By Francisco Fumarola
After the leaked memo from the SAPS
concerning the establishment of a new occult related crimes division, South
African Pagans have been expressing their concerns. Yet, I have found that
these concerns were for the most part brushed aside in the media and by
comments from the SAPS. It would even seem that people generally feel as if the
SAPS know what they are doing and in the end that they have everyone’s best
interest at heart.
“They are going after criminals and crimes
committed. The memo clearly states that they will not persecute religious
groups.” This is a common statement to brush aside our concerns and even imply
that we are somehow being crazy or exaggerating the whole thing. The memo has a
lot of cringe- worthy, shocking and outright ridiculous statements conveniently
overlooked because apparently the SAPS seems to have grown up quite a bit since
the days of Kobus Jonker and the former Occult Related Crimes division or
people think that we are “more enlightened” today and such a unit poses no threat.
The former Occult Crimes division under
Kobus Jonker was very clearly driven by the man’s religious agenda. He is a
self-proclaimed born-again Christian with a fundamentalist view of the Bible.
He believes in the devil as a literal reality and the only answer to Satanism
and occultism is the “blood of Christ”. Clearly such ideas do not belong in a
country where we have freedom of religion as a primary cornerstone. You cannot
use state resources to drive your own personal religious crusade. After the Occult
Crimes Unit was disbanded in 2001, former members remained vocal in the media
and were still frequently called in as “experts”. Several members started their
own anti-occult, anti-witchcraft, anti-Satanism ministries; on their websites
they spew misinformation and lies, espousing a fundamentalist Christian agenda.
That they know nothing at all about the occult or contemporary religion can
easily be discerned by any serious occultist, Pagan, Witch or Satanist.
Johan De Beer and his mother Barbara from Auksano
in Bloemfontein
were very vocal in the media after the Van Eck “graveyard murder”. He appeared
on 3rd Degree and was oft quoted in the papers, leading the country
to believe the devil was on the loose and Satanism was out of control.
F.H. Havinga from Aserac was recently
quoted in several articles. One notable article involved a mutilated rabbit
found in Kempton Park, he wanted everyone to believe that
“African witchcraft” and Satanism was running rampant.
Kobus Jonker recently commented on cases
from KZN. He stated that witches gather around a “witchgram” (solely his term
for a six-pointed star known as a Hexagram or Heksagram)to drink blood and
traffic with demons after several symbols and an apparent ritual was discovered
on the University of Kwazulu-Natal campus.
It should be remembered that these men
cling to a religious and mythical world view where there is a literal and
ongoing struggle between the forces of light and darkness. Add the mythical
ideal that we are living in the “last days” and you can begin to understand why
they expect and want evil to be out of control. They want and even need the
darkness to exist in such a literal form because it becomes part of their
identity and reality. Witches, Satanists and non-believers must be evil and
bloodthirsty because these things are the very opposite of what is “good” or
allowed by their Bible or God.
Witches, Satanists or Pagans could not possibly
have any merits or redeeming qualities. In the fundamentalist view the only
true or acceptable way to salvation is through Jesus Christ. Would I be wrong
in saying that these individuals have a jaded view when it comes to other
religions and even when investigating crimes? Would they not see what they want
and expect to see?
Going further back, we should note that the
common version of Satanism as believed in by the majority of Christians and
supported by a biased media is actually a myth. It is a CONSTRUCTED phenomenon.
It is uncannily similar to the stories and myths surrounding the witch-craze in
Europe in the late middle-ages. The darkest
fantasies of churchmen found expression in tales of sexual orgies with the
devil, black-masses and infanticide (Now I have a craving for ground baby and
banana smoothie – delicious!).
The more modern Christian myth of Satanism
arose in the 60’s and reached its height in the 80’s and early 90’s. The whole
myth arose because of so-called survivor stories where a former “Satanist high
priest or priestess” or a “powerful witch” would suddenly find new life in
Jesus Christ. Their testimonies would attest to the triumph of “light” over
“darkness” and serve to reinforce the Christian message. Unfortunately, most of
these so-called occult survivors turned out to be liars, frauds, attention
seekers or people with real mental health problems. The book “Michelle
Remembers”, which was among one of the first texts to describe horrific rituals
and ritual abuse, was actually based on highly controversial regression therapy
techniques and memories recalled under hypnosis.
Horrific stories emerged from these
accounts about thousands of human sacrifices and vast conspiracies. Yet, these
survivors never provided any evidence and they never pointed out where the
bodies were buried. The rumours spiralled into the whole Satanic Ritual Abuse
debacle. The FBI stepped in to investigate and the 1992 Lanning report
basically debunked the ritual abuse fiasco or the idea of a vast and organized
satanic conspiracy. Yet, the damage was done and rumour panics remained. The
devil was on the loose and he was EVERYWHERE. He was in children’s toys, rock
and metal music, television programmes and he was behind whatever movement was
politically taboo at that time. The climate of fear and paranoia was set.
Rumours and stories of Satanism reached South-Africa and we soon had our own
“survivors” and accompanying conspiracies. Within this climate, Kobus Jonker
conveniently “encountered his first case of Satanism”.
