In this age of self – self-rule, self-determination, scientific self-improvement, and enlightened/ progressive thought – the idea that Satanism exists is often met with laughter. The belief in supernatural “gods”, not to mention the belief that they might have some influence on everyday life, is the absurd delusion of archaic thinking. But is it? If we’re ever going to understand what Satanic Ritual Abuse is or isn’t, we have to know what Satanism really means. (For those reading this who are not familiar with Satanic Ritual Abuse, please see my page on this subject.) Here is what we’ll cover:
Satan in Christian Dualism
Paganism and the Religion of Expediency
Gaia
Neopaganism and its Origins
Theistic Satanism
The Story of God, Man, and Satan
If it Doesn’t Bow to Jesus Christ, it’s Satanic
Is Satanism Real?
Why Prey upon Children?
Who is Perpetrating SRA?
Satan in Christian Dualism:
Obviously, one can’t talk about the reality of Satanism until one defines what Satanism is and is not. From the perspective of most, if not all, non-Judeo/Christian religions, Satanism is viewed as a construct of a dualistic religious viewpoint that God and Satan are supernatural beings fighting for control of the universe. Some suggest that the monotheistic “god” of Judaism eventually needed a foil to promulgate control of the masses. Satan, then, was eventually a creation of the early Christian church used to condemn those who disagree with Christian teachings. Hell is seen simply as a necessity for the church to control its proselytes. Having “good guy/ bad guy” deities is understandable given that monotheism developed in the backdrop of the most ancient of religious practices: paganism.
Paganism and the Religion of Expediency:
All students of ancient cultures know that the patterns of civilization were centered on a system of “gods”. In the earliest cultures around the world, fertility goddesses were worshiped in various guises to bring success to hunts, weather, agriculture, and human fertility. (Actually, if there is an ancient culture exempt from this, we’d love to hear about it.) In some cases animal and human sacrifices were used to “appease” the gods and to bring success to these community ventures. With the advent of more complex civilizations, numerous gods and goddesses were worshiped all over the world. Any student of Greek and Latin languages in high school will remember the extensive memorization of various deities and their antics. The belief systems of many cultures did not necessarily define local worship habits, as various city/states and regional cultures had peculiar local temples and rites. Note that many gods seemed human in some respect. Others were a hybrid of human and either animal or mystical animal in nature. In some religions, especially with themes of reincarnation, animals themselves may be worshiped. Veneration, if not worship of the dead, particularly one’s ancestors, has been a common theme throughout history. Even today the belief that human spirits of the deceased are able to influence the affairs of man is widespread. The similarity and themes of deities common to all civilizations is beyond our scope, but numerous academic works can be examined on the topic (mythology). Maybe Joseph Campbell in his Power of Myth, both the book and the miniseries, most seriously suggests that there is a common human basis for all the pagan religions. In current US society Campbell’s view that religion must change to meet the needs of society has led to a disaffection with classical Judaism and Christianity, merging these belief systems with contemporary ideas of science and psychology that make the practical outcomes nearly unrecognizable relative to original form and belief. Thus, we now have Christian churches who use occultist rituals and practice numerous aberrant forms of sexuality.
