Devil’s Advocate: The 666 Gangs

Devil’s Advocate: The 666 Gangs – Why They Aren’t Satanists, How They Distorted South African Law Enforcement’s Perception Of Occult Religions, & The Consequences

Description:

South African authorities, media, the public, and community-based organizations appear to linger under the false impression, still, that “pseudo-satanism” and Satanism are both the same thing, or somehow “linked” or “related”, to excuse the continued inaccurate description of the criminal “666” gangs as “satanic”, “linked to Satanism”, or practicing “theistic Satanism”.

The effects of this confusion will be discussed, to demonstrate how the historic misunderstanding, coupled with the intrusion of religious fundamentalism into law enforcement, affected the SAPS and its Occult Related Crimes unit’s perception of occult religions in South Africa – which has had consequences reaching even to the present day.

Abstract:

In the early 1990’s, a phenomenon emerged in the Free State province of South Africa, in which violent youth gangs rose to terrorize rural communities and in particular, schools. What set these gangs apart from others was their sub-culture, which drew on beliefs and practices of African witchcraft, and the symbolism and imagery of Satanism.

However, on closer inspection, these gangs – known as the “666” gangs – appeared to exactly fit the descriptions of “Satanism” promulgated by the SAPS during South Africa’s “Satanic Panic” – a fact which cannot be appreciated without it being noticed that these gangs inevitably more closely resemble the paradigm of the “tabloid prophecy fulfiller” or “pseudo-satanist” than genuine religious Satanism.

Nevertheless, it is apparent that South African authorities, law enforcement, the media, the public, and community-based organizations continue to linger under the false impression that “pseudo-satanism” and Satanism are both one and the same thing, or are somehow “linked” or “related”, which is an excuse used to justify the continued inaccurate description of these criminal gangs as “satanic”, “linked to Satanism”, or as practicing “theistic Satanism”.

Given the South African Police Service’s history of being unable to tell religious Satanism apart from “pseudo-satanism” and criminal “tabloid-prophecy fulfillment” – to the point where for three decades the SAPS operated a specialized police unit dedicated to this misunderstanding – the purpose of this paper is to examine these “666” gangs and compare them to Satanism as a new religious movement, in order to clarify why these gangs are not “satanic” nor related to Satanism as a religion.

As part of this exercise, the effects of this confusion will be discussed, to demonstrate how the historic misunderstanding coupled with the intrusion of religious fundamentalism into law enforcement affected the SAPS and its Occult Related Crimes unit’s perception of occult religions in South Africa – which has had consequences reaching even to the present day.

Keywords: 666 gangs, youth gangs, Satanism, New Religious Movements, conflation, pseudo-satanism, reverse-Christianity, tabloid-prophecy fulfillment, satanic-panic, hysteria, misconceptions, satanic ritual abuse, law enforcement, criminology, occult related crimes unit, SAPS, South Africa.

On Academia: https://www.academia.edu/45163228/Devil_s_Advocate_The_666_Gangs_Why_They_Aren_t_Satanists_How_They_Distorted_South_African_Law_Enforcement_s_Perception_Of_Occult_Religions_and_The_Consequences

Visit the author’s website.

A Date With The Devil – Occult & Satanic Calendars Debunked

Description:

This paper addresses the so-called “occult calendars” referenced in news media in order to connect crimes to new religious movements like Satanism, Neo-Paganism etc.

ABSTRACT:

The aim of this paper is to examine in detail so-called “occult” or “satanic” calendars which have been in circulation since 1986; circulated chiefly by Christian religious figures, organizations and elements within law enforcement agencies and media in the USA, UK and South Africa; and in so doing, to demonstrate conclusively that these calendars have no basis in fact when used to denote or describe the religious practices or beliefs of new religious movements such as Satanism or Neo-paganism; and – once and for all – to define such “occult/satanic calendars” as being no more than a vicious slander, a propaganda tool created and used by modern Christian witch hunters to sustain belief in the myth of “Satanic Ritual Abuse” – and ultimately, as a tool used to persecute occult religions and those who identify with them.

