-----------------------------------

  This file has been reprinted with permission from:


MARANATHA MANNA
A publication of WOLC radio.
Princess Anne, Md.


Sysop's Note:

In the text, Delmarva, refers to the penninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and
the Chesapeake Bay, made up of the Eastern Shores of VA. Md. and the state of
Delaware.



-----------------------------------



November 1987

MARANATHA MANNA
P.O. Box 528
Berlin, Md. 21811

A publication of
WOLC Radio...102.5 FM


===================================



                            Is Belief in the Occult
                             A Threat to Delmarva?
                                      by

                                 Randy Walter


  Are there really people who cast spells and worship Satan? And if so, is
there reason for concern?

  According to retired Delaware State Police Major Skip Venable, such
activities are directly responsible for crime. He is spreading the word:
Police officers need to become aware of the belief system behind these rituals
so they can recognize evidence of the occult at crime scenes.

  Skip has made an indepth study of this subject. In his present capacity as
an instructor with Wor-Wic Technical Colleges criminal justice program, he
conducted part of a two day seminar last month under the auspices of the
Eastern Shore Criminal Justice Academy in Salisbury [Maryland]. His topic was
the relationship of the occult to crime.

  When Skip first examined the subject, he consulted people who knew about or
were involved in the occult. He was surprised at the amount of activity on
Delmarva.

  There is at least one authentic witch's coven in each county on the Eastern
Shore, Skip believes. They meet in the kind of remote locations found on
Delmarva.

  A coven normally consists of 13 members. When it becomes too large, it
multiplies. Initiates are known only by nicknames so they cannot identify each
other in case of investigation.

  What is there to fear from a coven? "Looking at it from a logical
standpoint, if I have a group of people who believe that evil is good (the
scripture says, 'Woe to them who call good evil and evil good'), I wouldn'T
want those people in my neighbor-hood.
  "As a police officer, is it beneficial to have this going on in your
community? Is it a threat to your kids? When you get a rash of runaways, or
teen suicides, or you go to crime scenes and nothing explains why they
happened, see if you recognize any indications of occult activity which may
give you some type of a motive," Skip responded.

                              ALL KINDS OF CRIMES

  During Satan worship on occult holidays such as Halloween, a murder/
sacrifice is demanded, usually of an animal. Pets left outside may be stolen
for this purpose. Ritualistic criminal activities also include rapes and
fires.

  Among the other dangers posed by occultists are use of violence, drugs, and
deviant sex, not only in their rituals but to recruit new members. These
things Especially threaten children, who are easily enticed.

  "Yes you can have drugs without a Satanist cult, but you can't have a
Satanist cult without drugs," skip said from behind the desk in his office. He
was reviewing photographs taken at a location near Salisbury [Maryland], where
evidence of Satanic activities was discovered. Teenagers had been chased from
the site.

  Inside an abandoned outbuilding was a ritual table, obviously used to
practice curses and put pins in voodoo-dolls. Evidence of drugs was found.
Written on the walls were Satanic symbols and threats like "Leave Or Die" and
"Redrum" ("murder" spelled backwards, as in a violent film called The
Shining).

  Young experimenters like these have not yet graduated into practices which
involve animal (or on some occasions, human) sacrifices and other crimes. But
there is a growing body of evidence that some of the sensational crimes which
headline the news are connected with occultic activities. An example is the
"Son of Sam" killings in New York many years ago, now believed to be
ritualistic murders.

  Law enforcement officials are largely uninformed in this area according to
Skip. Understanding the motives behind the practice of occultism and their
connection with crime was the objective of his portion of the seminar.

                             THREE BELIEF SYSTEMS

  "I thought I would develop a course which would elaborate on the three basic
belief systems from which all religions stem: the Judeo-Christian biblical
view (and I separate that from people who just call themselves Christians),
the humanist/communist view of no supernatural, and the occult of Eastern
mysticism view.

  "I wanted to show how people were desensitized to traditional value systems
and made receptive for recruiting purposes to Satanic activity. The farther we
move into the occult, the more we become receptive to hard core Satanic
activities," he stated.

  As people get involved in seemingly harmless activities, they become
susceptible to more dangerous things. Occultics screen prospects to see how
open they are to occultic philosophy. They begin with milder lures such as
tarot cards, Ouija boards, psychic readings, astrology, reincarnation, and
other mystical experiences.

  Another aspect of Satanism Skip wanted to convey is how dedicated
participants are to their beleifs. Often blood oaths are sworn. Pictures of
family members are required to keep initiates true to their vows, under threat
of harm to loved ones.

