Content area
Full Text
Arm yourself with knowledge before investigating crimes linked to this religion.
Crimes associated with Satanism have presented enormous difficulties for police agencies. Shrouded in mystery, with an ideology that allows for worshippers to make up their practices as they go along, Satanism presents a unique challenge to combat.
Satanism is both a religion and a belief system. For some, it involves the worship of and service to Satan. For others, "Satan" is metaphorical. They do not believe in God or a devil; they merely exist with the forces of nature. No reliable statistics have been compiled on the number of churches or number of members. Satanic cults (known as grottos) exist among all walks of life. Their activities range from petty and harmless to serious and deadly.
Anton Szandor LeVay is generally credited with glorifying Satanism, as a religion. Known as the "Black Pope," LeVay founded the Church " -gan in 1966 and published the Satanic Bible, as a guide for his followers.
Most Satanists share the belief that they are spiritually superior to others. This is a way to justify what they do to others without remorse. The most common types of crimes committed by Satanists are grave desecration, church vandalism, animal mutilation, arson, ritual sex abuse (such as gang rape), assault and murder. This is almost always coupled with illegal drug use.
Investigators need to understand why people, especially young people, become involved in Satanism. Practitioners are usually male, from middle- or upperclass families and usually feel alienated from their families, as well as from religion. Although intelligent, creative and possessing a highly developed sense of curiosity, they usually experience a high degree of stress, anxiety and fear. They may be underachievers who have difficulty relating to peers and suffer from...