Product Description
How is it possible for Scientology to continue growing and recruiting celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Lisa Marie Presley, Tom Cruise, Kirstie Allie, and John Travolta when the truth about this cult is so widely available via the internet? Supporters of Scientology claim that it is compatible with all world religions. The published findings of numerous government inquiries, the affidavits and court testimony of former high level members, and the expert analysis of Scientology practices, however, paint a much different picture. This book is a must read for anyone considering Scientology as a viable spiritual pathway. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

felt letdown
Was looking for more and better info on known personalities.
Dry read, nothing there that's not already well known and " out there ".

Reviewer Quotes
"A must read for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the mysteries, origin, and potential danger of Scientology." - Ken Lentz, Th.D., author of "God, the Good Ally"

"One hundred percent dead on the money and then some." - Arnie Lerma, former Scientologist and author of [...]

"A concise summary of the evidence." - William Harwood, the Midwest Book Review ... Read more

Product Description
Criticism has largely emphasized the private meaning of"Romantic Satanism", treating it as the celebration of subjectivity through allusions to Paradise Lost that voice Satan's solitary defiance. The first full-length treatment of its subject, Romantic Satanism explores this literary phenomenon as a socially produced myth exhibiting the response of writers to their milieu. Through contextualized readings of the major works of Blake, Shelley, and Byron, this book demonstrates that Satanism enabled Romantic writers to interpret their tempestuous age: it provided them a mythic medium for articulating the hopes and fears their age aroused, for prophesying and inducing change.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Study
For anyone interested in the Romantic movement, or in any of the poets/writers of the day, this book is an absolute necessity.

Whether you are taking a course on the subject, teaching the subject, or a fan of the poets involved, you will find this book immensely helpful and fun to read.

I loved it.Get this book. ... Read more

Product Description
In the public imagination Satanism is associated with bizarre rituals, perverse hedonistic lifestyles, heavy metal music, immature adolescents acting out, horror movies, and rumors of ritual abuse. But what are the facts behind the urban legends and the "moral panics" that periodically sweep the country regarding this countercultural phenomenon? This authoritative reference work gathers together scholarly studies of Satanism and original source material, focusing on two major aspects—organized religious Satanism and the Satanic Ritual Abuse hoax that was prevalent in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The contributors first examine modern Satanism, a decentralized movement whose only coherence is based on certain themes that date back to the writings of Anton Szandor LaVey, especially his Satanic Bible. Among other factors, the authors discuss how the emergence of the Internet as a form of communication has created some coherence among disparate groups through cross-reference.

Many articles are devoted to the Satanic Ritual Abuse scare, an erroneous belief in a vast underground network of Satanists who were abusing children. For years members of the law enforcement community and numerous therapists, encouraged by the hype of mass media, bought into this panic.

Other topics include the role of the media in the perceptions of Satanism and Satanic Ritual Abuse, juvenile delinquency and Satanism, and police pursuit of satanic crime. The volume concludes with primary source material, including a report from the Ritual Abuse Task Force and selections from current Satanism groups.

This objective reference work will be useful for professionals in many fields and members of the public interested in sorting out the facts from the myths surrounding this controversial subculture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Both historic and modern Satanism are covered
Satanism is popularly associated with hedonism and horror, but there are concrete facts which actually surround the practice of Satanism, and this reference gathers together scholarly studies of Satanism along with original source material to survey its history and practices. Both historic and modern Satanism are covered in a survey which discusses its practices, common misbeliefs, and modern concerns such as the role of the media in Satanistic coverage. An outstanding sourcebook and a 'must' for any library where Satanism and alternative beliefs are covered.

