition
presents a different set of problems when measured against an objective,
rational, and constitutional perspective. Each offender in a group may have
a different motivation for the crime. The author has discovered that the
*facts* of so called "satanic crimes" are often significantly different from
what is described at law enforcement training conferences or in the media.
The actual involvement of satanism or the occult in these cases usually turns
out to be secondary, insignificant, or nonexistent.
The Law Enforcement Perspective
The perspective with which one looks at satanic, occult, or ritualistic
crime is extremely important. Sociologists, therapists, religious leaders,
parents, and just plain citizens each have their own valid concerns and views
about this issue. This discussion, however, will deal ONLY with the law
enforcement perspective.
The law enforcement perspective must focus on crime and clearly
recognize that just because an activity is "satanic" does not necessarily
mean it is a crime or that it is not a legitimate religious practice
protected by the First Amendment. Within the personal religious belief
system of a law enforcement officer, Christianity may be good and satanism
evil. Under the Constitution, however, both are neutral.
This is an important, but difficult, concept for many law enforcement
officers to accept. They are paid to uphold the Constitution and enforce the
penal code, not the Ten Commandments. The apparent increasing numbers of
teenagers and some adults dabbling in satanism and the occult may be cause
for concern for parents, school officials, and society. What, however, law
enforcement can or should do about it is another matter. Police interference
with free exercise of constitutional rights potentially creates major
problems and conflicts.
What is the justification for law enforcement officers giving
presentations on satanism and the occult to citizen groups, PTA's or school
assemblies? Is it public relations, a safety program, crime prevention? If
it is crime prevention, how much crime can be linked to satanic or occult
activity? The author is not suggesting that such presentations should never
be done but only that law enforcement agencies should carefully consider the
legal implications and the justification. Is the fact that satanism or the
occult is or can be a negative influence on some people enough justification
for such law enforcement intervention?
When you combine an emotional issue such as the sexual abuse of children
with an even more emotional issue such as people's religious beliefs, it is
difficult to maintain objectivity and remember the law enforcement
perspective. Some police officers may even feel that all crime is caused by
evil, all evil is caused by Satan, and therefore, all crime is satanic crime.
This may be a valid religious perspective, but it is of no value in the
investigation of crime.
Many of the police officers who lecture on satanic or occult crime do
not even investigate such cases. Their presentations are more a reflection
of their personal religious beliefs than documented investigative
information. In the United States, they are entitled to this personal
perspective, but introducing themselves as police officers and then speaking
as religious advocates causes confusion. As difficult as it might be, police
officers must separate the religious and law enforcement perspectives when
they are lecturing or investigating in their official capacities as law
enforcement officers. Many law enforcement officers begin their
presentations by stating that they are not addressing or judging anyone's
religious beliefs, and then proceed to do exactly that.
Some police officers have resigned rather than curtail or limit their
involvement in this issue as ordered by their departments. Maybe such
officers deserve credit for recognizing that they could no longer keep the
perspectives separate.
Law enforcement officers who believe that the investigation of
satanic/occult crime puts them in conflict with supernatural forces of evil
should probably not be assigned to these cases. If, however, such officers
must be or are assigned, they will need the power of their own spiritual
belief system in order to deal with the superstition and religious
implications of these cases. The religious beliefs of officers should
provide spiritual strength and support for them, but not affect the
objectivity and professionalism of the investigation.
The law enforcement perspective requires avoiding the paranoia that has
crept into this issue and into some of the law enforcement training
conferences. Paranoia is characterized by the gradual development of an
intricate, complex, and elaborate system of thinking based on and often
proceeding logically from misinterpretation of an actual event. It typically
involves hypervigilance over the perceived threat, the belief that danger is
around every corner, and the willingness to take up the challenge and do
something about it. Another very important aspect of this paranoia is the
belief that those who do not recognize the threat are evil and corrupt. In
this extreme view, you are either with them or against them. You are either
part of the solution or part of the problem.
