Vatican Warns That Internet Promotes Satanism 585
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."
Attendees (Score:2, Informative)
"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..."
As well as a constantly changing harem of young boys (and a couple of young girls for those who really want to go against the Catholic creed)
Re:Internet promotes Christianity (Score:3, Informative)
The internet says that it also promotes christianity, using the same arguments. Within minutes you can research churches, bible groups and also contact them...
You can also research and contact support groups & class action law suits for the many reported cases of abuse that the Catholic Church has been charged with. Ooops, the internet is bad.
Re:Satan? (Score:4, Informative)
Milton did some very nice work on Satan - he turned the rather vague and open-to-interpretation mentions in the bible into a coherent narrative of Satan's origin as the fallen angel who thought himself God's equal and was struck down in his pride, thus becoming dedicated to corrupting God's greatest work: Mankind. Milton actually thought he did a bit too well on that, as he was most displeased when people actually started seeing the prince of darkness as a sympathetic character.
Re:Back at you. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Actually (Score:5, Informative)
Except according to Christianity, Satan isn't a god, he's a fallen angel, and doesn't have godly powers (omnipotence and omniscience). He's unable to create something from nothingness, for instance. Thus, according to their beliefs, there is only one god.
No, the Church didn't say that. (Score:4, Informative)
It must be the silly season for the Telegraph newspaper: the Vatican didn't say anything about satanism.
The statement didn't come from any Church office, or any cardinal, bishop, or spokesman for the Church. The speaker, Carlo Climati, is a journalist who spoke at a conference at the Catholic university where he works in Rome.
Some reporters can't tell the difference between an official church spokesman and Some Guy in Rome, or even Some Priest in Rome, but what do you expect from the press: distinctions? We don't need no stinking distinctions!
Besides, the guy's probably right! If the net has made communication and collaboration easier for jihadist bombers, white supremacists, Democrats, and other horrible people, who's to say it didn't help satanists too?