It is argued that recent hysteria about Satanic cults can best be understood as moral panic and urban legend. Data from a wide variety of sources, including the author's own personal experience, are brought forward in support of this thesis. It is then suggested that if we are not to remain at the mercy of the anxieties and distortions that produce this moral panic, we must interpret the legend. The interpretation that is offered is that this most recent outbreak of panic about satanism is specifically about a growing awareness of the ubiquity of intergenera-tional eros. James Hunter, L.C.S.W. (M.S.W.), is a therapist in private practice in Lincoln, Maine.
CITATION STYLE
Hunter, J. (1998). Interpreting the satanic legend. Journal of Religion and Health, 37(3), 249–266. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1022938006516
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