Concern over satanic crime and ritualistic abuse of children is a very
polarizing issue. After one presentation on this topic, a student wrote in a
critique that the author was obviously an "agnostic cultist." The term
"clean" is sometimes used to refer to law enforcement officers who have not
been infiltrated by the satanists. Does the fact that some police officers
or military personnel practice satanism or paganism mean that law enforcement
and the military have been infiltrated? The word "infiltrated" is only used
when talking about an unpopular spiritual belief system. Protestants,
Catholics, and Jews don't "infiltrate" the police and military.
Overzealousness and exaggeration motivated by the religious fervor of
those involved in law enforcement training is more acceptable than that
motivated by ego and profit. Some people are deliberately distorting and
hyping this issue for personal notoriety and profit. Satanic and occult
crime has become a growth industry. Speaking fees, books, video and audio
tapes, prevention material, television and radio appearances all bring ego
and financial rewards.
Law enforcement officers must be objective fact finders. It is not
their job to *believe* the children. It is their job to *listen* to the
children. THe law enforcement perspective can't ignore the lack of physical
evidence (no bodies or even hairs, fibers, or fluids left by violent
murders); the difficulty in successfully committing a large-scale conspiracy
crime (the more people involved in any crime conspiracy, the harder it is to
get away with it); and human nature (intragroup conflicts resulting in
individual self-serving disclosures are bound to occur in any group involved
in organized kidnapping, baby breeding and human sacrfice). When and if
members of a destructive cult commit murders, they are bound to make
mistakes, leave evidence, and eventually make admissions in order to brag
about their crimes or to reduce their legal liability.
Bizarre crime and evil can occur without organized satanic activity.
The law enforcement perspective requires that we distinguish between what we
know and what we're not sure of.
The facts are:
a. Some individuals believe in and are involved in satanism
and the occult.
b. Some of these individuals commit crime.
c. Some groups of individuals share this belief and
involvement in satanism and the occult.
d. Some of these groups commit crime together.
The unanswered questions are:
a. What is the connection between the belief system and the
crimes committed?
b. Is there some organized conspiracy of satanic and occult
believers responsible for inter-related serious crime
(e.g., molestation, murder)?
After all the hype and hysteria is put aside, the realization sets in
that most satanic/occult activity involves the commission of NO crimes, and
that which does, usually involves the commission of relatively minor crimes
such as trespassing, vandalism, cruelty to animals, or petty thievery. The
law enforcement problems most often linked to satanic or occult activity are:
1. Vandalism
2. Desecration of churches and cemeteries
3. Thefts from churches and cemeteries
4. Teenage gangs
5. Animal mutilations
6. Teenage suicide
7. Child abuse
8. Kidnapping
9. Murder and human sacrifice
Valid evidence shows some "connection" between satanism and the occult
and the first six problems set forth above. The "connection" to the last
three problems is far more uncertain.
Even in those areas where there seems to be a "connection," the nature
of the connection needs to be explored. The author's experience indicates
that involvement in satanism and the occult is a justification for crime, not
a motivation for crime. A teenager's excessive involvement in satanism and
the occult is usually a symptom of a problem and not the cause of a problem.
Blaming satanism for a teenager's vandalism, theft, suicide, or even act of
murder is oversimplifying a complex problem.
The law enforcement investigator must objectively evaluate the legal
significance of any criminal's spiritual belief system. In most cases,
including those involving satanists, it will have little or no legal
significance. If a crime is committed as part of a spiritual belief system,
it should make no difference which belief system it is. The crime is the
same whether a child is abused or murdered as part of a Christian, Hare
Krishna, Moslem, or any other belief system. We generally don't label crimes
with the name of the perpetrator's religion. Why then are the crimes of
child molesters, rapists, sadists, and murderers who happen to be involved in
satanism and the occult labeled as satanic or occult crimes? If criminals
use a spiritual belief system to rationalize and justify or to facilitate and
enhance their criminal activity, should the focus of law enforcement be on
the belief system or on the criminal activity?
Several documented murders have been committed by individuals involved
in one way or another in satanism or in the occult. In some of these
murders, the perpetrator has even introduced elements of the occult (e.g.,
satanic symbols at crime scene). Does that automatically make these satanic
murders? It is the author's opinion that the answer is no. Ritualistic
murders committed by serial killers or sexual sadists are not necessarily
satanic or occult murders. Ritualistic murders committed by psychotic
killers who hear the voice of satan are no more satanic murders than murders
committed by psychotic killers who hear the voice of Jesus are Christian
murders.
