Posted on 01/27/2005 7:04:01 PM PST by churchillbuff
Vatican courses on Satanism
News Analysis
By Uwe Siemon-Netto UPI Religious Affairs Editor
PARIS, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Satanism is growing so quickly worldwide that as of next month a papal university in Rome will offer courses on this frightening phenomenon.
According to Vatican sources, divinity students at the pontifical Regina Apostolorum (Queen of the Apostles) University will learn about devil worship, witchcraft, demonology and exorcism.
They will learn to give pastoral care to youngsters who have joined satanic cults, but also their worried parents, a Vatican prelate told United Press International by telephone Tuesday.
Type the word, "Satanism," into the Google search engine, and some 461,000 hits will appear on your computer's monitor. That's more than the terms, "Lutheranism" and "Calvinism," the two oldest Protestant traditions, will produce - together.
The U.S.-based "Church of Satan," which has about 10,000 members, shows up 56,000 times on Google, compared with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's measly 15,000 hits, even though the ELCA counts nearly 5 million faithful.
"Of course such figures reveal little about a subject's real importance," says the Rev. Albrecht Immanuel Herzog, executive vice president of a based mission society headquartered in Neuendettelsau, Bavaria.
On the other hand, the figures certainly do show one thing: In a global society dominated by the Internet, the devil and the occult garner a considerably greater interest right now than Lutheran or Calvinist theologies -- or Methodism, for that matter (245,000 hits).
It is the Internet that, along with "black metal"-type rock music and its chilling lyrics, attracts the world's young to the Prince of Darkness.
What makes them such easy prey? Loneliness, according to Italian professor Carlo Climati, who will teach the course at Regina Apostolorum -- the loneliness of the juvenile Internet surfer.
Thus while the "Church of Satan," which advertises itself as a mix of hedonistic philosophy with the rituals of black magic, claims to liberate its adherents (from traditional stuffiness), Satanism really does not cater to a thirst for freedom, says the Rev. Herzog.
"Instead, it aims at a desire for dependency and thus enslaves," he goes on. It is hard to argue with Herzog on this point since many Satanism Web sites are directly linked to others featuring bondage, discipline, sadomasochism and violent death, including photographs of aborted embryos in garbage cans.
A cursory glance of gruesome incidents linked to Satanism worldwide proves that this is the true locus of the "culture of death" Pope John Paul II never ceases to denounce. In recent years, these things occurred, for example:
-- In Trier, Germany, birthplace of Karl Marx, the prosecutor's office has been investigating the claim of a woman that babies were being cut up and eaten in Satanist rituals.
-- In Finland a youthful pair was jailed for eating part of a fellow devil worshiper's body, abusing it sexually, then cutting it into small pieces, all to the tunes of Black Metal music - and all in a Satanist ritual.
-- In Brisbane, Australia, two young sadistic lesbians were sentenced for stabbing and slashing the throat of a 59-year old New Zealand grandmother - in a Satanist ritual.
-- In Athens, young Satanists were sentenced for stripping, cuffing, raping and slaughtering a 15-year old girl - in a Satanist initiation scene.
-- In Buenos Aires, Argentina, two young women were found guilty of killing their father and stabbing him in the face 100 times - in a Satanist family event of sorts.
-- In Donskoi, Russia, Satanists led by 80-year old Yelena Kuzina and including members as young as 20 were jailed for murders - committed in occult rituals.
-- Only recently in a forest near Milan, Italy, youngsters danced on the graves of two coreligionists they had just killed - in a Satanist ritual murder.
These examples can be continued at infinitum. "This phenomenon," a Catholic exorcist told United Press International some time ago, "is a growth industry for the pastoral care business, if only there were enough ministers prepared to deal with this situation - and to read the alarm signal when young people suddenly act strangely, walk around in black gear with chains and spikes, and hide their faces under grisly black makeup.
"Don't think this is in all cases just a form of entertainment," he warned. "It can be a sign of an enslavement to a growing lethal faith."
If the Vatican REALLY wants to be helpful, they'll offer courses outlining the satanic foundations of the death cult known as ISLAM, from their child-molesting founder Mohammed to the current day pack of demonically inspired terrorists that confront us on a global scale.
But of course that wouldn't be politically correct now would it?
Does that mean a lot of the kings of Europe were also child molestors?, because marrying young girls - for dynastic purposes - was not unusual in the middle ages.
Satan worship has to fall into the realm of those things done by the truly stupid! Not just a low level of intelligence, such as measured by IQ, but truly stupid to the very essence of one's being.
Look at it this way. There's one of three things that define reality.
1) There is a God and there is a devil.
2) There is a God and there is no devil.
3) There is no God.
Most people will agree that one of those three conditions is the reality of the situation. I do not list a fourth possibility of there being no God but there is a devil because it's self evidently rediculous. (Besides, if that were the case then the devil would be God by any definition)
So we have established that there are two out of three possibilities where there is in fact no such thing as a devil. And that in the case where there is a devil, there's also a God. Or in other words, proof of God is not proof of a devil, whereas proof of a devil is proof of a God. (My personal opinion is that God doesn't waste space or energy on a devil)
Now, the question becomes, how many devil worshiper's brains could you fit on the head of a pin?
Exactly. Most Satanists are merely "goth" looser types who need to finally move out of thier parents' basement. This is like worrying about patches in your lawn while the roof is caving in.
'Course not - because that, of course, "doesn't happen".
Satanism is a real threat in the present day society as it always has been.
I remember sitting down and watching a made for TV movie with my teen age girls on the subject and then we talked and talked. Never had any trouble with any of my kids.
>>There is no God and there is a Devil
I covered that in the paragraph immediately following the list.
I wonder whether they are training more exorcists for the hard cases. It would seem the right time to do so.
My good friend in Rome kept pulling me to the other side of the street in a certain neighborhood across town from the Vatican because behind gates on a lushly landscaped acre stood the HQ of the official Church analyzer of cases of possession. He and only he could tell whether they were psychological phenom or truly caused by demonic possession. (He should take a look at Islamofascists today.}
My friend is not Catholic or religious for that matter, but quite afraid of getting too close to the devil. As we all should be.,
Do you remember the name of the movie?
Please don't turn this into a Priest bashing thread.
Killjoy.
Sorry, you are using earthly logic and wisdom to arrive at your conclusions. The whole thing with satanism is not about intelligence, there are people who are brilliant who are spiritually deceived in many false religions...satanism is about power. While the article talks about enslavement, the appeal when proselytizing is not about being dominated, but dominating of others for personal gratification, revenge, wealth or other 'fleshly' desires. And -- this will probably get a few retorts but -- Harry Potter seems to crave power, not self-sacrificial humanitarian efforts. Treble that with the Pokemon type cards and the frenzied efforts of the kids who collect them.
Interesting that they would use unborn children in their rituals--clearly they believe that the unborn are human!
My own thoughts on the matter are that if God exists, then it is reasonable to assume that other supernatural beings might also exist and like people, probably not all of them are good.
No thanks.If I fear God, I'll avoid him altogether..
What ever happened to faith, hope and love? Isn't that the message of Jesus?
***....satanism is about power***
You are 100% correct with this statement.
It is totally about power.
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