Sign In Sign-Up

Welcome!

Close

Would you like to make this site your homepage? It's fast and easy...

Yes, Please make this my home page!

No Thanks

  Don't show this to me again.

Close

---

 

 

John Cleary: Hello, I'm John Cleary, and welcome to the summer season of The Religion Report.

On today's program, we put away the baubles of Christmas and get out a baphomet, the inverted pentagram that is the revered symbol of Satanism.

...

Wayne Aarons: We are much stronger than they think, and there are many, many more of us than they think, and our time to come out of the closets, wave our flag and do our thing is here.

John Cleary: Satanic Party leader, Wayne Aarons.

For hundreds of years, Satanism has been synonymous with secrecy. It's clandestine nature has fuelled endless talk of sacrifices and bizarre rituals, and sparked more than the odd witch-hunt in response. The stories might be fiction, they might be fact, but how do you know, especially when Satanists profess to emulate or embody the Devil, the one and only Prince of Lies.

And if you're still not sure who or what to believe, try and get your head around Australia in this past year: it started out with allegations of criminal Satanism in the highest of high places, and ended up with one group of Satanists considering a float in Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.

Well, to shed light on these dark and not so dark outings, here's an extended report from Julia Baird and Tim Pollard.

...

Newsreader: The Crown alleged Skipper and her co-accused stalked their victim, 59-year-old New Zealand tourist, Dulcie Brooks, for up to 20 minutes in the Noosa National Park, before repeatedly stabbing and bashing her, robbing her and leaving her for dead. The Crown also alleged prior to the attack the pair had practised Satanism and shared animal blood.

...

Julia Baird: Two girls in an alleged pact with Satan, Satanic judges in a forest duel, and a little bloodbath in a dungeon. No, it's not a new horror movie, a game, or even a novel. In the past year in Australia there's been a range of accusations, stories and media reports that suggest a renewed interest in all things Satanic.

I'm Julia Baird and today we visit Satan in the suburbs.

In late 1997, Independent New South Wales M.P., Franca Arena, produced evidence in parliament which included allegations of judges slaying each other with axes in Sydney, and Satanic activity in dungeons in Melbourne. And then, in 1998, other unrelated crimes were linked to Satan. Baseless allegations, random events, or signs of covert criminal Satanism? Well a Standing Committee of the New South Wales Legislative Council investigated the conduct of Franca Arena and had a look at some of the evidence she presented. Labor MPs, Meredith Bergman, was the chair of that committee.

So what were some of the accusations that came before it?

Meredith Bergman: Well obviously the ones that the media were interested in were the most sensational ones, and the Judge A killing Judge B in Lane Cove National Park in order to become the top international Satanist in Australia, was the one that they tended to concentrate on. The fact that he'd used an axe and done it in front of witnesses. And that led to a very funny story in The Telegraph, where The Telegraph actually rang up the Supreme Court to ask if any Judges had gone missing, and they were told that not that they'd noticed.

The other aspect was the incredible emphasis on body parts, and blood, and the fact that this woman alleged that she'd been kept in a castle in Melbourne and had been forced to bathe in a bath full of blood and body parts, and that there were people's bodies strung up on the wall, and it was those sort of actually macabre aspects that were concentrated on.

Julia Baird: In the days and months before Franca Arena presented her evidence, there was always the threat that she would name names, that high profile paedophiles, or even Satanists, would be exposed. It wasn't exactly the Salem Witch craze, but it did create a climate of fear in which rumour and hearsay quickly became fact, and all of it became news. So how did Meredith Bergman and her committee respond?

Meredith Bergman: Well we only published an edited version of these allegations, because we were trying to protect the person who had made them, and in actual fact when people from the legal fraternity came up to me at social functions and said, 'Oh, we know who Judge B is, ha-ha-ha', and it was just seen by them as an enormous joke. My response was often 'It's actually a lot better than you think' because they had only seen the edited version. Certainly I think the educated community just saw them and ridiculed them. Who knows what people out there in 'punterland' actually believed? I am sure there are still people out there that believe that judges kill each other, and that most of what Franca said was right.

Julia Baird: New South Wales Labor M.P., Meredith Bergman.

For some commentators, community concern about criminal Satanism is not based on fact, but rather a fear of the unknown and the barely imaginable.

