In Pursuit of Satan: Police and the Occult

423 Pages·1991·25.455 MB·English

by  Robert D. Hicks

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ROBERT D. HICKS
@ Prometheus Books
_ 59 John Glenn Drive
Amherst, New York 14228-2119
Published 1991 by Prometheus Books
In Pursuit of Satan: The Police and the Occult Copyright © 1991 by Robert D. Hicks.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
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Inquiries should be addressed to
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hicks, Robert D., 1952—
In pursuit of Satan : the police and the occult / Robert D. Hicks.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-59102-—219-3 (alk. paper)
1. Crime—United States. 2. Law enforcement— United States. 3. Cults— United
States. 4. Satanism— United States. 5. Occultism—United States. I. Title.
HV6791.H515 1990
364. 1'88—dc20
9043473
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
To Reginald Scot,
author of The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584)
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CONTENTS
Preface 9
Chapter I: Talk of the Devil 15
Chapter 2: Believing in Hell 32
Chapter 3: The Other Side of the Case 100
Chapter 4: Cult Survivors and the “Fear of Things Invisible” 138
Chapter 5: “Yukky Secrets”: Satanic Abuse of Children 182
Chapter 6: “We’re Dealing With Evil Itself” 271
Chapter 7: Conclusion: Rumors, Urban Legends,
and Subversion Myths 315
Notes 379
Index 417

PREFACE
I did not enjoy writing this book. The word Satanism evokes in some
people everything from disdain for superstitiont o tremors of fear. Simi-
larly, for those like me, who have decided to enter a public forum to ad-
vance arguments about what Satanism (whatever it is) has to do with crime,
the road is paved with invective, calumny, and rumor, but also with in-
sight, temperance, and skepticai thinking. Skeptical thinking to some con-
notes peremptory doubt, an inclination to dismiss out of hand. But skepti-
cal thinking is not that: rather, to be a responsible skeptic is to follow
a habit of scientific thinking. A skeptic wants to examine what evidence
supports claims, wants to see unusual phenomena replicated and verified,
and above all, where the behavior of people is concerned, holds to few
immutable truths. Deduction and induction, a sifting and weighing of facts,
a formulation of hypotheses, a search for evidence that both supports and
refutes the hypotheses, all form the habit of skeptical thinking.
This book skeptically examines the myriad claims that bear on the
law-enforcement preoccupation with Satanism, satanic crime, and occult
and cult crime. But Satanism at present is a divisive word: professionals
in law enforcement, social work, psychiatry, psychology, and education
usually align themselves and others into two categories: believers and non-
believers. And thus again we have the skeptic—according to the believer
—as one who dismisses satanic claims out of hand. Supervisory Special
Agent Kenneth V. Lanning of the FBI has implored professionals on both
sides to find a middle ground. Few have heeded the message; conferences
present as speakers either believers or nonbelievers. Ideally, we need a good
interdisciplinary mix of points of view. Satanism seminars should not be
proselytizing experiences; they should encourage debate and restraint.
Some people in law enforcement, social work, and allied professions
believe that a clandestine network of Satanists exists who kidnap, abuse,
and murder. These same people are educated, have had years of profes-
sional experience, enjoy deserved reputations for excellence in their work,
yet still claim proof of a satanic network. I invite such people—my in-
tended audience—to consider and debate my arguments. Whatever stand
one takes about the pervasiveness and influence of Satanism and the occult
in society, much less their importance, I ask only restraint. Police officers