One area of contention is "Satanic Ritual Abuse" (SRA). In recent times there have been numerous cases where people have come forward to claim that they have been sexually and otherwise abused by Satanic groups. Most of it I think is hyperbolic hysteria, much like that which fuelled the witch trials and burning of yore. The following quote (from Cults) is quite telling:
While sacrifices of children and animals are said to be regular parts of satanic ritual, LaVey professed to be horrified by such acts. Satanists, he said, are the only ones who possess real respect for life and the human body. Children and animals are entirely "natural" and "unhypocritical" and thus in the view of the Church of Satan are "natural Satanists" not to be sacrificed but protected.
Think of this -- would you believe one used car salesman telling you bad things about another? Much of what people know about paganism is written by it's opponents -- find out for yourself!
But hold on, does this mean that there is no ritual abuse, that everything claimed is nothing more than erroneous recovered memory?(2) Not exactly. It would be tempting to take an either/or stance on this -- either it goes on all the time, or is an urban myth like stolen kidneys. But there is a middle ground. Two books to read, if you are concerned about SRA are:
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Ritual Abuse
- Written by "Margaret Smith", a pen name for an SRA survivor, this is an insider's account and analysis of Ritual Abuse. It's interesting that the author doesn't always refer to ritual abuse as Satanic. In fact in chapter 6 she lists the following belief systems as being responsible: The Unifying God; Worship of Evil; White Supremacy; Belief in Magic(3); Christianity; and Female Cults(4).
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Out of Darkness
- Written by David Sakheim, & Susan Devine, this book is a thorough critique and debunking of the whole thing. The authors are well qualified to make this analysis, and look at the evidence rather than just supposition.
The thing is this -- some form of Ritual Abuse does exist in one form or another. But, and this is the big but, the evidence to show it is inflicted by those who it is claimed to be done by is just not there. Adding "Satanic" before the act merely confuses the issues. Human beings have been inflicting pain upon each other for countless centuries and unfortunately included in the targets are the young and naive.
Adding the trimmings and paraphernalia of a cult can also help induce fear in a victim, but that doesn't mean that the perpetrator understand what they are alluding to. Satanism is an easy scapegoat because real Satanists are seldom public about their beliefs and unlikely to counter claims made at them.
You can commit any atrocities in the name of "God" or "The Devil" as much as you like, but that doesn't mean that these deities are responsible for the actions you commit -- you are. I cannot speak for every version of neo-paganism nor any other neo-pagan, but I believe there is no good or evil. There is only oneself, and what one brings into this world. Such a belief however is not a licence to inflict agony and suffering upon others, but a responsibility to do one's best.
Footnotes
(2) This is the stance taken by David Barrett in Sects, "Cults" & Alternative religions where it is discussed on pages 165-167, just before the section on Satanism. This is a good book as well, in that the author is as neutral as one can get when approaching different religions.
(3) The description given is what most people would term black magic -- the ritual torture of humans and animals to produce extreme emotional responses and altered states. Many neo-pagans (whether they realise it or not) tend to follow the wiccan creed of "And it harm none, do what you will". If people are doing ritual abuse for magical purposes, they ain't wiccan, that's for sure!
(4) The description given of these female cults seem to match Diannic Circles. However, Goddess Worship (as the author points out in the bibliography when talking about Starhawk's The Spiral Dance) ..."[i]llustrates that witchcraft in the United States, without the use of violence, is a very fulfilling, empowering religion for participants".