Satanism

Yesterday I attended a talk arranged by Skeptics in the pub about the mass hysteria surrounding child abuse by satanic cults. This organisation invites speakers to present their arguments against blind faith or the paranormal and the event takes place in a pub near London Bridge. Last night's speaker was Jean La Fontain, a social sciences professor at the LSE.

During the late 90s there was increase in reports of child abuse by Satanic cults in America and the UK. This was widely reported by the papers and conspiracy theories were rife. Many believed that children were being abused and possibly sacrificed during satanic rituals, furthermore the satanic movement was so pervasive that it had influence in the police force and government that allowed it to operate above the law. The government took notice of these rumors and sponsored the research of professor La Fontain to discover what was really going on.

As it turns out only a minor percentage of the cases exhibited any evidence of real abuse, and in the ones that did the perpetrators were mentally ill, there was no consistency in the satanic rituals that they used and no link between them. The talk touched on how the masses can become over enthusiastic about rumours, especially when child abuse and devil worship are concerned. She explained how improper questioning of children may be equivalent implanting suggestions and explained how children who refused to admit they had been abused were considered to be in denial.

She also suggested that the rumour may have originated unknowingly from Evangelical Christians. Satan is a Christain concept and as Evangelism increases in Britain so does the denunciation of "sinners" as being in league with Satan. A combination of fear mongering and high emotions fueled by the media resulted in a widely held belief, despite the lack of any evidence.

I saw a documentary that covered similar subject matter called Capturing the Friedmans. This was a film that avoided making conclusions while telling the story of a father and son who purportedly abused a series of children at a computer class they were teaching. One of the most memorable scenes was when an expert is explaining how children in abuse cases should be questioned contrasted with how they were actually questioned. To avoid implanting suggestions children should be asked open ended questions and be allowed to explain the situation in their own words, however in reality they are often asked directly and repeatedly "were you abused?" and often accused of lying or being in denial until they answer affirmatively.

The talk was certainly thought provoking, and I look forward to attending the next one.