Throughout the past two decades, a most extraordinary phenomenon has arisen, which has come to be known as Satanic ritual abuse. Allegations of this abuse, which are generally unfounded, paint a picture of tightly-knit families practicing a tradition of ritual incest and human sacrifice in the name of Satan. All of these cults are supposedly networked with the others to form an international conspiracy of Satanic infiltration. However, it is the position of the author that most, if not all, alleged cases of Satanic ritual abuse cults are fictitious, and those that might exist are not networked in any international conspiracy of generational devil-worshiping cults. Although sexual abuse certainly does occur, few of the stories of repressed memories are based on an actual occurrence of abuse. This is particularly true of the ones that describe ritual abuse.
In order to judge the probability of there being an organised body of Satanic cults which practice abuse and degradation as orthodox rituals, it is useful to consider the accounts of those who claim to have participated in these rituals. There are basically two types of claimants: victims and adherents.
By far the more vocal of these are the victims. In the 1980's and '90's, thousands of people, mostly women, have been coming forward to accuse neighbours, family members, and friends of the family, of subjecting them to sexual, physical, and mental abuse within the framework of occult rituals. In all of the literature which deals with the subject, "survivors" of abuse at the hands of Satanic cults describe orgies of drug abuse, debauchery, incest, molestation, necrophilia, violence and murder with guns and blades, animal and human sacrifice, and ritualised cannibalism. It must be stressed that no concrete evidence has ever been found support these claims in the form in which they are presented. (Ross 70) However, the very fact that normal, middle-class young Christians can relate stories of human decadence and degeneracy that strike such a chord of disgust among even the most jaded of us is significant in itself.
The closest thing to evidence of ritual abuse or human sacrifice that has been found in recent years is the body of a young Texan pre-med student, Mark Kilroy, at the hands of a group of drug-smugglers known as "Narcosatanistos" (Ross 69). Although the Narcosatanistos are tightly-knit and exhibit cult-like elements, they are primarily a criminal, rather than religious, organisation. They should therefore be distinguished from the multigenerational Satanic cults said to exist, individually or in network, across North America and possibly Europe.
Generational cults, according to "victims" interviewed by psychologists (using a variety of treatments from hypnotism, suggestive questioning, visualisation, and the "truth serum" sodium amytal — Shermer 108), involved the grandparents or great-grandparents of the patients, who may represent the founders of these cults or simply the oldest known members of a continuing tradition (Ross 70). Leadership is passed down through the family, and the cult as a whole is extremely organised and clandestine. According to Ross:
The leaders of orthodox multigenerational Satanic cults are, at once, paedophiles, drug dealers, pimps, murderers, cult leaders, and rapists. Babies are sacrificed in the cults' ceremonies, and members known as "breeders" are ritually impregnated to provide babies for sacrifice.... According to survivor accounts, the cults have infiltrated day-care centers, child-protection agencies, the mental-health professions, and government, and they are linked
together in an international network. (71)
All of this follows a disclaimer that, "In all discussions of Satanic ritual abuse, one must not forget that there is no objective public proof of the existence of such cults." (70, emphasis mine.) Even though the existence of such cults cannot be proven, reports about them certainly "pose a serious problem about the reality of all childhood trauma memories." (72) Confounding? Certainly.
It must also be stressed that, beyond the ephemeral nature of physical evidence, the testimonies themselves are quite suspect. "Repressed memory" syndrome is still very poorly understood, and often the conditions under which "repressed memories" resurface are disturbingly similar to environments used by intelligence agents to brainwash subjects. Jim Rabie, who was implicated with the ritual abuse of Ericka and Julie Ingram, made the following "confession" after hours of interrogation during which no lawyer was present: "Give me the responsibility, because I've blocked it out enough — I must be the worst one. The only option is to lock me up, and you're going to have to throw away the key, because if I can't remember this, then I am so damn dangerous I do not deserve to be loose." (Wright 57) Furthermore, a lack of education on behalf of therapists and counselors is considered normal, many of them having never studied psychology formally (162).
How, in such an environment, can the incompetent be distinguished from the competent psychiatrists? How can any victim's testimony, extracted using psychological techniques, be treated with anything but the utmost scepticism? In the words of Helga Tucker, from the Coucil on Mind Abuse based in Toronto, "Do I think they're liars? No, but the accuracy is very hard to assess. How do you verify memory?" (Quoted by Appleby in "Satanism has some officials worried") According to Michael Shermer's calculations, if even half of the "recovered" memories of sexual abuse of any sort were true, about 19% of the population would have to be involved (110). This is obviously an unrealistically high figure — obviously some factor other than the simple recovery of memory is at work here.
