A Satanic Panic?

 It was a Sunday I would never forget. I arrived at approximately 8:30 for the 9am Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at Fr. DePauw's Ave Maria Chapel in Westbury, New York with my parents. That was usual for me. What wasn't usual was what my parents and I witnessed on that balmy summer day in 1987. There was a police helicopter flying low and circling the Chapel; not less than a half-dozen uniformed police were patrolling the Chapel grounds, and there were plain clothes detectives at the entrance. At first, I didn't know if we could go there--maybe, God forbid--the Chapel had been vandalized. However, we were allowed to enter. As we reached the front doors, one of the detectives was looking me over (I was 22 at the time and appeared younger), and he asked my parents, "Is this young man your son?" They said yes, and he told us we could go on in.

Everyone inside was looking rather pensive. Father was not hearing Confessions that Sunday as he usually did 30 minutes before the first Mass at 9am. I knelt down and recited my prayers before Mass and Communion. When the bell rang and Father DePauw entered the sanctuary, he looked somewhat distraught. The Low Mass began, and after the reading of the Gospel, Father came to give the announcements and sermon at the pulpit. With a somber tone in his voice, he told us that the police had come because there had been a credible death threat made against him by some people involved in a Satanic coven. They said they were going to murder him to show their "hatred for Christ" and "everything he (Fr. DePauw) stands for" to "glorify Satan." The police (especially on Long Island) only reacted to such threats if they posed a true risk. I knew that with all this police coverage, law enforcement did not think this was some stupid prank, as they did in 99% of all such threats.

Father assured us that we were not in any danger. The police had secured the grounds and checked for explosives, etc. They remained in case someone would pose as a visitor with the intent of making good the threat to murder him. When the police suggested that perhaps he should shut down the Chapel for a few weeks and "get out of town" to take up residence with another Traditionalist priest friend, Father balked at the idea. "If they kill me for hatred of the True Faith, then I would die a martyr at the altar. I can think of no better way for a priest to die. But I'm not worried. My patron is St. Michael the Archangel, who beat Satan before and will do so again!" said a defiant and faith-filled Fr. DePauw from the pulpit. He then continued the Mass, and we left breathing a little easier. Nothing happened to Father, and he was told by the police and DA not to discuss the specifics of the incident. The following week, things went back to normal.

The 1980s were a time when the so-called "Satanic Panic" swept the United States. There were false and exaggerated claims of "Satanic Ritual Abuse" or "SRA." It seemed to culminate with the famous broadcast on October 22, 1988 of the show Devil Worship: Exposing Satan's Underground presented by Geraldo Rivera. I watched the show the night it aired, and it was sensationalistic in the extreme. The show would be the highest viewed documentary up until that time (and remains one of the most watched even as of this writing). The media, and the secularists, want us to think that the idea of people following Satan is nonsense in all cases. The fundamentalist Protestants want us to see the devil everywhere we look without exception. As always, "In medio stat veritas"---in the middle lies the truth. This week's post seeks to clarify the very real rise of Satanic influence in the world, while hoping to avoid both the dismissal of the supernatural on the left, and the uncalled for hysteria on the right.

The Real Evidence for a Rise in Demonic Influence

There are those who serve Satan knowingly and willingly, and those who serve him indirectly. There are also those completely fooled, for as Scripture tells us, "And no wonder: for Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14). According to the New York Times, "It is unclear how many Wiccans ("witches") and other pagans there are. The 2001 American Religious Identification Survey by the City University of New York found that Wicca was the country’s fastest-growing religion, with 134,000 adherents, compared with 8,000 in 1990. The actual number may be greater, Ms. Berger said. Some people may have been unwilling to identify themselves as pagan or Wiccan for the survey. Others combine paganism with other religions." (See https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/us/16wiccan.html).