Another Pleading Propaganda Machine
Well, I've read my share of books on satanism over time and this one takes the cake. I've just finished reading this one and I am ashamed of the entire thing from cover to cover. The book in itself at first glance appears to be a great work that will reveal a little more of the dark arts and then upon reading of the table of contents it is shown to be another wining book on ritual abuse and the misdrawn conclusions as if they are attempting to convince someone that today's satanism is actually legitimate. WHAT?!? HUH?!? Any cult or religion over time has had its fair share of bloodshed and tears and pains even satanism and most ESPECIALLY CATHOLOCISM (the basic worship of one deity). When you ask someone if they believe in a god and then upon their answer of no or yes automatically they are wrong because they don't know what you know. This is a religion based on fear and "Have to be right'rs" WTF! Satanism, on the otherhand, when practiced with the proper knowledge and enthusiasm reveals life's secrets and allows the magician to properly and appropriately utilize such workings to his benefit. Satanism advocates something that any religion of one deity has always strived to strip away from civilization, a CHOICE of not only WHAT to believe in, but how to believe in it and what belief actually is and how it may be appropriately used alongside CHOICE. Choice is a magical working even within itself. Yes, this does take some of the magic out of the practice of it, but to become a true magician you will come to understand this over time. Most other religions base their entire campaign on the fact that most people relinquish their CHOICE to people that don't even know how to make choices. Talk about blind leading the blind. This book only serves one purpose. To propose to the Pope and many christian and catholic followers alike that Satanism is OK, kids tested, mother approved!!! Click, Click, End of Surmin, now get the **** out! ... Read more

Product Description
A detailed, comprehensive study of the occult in its modern context. The author reveals the existence of a massive network of occult organizations and delves deeply into the current practices of witches, occultists, black magicians and Satanists. Photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Wicca and Human Sacrifice
No doubt Wiccans hate this book because it describes how Gerald Gardner'scoven had performed a human sacrifice so Hitler would lose WWII.
"The group were deadly serious about their secret rituals to keep Hitler at bay and decided beforehand that they could leave nothing to chance. But to be 100 per cent effective there would have to be a human sacrifice. It is said that the oldest and frailest member of the coven volunteered to die during the ritual, set for what proved to be the coldest May night in many years. According to Francis King, ...all but the frail old man had covered their bodies with an ointment, which was in reality a heavy grease used among other things to keep the body warm. The coven was also known to use an hallucinogen, the fly agaric mushroom, which could be eaten only in exceedingly small doses...The old volunteer duly collapsed and died, and it is not known whether it was from an overdose of mushrooms, over-exhaustion or the cold. The great sacrifice had been made and the potency of their magic could have been enhanced when two other members of the coven died from pneumonia in the following two weeks, and two others passed to the waiting room for reincarnation not long afterwards." (pages 45-46 of the edition I read)
Wicca is not thousands of years old, it was created by Gerald Gardner through the years of 1939-1954. It's a hoax, and has nothing to do with "Mediterranean figurines", other than the minds of the deluded folks who think they have magic powers. This book is a great read, if for no other reason than the quotation above.

Very Good Book
As an agnostic, I found this book to be as unbiased as a book like this could be.I think that John Parker shed some much needed light on this subject, and it seems as though the people who could not appreciate it are most likely the ones who become involved in such religions for the wrong reasons.I enjoyed reading about the interviews, the history behind these subjects, and also just a bit of the science behind some of their "medicinal" creations.

Read this book with an open mind that is interested in the history of it all.

A load of crap.
Satanists worship Satan, hence the name.The basis of witchcraft began in old Europe around the Black Sea circa 5000 B.C.It involved the first form of dance and prayer, and a very fat maternal figure.Our principals were set long before Christians invented Satan.If you want history read The Wiccan Mysteries.That's homework.You might want to take a closer look at the Horned God.You'll have a hard time making a vicious hell beast out of Bambie's Dad.Thankfully, George Bush has not yet succeeded at recalling the right to religious freedom.Ho-ya! And next time you accuse people of something put down your name coward.

Almost Comical
It astounds me how ANYTHING can be published these days and that anyone can present one's own personal ignorance as an authority on the subject and find others to accept it as such.It I weren't so disturbed by the fact that some people actually take this book's presentation seriously, I would find the work quite comical to say the least.

