From: David.Rice@ofa123.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: alt.atheism
Subject: Religion & Crime / "Satanic Conspiracy"
Date: 5 Oct 92 13:14:32 GMT
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Oct  1 1992

It  might comfort the ignorant and the insecure  within  our 
society to project inhuman crimes onto a scapegoat but  that 
will  not cure the problem of child sexual abuse. It  is  an 
act  of  belligerent ignorance to blame such things  upon  a 
minority group because no other answer to the problem  seems available.
Curing  the problem is what the NSPCC sets itself up  to  do 
yet   this  annual  report  of  theirs  finds  excuses   not 
solutions. The inability of some NSPCC inspectors to  remain 
unbiased  and the organisations reluctance to enter  into  a 
meaningful dialogue with minority beliefs (who have just  as 
much  an interest in seeing society freed from the crime  of 
child  abuse as they have) is indicative of intolerance  and 
expediency.  Whether  those  minority  beliefs  are  Muslim, 
Pagan, Buddhist, or even Satanic is immaterial.
The satanic/occult child abuse scare has been proven a total 
fabrication.  If  the  NSPCC  has  been  spending  resources 
investigating  an  illusion born of prejudice  and  bigotry, 
even  in  the face of factual and  documentary  evidence  to 
prove  otherwise,  how many REAL child molesters  have  been 
allowed to operate whilst the spotlight was elsewhere?
The  NSPCC has been unwilling to retract or  elaborate  upon 
its July 17 statement. The body has been unwilling to  enter 
into  dialogue  about the genuine aspects of  the  religious 
belief   of  Paganism  and  Witchcraft  with  the   official 
representatives of those religions. The NSPCC has failed  to 
support the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights which 
SPECIFICALLY  protects  individual  freedom  of  belief  and 
imposes  a  moral  responsibility upon  agencies  of  member 
states (including the UK) to be aware of the articles in the 
declaration  and to uphold them. The NSPCC has even  refused 
to  make  a corporate statement about its official  view  of 
such beliefs.
The NSPCC is a well respected body. It should put up or shut 
up.  So far it has produced a lot of wind AND  NO  EVIDENCE. 
The fact is that its leaders have been mislead. Never before 
in  the history of the NSPCC has the society  addressed  the 
allegations  of  Satanic Child Sexual Abuse; Satanism  as  a 
recorded  belief is hundreds of years old. Are we to  assume 
that  the NSPCC has only just been able to enquire  on  this 
subject?  How  do  they identify  a  Satanist  anyhow?  What 
reasoning have the NSPCC put forward for Satanists acting in 
the way the society has alleged? Why is a Satanist  supposed 
to be more disposed to commit child sexual abuse than anyone 
else?  Simple  questions  but without  these  answers  NSPCC 
opinion adds up only to prejudice.
And  is  this  the  thin end of  the  wedge?  Will  Jews  be 
criticised next for mutilating their babies when  performing 
circumcision  soon after birth? Will the NSPCC dictate  that 
Yoruba  boys  must  not undergo  facial  scarring  in  their 
puberty  initiations and rule that Sikh boys must  not  have 
their  hair  shorn  when  reaching  manhood  because  it  is 
psychologically  damaging?  This country must  wake  up  and 
decide whether it is willing to allow well-ment ignorance to 
impose  itself  upon  ethnic traditions  or  whether  it  is 
willing  to  bestow  dignity  upon these  who  make  up  our 
society,  however "different" they may seem. If  leaders  of 
these  various ethnic and cultural groups, having  undergone 
these ceremonies themselves as children, still value and see 
the  need  for such things who is to  tell  them  otherwise? 
Certainly not the NSPCC.
Perpetrators  of  child sexual abuse are criminals  and  the 
crime should carry its appropriate punishment; however as  a 
society  we must ensure that we do not confuse  subconscious 
prejudice  and  bigotry  and ignorance with  out  intent  to 
protect  children  and  go so  overboard  that  we  actually 
devalue the society we bequest to them.
If  the NSPCC wishes to be taken seriously and is doing  its 
job  properly and their allegations about organised  satanic 
conspiracies  to abuse children is a reality then THEY  WILL 
NOT ONLY BE ABLE TO PRODUCE PROOF INCONTROVERTIBLE BUT  THEY 
WILL, SURELY, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BRING MANY PROSECUTIONS. But 
the  NSPCC has not been able to bring any such  prosecutions 
which categorically and incontrovertibly link Satanism  with 
child sex abuse.
The  NSPCC  has  a long deserved  good  reputation  for  the 
protection  of children. It has mistakenly entered an  arena 
with  which it is ill equipped to deal. The society  has  no 
need to traffic with hysteria and sensationalism in order to 
further its ends. Those in charge of the NSPCC need to  look 
at  the  results of their actions very  clearly  indeed  and 
admit  that  they  were  mislead  and  in  error  in   their 
conclusions; for that is the truth of the matter and it  now 
a  historical  and  dishonourable  fact  that  rather   than 
enlighten and improve out society on this subject those  who 
lead  the NSPCC have simply added to the sum total of  human 
ignorance. THE CHALLENGE
           =============
As representatives of the estimated 250,000 genuine and  law 
abiding  occultists and Pagans throughout the UK, we  invite 
the  NSPCC  to join with us in getting at the truth  of  the 
matter. We offer the expertise and knowledge of our  members 
in  the complex area of Alternative and New Age  beliefs  to 
avoid the police, the social services, and the NSPCC  itself 
squandering resources on a wild goose chase. More than that, 
we  invite  the  NSPCC to investigate  thoroughly  and  then 
publically  announce the error in their past  statements  so 
that  they  can  return to their proper  job  of  protecting 
children  at  risk instead of being used  by  one  religious 
belief as a hammer to suppress another.

--- Maximus 2.00