Richard Gilliat, journalist and author of 'Talk of the Devil', argues that, as the title of his book suggests, if you talk of the Devil, he will appear. And that since the early 1990s this is precisely what has happened.

Richard Gilliat: What you had was people misinterpreting what psychotherapy patients and children were telling them, as being actually true. And that's what fascinated me about the whole phenomenon, as the title of my book implies, once you start talking about this stuff, it becomes a reality socially. And so people like Franca Arena jump on it and accept it as being true. One of the reasons Franca Arena took this phenomenon seriously was because the government had done a report on it, which said that it was true. And this report was written by the Sexual Assault Committee of New South Wales.

Now that report has since been strongly criticised by the Wood Royal Commission, as being really unreliable. But it had a fairly significant effect on Franca, because in her view, this stuff must be true because the government says it is.

Julia Baird: Journalist and author, Richard Gilliat.

Michael Hill is Professor of Sociology at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. His research suggests that allegations of Satanism are not unique to Australia. What is interesting however, is that the accused are often people who are distrusted or even resented by the wider community.

Michael Hill: Satanic allegations have taken a different form in different societies. In the States, for example, they are very much associated with allegations of what was happening in childcare facilities; in Britain it was very much the marginal poor who became the subject of allegations of Satanic abuse. Australia's really interesting, because there allegations about police activity, of prominent lawyers and judges, I think the cultural colouring of these accusations says quite a bit. I think perhaps in Australia there's a much greater suspicion of authority and a belief in corruption in high places, and that's why that's the target of the kind of allegations you have I think in the New South Wales Parliament, of a major involvement of prominent figures in this alleged Satanism. It is a quite distinct phenomenon in Australia; it's not happened in the same way in North America, Britain and New Zealand for that matter.

...

Michael Hill: A lot of what the media report is crime and events of a particularly vivid kind. I think if you look at the kind of surveys that have been done by criminologists, people have a belief in a much higher level of violence and threats to their security than are perhaps realistic, given the actual figures. But I think it goes broader than this; if you go back to the 1960s, that is when that whole series of films about Satanism, you know, 'The Devil Rides Out', and 'Rosemary's Baby', actually began. So there is a kind of popular stock of 'knowledge' about Satanism that has certainly developed significantly since the 1960s. And I think that too gives people some kind of notion that they know about what Satanists are up to. And again, that makes the sort of contact that's needed to run the Satanic motif in newspapers.

Julia Baird: Professor Michael Hill.

One of the films he mentioned was 'Rosemary's Baby', a psychological thriller written and directed by Roman Polanski. Released in 1968, it follows the pregnancy of Rosemary, a woman who unknowingly has been chosen to bear the son of Satan. As the birth nears, she begins to suspect witchcraft, fears that are confirmed in the last scene, when Rosemary, in the company of local Satanists, finally sees her new-born child.

Rosemary: What have you done to him, you maniacs!!

Warlock: Satan is his father, not Guy. He came up from Hell and begat a son of mortal woman. Hail Satan!

Witch: Hail Satan!

Warlock: Satan is his father and his name is Adrian, he shall overthrow the mighty and lay waste their temples! He shall redeem the despised and wreak vengeance in the name of the tortured! Hail Adrian!

All: Hail Adrian! Hail Satan!

Julia Baird: Actor Mia Farrow and friends.

What 'Rosemary's Baby' tells us is that you can't trust your neighbours, your doctor, or even your own partner. After all, every one of them could belong to a Satanic coven. For this to be true, all you need is widespread paranoia about the secret nature of Satanism, and someone like Roman Polanski who's willing to exploit it.

Nevertheless, 'Rosemary's Baby' is perhaps one of the best examples of a sub-culture that is obsessed with the dark side. Black Metal music, a number of computer games, and a range of movies, all make use of Satanic imagery and style. So what happens when Satanism becomes part of popular consciousness? Do mythology and fact become entwined? And does that mean a lack of evidence is less significant?

Michael Hill: I think so. I mean it's almost like life imitating art. I mean the belief that these things must really be happening has gained a certain plausibility for some people.

Julia Baird: Professor Michael Hill, from Victoria University of Wellington.

For some, child sacrifices and Satanic ritual abuse seem all the more plausible when references to Satan appear on a crime scene. The murder of David O'Hearne in Wollongong last June was accompanied by the scrawling of the word 'Satan' next to his body. There were also reports that David O'Hearne had been decapitated and badly mutilated, prompting one newspaper to call it 'a Satanic beheading'.