Rather, a satanic murder can be defined as one committed by two or more
individuals who rationally plan the crime and whose PRIMARY motivation is to
fulfill a prescribed satanic ritual calling for the murder. By this
definition, the author has been unable to identify even one documented
satanic murder in the United States. Although such murders may have and can
occur, they appear to be few in number. In addition, the commission of such
killings would probably be the beginning of the end for such a group. It is
highly unlikely that they could continue to kill several people, every year,
year after year, and not be discovered.
A brief typology of satanic and occult practitioners is helpful in
evaluating criminal actvity. The following typology is adapted from the
investigative experience of Officer Sandi Gallant of the San Francisco Police
Department, who began to study the criminal aspects of occult activity long
before it became popular. No typology is perfect, but the author uses this
typology because it is simple and offers investigative insights. The
typology divides satanic practitioners into three categories. Practitioners
in any of these three categories can participate in satanic/occult activity
alone or in groups.
1. Youth Subculture -- Most teenagers invovled in fantasy
role-playing games, heavy metal music, or satanism and
the occult are going through a stage of adolescent
development and commit no significant crimes. The
teenagers who have more serious problems are usually
those from dysfunctional families or those who have poor
communication within their families. These troubled
teenagers turn to satanism and the occult to overcome a
sense of alienation, to obtain power and/or to justify
their antisocial behavior. For these teenagers, it is
the symbolism, not the spirituality, that is important.
It is either the psychopathic or the oddball, loner
teenager who is the most likely to get into serious
trouble. Extreme involvement in the occult is a
symptom of a problem, not the cause. This is not to
say, however, that satanism and the occult isn't a
strong negative catalyst for a troubled teenager.
Probably the worst thing, however, that society
could do about this problem is to hysterically warn
teenagers to avoid this "mysterious, powerful and
dangerous" thing called satanism. This approach
will drive many teenagers right to it. Some
rebellious teenagers will do whatever will most
shock and outrage society in order to flaunt their
rejection of society.
2. Dabblers (Self-styled) - For these practitioners,
there is little or no spiritual motivation. They
mix satanism, witchcraft and paganism. Symbols mean
whatever they want them to mean. Molesters,
rapists, drug dealers and murders may dabble in
the occult and may commit their crimes in a
ceremonial or ritualistic way. This category has
the potential to be the most dangerous, and most of
the "satanic" killers fall into this category.
Again, this extreme involvmement in satanism and the
occult is a symptom of a problem and a rationalization
and justification of antisocial behavior. Satanic/occult
practices (as well as those of other spiritual belief
systems) can be used as a mechanism to facilitate
criminal objectives.
3. Traditional (Orthodox, Multigenerational) - These are
the true believers. They are usually very careful of
outsiders. Because of constitutional issues, such
groups are difficult for law enforcement to penetrate.
Although there is much we don't know about these groups,
as of now there is little or no hard evidence that they
are involved in serious, organized criminal activity.
In addition, instead of being self-perpetuating master
crime conspirators, true believers probably have a
similar problem with their teenagers rebelling against
their belief system.
Many police officers ask what to look for during the search of the scene
of suspected satanic activity. The answer is simple: look for evidence of a
crime. A pentagram is no more criminally significant than a crucifix unless
it corroborates a crime or a criminal conspiracy. If a victim's description
of the location or the instruments of the crime includes a pentagram, then
the pentagram would be evidence. But the same would be true if the
description included a crucifix. In spite of what is sometimes said or
suggested at law enforcement training conferences, police have no authoritiy
to seize any satanic or occult paraphernailia they might see during a search.
A legally valid reason must exist for doing so. It is not the job of law
enforcement to prevent satanists from engaging in noncriminal beliefs or
rituals.
