The Church Of Satan The Church of Satan's Stance On Child Abuse

The Curch of Satan was begun in 1966. In 1967 Anton Szandor LaVey's wrote The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth , a fundamental guide to the actions expected of CoS members which said;

9. Do not harm little children.

Precept 9 was therefore made clear forty five years ago and any CoS affiliated satanists who do harm children are therefore an aberration and abomination. In the 46 year history of the CoS John Lotts appears to be the only one to besmirch this precept.

In 1988 La Vey penned 'A FIVE-POINT PROGRAM' which stated:

In recent years, we've wasted far too much time explaining that Satanism has nothing to do with kidnapping, drug abuse, child molestation, animal or child sacrifice, or any number of other acts that idiots, hysterics or opportunists would like to credit us with. Satanism is a life-loving, rational philosophy that millions of people adhere to.

How People Are Accepted Into The CoS

There are two levels of membership in the Church of Satan. The first is a Registered Member. Anyone can join as a Registered Member for the payment of a one-time fee. This is basically a form of donation with little access to any central activities and lasts for life. This is the membership card Lotts carried. Registered Members are expected to conform to the CoS rules and a breach of them, including any illegality, results in termination of membership. We understand that Lotts membership is terminated.

The second and more important level of membership is an Active Member which involves acceptance through a filtering process after a probationary period of being a registered member. Members who wish to take part in CoS conclaves, group ceremonies etc. must be Active Members. They are vetted and the filtering process involves checks on the applicants criminal record, attitude to animals and general moral standards, all of which can cause rejection of the applicant.

You can see more about the beliefs and activities of the CoS at their informative website here

John David Lotts

Card Carrying Satanist
Sex Offender
Caught Abusing 5 Year Old Child

Satan-Hunters claim it's the first incontrovertible case of Satanist Abuse,
But is it?

A self-confessed Satanist is behind bars charged with abusing a five-year-old boy.
Detectives suspect it may have been part of a satanic ritual or torture...
"During the interview Lotts actually produced a red card and declared himself a member of the Church of Satan,"
Source
John Lotts is undoubtedly a nasty piece of work with a past history of violence. He will rightly be punished most severely for physically abusing the son of his long-term partner,Elizabeth Hoagland, with whom Lotts has a child of his own, but is this case really an example of Satanic Ritual Child Abuse as the fundamentalists maintain, or is it just 'Wicked Stepfather' syndrome?

Well despite the seemingly incontrovertible headlines and the Satanist tag bandied about by the media, it is nothing of the kind. It has parallels with all standard abuse cases. There is nothing in the case which would suggest any Satanic motive or any Satanic ceremonies. If Lotts had not volunteered his Church of Satan membership card the police would have treated this as just another case of regular child abuse.

John David Lotts entry on the Tennessee Sex Offender Register Anyone who scratches the surface can soon discover the truth. The family was already under the jurisdiction of the Department of Children's Services because Lotts was on the sex offenders register following a case of rape 22 years earlier. Their suspicions brought in the police. The child had suffered physical abuse only, there was no accusation of sexual abuse. The type of abuse was nothing like that claimed as generic by the satan hunters. According to reports:

Doctors found several internal injuries including lacerations to both his liver and kidneys and allege the injuries occurred on multiple instances. The boy also had multiple injuries on his face and mittens over his hands. When the mittens were removed, officers found injuries on the back of his hands. Source:
There is nothing to differentate these types of injuries from 'ordinary' child abuse. There is nothing 'satanic' involved. The boy is alive and now recovering well. According to the police, apart from the 1990 adult rape Lotts has no other criminal record and had appeared rehabilitated. We are not trying to emolliate Lotts' crimes you understand, just presenting the facts.
In an interview with NewsChannel5 from the Rutherford County jail this week, Lotts admitted to harming the child after losing his temper, but said his Satanism had nothing to do with what happened. He said he's also sorry for hurting the child.
 Source:

No complaints or injuries were found in connection with the other child which Lotts and his partner Hoagland had sired.

As an independent and unbiased observer you have to ask yourself the question:

Does one instance of the physical abuse of a child by a parent who styles himself a satanist mean that parents who are satanists are more likely to abuse children because of their philosophical beliefs?
The answer is a resounding NO and if you want proof of it you only need look here.

Despite the sensational headlines this is not a case of Satanic Ritual Child Abuse.

Ends: Tony Rhodes, Lammas 2012.


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