Satanic Panic Research Paper

Satanic Panic The satanic cult scare of the early 1990s is comparable to the religious cult scare of the 1970s (Bromley, 1991). Just as the cult scare in the 1970s arose during a time of social conflict, the “satanic panic” was rooted in institutional crisis. The Anti-Satanism Movement and the media helped spark fear, crediting satanic worship to cemetery and church desecrations, animal mutilations and children sacrifices. They also blamed heavy metal rock music and fantasy games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, for containing occult themes that lead to homicide and suicides. The Anti-Satanism Movement characterized Satanist not as ordinary deviants, but as an underground embodiment of the ultimate evil. Classifications for police and social workers were created, labeling four levels of satanic activity. The lowest level is known as dabblers, or youth that are experimenting with satanic material such as heavy metal or the fantasy games. Next are the self-styled satanists, criminals who create or borrow satanic themes as a rationale for their antisocial acts. Organized satanist are those that are members of public satanic churches. Finally, there are traditional satanist, who are individuals organized into secret cult networks that engage in child …show more content…
Years before the murder of the three young boys, Damien experienced being stopped and questioned by police for simply walking down the street. Many occasions a certain officer would visit his home, and bluntly state that his goal was to put Damien away. Damien suffered from depression and anxiety, and went to a psychological hospital on two occasions. He did not fit well into the community, as his all black outfits stuck out from everyone else. Nonetheless, he had friends, and remembers many happy times in his life before the