ABSTRACT
Antisatanists rely on images of threatened children, both because general concern for children's well-being makes this imagery effective in mobilizing support for the antisatanist cause, and because defining the satanic threat as criminal helps obscure the religious basis of antisatanism. Abuse involves direct physical or sexual exploitation of children by satanists. The most dramatic tales of satanic abuse involve allegations of human sacrifice and ritual abuse by satanic cults. Child pornography and other forms of abuse are inherently corrupting, but not all corruption involves criminal exploitation. The danger posed by redefining a religious problem in these secular terms is that the imagery of the threatened child is so powerful and compelling. The rhetoric of antisatanism—particularly its emotional appeals about threatened children and its casual standards for proof—deserves people careful attention. The overt message in attacks on heavy metal music and fantasy role-playing games is that some popular culture can corrupt some youths, causing criminal violence.