If you are looking for a non-biased, fair presentation this book is not worth the paper it is printed on.If you want a classic example to the warning "just because it is printed in a book doesn't mean it is true" this book would make a perfect case in point!

Devil-worshippers? Ask a REAL Pagan!
Such ignorance and hatred today, and accepted by so many sheep. I wonder if the people who actually read this B.S. have used LOGIC and WISDOM and COMMONFREAKINGSENSE and has gone to any REAL witches or wiccans instead of a bunch of brainless morons with a theological axe to grind. Want to knowabout witchcraft and wicca? Read Scott Cunningham's The Truth AboutWitchcraft Today. You'll be surprised about which side has the mostwelled-up hatred and childish discrimination it so very fears to admithaving. I just can't believe this idiot is still going at it. If you wannathrow fire and brimstone at me, then email me. If you do so with a narrowmind, then digest this quote for a little while: "Only fools and theignorant do not change." I wonder if this dupe has done researchbeyond Christian fanatics (no offense to Christians in general) and babyishrumors. You've gotta be pretty gullible and weak to believe thiscoffee-table trash. I bet this guy's not a REAL Christian; Real Christiansdo not promote hatred, false knowledge, and slander. Merry we meet, andmerry we part, life & love forever. ... Read more

Product Description
The practice of satanism, with its alleged link to the ritual abuse of children, is one of the more disturbing stories to hit the headlines over recent years. Far from being limited to a tiny clique of hardened fanatics, the occult practices of witchcraft and black magic are beginning to pervade a far greater cross-section of the community - and lives are being corrupted and destroyed in the process. In this book, the author discovers how insiduous the occult in Britain is today and also looks at the way in which the authorities and the church are fighting back. ... Read more

Product Description
Authors examine whether Satanism is a dangerous new cult to be feared or whether a few publicized event have been exaggerated out of proportion to their seriousness and extent. (20020801) ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Satanism," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Satanism in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Satanism when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Satanism, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Are you a satanist?
According to this book anyone who celebrates their birthdays could very well be a satanist. Oh and also anyone who doesnt clean their room.

:-) YeahhhSatan!

the truth hurts
This book is right on, Satan desires to destroy children,
look at the lastest obsession with a certain boy wizard. More evidence that in the last days, Right will be Wrong
and Wrong will be Right. The bible forbids the practice of
witchcraft and of the occult, don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

Ridiculous
Another work of paranoia making the work of God look evil through lies and false witness. This kind of erroneous and deceptive material is why Pagans are the hardest group in America to witness to. ... Read more

Product Description
Raising the Devil reveals how the Christian Pentecostal movement, right-wing conspiracy theories, and an opportunistic media turned grassroots folk traditions into the Satanism scare of the 1980s.

During the mid-twentieth century, devil worship was seen as merely an isolated practice of medieval times. But by the early 1980s, many influential experts in clinical medicine and in law enforcement were proclaiming that satanic cults were widespread and dangerous. By examining the broader context for alleged “cult” activity, Bill Ellis demonstrates how the image of contemporary Satanism emerged during the 1970s.

Blaming a wide range of mental and physical illnesses on in-dwelling demons, a faction of the Pentecostal movement became convinced that their gifts of the spirit were being opposed by satanic activities. They attributed these activities to a “cult” that was the evil twin of true Christianity.

In some of the cases Ellis considers, common folk beliefs and rituals were misunderstood as evidence of devil worship. In others, narratives and rituals themselves were used to combat satanic forces. As the media found such stories more and more attractive, any activity with even remotely occult overtones was demonized in order to fit a model of absolute good confronting evil.

