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Vatican Warns That Internet Promotes Satanism

Posted by timothy on from the perhaps-this-is-why-I'm-not-at-church dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "The Telegraph reports that the Roman Catholic Church has warned that the internet has fueled a surge in Satanism that has led to a sharp rise in the demand for exorcists. 'The internet makes it much easier than in the past to find information about Satanism. In just a few minutes you can contact Satanist groups and research occultism,' says Carlo Climati, a member of the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University in Rome who specializes in the dangers posed to young people by Satanism. Organizers of a six-day conference that has brought together more than 60 Catholic clergy as well as doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, teachers and youth workers, co-sponsored by the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments and the Congregation for Clergy, say the rise of Satanism has been dangerously underestimated in recent years."

8 of 585 comments (clear)

  1. Back at you. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The Internet Warns That The Vatican Promotes Stupidity.

    1. Re:Back at you. by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They appear to be using "the Internet" as a scapegoat (not to be confused with goatse, but an understandable mistake considering where they often lodge their noggins). People are doing the same shit that they always have but now they can:
      * find it easier on the internet
      * find others who are doing it on the internet
      * blame the internet when they get caught

      Meet the new boogeyman, same s the old boogeyman.

    2. Re:Back at you. by Mindcontrolled · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Lucifer was always the "light bringer" - from latin "lux" the light and "ferre" to carry. So it is the light bringer or the light bearer, but not the light maker. Of course, he was an angel of god, and I completely agree that most of the mythology is not biblical, but derived from Milton and Dante - the whole doctrine of hell is not biblical, but rather heretic, come to think of it. Then you got a lot of conflation if arabic ibis/shaitan demonology to top it off...

      --
      Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.
  2. They are afraid of an educated populance by earthforce_1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They can't control the flow of information and keep the people in check through ignorance like they used to. Much harder to cover up church scandals like pedophile priests with the internet available to a wide population.

    --
    My rights don't need management.
    1. Re:They are afraid of an educated populance by Sprouticus · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "They haven't had the luxury of ignorance or the power to control information for many, many years"

      Tell that to the people in Africa and South America. There is a reason that the Church is growing in areas of low educaiton and high ignorance and poverty. They share their brand of salvation and afterlife to make people feel better about their shitty lives now.

      Same thing applies to Islam.

      You never grew up in the church, you apparently are not familiar with their tactics. By 'warning' the faithful, they actually intend to scare those who may already be uncomfortable with using the web (older folks, the uneducated or undereducated, etc).

      Make no mistake, this is a direct reaction to the sex scandals.

      Before you start stomping on others for modding something, perhaps you should do a little legwork. I know this is slashdot, but judging the validity of the opinions of others invites a very negative response.

  3. Internet Warns that Vatican Promotes Pedophilia by moxley · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Internet Warns that Vatican Promotes Pedophilia

  4. My invisible friend.... by Tanuki64 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...is good. Yours is evil.

  5. Methodology by retroworks · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Reading the story... the evidence provided is that demand for exorcists has increased. This, according to the Church, suggests that Satanism is on the increase - the same as an increase in sales of flu medicine may indicate increase in illness. To explain the rise in demand for treatment of Satanic possession, they formulate the theory that the internet could have promoted Satanism, increasing demand for exorcists. An alternative explanation would be that exorcists formerly could only advertise in very large markets - not in the yellow pages of rural areas. With the increase in internet, victims of Satan have wider access to exorcists, who defeat Lucifer in areas where he formerly established safe harbors. Therefore the Internet promotes Exorcism, not Satanism. And flu medicine sales may indicate meth labs are also on the increase in rural areas, which could also increase demand for exorcists. Personally, I find crackheads scarier than Satan.

    --
    Gently reply