Citation

Bobineau O. Soc. Compass 2009; 56(4): 503-514.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Social Compass, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0037768609345968

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Satanism is the source of fantasies in France for at least two main reasons. First, Satanism, a social phenomenon whose main theoretical foundations we will examine, is never clearly defined. This absence of a clear definition leads public authorities and public opinion to foster a number of misconceptions and to consider, for instance, musical trends and illegal behaviour as pertaining to Satanism. As a result, the number of Satanists and their impact on society are greatly overestimated. Second, Satanism is considered as a dangerous religion, widespread amongst a young population already inclined to a "loss of values". The author will first define precisely what Satanism is, based on research initiated in 1995, and then demonstrate that Satanism, far from being a religion, is a religious phenomenon and constitutes the "religious incorrectness" of a tiny minority.