415 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
415 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
CultWatch Response
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Candlemas/Uimelc 1989
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Volume 1, Issue 3
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From the Editor
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by Gerald L. Bliss
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Another hot question: Why do I want to be called a Witch? Why even
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use this loaded word?
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Again, there are no easy answers, but let's look at the meaning of the
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word. There is still some argument among etymologists as to whether the
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word originates from one of two Indo-European roots, both called "weik".
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One of these roots means "wise" and is the pre-cursor to the word "wizard";
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the other means "to bend or shape". Not being an etymologist, I don't know
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why most etymologists say that the latter meaning gave rise to the word
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"witch", but the modern Witch would take this to mean bending or shaping
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reality, not imitating Uri Geller; in like fashion, the true meaning of
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alchemy was understood to be transforming the "lead" of one's heart to
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"gold", not the transmutation of metals.
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However the word was derived, from the date that the Bible was
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published in English, this word was used in the places wherever sorcery and
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necromancy appeared in the Hebrew and Greek. In the verse, "Thou shalt not
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suffer a Witch to live...", current scholars are still bickering about the
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actual word. Most either use "poisoner" or "whisperer of (evil) spells" in
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current translations, and even if it did refer to the pagans of ancient
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Palestine, there are significant differences between Palestinian paganism,
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Roman paganism, and the Celtic forms (from which modern Paganism is most
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derived), and so the comparison should be considered invalid; likewise, if
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a scriptural reference said, "Thou shalt not suffer a Buddhist to live",
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one would not expect adherents to persecute Taoists.
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Isaac Bonewits writes, "When `wicca(e)' was translated into other
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languages at the time, the words chosen in those other tongues were usually
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ones with these meanings: sorcerer, magician, singer, healer, midwife,
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charmer, drugger, and diviner. Frequently the translation words had a
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feminine gender, but this seems to have depended upon the cultures
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involved. Almost none of the foreign terms (except in Ireland) had any
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specifically religious meaning -- a very important point to consider for
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those who wish to claim that the earliest witches were the clergy of one or
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more prechristian religions." (Real Magic, p. 105, by P.E.I. Bonewits, 2nd
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Edition [1979], Creative Arts Book Company, Berkeley, CA)
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Nonetheless, nearly all modern Witches (including myself) consider
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ourselves clergy, perhaps because most of our traditions come out of or are
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directly influenced by Irish (and Welsh and English) traditions. And since
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it is a source of honor and pride in our traditions to be a Priest/ess of
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the Wicca, we pay far less attention to the prejudices of others which were
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caused by errors in translation in the 1600s. Thousands of years of pride
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cannot be erased by 350 years of defamation, no matter how fervent.
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New developments in Cult Watching. The Salvation Army lost a
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controversial suit in Biloxi, Mississippi. We have included the entire AP
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news article in this issue. The latest issue of File 18 decided to lay off
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Witches and attack the O.T.O. (Ordo Templi Orientiis); this could prove to
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be interesting, since the O.T.O. just settled a major lawsuit and might
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have adequate funds for yet another court battle.
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Ritual Child Abuse: Fact or Urban Legend?
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Part 2
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by Rowan Moonstone
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In the first half of this article, we looked at a few of the
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ritualistic child abuse cases being brought forth around the country. Most
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of these cases involved children in daycare centers and pre-schools. We
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demonstrated in that article that the prosecution in these cases have yet
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to produce conclusive proof that any kind of Satanic or "ritualistic" abuse
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took place. In many of the cases the PHYSICAL evidence of physical and/or
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sexual abuse is evident, but the so called "ritualistic" aspects have never
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been proven. There is, however, another aspect of this ritualistic child
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abuse issue that has surfaced in recent years. This area deals with the
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adult "survivor" of ritualistic abuse, many of whom are now seeking help
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from various counseling agencies around the country. This article deals
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with this issue.
