“Satanism is about destroying the Church” | Jim Graves | Catholic World Report
From Satanism to the Occult and back to the Catholic Church, one woman found hope and healing through Christ and the sacraments.
The world of Satanism
is a secretive one, often vulgar and sometimes dangerous, or so says
ex-Satanist and Catholic “revert.” Fifty-one-year-old Deborah [who requested her last name not be
used in this article] said that although the beliefs of Satanists vary
tremendously, they center on indulgence of the appetites and a mockery of
Christianity. Additionally, you’d be surprised to discover that seemingly
respectable citizens in your community are members of Satanic covens. As
she explained, “They’re people you meet on the street.”
Since memberships in covens are so secretive—with the threat of death for members who share details of their participation, according to Deborah—it is rare to find ex-Satanists willing to share their experiences.
Deborah was born in 1961 and grew up in Salem, Massachusetts. She attended both Catholic and public schools. As a teen, she got involved in Satanism. She returned to the Catholic Church in 2009. Today, she is married and lives on a farm in Maine.
Deborah shared details of her experiences in her book A Message of Hope, Confessions of an Ex-Satanist: How to Protect Yourself from Evil. She is also a featured speaker at the Spiritual Warfare Conference, held at the Ontario DoubleTree Hotel in Ontario, California on May 4 and 5, 2013. Deborah recently spoke to CWR.
CWR: Tell me a little about your background and how you first got involved in Satanism.
Deborah: First off, as an adult, I was diagnosed as a high-functioning autistic. [Autism is a neurological disorder that can adversely affect a person’s ability to communicate and establish friendships with peers. It is often manifested in children through a variety of atypical behaviors, such as the ones Deborah describes here.] When I was a child I was undiagnosed, and I exhibited a lot of autistic symptoms. These included rocking, hand-flapping, and humming. I also argued with my teachers, and didn’t want to socialize with my peers. Today, I’m still unable to live independently.
Additionally, my mom was a German in an anti-German, Jewish neighborhood. (My father abandoned the family when I was young.) The other kids in school would make fun of me, steal my toys, and call me a “retard.” I was also beat up physically every day. I begged my mom to let me stay home from school. I was hurt, angry, and wanted to be by myself. I isolated myself from others.
I attended a Catholic school from grades 7-10. I went to the nuns who ran the school for help. Because of my behavior, I was unpopular with them and they suggested I deserved the treatment I received. I was angry at the nuns, so, as a joke and to get even, I started coming to school wearing the pentagram. I would also draw it on my homework assignments. They asked me to leave the school.
Now, these were the pre-Internet days, so I began reading about Satanism in books, and then began talking with Satanists.
CWR: Did you attend Black Masses?
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