Dreamers of the Dark: - Research Commons - The University of ...

Chapter One
The Nature of the Beast:
Satanism
Turning to Christianity’s own scripture we find
confirmation of the godhead of man as the
fundamental promise of Satanism: “ye shall be as
gods” was Satan’s promise to mankind 9 .
To the world at large and for most of the last two millennia, Satanism functioned
as a catch-all term encompassing moral and religious fear; that which an
evangelically-minded person hates or fears the most becomes Satanic in
inspiration. To some people, especially conservative Christians, Satanism serves
an explanatory role in describing what is wrong with the world and especially
those behaviours and trends which are described as corrupting, including (but not
limited to) Freemasonry, humanism, monetary reform, Islamicists, chain letters,
feminism and the New World Order 10 . However, Satan is not just a Christian
concern and among many Muslims, the West in general, and the United States and
George W. Bush in particular, fulfils the role of an infernally inspired tyrant and
the source of all that is wrong and unclean with the world while tribal societies in
Africa still fear black magic 11 . As the source of religious anxiety the world over,
Satan would appear to have an active schedule 12 . Even among non-evangelical
(and even at times non-religious) sections of the community, the negative
connotation of Satanism can still stir deep feelings of fear and resentment 13 .
9 Kerry Bolton, ‘Satanism and Morality, The Watcher 2, 1990
10 Bill Subritzky, How to Cast Out Demons and Break Curses (Auckland: Dove Ministries, 1991);
Pat Robinson, The New World Order, (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1991) p. 227; Thomas Aiello,
‘Constructing “Godless Communism”: Religion, Politics, and Popular Culture, 1954-1960’ in
Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture (1900-present), 4/1 (2005)
11 Hassan Nasrallah, cited at ‘Anti-American Statements by Senior Members of Hezbollah’ at
http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/bu/hizbullah/pb/app13.htm (cited 1 February, 2007); Ayatollah
Khomeini, ‘Last Will and Testament’ (http://www.wandea.org.pl/khomeini-pdf/ruhullah-musavikhomeini.pdf
(cited 5 February, 2007); ‘Elderly 'witches' persecuted in Mozambique’ at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2089875.stm (accessed 1 March 2008)
12 Which is not surprising as there is allegedly no rest for the wicked
13 A personal illustration: In early 2005 I was going out with a young lady whose mother was
firmly North of England, working class and non-religious. I was introduced as someone with a
scholarly interest in New Religious Movements and in particular neo-Paganism. As our
relationship started to wind up the mother asked the daughter in all seriousness if I had “cast a
Satanic spell” on her.
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