From: anon-1349@twwells.com (Mary)
Newsgroups: alt.sexual.abuse.recovery
Subject: Re: Ritual Abuse Discussion
Date: 12 Jan 93 23:46:23 GMT
Organization: Anonymous Posting Service at twwells.com
X-Email-Accepted: yes

I too do not get a.s.a.r.d. - but wanted to make a few comments about the 
ongoing discussion.  Some are tangential and may not be totally relevant to the 
core discussion, but I think are relevant to a broader perspective on the 
general topic of ritual abuse.

I will loosely refer to a few ideas that people have expressed, but am not 
quoting anyone directly.

I thought Anika made a wonderful analogy in comparing gang violence to ritual
abuse and I agree that there is a tremendous amount of abuse (physical and
sexual) that is related to (a) group membership or affiliation, (b) beliefs and 
ideals (values, etc.) held by the group/affiliation, and (c) the "rituals" or
practices of the groups.  While it may be that much of this abuse cannot be
blamed on "Satanic Ritual Abuse" or even "ritual" abuse in a the rigid sense of 
the term, this does not negate the problem.  I think that narrowly discussing
the specific sort of "Satanic Ritual Abuse" that has been the focus of recent
discussions really minimizes the problem.

For example--several children die each year from medical neglect related to the 
practice of certain religious rituals and beliefs.  These children are denied
lifesaving (or even quality of life-saving) medical care because of the 
"rituals" of their "church."  

My mother rationalized her physical abuse of me with her religious beliefs and 
this is not an uncommon practice.  A great deal of physical abuse is related to 
the philosophy of "original sin" and the Biblical admonition that states (this 
may *not* be a direct quote) "Spare the rod and spoil the child."  Thus the 
"cults" related to the Judeo-Christian ethic have often encouraged and 
reinforced the "ritual" of beating children in a senseless manner.  Documented 
deaths of children due to physical abuse each year number about 1400.

(By the way, my mother still says that she had every right to beat me, and 
that it was good for me, that I needed it because I was a bad child etc.  And 
then she says - "Well, you turned out okay didn't you?  And she still uses the 
Bible as justification for her abuse of me.)

Finally, although there really is no *typical* perp - it is not uncommon for
the perpetrators of child sexual abuse to hold strong, fundamentalist religious
beliefs.  

I know that this really doen't not address the issue of "Satanic Ritual Abuse" 
and I am not minimizing the pain and suffering of those who suffered such
atrocities.  But, I am pointing out that abuse related to group
membership and ritualistic beliefs and behavior certainly does exist - in many 
forms.  

****Some of the following may deserve a SPOILER warning*****


That's really all I had to say about that.  But I do have a story that is more
directly related to the Satanism theme.  I for one, certainly do believe that
Satanic groups do exist.  There was a Church of Satan in the town where I grew
up (it was way out in the country and there were goat's heads on the posts
on either side of the locked gate at the end of the church's driveway).  In 
addition, there was Satanic activity in the eastern part of North Carolina 
when I lived there.  (I was a helping services professional and was working 
with several of the kids who got caught up in the activities that were going 
on- I talked extensively  with the teens about their activities).  Anyway,
a large number of teenagers in the area started a "gang" (they had a name,
jackets, etc.).  These teens got involved with a few older people who were 
heavily into the drug trade and who apparently turned these kids onto "playing"
with some Satanic activities.  Among other things, these teens had seances in
graveyards late at night, robbed graves, held "black masses", played real life
Dungeons and Dragons in the woods (using real swords and skulls and bones 
from the graves that they had robbed), and terrorized other kids.  There were 
rumors of a couple of kidnappings (one girl disappeared for a few months, but
I think she actually ran away).  One of the teenage boys died of an apparent
suicide (the police ruled the death a suicide), but the peers of this boy
swore to me that he had been murdered because he would not cooperate in some
of this "gang's" activities.  Probably the worst thing that the kids did that I 
know actually happened was do dig up the body of a baby who had died of natural
causes (soon after the death) and mutilate the body.  As far as I know the 
kids did not engage in any ritualistic sexual abuse or physical abuse of others.
However, I moved out of the area at the height of this activity to return to
school and so I have no idea what might have taken place after I moved.

Mary






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