Conclusions
There must be a middle ground in this issue. Concern about satanic or
occult activity should not be a big joke limited to religious fanatics. On
the other hand, law enforcement is not now locked in a life-and-death
struggle against the supernatural forces of ancient evil. Law enforcement
officers need to know something about satanism and the occult in order to
properly evaluate their possible connections to the motivations for criminal
activity. They must know when and how beliefs, symbols, and paraphernalia
can be used to corroborate criminal activity. From a community relations
perspective, they must also learn to respect spiritual beliefs that may be
different or unpopular but that are not illegal. The focus must be on the
objective investigation of violations of criminal statutes.
Until hard evidence is obtained and corroborated, the American people
should not be frightened into believing that babies are being bred and eaten,
that 50,000 missing children are being murdered in human sacrifices, or that
satanists are taking over America's day care centers. No one can prove with
absolute certainty that such activity has NOT occurred. The burden of proof,
however, as it would be in a criminal prosecution, is on those who claim that
it has occurred. As law enforcement agencies evaluate and decide what they
can or should do about satanic and occult activity in their communities, they
might want to also consider how to deal with the hype and hysteria of the
"anti- satanists." The overreaction to the problem can clearly be worse than
the problem.
In general, the law enforcement perspective can best be maintained by
investigators repeatedly asking themselves what they would do if the acts in
question were part of Protestant, Catholic or Jewish activity. If a law
enforcement agency wants to evaluate the group spiritual framework within
which a crime is committed, it is more appropriate, accurate, and objective
to refer to such crimes as cult crimes rather than as satanic, occult, or
ritualistic crimes. The "Sects, Cults and Deviant Movements" seminar put on
by The Institute of Police Technology and Management at the University of
North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, is a good example of this more
objective, broad-based approach. Satanic cults have no more law enforcement
significance than many other potentially destructive cults that exist in this
country.
---------------------------------------------------------
WHY I DON'T BELIEVE THE "SURVIVORS" OF OCCULT GROUPS
by Rowan Moonstone
Recently, several people have taken Pagans to task for naysaying the
Christian sources dealing with former practitioners of various occult
disciplines. I have researched this area thoroughly for the past five years.
I've bought or read all the Christian books on the subject that I can get my
hands on. I have over 1,000 clippings in the files dealing with this subject,
I've got over 100 audio tapes and 20 videotapes on this subject, and I've got
reams of Christian literature, and police training material to draw from. In
addition to this, I grew up as a Southern Baptist and was a Sunday School
teacher at the age of 16. I know whereof I speak when it comes to Christian
sources.
I've also been a Witch for nigh on to 8 years now, and have networked
with other Pagans all across the country, attended festivals in various
states, and subscribed to many Pagan publications both in this country and
abroad. I've read many many books on modern and ancient Pagan religions, and
can furnish a complete bibliography for anyone that's interested.
After a concentrated search through this material, I must conclude
that most of the allegations of the "survivors" are fabricated and
insupportable. In the rest of this report, I will give documented reasons why
I believe this to be true.
6-17-82 -Province Victoria Bulletin - "A misunderstanding appeared to be the
root of a satanic scare in Victoria this weekend, police sources said
Wednesday. Police, hospitals and human resources ministry workers had gone
on the alert following a report that a satanic group was planning Tuesday to
sacrifice a human baby. The report came through the child abuse prevention
HELP line in Vancouver. Victoria police said they had traced the source of
the report to a church group in Vancouver. The group apparently had heard
rumors of a rise in satanic activities in Victoria and had prayed that no
atrocities would occur. Somehow someone interpreted that to mean that a
sacrifice was actually planned, police said. That was the report that got to
the HELP line. However, Tuesday passed peacefully with no evidence of any
satanic activity. "
5-4-86 - New York Times-" Derry Knight told an astonishing story about his
membership in a secret Satanic cult called the Sons of Lucifer and his heroic
efforts to take over the leadership of the cult to free himself and 2,000
members from the coils of the devil. As he told it, it was an incrediblely
dangerous mortal struggle he was waging against the most evil forces in the
universe, personified by some prominent politicians, including Viscount
Whitelaw, the deputy Prime Minister, who were, he said, the secret masters of
Britain's Satanic orders ... In little more than a year, before Mr. Knight's
activities aroused the suspicions of Bishop Eric Kemp of Chichester, who
called in the police fraud squad, the support group contributed at least
$313,000 to the anti-Satanism struggle. A jury that convicted Mr. Knight
April 25 of 19 counts of fraud heard that much of the money raised by Mr.