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The first stories of this kind of abuse which became public were
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seen in Dr. Lawrence Pazder's book "Michelle Remembers." This book was
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written after a patient of Pazder's, one Michelle Smith, began to bring up
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horrible memories of things done to her as a child by a Satanic cult. The
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story has become a frequent one of late with several books and prominent TV
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talk shows dealing with the subject. From all over the country we hear the
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following tales:
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(Garden Grove,CA) "Jacquie Balodis is a former satanic cult member
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who runs Overcomers Victorious, a program in Garden Grove, CA that
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hides, counsels, and deprograms ex-cult members. `We did a lot of
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child sacrifice' she says. Children who are kidnapped or born into
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the cult are used for the sacrifices, she says. Balodis claims her
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own first two children were among the victims."(1)
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(San Antonio, TX) "Jerry Reider, Exodus member and former Satanist
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priest, told how he got involved in street level Satanism through
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heavy metal rock and roll. ... Jerry was married to a high
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priestess, and his baby daughter was killed in Satanism."(2)
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(undisclosed location in Southern CA) "There were other facets to
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the cult, including child sacrifice. As Heather later related to a
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former FBI official, now a private investigator, `It was explained
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to me they were children who belonged to members of the cult. The
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mother offered her own child up and if the mother didn't cooperate,
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she was killed also.'" (3)
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(undisclosed location) "Suffice it to say that while offering him
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as a sacrifice, they chanted something about Satan accepting his
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heart as a pure and unblemished sacrifice. Then his body was laid
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on a black robe. The coven members each held his candle to the edge
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of the robe. It was quickly engulfed in flames." (4)
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(undisclosed location in Fla.) Irene Park, who advertises herself
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as "The Witch That Switched", admits to sacrificing her son in a
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Satanic ritual.(5)
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(Chicago, IL) A young man on the Oprah Winfrey show admits on
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national TV to being involved with a human sacrifice. When
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confronted by Dr. Michael Aquino (of the Temple of Set) about
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details, the young man then admits that he can't remember any names
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or details of the killing. (6)
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(undisclosed location) A Ms. Judy Smith admitted on the Geraldo
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Rivera Special on Satanism (Oct 22, 1988) on national T.V. that she
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sacrificed her children to Satan.(7)
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(Lawrence, MA) The following conversation took place on the Oprah
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Winfrey Show, June 24, 1987 between Oprah and Mr. Joseph Marquis,
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who claims to be a former Satanic High Priest:
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Mr. Marquis: "I wasn't the only one who practiced this."
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Winfrey: "So, you have practiced in going out and picking
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up people off the street and slicing their throats?"
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Mr. Marquis: "Yes." (8)
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At first glance, this represents a chilling and indeed horrifying
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picture of what may be going on in the hidden places of towns across the
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country. BUT... let's put hysteria and shock reaction aside and look at
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this collection of accusations critically for a bit. Notice the number of
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cases that come from an "undisclosed location". Notice, also, when hearing
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about these kinds of cases, vagueness in giving locations, names of persons
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involved, dates, or any other data which would make the accusation able to
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be investigated. Also, in a great many of these cases, there is alleged to
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be heavy drug use.
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It is a proven medical fact that drug hallucinations are very real
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and in some cases, indistinguishable from reality. How many of these cases
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can be attributed to that phenomenon? Many of the people involved, such as
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the young man on the Winfrey show who was confronted by Dr. Aquino admit to
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having spent time in mental hospitals for various problems. I mean no
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offense to anyone who has ever sought help with mental health problems, but
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might not some of these allegations stem from a confusion as to the reality
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of situations while mentally impaired? It is certainly something to think
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about.
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When trying to track down some solid facts on allegations like
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this, one is continually confronted with the problem of "trying to nail
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jell-o to the wall". The disclaimer in the front of Ted Schwartz's book
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"Satanism, Is Your Family Safe?" is typical of what you encounter when you
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try to push for corroborating facts concerning human sacrifice and
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ritualistic child abuse, to wit: "In several chapters, names have been
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changed. In some instances, people requested it. In others, it was done to
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avoid harrassment or retribution. In a few instances, such as the story of
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the Cambridge family, a number of criminal activities are mentioned for
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which no charges have been brought. Although extensive documentation is
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available concerning ritual child abuse, drug abuse, and murder, charges
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have not been filed due to technicalities relating to the statute of
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limitations, the unwillingness of witnesses to testify, and similar
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difficulties."(9)
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It remains VERY easy to allege something like ritualistic child
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abuse, and very difficult to prove it. As a private citizen who has heard
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these charges, I have some questions that I would like to pose to you, our
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readers in the law enforcement community. I have been studying this area on
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my own to the best of my ability for about three years now and would
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appreciate any replies to these questions that you would care to give. All
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correspondence will of course remain confidential.
