SATANIC RITUAL ABUSE

The Scribe Valdemir Mota de Menezes is a scholar of issues related to Satanism and analyzes throughout history how Satan has led humanity. The text of Bill Crouse brings us valuable information on details of the abuses that occur in satanic rituals.



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C.I.M. Outline #36
Author: Bill Crouse
Satanic Ritual Abuse
I. Introduction
A. It was a recent subject of the television show Prime Time Live(Jan. '93), many
talk shows, and the subject of at least a half-dozen recent evangelical books.
Psychologists (some Christian) are now concentrating their entire practice on
treating SRA.
B. Non-christians are also writing on the subject. See Surviving the
Unbelievable in Ms (Jan. Feb. 1993) and the following books When Rabbit
Howls, Satan's Children, and Suffer the Child.
C. Some believe that those who have undergone therapy for SRA number in six
figures (see The Satanism Scare, by Richardson, Best, and Bromley.) Bob
Larson, who has a nationally syndicated radio call-in show that frequently
features SRA, believes there are hundreds of thousands of adults who have
been so abused (See also his book: Satanism: The Seduction of American
Youth).
II. Satanic Ritual Abuse: A Definition
A. The Abusers: According to those who believe in the reality of SRA, there is
a nation-wide, multi-generational, satanic cult that is so secretive it is nearly
invincible. These people engage in rituals that are so bizarre and depraved
as to be almost unbelievable. The people involved could be your neighbor
next door. There are reportedly, doctors, lawyers, judges, morticians,
policemen, clergy, professors, people in high places, in the cult. People,
who in their everyday lives, would not be suspect. This secretive and
conspiratorial cult is large and growing rapidly.
B. The victims: They are mostly (except for a few males) young females,
children and early teens, who are forcibly made to participate in brutal ritual
connected with satan worship over an extended period of time. They are
initiated as early as 4 years old, and in most cases the victims implicate
members of their own family. Young girls and women are most often the
victims, due to the cult's focus on fertility and sexuality in their ceremonies.
When males are abused it is usually to instill fear for purposes of control
(secrecy).
C. The Nature of the abuse: The abuse may involve any or all of the following:
drinking blood (animal or human), or urine, cannibalism, watching or
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participating in human sacrifice, bestiality, sexual torture, and abuse almost
beyond description, and becoming baby breeders so the cult can use the
fetuses for its rituals. There seems to be no limit to the depravity in the
account of the victims. See Moody Monthly Mar. 1989, for the alleged
account of one victim.
D. The results: For the most part, the experiences have so damaged the psyche
of the abused that memories of the events are repressed. Often they exhibit
multiple personalities (Multiple Personality Disorder).
III. The Problem
A. If a cult such as described above actually exists it is not unreasonable to
conclude that thousands of murders (some say as high as 50,000 a year!)
are occurring in this country. Despite vigorous investigations by the FBI
(over a period of 10 years) and others, there is no evidence that any such
cult exists, or that these women are actually being abused in the manner
they describe.
B. When former victims have brought their abusers to court (mostly their
parents or day-care personnel) they have almost always been exonerated
due to lack of evidence.
C. In some celebrated cases in which the testimony of victims has received
widespread publicity, careful investigation by experts has proven the
stories to be fabrications (See the Grady Case in The Seduction of Gloria
Grady in D Magazine Oct. 1992, and the Lauren Stratford case in The
True Lauren Stratford Story in Cornerstone Vol. 18, Issue 90.).
D. Despite the above, hundreds (maybe thousands) of therapists, clinicians,
and pastoral counselors believe their patient's stories. This belief is not
confined to the evangelical community. It is also a subject of much
discussion in the secular press and in the Catholic Church.
IV. Concerns
We are not talking about something minor!
A. The victims of SRA are often in therapy for up to two years! SRA victims
make up the bulk of some therapist's clientele. In other words, the
treatment of SRA is a booming business in the counseling industry.
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B. Some reputable and big-named Christian publishers have published books
on the phenomenon. These books have sold in the hundreds of thousands
of copies. Some of these publishers are Moody Press, Here's Life
Publishers, Multnomah Press, Thomas Nelson, Word Books, and Harvest
House.
C. If the conspiracy claims are true we have a national crisis on our hands. If
it isn't true, there is another crisis, one of integrity, one that the evangelical
community can ill-afford.
V. A Closer Look: What is really happening?
A. Historical Background
1. In the late sixties and early seventies the counter-culture became
enamored with the occult and ancient nature religions (witchcraft).
Charles Manson, reputed to be a Satanist, was convicted of massmurder.
Anton LeVey, an ex-carnival worker, wrote the Satanic Bible.
Many Christian books were written on the occult. Many were
testimonial in nature, or accounts of experiences by missionaries or
counselors. (see books by Unger and Koch).
