[excerpts from   http://web.mit.edu/harris/www/lanning.html ]
 
#       INVESTIGATOR'S GUIDE TO ALLEGATIONS OF "RITUAL" CHILD ABUSE
#                                       by
#                               Kenneth V. Lanning
#                          FBI Supervisory Special Agent
#                                  January 1992
# 
#                            Behavioral Science Unit
#              National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime
#                        Federal Bureau of Investigation
#                                  FBI Academy
#                           Quantico, Virginia 22135
 
 [snip]
 
[re: satanism, ritual abuse, and the law.]  
#      ...almost any discussion of satanism and the occult is interpreted 
#      in the light of the religious beliefs of those in the audience. 
#      Faith, not logic and reason, governs the religious beliefs of most
#      people. As a result, some normally skeptical law enforcement
#      officers accept the information disseminated at these
#      conferences without critically evaluating it or questioning the
#      sources. Officers who do not normally depend on church groups
#      for law enforcement criminal intelligence, who know that media
#      accounts of their own cases are notoriously inaccurate, and who
#      scoff at and joke about tabloid television accounts of bizarre
#      behavior suddenly embrace such material when presented in the
#      context of satanic activity. Individuals not in law enforcement
#      seem even more likely to do so. Other disciplines, especially
#      therapists, have also conducted training conferences on the
#      characteristics and identification of "ritual" child abuse.
#      Nothing said at such conferences will change the religious
#      beliefs of those in attendance. Such conferences illustrate the
#      highly emotional nature of and the ambiguity and wide variety
#      of terms involved in this issue.
# 
# 
#      4.   DEFINITIONS
# 
#           The words "satanic," "occult," and "ritual" are often used
#      interchangeably. It is difficult to define "satanism"
#      precisely. No attempt will be made to do so here However, it is
#      important to realize that, for some people, any religious
#      belief system other than their own is "satanic." The Ayatollah
#      Khomeini and Saddam Hussein referred to the United States as
#      the "Great Satan." In the British Parliament a Protestant
#      leader called the Pope the Antichrist. In a book titled
#      "Prepare For War" (1987), Rebecca Brown, M.D. has a chapter
#      entitled "Is Roman Catholicism Witchcraft?" Dr. Brown also
#      lists among the "doorways" to satanic power and/or demon
#      infestation the following: fortune tellers, horoscopes,
#      fraternity oaths, vegetarianism, yoga, self-hypnosis,
#      relaxation tapes, acupuncture, biofeedback, fantasy role-
#      playing games, adultery, homosexuality, pornography, judo,
#      karate, and rock music. Dr. Brown states that rock music "was a
#      carefully masterminded plan by none other than Satan himself"
#      (p. 84). The ideas expressed in this book may seem extreme and
#      even humorous. This book, however, has been recommended as a
#      serious reference in law enforcement training material on this
#      topic.
# 
# 
# In books, lectures, handout material, and conversations, I
#      have heard all of the following referred to as satanism:
# 
#           --   Church of Satan
#           --   Ordo Templi Orientis
#           --   Temple of Set
#           --   Demonology
#           --   Witchcraft
#           --   Occult
#           --   Paganism
#           --   Santeria
#           --   Voodoo
#           --   Rosicrucians
#           --   Freemasonry
#           --   Knights Templar
#           --   Stoner Gangs
#           --   Heavy Metal Music
#           --   Rock Music
#           --   KKK
#           --   Nazis
#           --   Skinheads
#           --   Scientology
#           --   Unification Church
#           --   The Way
#           --   Hare Krishna
#           --   Rajneesh
#           --   Religious Cults
#           --   New Age
#           --   Astrology
#           --   Channeling
#           --   Transcendental Meditation
#           --   Holistic Medicine
#           --   Buddhism
#           --   Hinduism
#           --   Mormonism
#           --   Islam
#           --   Orthodox Church
#           --   Roman Catholicism
# 
#           At law enforcement training conferences, it is witchcraft,
#      santeria, paganism, and the occult that are most often referred
#      to as forms of satanism. It may be a matter of definition, but
#      these things are not necessarily the same as traditional
#      satanism. The worship of lunar goddesses and nature and the
#      practice of fertility rituals are not satanism. Santeria is a
#      combination of 17th century Roman Catholicism and African
#      paganism.
# 
#           Occult means simply "hidden." All unreported or unsolved
#      crimes might be regarded as occult, but in this context the
#      term refers to the action or influence of supernatural powers,
#      some secret knowledge of them, or an interest in paranormal
#      phenomena, and does not imply satanism, evil, wrongdoing, or
#      crime. Indeed, historically, the principal crimes deserving of
#      consideration as "occult crimes" are the frauds perpetrated by
#      faith healers, fortune tellers and "psychics" who for a fee
#      claim cures, arrange visitations with dead loved ones, and
#      commit other financial crimes against the gullible.
# 
#           Many individuals define satanism from a totally Christian
#      perspective, using this word to describe the power of evil in
#      the world. With this definition, any crimes, especially those
#      which are particularly bizarre, repulsive, or cruel, can be
#      viewed as satanic in nature. Yet it is just as difficult to
#      precisely define satanism as it is to precisely define
#      Christianity or any complex spiritual belief system.
 
[snip]
 
[re: motivations for use of ritual in abuse]
#      The motivation, however, may be not to indoctrinate the child
#      into a belief system, but to lower the inhibitions of, control,
#      manipulate, and/or confuse the child. In all the turmoil over
#      this issue, it would be very effective strategy for any child
#      molester deliberately to introduce ritualistic elements into
#      his crime in order to confuse the child and therefore the
#      criminal justice system. This would, however, make the activity
#      M.O. and not ritual.
# 
#           The ritualistic activity and the child abuse may be
#      integral parts of some spiritual belief system. In that case
#      the greatest risk is to the children of the practitioners. But
#      this is true of all cults and religions, not just satanic
#      cults. A high potential of abuse exists for any children raised
#      in a group isolated from the mainstream of society, especially
#      if the group has a charismatic leader whose orders are
#      unquestioned and blindly obeyed by the members. Sex, money, and
#      power are often the main motivations of the leaders of such
#      cults.
 