Keywords: Satanism, Neo-paganism, Witchcraft, New Religious Movements, conflation, pseudo-satanism, satanic-panic hysteria, Balsiger, misconceptions, deception, satanic ritual abuse, law enforcement, occult related crimes unit, South Africa, Christianity, persecution.

On Academia: https://www.academia.edu/45060885/A_Date_with_the_Devil_Occult_and_Satanic_Calendars_Debunked

Visit the author’s website.

Satanism Vs Pseudo-Satanism

Satanism vs Pseudo-satanism: Disambiguation And Argument Against Conflation From Within Religious Satanism

Description:

This paper discusses the harm caused by the conflation of Satanism as a religious movement with the Christian-created myth of “pseudo-satanism” by Christian evangelicals, as well as providing a simple disambiguation to distinguish the two from each other.

Abstract:

There are numerous diverse forms of Satanism globally in terms of religion, which include theistic, atheistic and even non-theistic forms, and using different archetypes and deistic identities within their beliefs and practices, including Satan, Lucifer and Set, et al.

Numerous examples of “occult experts” exist, who deliberately distort Satanism, Satanic literature, or perceptions of these, in order to conflate Satanism as a new religious movement with the Christian-created self-fulfilling prophecy and archetype of “mythical” or “pseudo-satanism”.

In South Africa, claims of “Satanic Ritual Abuse” are still regarded as the purview of law enforcement in a front-line sense rather than as an issue to be addressed by the mental health profession first and foremost, as is the practice in other countries such as the USA, and UK. Christian clergy holding influential positions within law enforcement have historically worked to separate the perception of Satanism in South Africa from that of other countries, which they describe as “law-abiding” and “harmless”, in order to demonize and persecute local Satanism as “harmful religious practice”, “anti-God” and “a belief system which leads to crime”.

Instead of being interpreted through the lens of mental health as in other countries, alleged “satanic crimes” committed by criminals adopting the “devil made me do it” defenses are instead taken at their word and discussed and interpreted through religious views of an elite religious police “occult related crimes unit”.

From a view internal to Satanism as a new religious movement, the disparities between religious forms of Satanism and the specter of so-called “occult-related crime” as pushed forward by persecutors of Satanism, are glaringly obvious.

In spite of a tendency by supporters of “Satanic Panic” conspiracy theory to conflate religious Satanism and “pseudo-satanism” with each other, the differences between Satanism as a new religious movement and the Christian-created and promulgated tabloid-prophecy-fulfilling myth called “pseudo-satanism” are many and clear, and their origins and adherents exist in a totally separate manner, as discussed in this paper.

In spite of this clarity to those close enough to the subject to perceive these differences for themselves, many others not suitably placed to perceive these differences, seem to have difficulty in separating or differentiating Satanism in its religious forms from the archetype of “pseudo-satanism”. Many even reject attempts to correct the misconceptions and assumptions under which they operate.

Once the clear key differences between Satanism as a NRM and the archetype of “pseudo-satanism” are more widely understood, this could only lead to the end of a perpetually threatening and omnipresent recurrent religious moral panic – the specter of “Satanic Panic” hysteria, elements of which is still evident in South Africa even today.

Keywords: Satanism, New Religious Movements, conflation, pseudo-satanism, satanic-panic, hysteria, misconceptions, occult related crime unit, South Africa

Download for free: https://www.academia.edu/44978441/Satanism_vs_Pseudo_satanism_Disambiguation_and_argument_against_conflation_from_within_Satanism_as_a_New_Religious_Movement

Details:

Published: January 26, 2021
Words: 15,876

Citation:

Engela, C. (January 26, 2021). “Satanism vs Pseudo-satanism: Disambiguation And Argument Against Conflation From Within Religious Satanism” From https://www.academia.edu/44978441/Satanism_vs_Pseudo_satanism_Disambiguation_and_argument_against_conflation_from_within_Satanism_as_a_New_Religious_Movement

Visit the author’s website.