Ellis’s wide-ranging investigation covers ouija boards, cattle mutilation, graveyard desecration, and “diabolical medicine”—the psychiatric community’s version of exorcism. He offers a balanced view of contentious issues such as demonic possession, satanic ritual abuse, and the testimonies of confessing “ex-Satanists.” A trained folklorist, Ellis seeks to navigate a middle road in this dialog, and his insights into informal religious traditions clarify how the image of Satanism both explained and created deviant behavior. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Satan? Or just your imagination?
It wouldn't surprise me at all if some people believe that Ellis doesn't have the "right" to write a book like Raising the Devil, and not would I be very surprised if many of these critics stated their opinions without even bother reading the book. But why shouldn't Ellis be allowed to make a thorough analysis of the so-called "satanic panic" that raged in both North America and Great Britain from time to time during the 20th century? Because, he happens to be an active member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. And to many narrow-minded Satanists, this equals an inability to remain objective.

Well, that might be so, but let's not consider the fact that he happens to be a Christian. He also happens to be a folklorist, and a very good one, too. He might be the most Christian guy you ever met; this still doesn't stop him from with Raising the Devil creating a book that's not only a high-quality analysis of how Satanism and devil worship, both in America and Great Britain, were forced to become the no.1 scapegoats for various social ills; it's also a study that most self-appointed Satanists should read and ponder. And let's not forget all the hard-core Christians who never hesitated to put the blame on something without making sure to know all the facts first.

What Ellis does is describing how phenomena that not necessarily has any reality to it still becomes something very real, when fear for the unknown and unnatural forces the antagonists into creating something that isn't really there to begin with. Or in the words of Ellis himself discussing alleged witch-cults in Great Britain: "The claim that they existed seems to have brought the witch-cults into existence", that is, it wasn't until people started worrying about witches that witches came into existence.

In America, not-so objective representations of different law enforcement agencies and Pentecostals, with their fanatic struggle to exterminate everything which in their eyes was satanic and evil, resulted in the accusations of both innocent individuals and actions. It's a thin line between what's good and what's evil, and the most fascinating aspect of his study is his ambition to point out how fanatics (mostly Christians) with extreme, yet well-meaning, intentions are mostly to blame. Their ruthless crusade against everything occult (which in their eyes were a whole lot of things), turned out to be "a sincere but wrong-headed effort to fight the devil by raising the devil".

So far, Sweden has been spared the same kind of hysteria about satanic panic and occult conspiracies, mostly because we simply don't have the same kind of religious landscape that the U.S. has. However, there's always a risk for fiction to become more believable than truth wherever folk-narratives and folk-processes are able to triumph over what's really out there, and because of this, books such as Raising the Devil are good tools in the fight against imaginations and prejudices.

Bedeviled
It was a great show while it lasted, the subject of fervent newspaper reports, television specials and an exposé by Geraldo Rivera in the 1980s.Satanism was rampant across America, nay, the world, with protean manifestations, if people would just pay attention.Twenty years before, there had been Satanism, but it was not very well publicized and not very interesting.But somehow it became the fashionable scare.How did this happen, and what should we do about it?

Bill Ellis is a folklorist, and an academic specializing in English and American studies.His book, Raising the Devil: Satanism, New Religions, and the Media (University Press of Kentucky) attempts a sympathetic understanding of how the Devil made one of his cyclic emergences and how folklore can affect society and politics.Scares about Satan and witchcraft have been present for centuries, and seem to give a safety valve for social aggression, scapegoating deviant individuals.At the individual level of, say, someone who thinks he is possessed by a demon and someone who thinks he can cast that demon out, there is a social agreement on a folkloric belief that may be beneficial for both concerned (if not for the demon).But Ellis's theme is that social groups can take over a folkloric belief to push a religious or governmental agenda, with disastrous consequences.He shows how demon possession and speaking in tongues are two sides of the same coin, and how belief in demons was ballooned into the belief that there was a huge underground satanic network ruining our country.Those who promulgated such conspiracy beliefs also bought into conspiracies involving Jews, vampires, the Illuminati, and cattle mutilations.

