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Satanic Ritual Abuse
Surviving Satan: the modern myth of ritual abuse, by Marian Lake
Murder, sexual abuse, and the exploitation of children are acts that leave most of us feeling sickened, but although each exposure to graphic violence remains horrifying, we have become decreasingly surprised. It must seem to many of us that our society is becoming more violent, and more inhumane.
With such a commonly accepted and pessimistic view of humanity, it is little wonder that some people readily accept the notion that thousands of children are being tortured, sexually abused, forced to witness the murder of babies and made to drink the blood of others, in a newly discovered type of crime that has previously been cloaked in secrecy. The abuse is said to occur regularly and intergenerationally, within the religious ceremonies of Satanic cults, yet no physical proof has ever been found to support such claims.
This website addresses the psychological issues relating to the authenticity of ritual abuse memories. It will show that the
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| It must seem to many of us that our society is becoming more violent, and more inhumane. |
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re is no evidence for the widespread existence of murderous, child-abusing satanic cults. It will also provide arguments that ritual abuse memories may be the product of suggestion within the therapeutic setting, and memory distortions caused by some commonly-used memory retrieval techniques.
Before going on, the reader should note that the provision of an alternative explanation for some very bizarre claims of abuse does not represent a denial that the serious and widespread problem of childhood sexual and physical abuse exists in our society. Nor am I claiming that Satan-worship does not exist or that it is never associated with crime. Finally, I am not suggesting that the people who believe they are ritual abuse survivors are all gullible, crazy, stupid, or were never sexually abused. I am simply presenting psychological evidence indicating that false memory formation may be the reason why such bizarre and implausible claims are made and believed.
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Surviving Satan: the modern myth of ritual abuse, by Marian Lake |
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