I remember in 1991 a girl in my class told
us that the Satanists were going to invade our home town and they would murder
all the Christians. Stories also emerged about kids who disappeared on their
way home from school, kidnapped for sacrifice - None of these things ever
happened. We were told to burn our Masters of the Universe and other action figurines
because of satanic influences. Fear and paranoia pervaded. The Occult Crimes
division ensured that fear and paranoia prevailed.
I should note that I draw a distinction
between real practicing Witches, Pagans, Satansist and Occultists and the Christian
mythical ideals and expectations of what these groups represent. The Satanic
Bible used by the Church
of Satan and other
Satanists clearly speak out against the atrocities Christians attribute to
Satanists. You do have theistic Satanists who may believe in Satan as an actual
being. Yet, none of these official groups condone the Christian mythical
version of Satanism. Theistic Satanist, Diane Vera has a site dedicated to
debunking these myths. I agree with her when she states that the Christian
mythical version of Satanism fulfils a particularly Christian ideal or agenda.
It serves to keep Christian communities fearful and filled with repugnance,
enforcing unity and affirming their beliefs in a war between “good” and “evil”.
Why would the devil have folks running around committing horrendous crimes if
his goal is to get people away from God? The violent crimes and horrendous acts
of the mythical Satanists will drive people towards the Church.
The Church of Satan would argue that they
have the rights to the terms Satanist and Satanism and technically they did
coin the terms, these terms were seldomly used before the founding of the
Church of Satan in the 60’s. Of course the Satanic movement had its
philosophical precedents and there were previous “satanic” organizations, the
Hell-Fire clubs come to mind.
There are some self-styled satanic groups
out there, frequently criticized for espousing racist or anti-semitic ideals.
Still, they are a far cry from the murderous savages in the Christian myth.
There are also fringe groups like the Order of the Nine Angels, but I have yet
to hear of the “satanic crimes” that they seem to endorse.
The Christian mythical ideal of Witches and
Pagans usually confounds them with the Satanists. Jonker commented in a recent
article that witches gather around a “witchgram” drinking blood and trafficking
with demons. At the very least it will be made clear that these groups are
somehow being misled by demons, despite their claims to the contrary, and it is
usually a downwards spiral until they “find Christ”.
So if the Christian ideal of Satanism is
actually a con and a myth, why do we need an occult crimes unit? If “satanic
crime” or “occult crime” is so common why is it such big news if a crime has
even vague ties to the occult?
The media and former occult unit members
have helped in recent years to construct the idea that we somehow have “occult
crime” running out of control. Yet, all the recent cases including the “sword
killing” by Morne Harmse, the “graveyard murder” of Michael Van Eck, the
mutilated rabbit in Kempton Park, the burning of Kirsty Theologo in a “Satanic”
ritual, Kyle Mudaly’s suicide and strange symbols found at the University of
KZN to name a few, all these cases are highly problematic if presented as
evidence of Satanism out of control in South Africa. Jaded and biased views and
opinions helped CONSTRUCT these cases as Satanism – shame on Beeld, Volksblad
and die Burger for even using the testimony of a debunked “occult survivor”,
Lauren Stratford in the Michael Van Eck case.
It seems that very little evidence is
actually required to start spinning a story about blood drinking satanic cults.
A few candles and a pentagram is basically all it takes to form your own
conclusions that conspiracy and evil is afoot. How is this being level headed?
Is this how the occult unit will operate again? Where is actual concrete
evidence that occultists or Satanists commit more crimes than people of other
religions?
While the SAPS claim that they will not
persecute religious groups but crimes committed, the occult crimes division is
still inherently discriminatory. You may not be arrested for claiming to be an
occultist or Satanists but you are still under suspicion because you follow a
religion or philosophy made out as “prone to violence and crime”. Again, where
is actual evidence that occultists or Satanists are more prone to committing
crimes than people of other religions? Why should the “occult” be singled out
as a special category? This comes from Christian bias and agenda against the
occult, not from actual evidence. The media and the anti-occult cops have
gotten away all these years with calling murders “occult murders” or “satanic
murders”. These labels are usually applied while investigations are still under
way and any arbitrary ties could result in a crime receiving a label of
“occult” or “satanic”, this sensationalism probably helps sell papers and
magazines. Strange symbols, art, literature or even music could result in a
crime having the “occult label”.
To illustrate, suppose I commit a crime of
passion and I kill someone in the process. In my house they will definitely
find plenty of occult books and paraphernalia. Although the crime I committed
had nothing to do with my other activities, immediately and for some inexplicable
reason, there will be statements issued that there may be “possible occult
involvement”. The slightest rumours can ensure that a crime will be tied to a
“possible satanic connection”. To the public, this kind of reporting actually
strengthens the misconceptions and bias already in place. Their worst fears are
confirmed and they should remember that the devil is out to get them. It is
usually also implied that Christianity will protect them or is somehow the
answer.
Another example, if someone commits suicide
and they find occult books and paraphernalia in that person’s house, then yet
again it will be made out as if the occult involvement was part of the problem.
