Six forms of pseudo-Satanism
Six types of pseudo-Satanism:
As noted elsewhere, we define a group or
individual as Satanic (or Christian, or Muslim, etc) if their members sincerely
regard themselves to be Satanic.
Unfortunately, "Satanism" and related terms have often been used as
universal "snarl" words. The following are five essentially unrelated
beliefs and activities that have been referred to as "Satanism:"
- 16th century Satanism: This is an imaginary, profoundly evil religion
that was invented during the late Middle Ages by the Christian church. The
Church taught that Witches worshiped
Satan, ritually killed children, boiled down their bodies to make
magical implements, sold their soul to the devil, broke crucifixes, conducted
black masses, created hail storms to damage crops, caused disease in farm animals
and humans. etc. They were said to totally dedicate their life to harming
The church's creation of Satanism gave the theological foundation for the "burning
times" in which tens of thousands of religious heretics, mentally ill
people, and supremely unlucky individuals were burned at the stake (in Roman
Catholic countries) or hung (in Protestant countries).
This form of Satanism never existed in the past as an organized entity. It
does not exist today, except in the imagination of the public, and in horror
movies. Belief in the reality of Satan-worshiping witches remains widespread
in North America today, particularly among religious conservative.
Sometimes, this imaginary form of Satanism is referred to as Gothic Satanism.
We recommend against this term, because it might be confused with the Goth
sub-culture. The latter is a philosophical, musical, cultural group that is
not directly related to
Satanism. However, a larger percentage of Goths are Satanists, than are found
in the general population. More info.
- Serial murderers: Occasionally, a serial murderer will claim to
be a Satanist in order to justify his horrendous activities. This is "the
Devil made me do it" defense. The perpetrator admits guilt, but
says that he was not responsible for his crimes because he was under the
control of Satan. Police investigations reveals that the perpetrator is
- Psychotic murderers: Occasionally, news of a Satanic ritual
murder will surface, complete with Satanic rituals, symbols, etc. But, after
investigation, the prime cause of the murder will be found to be severe
mental illness on the part of the perpetrator(s). A case in Germany hit the
newsstands during 2002-JAN. The accused couple, the Rudas, talked about glowing eyes, a glowing knife
used as a murder weapon, a glowing victim, "Several witnesses have
testified that the couple suffered from personality disorders. They could
both face long terms at secure psychiatric institutions."
More details on the German case. More details on
- Child molesters: A small percentage of abusive pedophiles and
other child molesters have been known to abuse children in a Satanic setting as a means of controlling the victims. The
molesters are pretend Satanists; they are simply using the facade of Satanism to
further their criminal acts. They figure that if one of their child victim
complains to authorities, their disclosures will not be believed. A government study in England found three such
perpetrators. More details.
- Heavy metal rock bands: Some musicians pretend to be associated
with Satanism. Their main motivation is to gain notoriety and capture free
publicity. The suggestion of
Satanic involvement increases record sales. Few bands are actually formed
from sincere Satanists.
- The Temple of Set: In 1975, a member of the Church of Satan, Michael Aquino, left the Church after a
disagreement, and organized the Temple of Set. This
follows the religion of Setianism. Members recognize a pre-Satanic deity, the Egyptian God Set
as a living entity
who stands separate and apart from the forces of the natural universe. He
was typically portrayed as a man with the head of an animal (perhaps a hyena). Set was
copied by the Chaldeans who called him Had or Hadit; this later became Shaitan,
and still later the Satan of Christianity and Islam. The media have linked the
Temple of Set with the Church of Satan and called both forms of Satanism.
Leaders of both religious groups deny that they are related.
These six pseudo-Satanic groups will not be dealt with further in this
Copyright © 1997 to 2009 by Ontario Consultants on
Latest update: 2009-OCT-27
Author: B.A. Robinson