Gaia:
Nature itself can be the object of religious awe/ worship. Pantheism is the belief that all of creation is “god”. Panentheism is the belief that all of nature is imbued with a spiritual essence that is divine. Many ancient religions held that supernatural beings were found in objects of nature (eg. the Greek nymphs). Most people recognize the early belief in the essence of air, earth, fire, and water. In some cultures these are actual deities. In others they are the metaphysical elements of creation. Worship of celestial bodies in the ancient world was also common. In recent times Gaia, the Greek goddess of the earth/ Mother earth, has been transfigured into an environmental element in which all of the biological and inorganic aspects of the planet are in a dynamic relationship which must be maintained to keep earth inhabitable by human beings. (See James Lovelock: Gaia: a New Look at Life on Earth)
Neopaganism and its Origins:
Within the past century a form of neopaganism has emerged based, in part, upon ancient traditions. Neopaganism came of its own in the 1960s and 1970s as a form of nature-based spirituality. These so-called New Age religious structures have antecedents in the 18th century Enlightenment from various esoteric thinkers such as Helena Blavatsky, Emanuel Swedenborg, and Franz Mesmer. There is no one philosophy that critically defines this movement other than its counter-cultural nature (anti-Christian) and various aspects of non-Christian spirituality. Some include variations of Eastern religions (Hinduism, Buddism, and Sufism). Other branches depend more on humanism and secular enlightenment. Connection with inner or external spirituality is achieved by meditation, channeling, rituals, and a variety of other techniques depending upon the specific practices of any given group. Much of this thought is found in the current Wiccan culture, which includes animism, the Elements of Nature (air, earth, fire, water, and spirit), and the use of magical forces.
Theistic Satanism:
Theistic Satanism is again a diverse group of religions based upon Satan being a real being. Common among these groups is the understanding that Satan is more than a philosophy, but is indeed a being or a group of beings which may be worshiped. One form is called Dark Paganism, which embraces the harsh and difficult parts of nature and its divinity as, by definition, non-evil. Left-hand path, which some refer to as black magic, relates to a spirituality in which breaking of societal taboos, personal anarchy, and sexuality are embraced as practical elements. Some groups believe in the Judeo-Christian version of Satan, but as a figure of “good” rather than evil. Satanist websites often proffer the concept of balanced “self-rule”, i.e. each individual is the master of his/her own fate with Satan to help them. Many claim to be atheistic or agnostic. Some are purely political for the purpose of destroying the Christian paradigm in society. For example, Wiccans strongly proclaim that they are not Satanists. They see Satan as a myth created by Christian to subject non-conformists with guilt, shame, and fear.
The Story of God, Man, and Satan:
Given all of this, when people talk about Satanism, as in Satanic Ritual Abuse, what do they mean? While most groups described above reject the concept of Satan as being an exclusively Christian artifact, Judeo-Christian teachings are still the defining principles in this argument. Obviously, I cannot speak for all of Christendom; nonetheless this is what I have come to understand based upon the Bible and personal experience with various supernatural beings. God is the creator of all that is. He himself is the only uncreated being. God created a variety of beings whom we call supernatural simply because we do not normally experience them in the time/ space dimensions in which humanity lives. These beings have free will, but they only know God as inapproachable light. While they worship and serve God, they do not “know” God. In the courts of heaven the creature Lucifer became proud and determined to be like God, and even to rule over God. God thrust him, and a third of the supernatural beings of all kinds who agreed with him, out of heaven. Lucifer (Satan, Beelzebub, Prince of the Power of the Air) currently has dominion over the earth.
God made mankind, unique among all creatures both natural and supernatural, with a spirit “made in His image”. The purpose of mankind is to come to “know” God in deepest intimate relationship, becoming like Him in purity of spirit, and thus to reveal who God is to all of the creation throughout all time. Having free will, mankind (The first man, Adam) chose to turn from God and depend upon his own resources, mind, and body, rather than to trust God for all things. People talk of this as having eaten from the Tree of Good and Evil. Satan was instrumental in deceiving mankind from his total dependence upon God. Bringing man into this state of corruption was Satan’s plan as a direct means to block God’s eternal plan. Of course every Christian knows that the defeat of Satan and all the fallen beings was assured when Jesus Christ died on the cross, redeeming mankind from all sin, and restoring perfect relationship with God through His sacrifice. Thus people who accept Jesus Christ’s gift of redemption are returned back to the relationship that Adam had and more, given that Holy Spirit now resides in those who have chosen Christ.