Raising the Devil is an academic work, well documented and organized.Ellis tries to illuminate the role of the folklorist in examining these sorts of belief, and realizes that he and his fellows have the difficult road to follow of accepting folklore (even if it is patently untrue) as a force between small numbers of individuals, while they also have to confront institutions that would harness folklore for political or religious change.His academic prose is leavened by the strange subject matter.For instance, the Governor of Colorado is quoted as saying that cattle mutilations were "one of the greatest outrages in the history of the western cattle industry," and a leader of a coven in England warned about bogus cult groups, as he had heard about one in which members "started getting in prostitutes dressed in rubber gear and there was wife swapping, too.It gives Satanism a bad name."

GREAT BOOK!!
This is a book that I could not put down! It explains how the media reacts so viciously to Satanism and new religions, which they know very little about. I myself am a Satanist and think that the media makes it sound much more evil than it really is. I think this was a good book because I can relate to the media and Satanists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not bad, but not great
Satanism is part of the At Issue series, published by Greenhaven Press. This is a series where each book is focused exclusively on a single topic. Not rarely is this topic of a controversial nature, and the books enable both advocates and opponents to speak their mind. It's a format that's just as brilliant as it's simple, but brilliance and simplicity isn't everything, and due to a sometimes sparse format, resulting in each contributor having much too few pages at their disposal. And without enough space some of the arguments become very weak indeed.

That's highly unfortunate, considering that this series is packed with very, very fascinating topics. Satanism is one of these books. Unfortunately, though, it's also a perfect example of how the lack of space for each author stands in the way for the book to really blossom. In this particular case the opponents suffer the worst, since they generally use extremely silly and quite childish reasoning in their attempts to convince the readers about the dangers of Satanism; this allegedly wicked way of life which always leads to death, misery, decay, and various other sufferings. Again and again the outraged non-Satanists fail miserably, and the biggest failure of them all is Harun Yahya. He and his contribution, "Satanism Promotes Ritual Violence", are actually so shockingly narrow-minded and immensely hysterical that in the end it all becomes one big tragicomic farse.

Harsh criticism, one might think. True, but it's a criticism that's more than valid, since Yahya - who apparently believes he should be taken seriously despite the fact that he isn't very fond of revealing any source material - makes it extremely clear how he hasn't got any clue whatsoever regarding contemporary LaVeyan Satanism:

"According to the belief of Satanism, people have no responsibilities, apart from that of following their own desires. If his desires lead a person to anger, hatred, revenge, deceit, theft, the harming of others or even murder, then that is acceptable. (...) Virtues such as love, tolerance, patience, and forgiveness, which are highly esteemed by most people, and are elements of the true morality, are loathed by Satanists." (pg.45)

Or what about this funky little statement:

"As we have seen, Satanism holds utterly perverse beliefs, which encourage people to be aggressive, to commit murder, and even mass slaughter. In America in particular, academics have established that Satanism lies at the root of national terror..." (pg.46)

However, one must be honest and point out that not all criticism is as lousy as the one produced by Yahya. For example, "The Negative Aspects of Satanism Outweigh the Positives" by D. Rebecca Deinsen is definitely worth reading. And some of the advocates aren't the greatest writers in the world, either. So in the end, from time to time the book is not bad at all, but still it's far from enough for anyone interested in knowing what this thing called Satanism really is all about. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is intended for a wide audience: parents, teachers, clergy, counselors and other mental health personnel, and law enforcers. It is the first study to address the problems of adolescent Satanism from a psychological viewpoint. Moriarty critically evaluates the philosophy of Satanism through a review of The Satanic Bible, and further appraises the causes of Satanism by examining the role of power, ritual and dualistic thinking in young peoples' lives. In addition, Moriarty evaluates how communication patterns and parenting styles impact on a young person's vulnerability to become involved in Santanism. This is also the first book to describe the relationship between Satanism and suicide. Finally, it closes with ten practical suggestions for parents and others that will lead to effective prevention. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

One Star, Deserved
The author ignores his own writing, really.

