Thread by @GreyFactionTST

There can be little doubt that we are enduring a resurgence of anti-Satanist hysteria identical to the Satanic Panic of the 80s and 90s.

How did we get here? Let's take a look. #SatanicPanic

1/25

The Satanic Panic was a period beginning in the 1980s during which a widespread fear took hold that a massive cult (or network of cults) with members in every neighborhood across America was abducting and abusing thousands of children in Satanic rituals.

2/25

The alleged abuse typically involved ritual animal sacrifice, blood drinking, sexual abuse, cannibalism, bestiality, and murder. But no such cults, nor evidence of their supposed crimes, were ever found.

3/25

The Satanic ritual abuse conspiracy theory is a version of the blood libel myth, which has been charged against societal out-groups (e.g., Jews) for hundreds of years. It functions in part as a means of painting a target on the backs of people you wish to cause harm.

4/25

The publication of Michelle Remembers, co-authored by psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder and his patient (and later wife) in 1980, was one of the key factors that helped to ignite the Satanic Panic.

5/25

The book detailed how Pazder's "therapy" helped Michelle Smith recover supposed memories of Satanic ritual abuse that Michelle allegedly suffered as a child and "repressed" as a defense mechanism.

6/25

Pazder, like too many mental health professionals (even today), believed the symptoms of mental illness afflicting her were caused by buried memories of abuse bubbling to the surface. To help Michelle, he'd have to "recover" the memories and piece them together.

7/25

It was not widely understood back then that recovered memory therapy techniques, such as hypnotherapy, can create false memories. Indeed, many of Michelle's "memories" were downright impossible.

8/25

For example, Michelle recovered "memories" of participation in a months-long ritual in which Satan, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary all made appearances. The reality? She was in school the whole time. #SatanicPanic

9/25

The patently bizarre nature of the allegations didn't stop the public -- and even the media -- from believing them. Long after the book's publication, Oprah invited Michelle on her show and presented Michelle's claims as indisputable fact.

10/25

Then there was the McMartin Preschool trial, widely considered the first Satanic Panic court case. One mother suspected her son had been sodomized by a teacher. Other parents began to panic that their children had been sexually abused. Things quickly got out of control.

11/25

Coerced by parents and social workers using highly suggestive methods, hundreds of children began to "admit" to having been abused, even when they weren't. And their allegations were further tainted by strange and supernatural claims.

12/25

For example, they told of flying witches, tunnels beneath the school to transport kids between buildings, and children being flushed down toilets. Eventually, the case fell apart with all charges dropped. It was the most expensive criminal case in US history at the time.

13/25

There were several other books like Michelle Remembers, and numerous other cases like McMartin. Entire towns were upended. Families were torn apart as even the most religious parents were accused of leading a Satanic cult. Many went to jail, some for decades.

14/25

The Satanic Panic is typically discussed as a thing of the past -- a decade or two of hysteria that's now long gone. The reality is much more discomforting: the Satanic Panic never went away, it just went underground.

15/25

Most of the psychiatrists and other licensed professionals that laid the pseudoscientific groundwork that allowed for the Satanic ritual abuse conspiracy theory to flourish are still in practice. Some of them still propagate Satanic Panic hysteria.

16/25

Some licensed mental health professionals continue to unintentionally implant in their patients false memories of Satanic ritual abuse and related conspiracy theories relating to CIA/Illuminati mind control. They are rarely censured for their malpractice.

17/25

The popular notion that traumatic memories can be "repressed" and later "recovered" -- despite the consensus among memory researchers that they cannot -- has kept the Satanic ritual abuse conspiracy theory alive.

18/25

From the blood libel myth to the Salem Witch Trials to the Satanic Panic of the 80s and 90s, out-group persecution and scapegoating frequently occur in the context of widespread societal stress.

19/25

Between the COVID-19 pandemic, a renewed focus on the scourge of racism, and a remarkably consequential election just two months away, it is hardly surprising to see a resurgence of Satanic Panic.

20/25

But that makes it no less troubling. Although few actually believe the "Democratic elite" are Satanists who harvest adrenochrome from the blood of children, some that sincerely do believe it have proven to be dangerous.

21/25

It has always been perilous to be a Satanist. In recent years, groups like The Satanic Temple have helped to create a safer environment for self-identified Satanists. However, the resurrection of full-blown Satanic Panic hysteria threatens to halt that progress.

22/25

We once again appear to be in an era in which to be labelled a "Satanist" is to be accused of horrific crimes against children and animals. This is simply false: Satanists are your friends, neighbors, community members, and family members, not evil criminals.

23/25

The reality is that Satanists believe in compassion, empathy, and science. Read The Satanic Temple's Seven Tenets here for more information about who we are: thesatanictemple.com/pages/about-us

24/25

Finally, Grey Faction, a campaign of The Satanic Temple, is the only remaining international campaign dedicated to ending the ongoing Satanic Panic in a dark corner of the mental health field. Check us out and support us at greyfaction.org.

25/25