God’s creation allowed evil due to free will. Satan and the other fallen beings brought evil into creation, thus Satan is the Father of Lies. Sources of evil in the world come from man’s free will (the flesh) and the work of evil supernatural beings, whose head is Lucifer/ Satan. In all of creation there are a huge number and variety of supernatural beings who are devoted to God. Some of these are angels whose purpose is to minister to humans beings and bring messages from God to earth. However, all the evil supernatural beings purpose to bring harm to God’s creation, including and especially to mankind. Christians tend to refer to these beings as “evil”, “demonic”, or Satanic” usually without much discrimination. Although Satan was defeated and knows his judgment since the time of the cross, God has left him and his followers on earth until the time of Jesus’ return to earth. So “Satanic” in the vernacular means anything that is so evil that it is caused by or enhanced by fallen supernatural beings, regardless of type.
If it Doesn’t Bow to Jesus Christ, it’s Satanic:
How does this relate to all of the non-Christian religions? Any supernatural being who does not confess Jesus as Lord and bow it’s knee to Jesus is a fallen being. Thus, the gods of all other religions throughout time have deceived mankind into belief systems and consequent actions that are against the will of God. All of these fallen beings are ready and available to entice any human who has the least bit of interest in them, all the while disguising themselves, for the most part, as angels of light and enlightenment. How Satanism is practiced by its highly varied practitioners extends from youths meddling in the use of Ouija boards and role playing games calling forth (intentionally or unintentionally) demonic forces, to groups with a dedication to self as a life-ruling force (as well exemplified by Nietzsche and the task of” self-realization”), to what one might traditionally believe a Satanist to be, i.e. performing rituals that call forth demonic powers in the worship of a supreme demonic being. What they all have in common is a disdain, if not hatred, for God, Jesus Christ, and Christians. Can something be demonic/ Satanic without the person purposefully calling on Satan? Absolutely. Opening oneself to the supernatural, not specifically to Jesus Christ, rapidly brings in the forces of various evil beings. Often, the evil consequence is not known until much later. Christians who live in sin can also be demonized. Furthermore, severe trauma is a de facto call for demonic interaction.
Is Satanism Real?
For the atheist/ progressive/ humanistic thinking person, all of this is nonsense. As in some of Christianity and in cases noted above, many religions don’t even believe in the supernatural. However, an ever increasing number of God’s people are realizing through the experience of feeling/ seeing/ hearing godly angels, as well as various fallen beings, that supernatural beings exist. Jesus gave His followers authority over demons, and in His Name they DO obey His commands, because although fallen, they know that Christ is the King over all of creation. (I’ll talk about specific kinds of fallen beings in a future blog.) Many of us who were involved in real Satan worship, who have conjured and channeled demonic beings, and been under the influence of Satanic vows, know these beings are real and that they have power over life on earth. However, once saved and under the exceedingly greater power of Jesus Christ, these beings must submit and leave, and those of us who were under great curses are now free to live lives of joy and peace.
So is Satanism real? Yes. It includes anything done by a person that agrees with, involves, or worships fallen beings. By that definition all other religions are satanic. Now most of the people who practice non-Christian religions do so in peace with their neighbors, bringing no harm to anyone but themselves (and those who follow them). Harm comes when unknowing individuals are enticed into behaviors which open doors for demonization, such as tarot card reading, palm reading, reiki healing, yoga, mind-emptying meditation, and recreational séances. Moreover, around the world there are innumerable occult (hidden) groups who perform practices that are horrific and sadistic. Three types of occult groups have been associated with these acts as defined by Finkelhor etal. (A more extensive examination of these groups will come in future blogs.)
Type I, “cult-based ritualistic abuse,” involves an elaborate belief system and an attempt to create a particular spiritual or social system. The sexual abuse is not the ultimate goal of the perpetrator but rather is a vehicle for inducing a religious or mystical experience in the adult perpetrators. Satanic and other cultic groups that practice sexual abuse fall into this category.
