Albigensian or Cathars became a rising religious force 1184 AD An Episcopal bull was issued giving the Dominican order authority to perform inquisitions in part because of the ID: 618489
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☼ 1100s A.D. – The Albigensian or Cathars became a rising religious force☼ 1184 A.D. – An Episcopal bull was issued giving the Dominican order authority to perform inquisitions, in part because of the Albigensian heresy. This began the Episcopal inquisitions.☼ 1230 A.D. – The Papal Inquisitions were instituted in response to the “failure” of the Episcopal inquisitions.☼ 1478 A.D. – The Spanish Inquisition. Many “heretics” were accused of being devil worshippers or indulging in witchcraft.☼ 1692 A.D. – The Salem Witchcraft Trials, in which many were accused and killed for entering “pacts with the devil.”☼ 1966 A.D. – Foundation of the Church of Satan by Anton LaVey.
The idea of a small, secretive sect that engaged in horrifying rituals and practices began in the Roman Empire, where a growing religion was reputed to sacrifice humans and drink their blood, creating a widespread fear and paranoia. This group was, in fact, the early Christians, who conducted masses in private and repeated the ritual of “eating flesh” and “drinking blood” in remembrance of the last supper. In an attempt to discredit the swiftly growing religion, the pagan majority tried to portray the small church as a group of bestial immoral individuals, who did not follow the natural or supernatural laws set down by the gods.
A representation of the methods used in the
Spanish Inquisition, courtesy of TheWorldIMHO.com
“Witch Hill” by
Thomas
Slatterwhite.
The InfamousAnton LaVey.
Hundreds of years later the Christian church, now a dominant religious organization, used the same tactic to persecute pagans and “heretics” in an attempt to convert the masses and sublimate other forms of religious worship. Many old religious practices were either incorporated or vilified in order to promote the Christian viewpoint. The first accounts of burning heretics for witchcraft or devil worship was in 1022 A.D. in Orleans, France. From there, things went downhill.
“The Great Red Dragon and the
Woman Clothed in Sun” byWilliam Blake
Satanism: A Short and Bloody History
Hollywood Satanism: How Modern Devil Worship is a Myth
The Satanic Bible
Of Anton LaVey
Misrepresentations of Symbols and Practices:
☼ Pentagrams☼
The pentagram, or five pointed star, was originally a symbol
used in
various pagan traditions, and was representative of balance, harmony, and nature. It was often used as a pentacle, which is a traditional magical amulet which was believed to have warding properties.
The inverted pentagram, often associated with Satanism in movies and popular culture, does not in fact have any particular negative connotations aside from those proscribed by major religionsand general society.
The version of a PentagramOften used by the Church of Satan
A more pagan representation of a Pentagram,Image courtesy of voxx.org
☼
Sacrifices
☼
Animal Sacrifices are a common practice in many major religions,
Including Hasidic Judaism, Islam, and older forms of Christianity.
Such rites are often misrepresented as Satanic ritual, and so-called
Satanists are often accused of the grotesque sacrifice of livestock,Household pets, and even humans – usually babies or virgins.
An illustration of a purportedSatanic Masonic ritual byLeo Taxil
The actor Harvey Keitel playing the role of the DevilIn the movie “Little Nicky”
☼Depictions of the Devil ☼
The modern representations of the Devil, or Satan, are of ahorned, goat – legged man. Sometimes red, or depicted ashaving batlike wings, the familiar image of Satan bears astriking resemblance to the Greek deity Pan, keeper ofShepherds and livestock. It is also very similar to the Greekdepictions of satyrs (lascivious followers of Dionysus) andthe Roman portrayal of fauns (protector spirits of the woodlands)
Image of a faun: found on Myspace.comOriginal source unknown.
Image of a Satyr, courtesy of www.mlahanas.de
Devil Costume based upon theSouth Park Movie, courtesy ofImages.buycostumes.com
Works CitedAylesworth, Thomas G. Servants of the Devil. Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1970. Buckland, Raymond. Signs, Symbols & Omens - an Illustrated Guide to Magical & Spiritual Symbolism. St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn, 2003. Clark, Lynn. From Angels to Aliens: Teenagers, the Media, and the Supernatural. New York: Oxford UP, 2003. Lea, Henry C. The Inquisition of the Middle Ages. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1961. Michelet, Jules. Satanism and Witchcraft: a Study in Medieval Superstition. New York: The Citadel P, 1939. Russell, Jeffrey B. The Devil: Perceptions of Evil From Antiquity to Primitive Christianity. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1977. Victor, Jeffrey S. Satanic Panic: the Creation of a Contemporary Legend. Chicago: Open Court, 1993.
Ashley
Matrisciano
Religion Magic and Witchcraft
Dr. Susan Stebbins
Spring 2008