The Secular Humanist Bulletin - Supreme Court to Rule Again on Religious Displays - CSER Finds Claims of Satanism Exaggerated

Sep 28, 2026

Coverage focuses on major U.S. legal and public controversies involving religion in government space and allegations tied to Satanism. The Supreme Court is set to revisit whether Pittsburgh and Allegheny County may display nativity scenes and menorahs during Christmas and Hanukkah. Another report by the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion challenges claims of widespread satanic crime, citing a lack of evidence for Satanism as a cause and describing ongoing review. The bulletin also notes a Canadian ruling against compulsory school prayer.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

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Pages7

Reading Time18 min

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Supreme Court to Rule Again on Religious Displays

CSER Finds Claims of Satanism Exaggerated

Ontario Bans Lord's Prayer in Public Schools

For the first time since 1984's landmarkdecision in Lynch v.Donnelly,the SupremeCourt will hear a major case involving thedisplay of religious symbols on governmentproperty during the year-end holiday season.The Court will decide whether to overturnan appeals court decision that blocked thecity of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County,Pa.,from displaying nativity scenes andmenorahs in public buildings during theChristmas and Hanukkah seasons. The American Civil Liberties Union(ACLU)had sued in 1986 to bar the dis-plays,contending that they violated the FirstAmendment principle of state-church separ- The Committee for the Scientific Examina-tion of Religion held a special press con-ference on October 31,1988,in regard toitstwo-year investigation of Satanism in Amer-icaAccording to the press release,"Peoplewho worry about a rising tide of sataniccrime in America are giving the Devil muchmore than his due."Shawn Carlson,a physi-cist at the Lawrence Berkeley Labs and thereport's principal author,contends that thereis a growing myth of a national satanic con-spiracy that has been fueled by so-calledexperts with a religious ax to grind,misin-formed police officers,and a gullible mediaeasily lured into sensationalism.In regardsto the las charge,CSER moved up therelease of its report by six months,so itcould immediately respond to the GeraldoRivera special“Devil Worship:ExposingSatan's Underground,"which aired on NBCon October 25."The Rivera report,"chargesCSER,“was misleading,much of the in-formation presented was inaccurate,and keyfacts were omitted." CSER examined a wide range of satanicallegations:child abductions,ritual childabuse,ritual murder,animal mutilations, # The Secular Humanist Bulletin women who purportedly sacrifice theirbabies to Satan,and the relationshipbetween Satanism and heavy metal rockmusic.It concluded that most of these alle-gations are baseless.The report states thatin the few instances where crimes with un-deniably satanic elements have occurred,“There is no evidence to show that Satanismper se was responsible for the act.Nearlyevery satanic criminal has a history of anti-social behavior long before he/she took upsatanic trappings.Satanism appears as anexpression of one's mental illness,not as amotivation for anti-social behavior.Satan-ism is a symptom,not the cause." CSER's investigation is ongoing.It is stillexamining allegations of the existence ofnetworks of satanic groups,but it says itcan rule out the large-scale conspiraciesespoused by other authors. Gerald Larue,CSER chairman and co-author of the report,adds,“I'm proud ofthe work we've done,especially in the areaof child abuse.The hysteria mongers wouldhave us spend our resources going afternonexistent nationwide cults of satanicchild-abusers.We must concentrate our ef- | The Secular Humanist Bulletin i edited by Tom Flynn,Tom Franczyk,and Andrma Szalanskiaa supplement to FREEINQUIRY magazine and is published by the Council for
Democrati and Secular FHumanim(CODESH,Ine.),a non proft corporation,3159 Bailey Avenue,Buflo,NY 14215-005.Phone (716834-2921.Paul Kurt,edio,and
Tim Madign,managing edion.RE INQUIRY Ltter and editorialinquinie should be adresed to:The Editon,Scular Humanisn BMlerim,Box 5,Bufalo,NY 14215-005. | | --- | # Supreme Court to Rule Again on Religious Displays ation.The lower court rejected the plea,allowing the displays to continue.But whenthe case was appealed to the U.SCourt ofAppeals for the Third Circuit,the displayswere found unconstitutional and banned.The city,the county,and a private citizenpetitioned the Supreme Court to review theappeals court decision,and the High Courthas announced its intention to do so. The Supreme Court's last foray into thisarea made legal opposition to government-supported religious displays more difficult.In Lynch v.Donnelly the Court ruled thatPawtucket,R.I.,could include a creche ormanger scene in an extensive—and otherwise # CSER Finds Claims of Satanism Exaggerated f

FAQs

What case is the Supreme Court expected to decide regarding religious displays?

The Court will consider whether Pittsburgh and Allegheny County may display nativity scenes and menorahs in public buildings during Christmas and Hanukkah seasons.

How did the ACLU challenge the religious displays?

The ACLU sued to block the displays, arguing they violated the First Amendment principle of state-church separation.

What conclusions did CSER reach about claims of Satanism-driven crime?

CSER concluded most allegations are baseless and stated there is no evidence that Satanism per se causes crimes, describing many offenders as having antisocial histories before satanic trappings.

Sep 28, 2026

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