Satanic Ritual Abuse-An Introduction
Satanic Ritual Abuse (hereafter "SRA") has been and continues to be a very controversial subject. SRA has been part of human civilization for thousands of years and led to hundreds of thousand deaths and persecutions. In present society, this controversy as to the existence and practice continue to be debated. Whether SRA is a true phenomenon or dramatic concocted distortion, the subject involves victimization of innocent children, adults, and animals.
SRA has been defined by critics as falling into the categories of moral panics and conspiracy theories. Historical panics have been proven by experts as being spawned by conspiracy theories becoming reality. The blood libel against Jews by Apion, Christians in the Roman empire, and the witch hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries all were initiated by moral panics and conspiracy theories. Critics of SRA view this phenomenon as exactly the same as prior societal panics.
SRA as a form of "scapegoat" has been postulated by critics to explain the modus operandi of pediatric homicide, torture, cannibalism, and sexual orgies. Leading up to the 1980's many in society subscribed to satanic cults exist and tied to an ancient conspiracy by evil. Despite widespread assumptions, satanic cults throughout America and Europe could not be substantiated.
The rise of belief in satanic cults and ritual abuse are attributed to a variety of political and philosophical movements. The Fundamentalist Christian movement, Anti-Cult movement, Church of Satan and other Satanist groups, and the Moral Majority movement all contributed to the presence and practice of SRA. Even non-religious based groups popularized the perception of SRA being real. The child abuse movement and the mental health industry educating the public on post traumatic stress disorder and the existence of repressed memories both influenced societal panic.
The term "satanic ritual abuse" is a form of ritual abuse. Ritual abuse is defined as a form of abuse towards children, adults, and animals involving physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. These abuse events typically occur during rituals with a belief system as the rationale. Ritual abuse tends to occur frequently over an extended period of time. The physical abuse can be severe and may include torture and/or murder. The sexual abuse serves to gain dominance over the victim and often usually painful, sadistic, and humiliating.
Psychological victimization in ritual abuse is the most devastating of the three categories. Indoctrination methods using mind control strategies, forced mood/mind altering drugs, and intimidation techniques are common. Before, during, and after the episode(s) of ritual abuse involve intimidation techniques reducing making disclosure exceedingly difficult by the victim.
However, some past survivors interviewed stated they were ritually abused as part of satanic worship with the purpose of indoctrinating them into satanic beliefs and practices. From their testimony came the belief SRA was a thriving movement.
In 1988, a nation wide study investigating child sexual abuse in United States day care agencies was conducted by David Finkelhor, an internationally recognized sociologist. He found 13% of children were victims of ritual abuse and subdivided them into three categories. Cult-based ritualism involved abuse for a spiritual and/or social objective. Pseudo-ritualism abuse was sexual gratification based and the rituals implemented were to frighten the victim(s) from telling others. Psychological ritualism abuse involved rituals, but were due to the perpetrator suffering from mental disorders.
In his book, David Finkelhor hypothesized the motivation for ritualistic abuse was the perpetrators identification with evil as a rationale for sexual and ritual abuse. A satanic practice becomes the fuel and motivation for child sexual abuse.
By the early 1990s, SRA was still featured in media coverage of ritualistic abuse, but its relevance decreased among professional communities. Although recognized as existing, the religious interpretations using Satan as the central theme soon waned. Child sex rings, ritual/ritualistic abuse, organized abuseand sadistic abuse became descriptors or types of abuse whether satanic in nature or not.
The origins of SRA allegations are steeped in a variety of theories and interpretations. Ritual abuse does exist but the satanic elements are questioned. Cult-based abuse can and have included abuse by organized groups. Pseudo Satanism, distortions and false memories, mental illness, deliberate lying, hoaxes, and cases of child testimonies involving satanic variables have culminated to make SRA a suspected phenomenon. Conspiracy theories distort the existence of SRA and the fear of societal panic by experts contributes to the assumption valid SRA does not exist.
Whether valid or not, sexual abuse and child sex abuse are real and occurring throughout the world on a daily basis. The reasons are multifaceted and SRA will remain a possible typology for a small fraction of this form of victimization. The reality is the perpetrators of sex abuse are engaged in heinous acts fueled by a need for domination, control, and sexual gratification. Although victims of sexual abuse usually survive, their psychological scars are life long.