2. In 1972, The Satan Seller was published. It purports to be an account
of a man (Mike Warnke) who was deep into a large, powerful Satanic
cult that was described as conspiratorial in nature that reached into the
upper echelons of society. He was converted to Christianity and
escaped the cult with much difficulty. Later, he initiated a large
ministry warning people about the occult. The book became a bestseller
and is still in print. The book details the elaborate and bizarre
rituals of this cult. The author warns that covens of this cult are in
every community. (See Conclusion)
3. In 1980, the book Michelle Remembers was published followed by
Satan's Underground in '88. Both are accounts of women who came
out of satanic cults and were alleged victims of ritual abuse.
4. Due to the popularity of Books like Hal Lindsey's Late, Great, Planet
Earth, large numbers of Christians became convinced that we were
living in the last days and Satan worship would be the harbinger of the
religion of the Beast and False Prophet spoken of in Revelation. The
accounts given by SRA victims are exactly what some said would
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happen. (Hence its believability).
5. Currently, SRA victims are receiving much publicity by talk-show
hosts (both Christian and non-christian) all over the country. Also, it is
a most popular subject of workshops, seminars, and support groups.
B. Reasons for the Phenomena: A better explanation
1. Police, private investigators, journalists and other researchers have yet
to substantiate one authentic case of Satanic Ritual Abuse. This does
not mean that none are, only that in every case so far, no proof was
found to substantiate any of the accounts. We are also not denying the
existence of occult groups or religions that engage in bizarre rituals.
There are immigrant groups from Haiti and Cuba that sacrifice animals
as part of their religious practice. There are also drug-crazed youths
who go to extremes and commit ritual murder. What we are denying
here is that there is evidence (currently) for a nation-wide devilworshipping
conspiracy.
2. There are better explanations to account for the stories of the victims
that can be proved by experimental evidence. The SRA phenomenon is
actually parallel to the stories of UFO abductions, and the past-lives
stories. They arise when a certain personality profile meets a
counselor or therapist with certain distinctive methods.
a. Victim profile
Almost 100% of the victims who seek counseling do so initially
for eating disorders, depression, marital problems, etc. It is not
until their repressed memories are recalled that they are treated
for SRA. A typical victim of SRA is what researchers call a Type
Five Syndrome. According to studies, one out of twelve
Americans is susceptible to creating a memory out of the thin air!
According to these studies, grade five persons share the following
traits:
(1) Compulsive compliance. They have an overwhelming urge
to comply with someone suggesting a new or variant
viewpoint.
(2) Source amnesia. When a type five comes up with
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information they are generally unable to recall where it
came from.
(3) Rationalization. It occurs when there is logical opposition
to their viewpoint. They have highly empathetic abilities
which makes them particularly vulnerable to introspective
techniques. In addition, they are highly manipulative, try
very hard to please, and are easily hypnotized into trance
states. For a more complete explanation and list of
documentation, see The Grade Five Syndrome by Jon Trott
in Cornerstone vol. 12, issue 96.
b. Methodological aberration
(1) The first and foremost ingredient is that the therapist agrees
uncritically with the details of the abuse as described by the
patient. In other words, he subscribes to the conspiracy
theory.
(2) Details are planted in the patient's mind; they then fill in the
details. For example: a counselor might say something like
One of my other patients had this happen to her. Did this
happen to you? This is also called cross-germinization
.
(3) Counselors use highly questionable techniques such as
hypnotism, visualization, and meditation to get them to recall
repressed memories.
(4) According to recent studies, many counselors themselves are
Type Five persons!
VI. Conclusion:
Evangelicals frequently give credence to the secular press who describe them as
gullible fundamentalists. Remember: John Todd, Alberto, the rebuilding of the
Temple, the whale that swallowed a man off the coast of South America, the
discovery of Noah's Ark and the Ark of the Covenant, the missing day of
Joshua, Darwin's repentance, Soviets who drilled into Hell? All of the former
have resulted in egg on the faces of evangelicals (some prominent) because in
all of the above, there is not one scintilla of truth to any of these formerly
sensational stories. In fact, new ones are constantly being invented. In recent
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months, Mike Warnke's story in The Satan Seller has been proven to be a total
fabrication. Bob Larson's entire ministry has been shown to be much less than
represented(See World. Jan. 23, 1993). Whether or not there will be further
repercussions in the press over the SRA phenomenon we can't predict.
However, we feel we are safe in saying that there are hurting people out there
(the alleged victims of SRA) who are not getting the help and support they
really need. Christian credibility is being questioned from within and without.
Satan is given more credit than he is due, and perhaps the greatest evil is the
families that are being broken up by the false charges and the reputations that
are being destroyed. There is also the possibility of an over-reaction that could
result in cases of honest sexual abuse being overlooked.
VII. For Further Reading and Documentation
Journal of Psychology and Theology. Vol. 20, no. 3. entire issue is about SRA.
Christian Research Journal. Winter 1992. Bold Facts about Satanic Ritual
Abuse.
Cornerstone. Vol. 20, no. 95. Satanic Panic.
Cornerstone. Vol. 20, No. 96. The Grade Five Syndrome. and Interview with
Sherrill Mulhern.
Cornerstone. Vol. 18, no. 90. The True Lauren Stratford Story.
Child Abuse and Neglect. Vol 15, 1991. Commentary of Ritual Abuse: A Law
Enforcement View or Perspective. The FBI report