In Type II, “pseudo-ritualistic abuse,” the ritualistic practices are not part of a developed belief system. The primary motivation is not spiritual but rather the sexual exploitation of the child. Rituals, such as the use of costumes and the killing of animals, are used primarily to intimidate children and are not part of an elaborate ideology.
Type III, “psychopathological ritualism,” includes ritualistic abuse of children as part of an obsessive or delusional system of an individual or small group, rather than a developed ideology. In such cases the abuse may simply involve sexual preoccupations or sexual compulsions.
Why Prey upon Children?
Why is childhood predation common in all of these situations? Most likely it’s because extreme forms of child abuse have been documented since the beginning of the human race. Lloyd DeMause has written a number of articles on the history of child abuse. Indeed what we now consider extremely sadistic behavior was for much of history the norm in child rearing. Incest, rape, mutilation, beating, and death of small children were events common to early civilizations world-wide. Change has come very slowly, with the concept of maternal nurturing being a turning point for the development of modern cultures. In Islamic cultures, even today, children are calmed by masturbation, young girls experience genital mutilation, and child brides are the norm. It’s no wonder that God made major restrictions on all incestuous relationships, child sacrifice, and marriage for the Jewish people at the time of Moses (in the late 1400s BC). Children, routinely abandoned, brutalized, and raped, grow up (if they live) to abandon, brutalize and rape their own. Thus, it’s not surprising that today some of the “ritually abused” children are in families whose parents and grandparents were similarly treated. Knowing the history of these practices makes it very clear that dissociative conditions have been common for millennia. In the past two centuries major changes in understanding the relationship between child-rearing methods and adult behavior have led to the diminution, but not elimination, of child sexualization and beating.
Who is Perpetrating SRA?
So who are the people doing SRA? All of the above. AND as discussed above, all of them are enhanced, if not directed, by satanic beings. Some children are abused ritually in day care centers. Many are abused by underground networks of sadistic people who traffic children, produce pornography, and may or may not have a specifically developed ideology other than lust and sadism. These occult groups can be found based in Christian churches, Masonic Lodges, and in a variety of otherwise accepted societies. Finally, there are the groups that are now formally linked with each other around the world who directly worship Satan, are part of Satan’s end-time strategy, and who utilize SRA as a means to Satan’s ends. What does that mean? Most of the people who have survived and come out of SRA know that their torture was to produce Dissociative Identity Disorder, to program their alter parts to follow Satan’s agenda, and to even prepare specific individuals for formal government programming. (I’ll talk more about groups involved in this in future blogs, but the Illuminati, high level Masonic groups, and highly secretive occult societies would be included.) Everyone involved is extremely knowledgeable about all sorts of supernatural fallen beings, and they both give and derive power from these beings to accomplish their purposes on the earth. I/ we fall into this category. So when someone says to me Satan is not real, demons are not real, it’s my turn to laugh (or cry about the stupidity of the public and much of the church). I’ve seen/ talked with/ had extreme encounters with all sorts of evil beings. They are as ever present among us as is God. Angels, good and bad, accompany people all the time. But until one’s spiritual eyes are opened, the blind and veiled will never see. That blindness is Satan’s plan.
In summary, what is happening to children all over the world in various occult and/or familial groups is satanic, by definition. That doesn’t mean that all groups are doing these atrocities as a form of worship. However, most of the survivors who have come forth starting in the last half of the 1900s, indicate that worship of demonic beings, if not Satan himself, is part of their ritualistic trauma. Despite the hue and cry of various groups about “witch hunts”, it’s critical for all who are trying to understand what is happening in our society and around the world to have a good comprehension of the role of evil supernatural beings in the propagation of Satanic Ritual Abuse.
I’d love to hear from those of you who have either experience with SRA or who live with/ are friends with someone in, or escaped from, SRA. There is so much that can be shared to help the recovery. Also, we’re very open to discussion of the material above. If anyone has questions, please feel free to comment or contact me.