Primarily a
myth of the
Christian right in the
U.S. during the mid-
1980s, fueled in part by
psychotherapists with
hidden agendas. That didn't stop a large number of people from being charged with various
crimes they probably didn't commit. See, for example, the story of
Paul Ingram, who was
accused of ritual abuse by his
daughters; he was eventually
pressured (some would say
brainwashed) into giving what most believe to this day to be a
false confession. He is currently serving a
twenty-
year sentence.
Carl Sagan, in The Demon-Haunted World, discusses UFO abduction, ritual Satanic abuse, and false memory syndrome.
Note: I am not saying that
child abuse does not happen; it does, with
alarming frequency. However, I have not heard of a
single case where the
abuse was part of a
satanic or
pagan ritual. I
have, however, heard of cases where it is part of a `
Christian' ritual. This is probably not because of anything particularly
nefarious about
Christianity, but rather the fact the it is the most
common religion in the
U.S.
Every religion has its bad apples; unfortunately, when those bad apples fit the stereotype which closed-minded people already have of that religion, things get bad. `Ritual Satanic abuse' became another reason for people to hate witches and other neopagans. As my best friend is a witch, and I have another friend who was abused by her uncle, I feel especially sensitive towards both sides of this issue.