The other form of criminal ritual acts is in the form of teenage experimentation with Satanic imagery, usually organised into a cult of one sort or another. Although one such organisation, the Narcosatanistos, has already been mentioned, there are many more, smaller groups, consisting mainly of teenagers, who pledge allegiance to demonic idols. The attraction to this sort of occult symbolism is most notable in youths with dysfunctional or traumatic home lives (Ross 65), and many come from Native reserves or are involved in an underground drug subculture (Appleby, "In Satan's Name, Part I"). Aside from the stereotypical trappings of fantasy role-playing games and heavy metal music (neither of which is considered to be a direct contributing factor of Satanic behaviour — Ross 65), teenage diabolist cults engage in drug abuse, group sex (65), breaking and entering, sacrifice of cats and dogs, and sometimes even murder. However, the Satanic trappings of black magic rituals are considered signs of an already deviant personality rather than actual catalysts of perversion or sociopathy. (Appleby, "In Satan's Name, Part I")
Beyond the criminal activities in which these cults are implicated, there is a social dimension to their rituals, which is mentioned in Timothy Appleby's article "In Satan's Name, Part I." Many juvenile delinquents who were interviewed professed that their respective cults felt like "big families," and some admitted that they would return to their circles after having completed their sentences. According to one 16-year-old adherent, "I felt like I was wanted, and accepted; someone looking over me, so it's like you pledge your allegiance. But I don't know. Since I've been (in detention) they haven't given me a phone call or written me. It's like they used me." This is an all-too-normal melodrama which unfolds in almost every exclusive group, given a demented spin by the Satanic imagery favoured by the cult in question.
It must be pointed out, however, that these little cults, no matter how tightly-knit they might be, just cannot account for the supposed ritual abuse which is being blamed on cults. Although no numbers have been taken (Appleby, "In Satan's Name, Part I"), certainly these small-time mediocre cults, no matter how dangerous, cannot be pointed to as evidence of a worldwide diabolical conspiracy. They are little more than terrifying fronts for petty mobs and lonely-hearts clubs cum gangs.
In fact, as Michael Shermer points out in Chapter 7 of his book, Why Do People Believe Weird Things? (99-113), the rash of sexual abuse accusations and the so-called "repressed memory movement" has parallels with a disturbingly similar blot in Western civilisation's past: the Inquisition and witch crazes of the early Renaissance era. Then, mass hysteria about a network of witchcraft and diablerie led to a purge that set the hills of Europe ablaze with execution bonfires. In those days, the mere accusation of being a witch was considered evidence of implication in devil-worship, and a protestation of innocence was considered a sign of guilt. Does any of this resemble the "admission" of Jim Rabie?
Nonetheless, if there actually were an international network of multigenerational Satanic cults, the events surrounding the Inquisition could be misconstrued as evidence to support that hypothesis, with the interpretation that the witch hunts were initiated by some evidence that there were, indeed, devil-worshiping activities at the time. This, of course, would be to neglect the social climate of the Twentieth Century, in which antichristian imagery has become more prominent than any other era in history. The rationale is that if Satanic family cults do go back many generations, surely they would have been implicated in the Inquisition.
So, we must look at more big-time cults and churches in order to find evidence of a network such as has been described. There are a variety of legitimate and legal temples devoted to the worship of dark occult gods that operate in public view. One of the best known of such organisations is the Temple of Set, founded in 1975 by Michael Aquino. The Temple's advancement system is very regimented, and a connection can be made between the Temple of Set and certain characteristics of paramilitary groups, which in turn historically connect it with multigenerational cults. (Ross 69) However, because of the time scale involved and because of the small size of the Temple, which is protected by the American and Canadian Constitutions and which can even apply for tax-exempt status, it cannot be used as evidence of a network of multigenerational Satanic cults.
As far as "orthodox" Satanism is concerned, we need look no further than the official Church of Satan. Based in San Francisco and founded in 1966 by Anton Szandor LaVey, it claims the authority in all matters Satanic and reserves the right to define the terms of Satanism. It is the original and the largest Satanic organisation (which, though eligible, has never applied for tax-exempt status). If the idea of a Satanic conspiracy is unnerving, then the Church's boast that it has members in all walks of life, in all professions and at all levels of power will be downright blood-chilling. The Church of Satan's organisation is based on the "grotto," or coven, and the hierarchy of its priesthood is based on a degree system, much like many other historical occult organisations. If any organisation were behind a network of diabolical cult-families, none other than the Church of Satan would be able to effectively manage and conceal such a network.
There is, however, a kink in this theory — that kink is LaVey's philosophy. There is much literature, both in print and in electronica; and the more one reads, the more one realises that supporting ritual abuse would be antithetical to LaVey's Satanic philosophy. In the introduction to his essay "Satanism: the Feared Religion," Magister Peter Gilmore cites a variety of government and scientific reports, such as Kenneth V. Lanning's FBI report, "Investigator's Guide to Allegations of 'Ritual' Child Abuse," which discredit the theory of widespread ritual abuse. He goes on to give a rough summary of the philosophical canon of the Church of Satan. The closest thing to religious commandments, for example, that LaVey issued were his 11 Rules of the Earth. The Fifth Rule is: "Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal." This is meant to be an advisory against rape, though the definition of the "mating signal" is flexible enough to vary from situation to situation. The Ninth Rule is: "Do not harm little children." The Tenth Rule is: "Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food." As a whole, LaVey's philosophy is fervently against the harming of innocents, a point stressed repeatedly in Magister Gilmore's essay.
