CIM Briefing Papers
C.I.M. Outline #36
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
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.
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 mass-
murder. 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
best-seller 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
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 devil-worshipping 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 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 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.
Christian Information Ministries is a non-profit ministry and is
dependent on gifts from God's people in order to operate. If you
receive a benefit from our materials would you consider giving a
tax-deductible gift to CIM. We suggest $25. a year minimum.
Send to: Christian Information Ministries
2050 N. Collins Blvd. #100
Richardson, TX 75080
 |
RAPID RESPONSE REPORT |
| BRIEFING PAPERS |
| BIBLIOGRAPHIES |
| MOVIE & BOOK REVIEWS |
| TECHNICAL PAPERS | | ARARAT REPORTS |
| CONTACT US |
| OUR STAFF |
| CIM HOME |
Do you want a printer friendly version of this paper?
Select your format below