Police were quick to dismiss Satan's name as a decoy. However, it's not the first time that Satan has been linked to crime in Wollongong. Indeed, the Illawarra region has long been the subject of suspicion for covert Satanic activity. In 1992, in what many regarded as a piece of tabloid sensationalism, the Illawara Mercury ran a series of articles under the headline 'Hearts of Darkness'. Peter Cullen, who was Editor-in-Chief at the time, tells us why.

Peter Cullen: Welfare workers and the police, they alleged to us that the criminal occult organisation was operating in the Illawarra, and I think if memory serves me right, it was part of a network controlled from Sydney. And the allegations were that the Sydney operation was in child prostitutes and made and distributed child pornography; there was some suggestion of sacrifices, and there was a further allegation made to us that the Sydney organisation operated a shuttle bus service which took street kids from Sydney to criminal occult groups up and down the South Coast. That was whenever they were needed for ritual sacrifices.

Julia Baird: Did you find it strong, that connection between these illegal activities and Satanism?

Peter Cullen: Well that was the allegation, and certainly --

Julia Baird: But could you substantiate it?

Peter Cullen: Well we couldn't, no. I mean if you're saying to me did we find covens, did we see Satanists, did we actually see rituals, the answer to that is No.

...

Peter Cullen: Well look, it's a mind-blowing thing, isn't it? I mean it's full of mystery and intrigue, and it is frightening. It would frighten me. I mean just reading Brett Martin's articles, I found those frightening.

Julia Baird: Yes. Although at the same time some cynics could say by even saying 'Oh look, we've got the tip of the iceberg here, there seems to be so much going on, we can tell you a couple of stories', that that in itself contributes to fear in the community about what might be going on.

Peter Cullen: Yes, that could well be it. We don't close our minds to those possibilities. But you can't, when you decide to publish a series like this, you're always aware of the possibility that you might have been sold a few false ones along the way. I guess that can apply to any form of publication of exposes like this. But if you're convinced that your sources and the people you speak to are basically good people, who are sincere in what they're saying and what they were doing, well I think it's a fair thing to commit it to print.

Richard Gilliat: The police investigated all those allegations, and basically found they were totally without any substance. There was no evidence at all of any Satanic child abuse, or any in fact Satanic crimes of any kind going on in Wollongong. But what there was in Wollongong at the time of course, was a true paedophile network, which in fact had nothing to do with Satanism, but it involved prominent people in the town, like Tony Bevan the ex-Mayor and Frank Arkell, the other ex-Mayor, and numerous other people in the town. And those people were actually exploiting and abusing young people. And I sort of see the Satanic allegations as a kind of symbolic sort of story, almost like a smokescreen, that was created which was deflecting attention away from the real story that was going on. It was almost as if the real story in Wollongong was actually too horrific to contemplate, which was it was the Mayor and the local Councillors and the local businesspeople, and the local church leaders, the Principal of the local Catholic school, they were the child abusers. But people became fixated on this idea that it was these evil people in robes, sacrificing children out in the mountains.

...

Julia Baird: Journalist Richard Gilliat and before that, former Editor-in-Chief of The Illawarra Mercury, Peter Cullen.

Well, the people in robes referred to by Richard Gilliat do exist, and they do operate in Wollongong. Although boasting only 100 to 200 members nationally, members of the Church of Satan claim to be part of a legitimate religion. They also spend a considerable amount of time denying their involvement in criminal activities.

The Sentinel of the Satanic Empire is a group based in Wollongong which claims to be Satanist. Jeisman Rubicante is head of this church in Australia.

Jeisman Rubicante: We don't kill people in blood rituals or anything like that, so it has nothing to do with authentic Satanism, it's probably someone's - if it's not a revenge killing for some paedophile activity that was done to them, it was perhaps motivated by horror movie-watching or something along those lines.

Julia Baird: So it could then be a version of inauthentic Satanism, people doing things in the name of, or for Satan, but while not practicing the pure form that you yourself would advocate?

Jeisman Rubicante: Well then again it wouldn't be Satanism, because to practise Satanism you have to hold religious beliefs and the religious philosophy to heart and practise it. If you're not practising it, you're not a Satanist.

Julia Baird: So what is Satanism, in a nutshell?