Conveniently, they will ignore the fact that the person had a history of mental
illness, that the person struggled with depression or that the person dealt
with pressures or bullying.
While a murder could be labelled as a
Satanic or an Occult murder, why is a murder never labelled as a “Christian
murder” or a “Muslim murder”. If we apply the same reasoning as described above
to all crimes than any crime where a person had a Bible or Koran in the house
or around the crime scene, these crimes should be labelled Christian crimes or
Muslim crimes. The same use of arbitrary connections applies. The Lotter
siblings’ murder of their parents should rightly be called a “Christian
Murder”, yet no one does this. I suppose that only when it comes to
Christianity then we can realize that a few bad elements do not and cannot act
on behalf of the whole. Yet, conveniently occultism as a whole can be
stigmatized.
Why should occultism receive a different
treatment? Occultism is also an umbrella term that could include many varying
beliefs, philosophies and practices including Wicca and Witchcraft. The occult
crimes unit seeks to use the term as a synonym for “Satanism” and “evil”. The
term simply means “hidden” and refers to hidden or esoteric knowledge. It is
not a negative term and it should not be used in a negative light.
It is the former occult crimes unit members
such as De Beer, Havinga, Jonker etc. who provide training and advice to the
police and the public in dealing with occult related issues and crimes. As
previously mentioned the Christian mythical ideal of Satanism is a con fuelled
by a fundamentalist Christian agenda. Can the SAPS prove in some manner that
they distance themselves from the religious agenda inherent within such a unit?
Without the inherent religious agenda and bias can there even be an occult
crimes division? Remember that the answer and final solution provided by these
men is always a “personal meeting with Jesus Christ”. I strongly suspect that
the new occult crimes unit will be another front used to pursue a religious
agenda.
Finally, it is not simply Pagans,
occultists or Satanists who should speak out against such a religiously
motivated unit but other minority groups as well. There are elements in South
African Christianity which constantly pushes for political influence and power.
They try to have a say in many matters and they want to force their agenda’s
and perspectives onto others. Bringing a religiously motivated unit into the
SAPS is a step-backwards with regards to religious freedom and equality. It
gives too much power and influence to one religious group.
The occult crimes unit should be looked at
with suspicion by everyone. This unit gains the power to define occultism and
Satanism under its terms, influenced by a Christian agenda. They have the power
to label things as “occult” and “satanism” while it is clear that they receive
most of their “knowledge” from misinformed and biased sources. They
conveniently ignore the actual practitioners and the rights of these
practitioners to define their own practices and beliefs. Rather than educating
the public such a unit will simply affirm the public’s darkest fears and
suspicion. It will help the satanic myth live on.
The young men who set Kirsty Theologo
alight claimed that they were conducting a “satanic ritual”, yet the fact
remains that it had absolutely nothing to do with actual established satanic
practice. These young men were “legend tripping”, they were acting out and
fulfilling the Christian mythical ideal of satanism. Diane Vera calls such
criminals “tabloid prophecy fulfillers”. They were acting out the urban legend
as taught within Christianity. Myth seemingly becomes reality and the lines
between truth and fiction begins to blur. The cult-cops and the media have
their “evidence” that the devil is indeed out of control. The fact remains that
it was Christianity with its concerned pastors, cult cops and school education
programs warning about the dangers of Satanism and occultism that inspired and
moulded those young men. Christianity is to blame for cases like these; the
blame does not lie with the Satanists, the occultists, the Pagans, Vampires or
the Witches despite all attempts to scapegoat such groups. The satanic myth
survives as a whole new generation falls prey to anti-occult propaganda.
When I hear the words occult or occultism,
I do not think about bloody rituals and crudely drawn pentagrams, I think about
the lofty systems of Hermetic philosophy, Neoplatonic Theurgy and the
complexities of Kabbalism with its intricate angelology and demonology – the
Western Mystery Tradition. I think of the Royal and Sacred Arts practiced since
the days of Ancient Egypt, including Alchemy. I think of mysticism and of
seeking a closer and more intimate connection with the divine and with God. I
think of the spiritual transformations of mystic alchemy as “lead” turns into “gold”.
When I think of occultism I think of the joyous and colourful rituals of the
modern day Pagans, seeking to establish links to the natural world. I think of
those Pagans who want to reconstruct and reclaim our true heritage before
Christianity. Occultism brings to mind the independent and strong willed
philosophy of Satanism, which I admire in many aspects. These diverse and often
conflicting groups and ideologies constitute my occult brethren who I will
always defend.
Occult philosophy, Alchemy and Christian
mysticism preoccupied the greatest minds in history and shaped Western
Civilization. How has it turned into something to be reviled, ridiculed and
mocked?
Sources:
I strongly recommend this resource for a
huge collection of articles on Satanism and Satanic Panic from Anthropological,
Sociological and Folklore perspectives.
http://www.holysmoke.org/sdhok/satan.htm
First
published on www.penton.co.za on 24
September 2012 http://www.penton.co.za/?p=2576
