One face of the devil: The satanic ritual abuse moral crusade and the law

The last decade has witnessed the spread across the country of allegations of satanic ritual abuse of children. The allegations are so horrific that a moral crusade comprised largely of psychotherapists, survivors, religious fundamentalists, and law enforcement professionals has risen up in response to them. This paper dissects the claim of the moral crusade that satanic ritual abuse of children is an exigent social problem, analyzes the empirical content of the behavioral science that has grown around this claim, and reveals the symbolic content of the claim. The article concludes with a discussion of the impact this moral crusade is having on the law.