Jeisman Rubicante: In a nutshell, hedonistic Satanism, well basically it's self-preservation and hedonism, self-indulgence, as long as you don't harm those who don't deserve or wish to be harmed.

Julia Baird: But if someone's done you over, you would then do them over.

Jeisman Rubicante: It depends on the circumstance of how we've been 'done over'. Obviously if there were legal avenues to get to this person, and that will satisfy our desire to get back at this person then fine, we'll take that action. If it can't, then we'll think of other ways within legal confines to basically get back at this person, yet not actually using the law. By that I mean we can use magic as the main essence of Satanism, the use of Satanic magic and rituals, to destroy a person either metaphorically or physically through the use of unseen forces in nature.

Julia Baird: So at the bottom line, a Satanist would be interested in observing the law. In fact a good Satanist, a proper Satanist should be a law-abiding citizen.

Jeisman Rubicante: All Satanists are law-abiding citizens, because we have to realise that we want a social system where people can function in society. We want to live in peace and harmony, but if people try to screw us around, we see that there needs to be a form of punishment to keep them in line. We want civilisation, we want a moral society. It may not be the morals of Christianity, but we do want one, nonetheless.

...

Julia Baird: Jeisman Rubicante, Grotto Master of the Sentinel of the Satanic Empire.

Well, Australian Satanists have now taken their quest for a moral society one step further. For the first time, the Sentinel of the Satanic Empire has formed a political arm. The Satanic Party is being established in Victoria and its members have plans for a National and International expansion. Their platform includes abolishing unions, relaxing gun laws, stopping water chlorination, abolishing bike helmet laws, removing all tax exemptions, slashing immigration, and imposing stricter penalties for child abuse.

The leader of the party, Wayne Aarons, intends to contest the upcoming Victorian State election. Like many aspiring politicians, he has a vision for the future.

Wayne Aarons: We want to create a Satanic society where people are happy. They can feel safer. And all these policies, and more, when you look at them as a whole, they do actually aim to create your Satanic society.

Julia Baird: But when you say that, you could be almost any politician. Every politician says that they want to make it a happier, safer, more prosperous society, but what is it that the Satanic Party can bring? What is it about you that's different?

Wayne Aarons: Truth and honour. We believe in everything we stand up for, and we actually are going to go all the way.

Julia Baird: This is Satan with a Smile, a sanitised version of the Judeo-Christian Devil, who insists he's not the bad guy that everyone has made him out to be. According to Wayne Aarons, the Devil and his supporters have just had bad press, and it's time to set the record straight.

Wayne Aarons: Our image is cleaned up now, because all the Christians, the politicians, all the other types of people out there, have made such a mess around themselves, they've dirtied their own image which in a way has made ours cleaner, and now that the truth is coming out about us, people just love it all.

Julia Baird: What about the Biblical proposition that Satan is the father of all lies. I mean if you look at the concept of Satan as coming out of, or opposed to a Christian God, then you're actually going against the whole tradition of Satan as operating through magic and darker forces, and evil, as opposed to truth and the righteous way.

Wayne Aarons: Yes, but I don't believe anything the Christians say about us. What's happened is, I believe, is Satan at one time, a long time ago, sat back and said, 'Youse can have a free run, because by this you will scare all your own people over to my side one day, and increase my empire' which is exactly what has happened. They've had the free run for countless centuries, they've just destroyed most of the world, they've destroyed old civilisations that were quite happy before with their missionaries, bringing disease to them, and making them rape their lands and sell out to companies. They've had their free run, they've made one big mess, and it's up to us to clean it up.

Julia Baird: One commentator wrote recently in The Age, 'What's the deal with the Satanic Party? How much ordinary can Satan become, because it's only a short step from parliament to the Rotary Club. How would you respond to people who are saying 'You're whitewashing what Satanism is actually about. What you're doing is dunking the Devil in a bath, scrubbing him up and putting him in a nice suit so people will vote for him.'

Wayne Aarons: I don't really see it like that, I see I'm just bringing out the truth. If people think that's cleaning him up, well that's only because they've been manipulated into believing he's a dark, sinister, evil force. Me and a lot of Satanists and members of the party right now, believe the only evil people are the Christians and politicians.

Julia Baird: What's evil?

Wayne Aarons: Well it's what you don't like basically. We don't like them; we don't like what they do, we don't like what they stand for and we don't like anything about them. So to us, evil is what we don't like.