[snip]
 
[re: the likelihood of the violence being related to Satanism]
#           The fact is that far more crime and child abuse has been
#      committed by zealots in the name of God, Jesus, Mohammed, and
#      other mainstream religion than has ever been committed in the
#      name of Satan. Many people, including myself, don't like that
#      statement, but the truth of it is undeniable.
# 
#           Although defining a crime as satanic, occult, or
#      ritualistic would probably involve a combination of the
#      criteria set forth above, I have been unable to clearly define
#      such a crime. Each potential definition presents a different
#      set of problems when measured against an objective, rational,
#      and constitutional perspective. In a crime with multiple
#      subjects, each offender may have a different motivation for the
#      same crime. Whose motivation determines the label for the
#      crime? It is difficult to count or track something you cannot
#      even define.
# 
#           I have discovered, however, that the facts of so-called
#      "satanic crimes" are often significantly different from what is
#      described at training conferences or in the media. The actual
#      involvement of satanism or the occult in these cases usually
#      turns out to be secondary, insignificant, or nonexistent.
#      Occult or ritual crime surveys done by the states of Michigan
#      (1990) and Virginia (1991) have only confirmed this
#      "discovery." Some law enforcement officers, unable to find
#      serious "satanic" crime in their communities, assume they are
#      just lucky or vigilant and the serious problems must be in
#      other jurisdictions. The officers in the other jurisdictions,
#      also unable find it, assume the same.
 
[snip]
 
[re: means of obtaining 'evidence' for crimes]
#      ...One nationally-known therapist personally told me that the 
#      reason police cannot find out about satanic or ritualistic activity
#      from child victims is that they do not know how to ask leading
#      questions. Highly suggestive books and pictures portraying
#      "satanic" activity have been developed and marketed to
#      therapists for use during evaluation and treatment. Types and
#      styles of verbal interaction useful in therapy may create
#      significant problems in a criminal investigation. It should be
#      noted, however, that when a therapist does a poor investigative
#      interview as part of a criminal investigation, that is the
#      fault of the criminal justice system that allowed it and not
#      the therapist who did it.
 
[snip]
 
[re: shams]
#      f.   EDUCATION AND AWARENESS PROGRAMS.
# 
#           Some well-intentioned awareness programs designed to
#      prevent child set abuse, alert professionals, or fight satanism
#      may in fact be unrealistically increasing the fears of
#      professionals, children, and parents and creating self-
#      fulfilling prophesies. Some of what children and their parents
#      are telling intervenors may have been learned in or fueled by
#      such programs. Religious programs, books, and pamphlets that
#      emphasize the power and evil force of Satan may be adding to
#      the problem. In fact most of the day care centers in which
#      ritualistic abuse is alleged to hate taken place are church-
#      affiliated centers, and many of the adult survivors alleging it
#      come from apparently religious families.
# 
#      inquiry into how to prevent family violence, no discussion of
#      the effects of unemployment on a family. Instead our attention
#      was mesmerized by an attempt to count the number of subliminal
#      demons that can dance on the end of a record needle" (p. 1).
# 
#           The law enforcement investigator must objectively evaluate
#      the legal significance of any criminal's spiritual beliefs. In
#      most cases, including those involving satanists, it will have
#      little or no legal significance. If a crime is committed as
#      part of a spiritual belief system, it should make no difference
#      which belief system it is. The crime is the same whether a
#      child is abused or murdered as part of a Christian, Hare
#      Krishna, Moslem, or any other belief system. We generally don't
#      label crimes with the name of the perpetrator's religion. Why
#      then are the crimes of child molesters, rapists, sadists, and
#      murderers who happen to be involved in satanism and the occult
#      labeled as satanic or occult crimes? If criminals use a
#      spiritual belief system to rationalize and justify or to
#      facilitate and enhance their criminal activity, should the
#      focus of law enforcement be on the belief system or on the
#      criminal activity?
# 
#           Several documented murders have been committed by
#      individuals involved in one way or another in satanism or the
#      occult. In some of these murders the perpetrator has even
#      introduced elements of the occult (e.g. satanic symbols at
#      crime scene). Does that automatically make these satanic
#      murders? It is my opinion that the answer is no. Ritualistic
#      murders committed by serial killers or sexual sadists are not
#      necessarily satanic or occult murders. Ritualistic murders
#      committed by psychotic killers who hear the voice of Satan are
#      no more satanic murders than murders committed by psychotic
#      killers who hear the voice of Jesus are Christian murders.
# 
#           Rather a satanic murder should be defined as one committed
#      by two or more individuals who rationally plan the crime and
#      whose *primary* motivation is to fulfill a prescribed satanic
#      ritual calling for the murder. By this definition I have been
#      unable to identify even one documented satanic murder in the
#      United States. Although such murders may have and can occur,
#      they appear to be few in number. In addition the commission of
#      such killings would probably be the beginning of the end for
#      such a group. It is highly unlikely that they could continue to
#      kill several people, every year, year after year, and not be
#      discovered.
# 
#           A brief typology of satanic and occult practitioners is
#      helpful in evaluating what relationship, if any, such practices
#      have to crimes under investigation. The following typology is
#      adapted from the investigative experience of Officer Sandi
#      Gallant of the San Francisco Police Department, ...

EOF