  All this shows that Satanists are not just acting out deviant behavior, they
are committed to a belief system. Many are highly educated people who strive
for power -something not as characteristic of average persons. "We're talking
about power and ego here," Skip described.

  Does that mean that Satanists are better criminals, thus harder to catch?
Not necessarily. But it is more difficult to prove a conspiracy, which is why
police officers need to recognize patterns of Satanic activity when crimes
result.

  "I told them not to look for Satanists under every rock," Skip remarked,
acknowledging that not all criminal activities like those he described are
commited by Satan worshippers. His purpose was to show that the conflict
between the occult and Christianity needs to be taken seriously.

                                 SATAN IS REAL

  Not only police officers but Christians need to be more aware of Satanic
activities, Skip states. Many who say they believe the Bible are not convinced
that Satan exsists as the character of evil it describes. To some, he
represents more a folk anti-hero whom Christians blame for their own
shortcomings.

  "I think the Christians, if they do believe in Satan, think he's going to
show up in a red suit with a pitchfork," Skip remarked.

  He noted that the occult as a form of religious expression is not against
the law. But, he added, "Once your religious practices start bordering on
criminal acts, then we have a problem."

  Skip continued, "For the occultists, their ultimate goal for the individual
is power." This is the same goal of for which the New Agers and humanists
strive.

  The New Age Movement ia a deceptive and faddish indoctrination agent which
funnels many adherents into occultic beliefs and practices. Skip has an
interest in the New Age Movement, he says, "because I came out of it and I
recognize it's dangers."

  He lists it's goals as a one-world government, one-world economic system,
one-world religion and one-world leader. Religious as well as social and
political philosophies, can be seen conforming to this man-centered response
to the world's problems.

  An attempt to implement such a system was demonstrated in Nazi Germany.
"Hitler's was a good example of an occultic, Eastern mysticism type of belief
system," says Skip.

 "A lot of people look at Hitler as a Christian.' Some of the (Nazi) officers
had 'In God We Trust' on their belt buckles. But when you look at their belief
system - not what they said but what they actually believed - their writtings
revealed an occultic belief system," he described.

  "Thats what allowed him to kill six million Jews. He (thought he) was just
transporting them back to another dimension, so to speak, where they are
purified and reincarnated and sent back."

                           OFFICERS CONFIRM TEACHING

  Initially, Skip said, his students were alittle skeptical. But as he
explained the relationship between occultic beliefs and crimes some officers
told of complaints in their jurisdictions which resembled what Skip described.

  Because this occultic belief system is based on the character of Satan, Skip
had to teach where that character comes from - the Bible. It was also
necessary to explain both the Christian and occultic views to illustrate what
occultist oppose.

  Here the philosophies of the New Age and occultism interlock. Satanists
commit crimes to create terror and confusion. This coincides with a New Age
concept of "critical instability."

  Critical instability is when the public responds to converging crises with
increasing panic. Eventually they reach a point where they are willing to
trade thier personal liberties for the promise of security and comfort.

  Lawlessness helps propel a society to this theoretical situation, along with
famine, war, plagues, poverty, and natural desasters. When the media play on
the sensational nature of such events, they help these anti-Christian elements
promote fear and set the stage for a world system which promises to end
despair.

  "Into that power vacuum will step someone who will probably look very
benevolent, even religious. He will solve those particular problems for us,"
Skip stated.

                               SELLING A MESSAGE

  "We have to understand that we are being sold a message," he added. "What
happens is this: Say you and I are nice people and we never get involved in
Satanism. But the harmonic convergence and peace movement - we like that."

  The entertainment media also advance the goals of the occult by portraying
their activities in a way which instills their values in the minds of the
viewers. According to Skip, this is largely responsible for the dramatic
increase in young people becoming involved in the occult.

  More significant to Skip than conspicuous occultism, he says, is what he
calls the underground Satanist church, which operates most effectively when it
keeps a low profile.

  "That's the one were really concerned with. Some who get involved are just
kids, and they're playing around with it. You have to understand, kids are a
good recruiting ground," he notes. Other prime recruiting areas are college
campuses and military bases.

  Skip concluded, "I believe the Bible, and I believe Jesus Christ is coming
back. Do I believe I can stop any of this stuff? I don't believe I can stop
it, but I believe that everybody should be informed so they can look for it
and make their own decisions."



                      ===================================
                                End of Article
                      ===================================



Sysop's note:

   I wish to thank Randy Walter for permission to reprint this article.

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