Julia Baird: So you're saying that by calling on Satan, that effectively makes you more powerful; it means things can happen, it means things can change.

Wayne Aarons: Yes. We believe it's like an unseen link all round the world, that chains us all up, and we're all linked together and we combine our energies for the Satanic Empire.

Julia Baird: So why should a Satanist go into parliament?

Wayne Aarons: Well, there's a lot of us and a lot of people have been talking about it for years, but nobody really has been able to do it, so I more or less chose myself, with other people choosing me and backing me up, but I chose myself to do it because someone has to do it and the time has come when we have to step into politics and also tell people what we're really about. Because I suppose the biggest threat to the church and mainstream politicians, is the truth about us. No-one really knows it. They've all got their ideas on what we do, but they're all wrong. We are very earth-loving, we are a lot stronger than they think and there are many, many more of us than they think and our time to come out of the closets, wave our flags and do our thing, is here.

...

Julia Baird: Satanic Party leader, Wayne Aarons issuing a challenge to Christians and politicians alike.

The Reverend Fred Nile, of the Christian Democratic Party accepts this challenge, and says he plans to deliver a knockout punch to Satan on the chin. Nile is a member of the New South Wales Parliament and sat on the committee that investigated the conduct of his colleague, Franca Arena. He believes that Satan is real and dangerous, and that there are links between the occult and criminal activity.

Fred Nile: Well there's no doubt that there's evidence of paedophile activity involving Satanic cults and so on. There's also evidence that people who are involved abusing children, are very clever. This is my personal belief, that they often use outlandish costumes and other activities so if ever they're caught, when a child says 'Well the man who abused me was dressed up like a clown and did this and did that' or, 'He was dressed up like the Devil', no-one believes the child. Now the man may have been dressed up as a devil, he may not have been a Satanist though, but he could have been simply using certain outfits so if ever the child was questioned, or the child finally did tell their parents or told some official, the child would never be believed. Because the evidence is just so outlandish, it can't be true. And so I think there's two elements: one is that it will be some genuine Satanic activity; two, that there will be some that are using that as a cover-up in case they're ever in danger of being exposed.

Julia Baird: What do you make of those who say it's actually Christians who've created a fear of the devil by talking about him all the time?

Fred Nile: Well there's certainly a lot more talk about the Devil today than there used to be. I think though, it's dangerous for the church ever to deny there is a force of evil. as someone said, 'If there's no such thing as a Devil, then someone else is carrying on his business for him.' And I think that's my approach, there certainly is evil in the world and we hear of terrible things happening, and that to me comes from what we personify as the Devil or Satan. And the Bible has many, many warnings about that: Jesus warned us about it, so I can't say I don't believe in it. I do believe there is evil, I do believe there is a Devil or Satan, and in fact the Bible says 'He roams about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour', a text I often quote. Another one is, 'Put on the whole armour of God so you can stand against the tricks, the wiles of the Devil.'

Julia Baird: The Reverend Fred Nile.

For some, that's the power of belief. Notwithstanding a lack of evidence, criminal Satanism is real, tangible and destructive. For others, that's the danger of belief. By conjuring potent mythological symbol such as the Devil, we miss the banal nature of real evil in our midst.

The Reverend Adrian van Lean is the head of a Perth-based organisation which counsels cult survivors.

Adrian van Lean: My whole emphasis would be that it is wrong to focus on the fear, and fear in fact feeds those who claim power. If someone says they're a Satanist and that they'll use Satanic power over others, those who believe that could be silenced. The best way to get rid of that power is to expose it publicly. But all too often, it's nothing really to do with Satan, rather it's more criminal and as well, manipulative. And I think you take away people's power if you are not afraid of them.

The whole concept's always been over-dramatised, and almost a glorification of evil and the dramatic parts of evil, rather than the mundane things. And I think what's happened is that it's more exciting to talk about the dramatic and the gory things; and there is a notion with some people that because Satan could entice people to do certain things, therefore he must do those things. And that's dangerous thinking.

...

John Cleary: The Reverend Adrian van Lean, and that diabolical look at the Dark Side was from Julia Baird and Tim Pollard.

Technical Production by Tom Hall and Mark Don.

I'm John Cleary. Join us on Radio National at the same time next week, as we continue the summer season of The Religion Report.

---

The Religion Report is broadcast every Wednesday at 8.30am and 8.30pm on Radio National, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's national radio network of ideas.