He starts off explaining his first encounter with a Satanist. He describes a self assured, confident individual. Not the whiny goth or the hapless victim. Not the social misfit who gets picked on and can't do anything about it and just "hates everybody."

He ignores whole portions of the Satanic Bible, and whole concepts. I've seen it. I've broken it down. Compared comments from this book and the Satanic Bible. Its assessment is totally inaccurate. This isn't just me complaining. The author contradicts direct statements by Anton LaVey!

Of course, it does also ignore the other works of Satanic literature. Granted, this may have been "before" all that, but I doubt it. Amazon says 1992. So there's no excuse for that either.

Its assessment is largely of teen "Satanists" (used so because I doubt whether the teens he evaluated were actually Satanists). Ignoring the many adults that are Satanists today.

I do think it deserves one star. It has a grain of intelligence. There are people who try to claim Satanism for totally the wrong reasons, as he identifies. But to suggest that all Satanists fit into those four types is foolish.

So? Largely inaccurate where Satanism is concerned. About teens? Somewhat accurate. But there are too many generalizations for this book to be that useful to anybody but paranoid Christians.

Best Argument Against Satanism...From a Psychologist!!!
NOTE: This is not a book written by some "Christian Psychologist" that can simply be dismissed by some.
The essence of this book is what common sense knows : Satanism is a religion for anti-social misfits. Too many people try to treat Satanism as an equal and viable religion along side the world's religions. The Complete Idiot's Guide To Religions on the Internet for example has an entire chapter on Satanism, while ignoring dozens of Christian denominations...any of which would probably have ten times the number of Satanists in the world. If you look at the Satanic Bible on this site, there are hundreds of comments supporting it. A case of a goth being beat up in New York is being treated as a hate crime because the victim was a Satanist. It's time for a reality check, and time to stop treating Satanism as something normal people get involved in.

While geared more for Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and mental health professionals, members of the clergy, law enforcement, and parents will benefit tremendously from the book. The book lists and refutes 7 myths of Satanism, namely, you can't be happy and be religious, man is naturally violent, good and evil are reversed, satanism is now, satanism will make you powerful, and you have to chose between religion and sex.

The book lists the 4 types that become Satanists, the pseudo intellectual, the angry individual, the psychotic, and the impulsive suicidal type. It also list the appropriate treatment for each.
... Read more

Product Description
THIS 24 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Occult Causes of the Present War, by Lewis Spence. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766100510. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: Extention pressPublication date: 1920Subjects: Bible and spiritualismSpiritualismBody, Mind ... Read more

Product Description
This look into the dark world of satanic ritual and devil worship shows how the movement thrives in an "enlightened" Western society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

SMACCCKKKK!!!Another homerun from the Stupid Depo of Christianity!
Let see, I see this book, and I read the reviews, and begin to understand one thing...Where is the argument?First off, knowing a Christian will find solace in scapegoating anything that isn't Christian, dunno why, maybe they are using it as a security blanket or something for MONEY or something...First, Satan is more then just a religious belief thought of by Anton LaVey, all you kiddies out there don't gasp to hard for air!Satan was never ONE BEING, Satan was everything!Shin-Ayin-Tau-Ayin-Nun!Adversary, not necesarily Enemy of the People, but Enemy totally!Anton was not the originator of this belief!CoS can sue me all they want...The whole "I am Man, I am a God, Hear Me Roar" was dedictated in the Bible, when the Serpent offered the Fruit to Eve!Therefore, he surely didn't oringate it without the Bible even...But then again what do I know?I am Devil Worshipper, therefore a threat to the CoS, modern Satanic way of life...Anyways, steer clear from this, if you are a Pagan/Wiccan with an open mind, you will be closed even more (and it will hypocrisize your Religious Tolerance to all beliefs that just as Tolerant as your own)...