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(1) Have there been any investigations into the allegations that
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these VERY public people appearing on national television talk
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shows have made about being involved with human sacrifices?
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(2) If so, has any corroborating evidence been found? If not, why
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not?
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(3) If these allegations have not been investigated, why not?
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(4) If the allegations have been investigated and found to be true,
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have there been any indictments, trials, and/or convictions
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obtained? (I would like to have case names cited so that I can
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check the sources.)
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(5) If the allegations have been investigated and found to be
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false, why hasn't someone from a reputable law enforcement agency
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come forward and attempted to stem the hysteria?
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As a private citizen, I understand that murder has no statute of
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limitations. If these people were not directly involved, at the very least,
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they know the names of some who were. I for one would like to see those
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responsible for crimes like murder behind bars where they belong. It is
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also my understanding that withholding evidence on a crime such as murder
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is a Federal offense.
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These allegations have spawned a whole rash of rumors dealing with
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Satanic organizations which are supposedly seeking to infiltrate schools in
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an effort to find children to sacrifice. In one such rumor in Kentucky last
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fall, a photographer who was on assignment from the Kentucky Arts Council
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was forced from the town in which she was working because the terrified
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residents thought she was a member of the cult.(10)
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When incidents like theze occur, it is time for someone who knows
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the real truth of what is going on to speak up. As a law-abiding,
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tax-paying member of my community, and as a Witch (therefore standing to
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catch a lot of the hysteria from the general uneducated public), I must
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agree with Dr. Michael Aquino's statement from Geraldo Rivera's show about
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the supposed human sacrifices and the survivors: "Name these people and
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arrest them. Never a name, never an arrest. These women come out of a
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group. They insist that they know the people in the group, and yet they do
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not identify these large mysterious cults. Name them and arrest them and
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get them off the streets." (11)
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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FOOTNOTES
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(1) Berg, Melissa, "Satanic Crime Increasing? Police, Therapists Alarmed"
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The Kansas City Times, March 26, 1988, p. A-19
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(2) "Satanic Crime in San Antonio" Exodus Newsletter, February, 1987, p.2
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(3) Ted Schwarz & Duane Empey, "Satanism, Is Your Family Safe?"
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(Zondervan Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1988), p.46
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(4) Lauren Stratford, "Satan's Underground" (Harvest House Publishers,
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Eugene, OR, 1988), p.146
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(5) Interview with Evangelist Rev. Peter Popoff (syndicated broadcast
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June 8, 1988.)
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(6) Oprah Winfrey Show, March (Ash Wednesday) 1988.
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(7) Geraldo Rivera Special "Exposing Satan's Underground", Oct. 22, 1988.
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(8) Oprah Winfrey Show, June 24, 1987.
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(9) Schwarz & Empey, inside cover.
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(10) "Devil Rumors Force Photographer From Town" (AP) The Bismarck
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Tribune, Oct. 4, 1988, p. A-2
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(11) Geraldo Rivera Special "Exposing Satan's Underground" Oct. 22, 1988
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The Plight of the Pagan Policeman
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by Kerr Cuhulain
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(Vancouver, B.C.) The other day my partner (religion undecided) and
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I (a Wiccan) took a report from a citizen who had his laundry stolen from
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a dryer in his apartment building. Now this may not seem like a big thing,
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but this laundry was a sizeable portion of this citizen's worldly
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possessions, so it was a pretty serious situation for him. As luck would
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have it, a few days later, he saw another tenant of his building wearing
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one of his shirts. Thats when he called us.
