James Randall Noblitt and Pamela Sue Perskin

About the author: James Randall Noblitt is a clinical psychologist in Dallas, Texas, and director of the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services. Pamela Sue Perskin is the executive director of the International Council on Cultism and Ritual Trauma. They are the authors of Cult and Ritual Abuse: Its History, Anthropology, and Recent Discovery in Contemporary America.

Satanism is just one religion among many in which a deity is worshiped not because of goodness, but because of power. Many people worship Satan because the satanic rituals of abuse and torture give them a sense of power over their victims. The Satanist enjoys being recognized and worshiped as a god by the victim. Power plays an important role in satanic cults; as the Satanist rises in rank in the cult, he or...