How to Respond to... Satanism [antikvár]

Introduction Northport, Long IslandPolice arrested Ricky Kasso, 17, and James Troiano, 18, on charges of second-degree murder. Teenage members of a group which called itself the "Knights of the Black Circle" had been spray-painting Satanic symbols in a local park for several years.Sometime during the night of June 16, 1984, members of the group led Gary Lauwers, 17, into a woods and conducted a four-hour ritual in which they burned Lauwers' clothing and hair, and then stabbed him to death. "I love you. Mom," Lauwers shouted during the attack. But one of his assailants, Ricky I Kasso, commanded, "No! Say you love Satan."Two days after his arrest, Ricky Kasso was found hanged in his cell. Jimmy Troiano was later acquitted on murder charges. Concerned teens from the area spent time during the investigation and trial cleaning up the park the gang had frequented and decorated. ("Drugs and the Devil on Long Island," Newsweek, July 23, 1984)'''An earlier book in the Response Series, How to Respond to the Occult, by Rev. David Hoover (CPH, 1977), compares the recent and rapid increase of interest in the occult to an explosion. "Occult" means "hidden." It includes such things as fortunetelling, occult magick, and spiritism. (The spelling "magick" was used by British Satanist Aleister Crowley to distinguish the occult form from "sleight of hand" or stage magic.)In this book we deal with Satan and Satanism, much of which is underground and therefore thought to be unknown. But we can learn a great deal about Satan's past activity by examining his tracks. And we can predict his game plan by a careful study of the Holy Scriptures. We know what Satan did in the past. We know that in the present Satan will resist anyone and anything that tries to further the Gospel message of Christ's shed blood on Calvary's cross as a substitute payment for the sins of the world. Satanism is not dead.God condemned occult practices long ago. As the children of Israel entered their promised land, they were directed by God to drive out the native inhabitants. This forced exile may seem unfair and unnecessary, but God did not want His people to imitate the occult practices of the native Canaanites."Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God" (Deut. 18:10-13).Clearly these people were idolaters. God had clearly forbidden the worship of any other deity (Ex. 20:3), but still such idolatry persisted.Occult teachings and practices have gained a certain respectability. Classes in witchcraft and the occult have been offered in some high schools and universities. The topic has gone public. During a recent visit to a popular bookstore, I was amazed to discover how many books fall under the category of "occult." One attractive bookshelf labeled "ReligiousInspiration" tastefully displayed Bibles and Christian devotional material, but the back of this 20-t'vV