Baker had been spent by his supposedly struggling friend on call girls, fast
cars, and a life of dissipation."
January 1988 New York Folklore "Satanism, Where are the folklorists? by
Phillips Stevens, Jr. p 12 ( Mr. Stevens is referring to a murder of a 13-
year =old girl in this incident) "While preparing me for the taping of some
commentary to be aired locally following the National Geraldo Rivera TV
special on Satanic cults on October 25, 1988, an investigative reporter for a
Buffalo TV station was discussing That incident [the murder]. There were 13
people at that party, he said, the murdered girl being the 13th. Since the
murder, six of the party goers had committed suicide.....I noted that it was
strange that six suicides with such a factor in common had not been reported
in the news; how did he know the details? The mother of the most recent
suicide had told him. ...I advised him to wait and check out the facts before
airing this story; he called me a few days later saying no, the other
suicides could not be confirmed."
1-19-89 Joplin Missouri Globe News (front page) - "Jasper County Sheriff Bill
Pierce said he had no figures available on how much time and money that
department has spent investigating claims. He cited a November case as an
example of the fruitless searches that have been undertaken because of claims
eventually fount to be false. ...a Blytheville, Ark. woman told authorities
there she had watched satanic cultists cut the stomach of an infant, pour
gasoline on the baby, and set it on fire....After agreeing to take a
polygraph examination, the woman admitted the story was false. She told
deputies she made the false accusations to get attention."
3=6=89 - Houston Chronicle - "A Houston -area woman who claims to be a former
satanic priestess and has told audiences she witnessed the ritualistic murder
of an 8-year-old Tomball girl has left law enforcement officers frustrated in
their attempts to investigate her allegations. 'We have no homicide to link
it to. Why she would make those claims and then be hesitant to talk with
authorities is reason to question her motives,' Harris County Assistant D.A.
Casey O'Brien said"
(Undated. From sometime this past summer) Austin American Statesman -"A 21-
year-old Dallas woman who claimed to have kidnapped and subjected to Satanic
propaganda is being sought by Austin police who accuse her of making the
story up to hide the birth of a child."
7-27-89 - Shelton-Mason (Wa) County Journal - " Pierce County Deputy Ed
Troyer said he and other law -enforcement officers know the informant who was
supposed to have given former FBI agent Ted Gunderson information about
victims of Satanic cults buried in Mason County ... about 90 percent of what
the individual has told law-enforcement officers during the past 15 years has
been untrue."
Add to these accounts the following facts:
1. Many "former occultists" such as Jerry Reider and "Doc" Marquis have
appeared in seminars and on national television and claimed to have been
members of cults which practiced human sacrifice. These people claim that
they were actively a part of human sacrifice. Human sacrifice is
murder....there is NO statute of limitations on murder. These folks have
confessed to murder. Why are they still on the streets? Surely they know
who was in the group with them. Surely they know where the bodies are
buried!!! Let's see some proof and get the murderers off the street!!!
2. The "Survivors and the Breeders" NEVER give names, dates, towns, or
anything else that could be used to track down the "evil doers".
3. When police have tried to track down bodies that children in daycare
cases have alleged to have seen buried, their efforts have come up negative.
Some of the sites have obviously not been disturbed in YEARS!!!
4. Careful veterinary examination of animal carcasses believed to have been
mutilated have proven the "mutilation" to be the work of predators.
5. "Occult crime" is a MULTI THOUSAND dollar a year business. I can
document this if you like from the prices of videos, books, newsletters,
seminars, etc, but I think you get the idea.
So, there you have it, NO bodies, NO proof, and NO conspiracy. In this
country, one is innocent UNTIL PROVEN guilty. The burden of proof is on the
accuser. I'm still waiting.
If anyone wants to see the entire articles that these quotes were taken from,
send a SASSASE with 3 stamps to P. O. Box 1842, Colorado Springs, Co 80901.