Furthermore, the idea that the Church of Satan, which openly promotes a view of Satan as being only a symbol and not an idol, would support an underground network of generational Satanic cults is confounded because of LaVey's emphasis on individuality rather than conformity to any group's control. LaVey published nine character faults that he viewed as Satanic Sins; the fourth of which is self-deceit, the fifth of which is conformity to an impersonal entity, and the seventh of which is forgetfulness of past orthodoxies. (Gilmore) Such writings would actually serve to counter a cult's most characteristic techniques of controlling its members.
Anton LaVey himself has publicly denounced those murderers who supposedly kill in the name of Satan. In his essay "The Satanic Murderer" (printed on pages 99 to 100 of LaVey's last book, Satan Speaks!, published in the year after LaVey's death), LaVey proclaims: "We have observed how vicarious conjecture has placed Satanic criminals, like McCarthy-era communists, under every bed — including killers who can conveniently be labeled 'Satanic,' though their only connection is a copy of The Satanic Bible." In his brief diatribe, he denounces the law enforcement system as being incompetent and relying too much on equipment, rather than on intuition, logic, and common sense. Because of inept classifications of murderers, enormous exaggerations and oversimplifications have been made in the field of murder detection, at least when it comes to identifying the archetype of the "Satanic" murderer. As LaVey points out, "If gross convenient ignorance precludes an accurate evaluation of a truly Satanic murder, there is no way of knowing how many otherwise 'normal' murders are in reality, Satanic." (100)
Finally, we must address the possibility that the imagery adopted by Satanic worship groups has singled them out for a reactionary pogrom of stereotyping and exaggeration, executed by ignorant and unwitting right-wing Christian fundamentalist groups. It is entirely likely that prominent members of the Christian community would attribute a cult, coven or church with all manner of grotesque and degrading ritual acts, based on nothing more than the symbolism that group chooses. There are many historical examples of this occurring; one of the more dramatic is the case of the Yezidi, first addressed by Austen Henry Laylard in his chronicles of his voyage through the Near East, Discoveries at Nineveh.
A group of Kurds living in Iran and Iraq, the Yezidi have been persecuted for centuries by the local Muslims (including other Kurds) for their religious beliefs, which focus on the worship of Lucifer as being the most powerful of all angels. The Yezidi believe, much like the belief of Christians and Muslims, that the world is the domain of Satan; the Yezidi conclude that they will therefore be rewarded if they worship him and be punished if they oppose him. They also believe that God is all-forgiving and that Satan — and by proxy, all of his Yezidi adulators — will be restored to Heaven after a certain sentence of exile. Though the Yezidi live a very disciplined and austere lifestyle with no element of human sacrifice or ritual abuse, they have been branded as heretics and demon-worshipers. No objective study of them was done before the 19th century. In fact, during the Crusades, in which Christians attempted to seize Jerusalem from Muslim control, the two sides would actually team up to try to exterminate Yezidi wherever they were encountered. All of this was inspired mainly by the symbolism and mythology of the target group. (Laylard)
Serial murder and systematic abuse are issues we cannot afford to exacerbate with wild stories of diablerie. Although we would like to consider ourselves an "enlightened" civilization, the facts of this matter alone indicate the opposite. Either these Satanic cults exist, in which case there is but a thin veil of civility over a seething cauldron of savagery, or the "memories" of Satanic cults are nothing but repressed fantasies, which indicate that we have not, as a society, "outgrown" such barbarity, however much we'd like to convince ourselves of the opposite. Although the evidence supports the latter, even this raises the spectre of denial about our true nature as human beings — a denial that we must address if we are ever to resolve the issue of Satanic cult activity. In the words of Anton LaVey himself: "Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit!" (Quoted by Gilmore)
Works Cited
Appleby, Timothy. "In Satan's Name, Part I: Recurring stories make authorities believers." Globe & Mail 27 Nov. 1990.
— "In Satan's Name, Part III: 'The person they are most likely to kill is themself'." Globe & Mail 29 Nov. 1990.
Gilmore, Peter H. "Satanism: The Feared Religion." Online, Official Church of Satan Website. N. pag. Available HTML: < http://www.coscentral.net/cos/Pages/Feared.html >
Lanning, Kenneth V. "Investigator's Guide to Allegations of 'Ritual' Child Abuse". Online, ReligiousTolerance.Org. N. pag. Available HTML: < http://www.religioustolerance.org/ra_rep03.htm >. 1992.
LaVey, Anton Szandor. "The Satanic Murderer." Satan Speaks! California: Feral House, 1998. 99-100.
Laylard, Austen Henry. Discoveries at Nineveh. New York: Harper & Brothers Ltd., 1852.
Marron, Kevin. "In Satan's Name, Part II: Courts confront custody cases." Globe & Mail 28 Nov. 1990.
Ross, Dr. Colin A. Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principles of Treatment. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Inc., 1995.
Shermer, Michael. Why Do People Believe Wierd Things? New York: W. H. Freeman and Company, 1997.
Wright, Lawrence. Remembering Satan: A tragic case of recovered memory. New York: Random House, Inc., 1994.