Satanic ritual abuse

Satanic ritual abuse (SRA) has been defined as "the psychological, sexual, and/or physical assault forced on an unwilling human victim, and committed by one or more Satanists according to a prescribed ritual, the primary aim of which is to fulfill the need to worship the Christian devil, Satan. The same source refers to it as synonymous for cult related abuse, ritual abuse, ritualized abuse, sadistic ritual abuse and organized sadistic abuse It is of very serious concern to some observers, writing in non-academic publications or issuing press releases. , some of whom have termed the Wikipedia article on the subject a promotion of pedophilia, while others regard it as a moral panic or as a subversion ideology. Victor described it as "The satanic cult scare can be seen as a form of deviant behavior which exists only in the preconceptions of a group of professionals who see what they expect to see.".

The long list of synonyms is a bit confusing, since not all cults are Satanic, and not all sadism is ritualistic or even a group activity. Whether or not a given ritual is abusive is also dependent on context: eating pork is commonplace to billions of people, while forcing a devout Muslim or Jew to eat pork would be abusive. Some cultures believe male circumcision or female genital mutilation are quite appropriate, and neither Christianity or Satanism may have anything to do with their beliefs.

A 1992 report by Kenneth V. Lanning, Supervisory Special Agent, Behavioral Science Unit, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, Federal Bureau of Investigation said "Most people today use the term to refer to abuse of children that is part of some evil spiritual belief system, which almost by definition must be satanic." Williams observes that the definition is especially difficult for law enforcement. Ritual with a child is not necessarily abusive; rites of passage such as First Communions, Bar Mitzvahs, and other coming-of-age ceremonies are ritual by definition.