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After obtaining the particulars, my partner and I went to the
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office of the Justice of the Peace to obtain a search warrant. This is a
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simple procedure. I fill out an "Information to Obtain Search Warrant".
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This I take to the JP. If the JP agrees with my grounds for search the
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information is then sworn and the JP issues me the warrant. Easy, right?
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My partner and I arrived at the JP's office and I handed over my
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"Information to Obtain Search Warrant". The JP read it and seemed quite
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happy with it. So far so good. He then picked up the Bible on his desk and
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offered it to me.
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Now, being a Wiccan, I don't take oaths on the Bible. So I politely
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informed the JP that I'd prefer an affirmation. This is when the fun began.
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"I'm sorry," he said, "But if you won't take an oath on the Bible
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you can't have a search warrant."
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This raised both my eyebrows and my partner's.
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"Are you telling me that only Christians can get search warrants?"
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The JP had to think about this. Obviously he wasn't expecting his
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opinion to be questioned. Possibly he found our glares disconcerting.
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"Well, its because of the way its worded," he said.
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Now, if you've ever seen one of these documents, you'll note that,
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near the bottom, it says: "Wherefore the informant PRAYS that a search
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warrant may be granted to search the sais (dwelling-house, etc.) for the
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said things." The JP figured that people who "pray" are Christians so
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everybody else was out of luck!
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At this point I entered into a discussion with the JP which is not
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worth going into in detail. Suffice it to say that the substance of the
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discussion was this: "GIMME MY SEARCH WARRANT RIGHT NOW AND YOU AIN'T HEARD
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THE END OF THIS !!!" Meanwhile, my partner (whose street nickname is "Darth
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Vader" and looks the part) is towering in the background. The JP issues the
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necessary warrant and says, "Well, I'll let it go this time."
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After successfully recovering the missing laundry and charging the
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person responsible for absconding with it, I went back to the JP's office.
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There I spoke to the senior JP, a charming and very competent lady. After
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hearing my story she frowned and said that she knew there was an answer,
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but that off the top of her head she didn't know which statute to find it
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in. She promised to get back to me within two weeks.
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Two weeks later she supplied the answer, which was simplicity
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itself. She had obtained 3 legal opinions which basically stated that the
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word,"pray" in this case meant "ask" or "beseech" according to Old English
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Law. The junior JP was spoken to by his senior colleague and the matter
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closed.
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Police work isn't as easy as it is made out to be on all those TV
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police shows. But then, none of the cops on those shows are Wiccans either.
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Witch Wins Suit in Biloxi, MS
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BILOXI, Miss., Jan. 14, 1989 (AP) -- The Salvation Army violated a
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woman's constitutional right to freedom of religion when it fired her
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because she practices witchcraft, a federal judge ruled.
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U.S. District Judge Dan M. Russell of Biloxi ruled last week that the
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Salvation Army cannot discriminate against witches because it receives
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federal funds for some programs.
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Jamie Kellam Dodge, a former victim's assistance coordinator at the
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Pascagoula-based Salvation Army Domestic Violence Shelter, filed a $1.25
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million lawsuit against the Salvation Army. She sought reinstatement and
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compensation for embarrassment, humiliation, pain and suffering. A ruling
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on compensation will be made later, court officials said.
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Dodge, 28, was fired in August 1987 after she admitted using the agency
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copy machine to copy Satanic-Wiccan [sic] rituals, according to court
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records.
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"If you could see it, you would agree it was horrible. It talked about
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sexual things, around the fire, lots of things that are contrary to
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Salvation Army policies," Raymond Brown, an attorney for the Salvation
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Army, said Saturday.
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The Salvation Army has not decided whether it will appeal the decision,
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he said.
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Dodge's attorney, David Frazier of Pascagoula, called Russell's decision
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"courageous." "He bit the bullet and did what a federal judge is supposed
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to do, to cite tough decisions in an effort to follow the law," Frazier
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said.
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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CultWatch Response Editorial Policies
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In some instances, our articles may be re-published material that
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