The perpetrator(s) of these deviant acts are not possessed by satanic forces, but the criminal mind. Their criminal minds are distorted by one of two reasons or a combination of the two. Either they suffer from a psychiatric illness or survive and thrive as sociopaths' void of a conscience. There are those who commit sexual abuse and/or assault for reasons other than possessing the criminal mind, but the vast majority of these perpetrators are deviant humans.
SRA has been defined by critics as falling into the categories of moral panics and conspiracy theories. Historical panics have been proven by experts as being spawned by conspiracy theories becoming reality. The blood libel against Jews by Apion, Christians in the Roman empire, and the witch hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries all were initiated by moral panics and conspiracy theories. Critics of SRA view this phenomenon as exactly the same as prior societal panics.
SRA as a form of "scapegoat" has been postulated by critics to explain the modus operandi of pediatric homicide, torture, cannibalism, and sexual orgies. Leading up to the 1980's many in society subscribed to satanic cults exist and tied to an ancient conspiracy by evil. Despite widespread assumptions, satanic cults throughout America and Europe could not be substantiated.
The rise of belief in satanic cults and ritual abuse are attributed to a variety of political and philosophical movements. The Fundamentalist Christian movement, Anti-Cult movement, Church of Satan and other Satanist groups, and the Moral Majority movement all contributed to the presence and practice of SRA. Even non-religious based groups popularized the perception of SRA being real. The child abuse movement and the mental health industry educating the public on post traumatic stress disorder and the existence of repressed memories both influenced societal panic.
The term "satanic ritual abuse" is a form of ritual abuse. Ritual abuse is defined as a form of abuse towards children, adults, and animals involving physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. These abuse events typically occur during rituals with a belief system as the rationale. Ritual abuse tends to occur frequently over an extended period of time. The physical abuse can be severe and may include torture and/or murder. The sexual abuse serves to gain dominance over the victim and often usually painful, sadistic, and humiliating.
Psychological victimization in ritual abuse is the most devastating of the three categories. Indoctrination methods using mind control strategies, forced mood/mind altering drugs, and intimidation techniques are common. Before, during, and after the episode(s) of ritual abuse involve intimidation techniques reducing making disclosure exceedingly difficult by the victim.
However, some past survivors interviewed stated they were ritually abused as part of satanic worship with the purpose of indoctrinating them into satanic beliefs and practices. From their testimony came the belief SRA was a thriving movement.
In 1988, a nation wide study investigating child sexual abuse in United States day care agencies was conducted by David Finkelhor, an internationally recognized sociologist. He found 13% of children were victims of ritual abuse and subdivided them into three categories. Cult-based ritualism involved abuse for a spiritual and/or social objective. Pseudo-ritualism abuse was sexual gratification based and the rituals implemented were to frighten the victim(s) from telling others. Psychological ritualism abuse involved rituals, but were due to the perpetrator suffering from mental disorders.
In his book, David Finkelhor hypothesized the motivation for ritualistic abuse was the perpetrators identification with evil as a rationale for sexual and ritual abuse. A satanic practice becomes the fuel and motivation for child sexual abuse.
By the early 1990s, SRA was still featured in media coverage of ritualistic abuse, but its relevance decreased among professional communities. Although recognized as existing, the religious interpretations using Satan as the central theme soon waned. Child sex rings, ritual/ritualistic abuse, organized abuseand sadistic abuse became descriptors or types of abuse whether satanic in nature or not.
The origins of SRA allegations are steeped in a variety of theories and interpretations. Ritual abuse does exist but the satanic elements are questioned. Cult-based abuse can and have included abuse by organized groups. Pseudo Satanism, distortions and false memories, mental illness, deliberate lying, hoaxes, and cases of child testimonies involving satanic variables have culminated to make SRA a suspected phenomenon. Conspiracy theories distort the existence of SRA and the fear of societal panic by experts contributes to the assumption valid SRA does not exist.
Whether valid or not, sexual abuse and child sex abuse are real and occurring throughout the world on a daily basis. The reasons are multifaceted and SRA will remain a possible typology for a small fraction of this form of victimization. The reality is the perpetrators of sex abuse are engaged in heinous acts fueled by a need for domination, control, and sexual gratification. Although victims of sexual abuse usually survive, their psychological scars are life long.
The perpetrator(s) of these deviant acts are not possessed by satanic forces, but the criminal mind. Their criminal minds are distorted by one of two reasons or a combination of the two. Either they suffer from a psychiatric illness or survive and thrive as sociopaths' void of a conscience. There are those who commit sexual abuse and/or assault for reasons other than possessing the criminal mind, but the vast majority of these perpetrators are deviant humans.
Source...