Satanism [Paperback]

Bob Passantino (Author), Gretchen Passantino (Author), Alan W. Gomes (Author)

Book Description

Series: Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements | Publication Date: May 11, 1995

Belief in Satan worship is often viewed as an embarrassing throwback to the superstitions of another time. And 'selling your soul to the Devil'? Nothing more than an overworked theme in literature and opera. To the contrary, Bob and Gretchen Passantino show how, in the midst of prevailing attitudes of skepticism and disbelief, Satanism has made unprecedented inroads into our society.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Belief in Satan worship is often viewed as an embarrassing throwback to the superstitions of another time. And "selling your soul to the Devil"? Nothing more than an overworked theme in literature and opera. To the contrary, Bob and Gretchen Passantino show how, in the midst of prevailing attitudes of skepticism and disbelief, Satanism has made unprecedented inroads into our society.

About the Author

Alan W. Gomes (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is associate professor of historical theology and chairman of the department of theology at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University.

Bob and Gretchen Passantino are the directors of Answers in Action, an organization dedicated to Christian discipleship and a Christian worldview. They have worked in cult apologetics for more than twenty years and are the authors of several books.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (May 11, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310704510
• ISBN-13: 978-0310704515
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Occult > Cults & Demonism
  • #23 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Comparative Religion
  • #67 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Occult > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A very subjective book from the view points of Christianity, February 7, 2002

By 

Thomas Tsoi - See all my reviews

This review is from: Satanism (Paperback)

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.

9 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best In This Series So Far, July 25, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Palmerston North, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Satanism (Paperback)

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 that some fundamentalists lie about satanic ritual abuse and 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 our traditions from satanist practices. Neopagans do not believe in an incarnated antideity of evil or Nietzschean superhumanity, whereas christians and satanists do. Stripped of the evangelical apologetics, this would 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 would meet a warm reception if they did.

5 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Christian resource on Satanism, July 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Satanism (Paperback)

This book is the Passantino's contribution to the Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements. The Passantinos have cultivated a reputation over their 20 plus years of ministry for fairness, accuracy and truthfulness. They took a leading role in the Christian community to debunk false claims of Satanic Ritual Abuse.

In conducting their research, they interviewed Anton Szandor LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan. It was the first interview that he had granted for publication in fifteen years.

Satanism concisely presents the findings of the Passantinos research. It is the definitive Christian book on the subject, and it is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in understanding Satanism as it exists in late 20th century America. It is extensively documented and full of factual information. The Bibliography alone is well worth the price of the book.