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Alternative
Religion/ features/
Satanism
Over the
last few weeks, the controversy surrounding the Laci Peterson murder
case has continued to grow. Recent revelations that Scott Peterson's
attorneys are apparently pursuing a defense that included rumours of
Satanic murder are becoming increasingly accepted by the public.
In a manner
that evokes the "Satanic panic" of the eighties, Peterson's
defense has advanced the theory that members of a Satanic cult kidnapped
the pregnant Laci and used her a a sacrifice in a Christmas eve Satanic
ritual. Leaked details of the autopsy reveal that little Connor was
found with tape wrapped around his neck and cuts on his arm, and there
are rumors that the baby was cut from the womb.
According
to the defense, the timing and circumstances are typical of occult crimes.
There is very little evidence of this, and many of the comments offered
by Peterson's attorney are similar to bogus arguments made by overzealous
investigators in years past, when many people in law enforcement believed
that there was a large, well organized conspiracy of Satanic cultists
responsible for everything from poisoned halloween candy to the disappearance
of the country's hundreds of missing children.
The problem
is, none of these conspiracy theories ever panned out. With tons of
attention focused on "occult crimes," hundreds of self-styled
"experts" traveled the country, teaching police officers how
to recognize the trappings of occult murders. How was a murder determined
to be satanic? Easy- if a murder occurred near water, on a particular
day of the week or year, if there were three, seven, or nine of any
object, there was a Satanic conspiracy. If victims were cut, stabbed,
strangled, or smothered, it was a sign of Satanic involvement. (you
get the idea). A lot of serious misinformation was spread by well meaning
but religiously motivated people with little or no real experience with
Satanic belief or practice.
This kind
of investigating led to a number of bizarre prosecutions, but eventually,
after years of combing through the evidence, the FBI and other investigators
concluded that not only was there no Satanic conspiracy, but that the
US had not seen a single crime committed by organized Satanists in modern
history. Agent Kenneth Lanning of the FBI's Behavioral Science Instruction
and Research Unit concluded in his 1992 report on ritual crime concluded
that true practicing Satanists are no more likely to commit crimes than
any other faith group, and that rumours of ritual murders, cannibalism,
and kidnapping were spurious. Although occasional criminals claim to
have Satanic backgrounds or beliefs, none to date have been demonstrated
to have links to any organized Satanic groups or churches.
Estimates
of the number of active Satanists in the US number between twenty and
a hundred thousand. No known Satanic organization worship Satan as the
evil demon of Christian folklore. In fact, the majority of practicing
Satanists are adults, most of whom do not believe in or worship any
deities at all. Instead, Satan is seen largely as a mascot of sorts-
a symbol of liberation from dogma or false morality. Of the small number
who do revere the Prince of darkness as a living deity, the majority
view him as a benevolent pre-Christian bringer of illumination.
The very
idea that an organized conspiracy planned and executed a complex plan
to murder a mother and child is on its face ridiculous. That members
of a group could carry out such a grisly crime without leaving any evidence
is so incredibly unlikely that no such crime has ever been uncovered
anywhere in the United States. The most likely scenario is that the
defense is attempting to introduce a scenario to to introduce an element
of doubt on the prosecution's contention that Scott Peterson committed
the murder of his wife and unborn child.
Related
Resources:
Satanism
Satanism as a religion and a philosophy. Every variety and type of
Satanic belief, from the mythical Satanist of the Middle ages to modern
ritual Satanists, Dabblers, and Gnostics.
Satanic
Panic
Satanic ritual abuse, recovered memories, Satanic conspiracy theories,
and religious paranoia. Looking to debunk SRA, or dispell rumors of
a vast satanic conspiracy? (scroll past the advertisements below for
further choices)
Ritual
Magick
Ritual Magick, also known as Ceremonial Magick, one of the most mysterious
and misunderstood spiritual traditions, dates back in various forms
to the beginnings of human culture, and has been continually practiced
through to the present day- inspiring movements as diverse as Wicca,
Theosophy, and the New Age, as well as such diverse disciplines as
Chaos magick, Aeonic magick, and Thelema.
Gnosticism
A belief system with a unique worldview, Gnosticism is both an ancient
Pagan religion and an early Christian Heresy. Gnostic belief is purported
by some to be the original Christianity, by others the greatest heresy.
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