Customer Reviews

Satanism: Rumor, Reality, and Controversy (Coping)

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Allen J. Ottens, Coping with Satanism (Rosen, 1994)

I originally picked this up assuming I was going to get the extremist-Christian view on supposed Satanic cult activity, but such is not the case. Rosen seems to be a publishing house focusing on the grade 5-12 set, and if there are any extremist Christians the bunch, they held their tongues long enough that the company managed to publish a J. K. Rowling biography recently. This pretty much fits with what I found in the book itself.

Ottens take a surprisingly balanced approach to the idea of Satanism, at least while he's describing the signs that your child may, in fact, be worshipping some guy with a big red tail and a cloven hoof. He almost completely discounts the "Satanic panic" that was on the wane by 1994, addressing most of the key players and giving the reader more than enough solid reasons for doing the same. He's also pretty much got his facts right (though one wonders why, during a brief discussion of splinter groups from the Church of Satan, he neglected to say anything about the Temple of Set, who are the only real CoS splinter group worth mentioning, and by far the best known; have at it, conspiracy theorists). Things break down towards the end when he attempts to make a case for "Satanism as mental health problem; one thinks that a truly good argument for this tactic could easily be turned on older established religions, and Ottens was likely aware of that fact, and thus didn't want to give the budding grave desecrators any ammo they might be able to use in heated discussions with parents about the religion said parents follow. Pity, as that might have led to some really interesting exchanges over the dinner table.

As with any book of this type, it's a double-edged sword. It has equal use to both the teen involved in a "Satanic cult"who wants to get out and the teen interested in finding out more about the religion. (Such would, of course, however be advised to go straight to the source and read Dr. LaVey's cheesy, but fun, The Satanic Bible.) Take the mental-health-issues bits with grains of salt, or apply them equally to the more established religions, and what emerges is what some of us have known was there all along: a quick, sketchy overview of an actual religion.

One wonders, idly, why Focus on the Family or some other similar band of numbskulls hasn't raised a stink about this book yet. Only a matter of time, I guess.

Two people who have Ph.D.s should have learned long ago to research the topic they're going to write about, espiecally if they are against it. I am not a Satanist, but, as someone who studies religions, I feel the best way to research and talk about a religion is by reading the major books about the religion. They mentioned Anton Szander Lavey twice in the book, and never sited anything from "The Satanic Bible". This was very convienant for them because, if they had, they would have learned that it actually says the words "Satanists do NOT sacrifice humans or animals"... as well as "Satanists do not take part in rape, child molestation, or defilment of animals". If they would have researched, they would have found that they were wrong.

I found this book in my local public library, and the title alone had me snickering in the aisle. God only knows what the mild little woman at the check-out counter thought of me. Released at the heels of the mid 80's "Satanic Panic," the authors of this book warn the reader of the legion of Satanists that walk among us. Hordes of Darkness, indeed!

Watch out! That girl in your 3rd period study hall, you know the one...she gets her clothes at that weird store in the mall and flouts convention! Stay away from her! She treads the Left Hand Path, and will lead you into a life of deceit and mayhem! I know what you're saying, "Naaah, it'll never happen to MEEEE!" Won't it? This book reads like a script from one of those '50's educational films. Buy it for the sheer kitschiness of it all. It's only two bucks and change.

When you read this book, you'll know just how easy it is to go from being a casual Iron Maiden fan to baby killer and grave-robber! Don't say I didn't warn you, sinner!

I tried not to be overly objective and I also attempted to be open to the contents of this book, I still found some things very hard to swallow. I have not yet fully completed my reading, but I will tell you this...Satanism is not a mental disease. The mental disease area belongs to those who think as this book reads. I have been a Satanist my entire adult life. But to tell me that I have a mental disease not a relgion is just the same as saying that all Christians and Catholics are diseased. If you do read this book, just remember...those who write about what they do not know spead a sead of misinformation and seads of the brain if used unwisley can be very distructive. I will give you a full editorial when I am finished from cove to cover.

Aiight first off I wanna state that I am a Christian and this is not a slam on Satanist cause I have friends who are. Satanism is a religion,not a disease. It is not the evil influence of Heavy Metal and such stuff cause I myself listen to Metal and used to be a Satanist. Books should not be written to run down Stanists,no one does that to Christians...So,this book is plain out and simply another false illusion and all copies should be burned...

This is a good book warning against Satanism. While it often seems hip and rebellous to the would be teen dabbler, the military dropped the ball on it as a religion and thus there goes their dark side image. This book was listing at the 133 level as in 101 for a college level course. Even though it was published in 1994, much of the material holds up over a decade later except gone is the dark side image associated with it. They were the biggest geeks. Thomas Thorn, Rex Church, Boyd Rice etc etc all were beaten up and given swirlies on a daily basis in school- their parents raised them that way. What could've been hip and rebellous turned into something like Jerry Seinfeld. I am a born again and baptized Lutheran currently almost done with adult confirmation, and I would say don't waste your time don't raise your kids into it. If you still have to, keep in the closet. At 7.99 The Satanic Bible had to have a broad appeal and they wanted everyone to be able to afford it, with the 1980s represented the future of Satanism which was welfare for Anton LaVey. The satanic panic was more like satanic bashing, with the cheapest cheap shots still thrown in on talk shows at these big babies whose moms stole a copy of The Satanic Bible. Well I've got news for you- Hot Topic is more menacing than the Church of Satan. I can at least credit Michael Acquino and the Temple of Set for having some class about this. I'm not saying go to hell, I'm saying they took cheap shots at them just because they know all the darkness had been lost.