Beware!!!!
This book CLAIMS that it can enlighten you as to what a TRUE satanist believes. If you are thinking about purchasing this book, don't. If you are seriously curious about Satanism, stay away from this book. If you want to know what Christians THINK satanism is about, or what Wiccans/Neopagans THINK Satanism is about, this is the book for you.
Here's the TRUTH about Satanism:
Satanists only use the name 'Satan' because it scares you.
Satanists have only one rule: Question Everything.
There is only one person who has written about Satanism with complete honesty, that person was Anton Lavey. Read the Satanic Bible if you want to know the truth.

A very subjective book from the view points of Christianity
Hoping to understand more about Satanism in an objective point of view, I purchased this book and eventually had so much a disappointment that I have to write a review here to express my opinions, which I have not done for a long long time.

This book is a short book, of only 96 pages, titled "Satanism", but it does not tell much about Satanism as one might expect. Instead, it spends much effort on defining Christian theological terms of "Satan", "demon", "angel" and the like, from their meanings to their history. Also mentioned in details were Christian philosophies of "demonology" and the witch hunts, etc.. The author had done a neat and concise work on this, but sorry this is a book on Satanism. In chapter two on "History", a length of 32 pages, only 6 pages are actually Satanism related.

In chapter four on "Theology", there are great lengthy parts of ridiculous "refutation of Satanist arguments". Never have I seen an introductory book on any particular religion has such a section! The "refutations" are all Christian viewpoints, some of them are themselves questionable (but still presented as if they are solid facts).

And the next chapter, "Witnessing Tips", was a chapter teaching Christians how to approach Satanists and have them persuaded to turn their minds back to the Lord. Holy.

Hardly can I say this book is objective. If you are looking for an introduction to Satanism, you have better choices elsewhere.

Bob and Gretchen and geniuses(and I am a bad speller
The pAssantinos do excellent work every time out!

Best In This Series So Far
I found this to be a refreshingly calm and objective look at an alternative religious movement. To my surprise, I found that the authors disparaged more hysterical fundamentalist accounts of conspiracy theories,and even admitted thatsome fundamentalists lie about satanic ritual abuseand satanic conspiracy theories. They also regard many"satanists" as nothing more than very naughty adolescent misfits.As a neopagan, I was also pleased to see that the authors distinguish ourtraditions from satanist practices. Neopagans do not believe in anincarnated antideity of evilor Nietzschean superhumanity, whereaschristians and satanists do. Stripped of the evangelical apologetics, thiswould be an excellent offering in a comparative religion course. I hope the authors and publisher decide to market it as such, as I am sure it wouldmeet a warm reception ifthey did. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Accurate and engaging.
"The Second Coming" is an interesting and fairly accurate description of Satanism as it was at the time the book was written.The author avoids moral condemnation of the topic, and usually avoids the sensationalization that Satanism is often subjected to. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Balanced and reliable.
Fr. Steffon, a priest from Los Angeles, has provided a reliable and non-sensationalistic overview of satanism and occult practices in the US. The book has a personal and pastoral emphasis, so there are not a lot of statistical studies and historical footnotes; rather, there are real descriptions of the varieties and degrees of satanic influence especially among young people. There are a few lines here and there which I think could have been phrased more precisely, but these do not detract from the very solid service provided by this book. I can recommend the book with very few qualifications to anyone concerned about the recent rise of the occult in America. ... Read more

Product Description
Real issues behind this disturbing phenomenon--adolescents' quest for power and control. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Vauge, Stereotypical, for Reader's Digest Fans only
This was a horribly written and researched book which falls with the trend of occult-fearing Christian women.Only read this if you're a member of the Christian Right or are entirely ready for a good laugh.

An interesting, if misguided look at youth occult membership
Joyce A. Mercer gives a detailed, but somewhat cryptic exploration of teenagers and the occult... a worthy topic, but one full of stereotype and misguidance.Unfortunately Mercer falls victim to many of the classicstereotypes of poor writing! ... Read more