As to those who identify as pagans (polytheistic, animistic, or pantheistic pre-Christian religions), some studies suggest that there are at least 1.2 million pagans in the United States. (See Jason Pitzl-Waters, The Wild Hunt, "Parsing the Pew Numbers," http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/02/parsing-pew-numbers.html; Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, http://religions.pewforum.org/). Also in the U.S., there are approximately 1.5 million Hindus, another 1.2 million are Buddhists, and 3.45 million Mohammedans.  The fact that there are currently millions of witches, animists, and other pagans in the country is reason enough for genuine concern. The Bible tells us, "But the things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God. And I would not that you should be made partakers with devils." (1 Corinthians 10:20). Let's not forget that Pope Pius XI clearly establishes Islam as dark (evil) as paganism in the prayer he composed for the Dedication of the Human Race to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, where we pray for those "still in the darkness of idolatry or of Islamism." 

The growth of these religions allows for greater demonic activity. Yet the Vatican II sect tells us that:

 "The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other [pagan] religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men...The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. (See Nostra Aetate, para. #2 and 3). Notice the absence of any mention to convert them to the One True Church (and now Bergoglio openly tells us "proselytism is nonsense"). Good people who were raised in the sect thinking they are Catholic come to accept, rather than reject, paganism. 

The main cause of the rise in paganism--and even Satanism--coincides with the Great Apostasy. It's no coincidence. There are three basic reasons for this cause and effect, based on sound theological principles. 

1. The False Ecclesiology of Vatican II. 

The heretical ecclesiology of Vatican II tells us that the Church of Christ is distinct from the Roman Catholic Church, but "subsists" there because it has all the "elements" of the Church of Christ. The Church of Christ "subsists" elsewhere depending on how many "elements" the sect possesses. To have all the elements is best, but just having some elements is good too, and leads to salvation. (See Lumen Gentium of Vatican II). This explains why Nostra Aetate (cited above) could praise the false and diabolical sects of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. It also explains how "St." Wojtyla (JPII) could kiss the evil Koran--it contains some elements of truth. Using the same logic he could kiss the Satanic Bible because that has "some truth" as well. You will also frequently hear Vatican II sect clergy talking about baptism bringing someone into full communion with the sect. This clearly implies there can be partial communion. This notion is blatantly heretical. You can no more be "partially Catholic" than a woman can be "partially pregnant," or a man is "partially dead." You simply are or are not.

2. Religious Liberty. 

Dignitatis Humanae, the Vatican II sect document on so-called "religious liberty," overturns the perennial teaching of the Church on religious tolerance. Paragraph #2 of that damnable document states: "This Vatican Synod declares that the human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that in matters religious no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs. Nor is anyone to be restrained from acting in accordance with his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits."

Vatican II not only says that no one should be forced to believe (which the Church has always taught), but also claims that no one can be restrained from practicing the religion of his choice. The Robber Council announces a "natural right" of the members of all false religions not to be hindered in their equally false/evil practices, which includes the "right" to proselytize and have false worship in public. Vatican II promotes something (once more) that the Church always condemned previously. The result was that Catholic countries were not only permitted, but encouraged, to remove Catholicism as the State Religion. When the Church was the religion of the State, only Catholicism could be practiced in public. Proselytism and public worship by sects was strictly forbidden. The result is both obvious and devastating, as the formerly Catholic countries of Europe (e.g., Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, etc.) are overrun with Mohammedans and other sects, with their morals returning to those of pagan times having abortion, euthanasia, and sodomite "marriage" all legalized. 

3. The False "Mass" and "Sacraments" of the Vatican II sect.

When the True Church was driven underground, and the Modernists took over the formerly Catholic buildings, they evicted Christ. When the Mass was replaced by an invalid Novus Bogus bread and wine service, the grace that comes to humanity via the Unbloody Sacrifice of the Cross was diminished. As Christ decreases, Satan increases. Why else did missionaries have to perform so many exorcisms in foreign lands filled with pagans? As the Mass increased, demonic activity decreased.

Moreover, the sacraments have all been invalidated with the exception of most baptisms, and some marriages. Young people must try to fight all the modern evils and temptations without the grace of Confirmation. There are no priests and bishops to perform exorcisms and bless sacramentals. No graces from Holy Communion, and no forgiveness of sin outside of perfect contrition. It's a delightful time for the forces of Hell. 

 The Rise of Satanism

 In the 1980s, after two decades of the above errors, the rise of Satan was becoming apparent in many ways. Not far off from Father DePauw's Ave Maria Chapel, was the the infamous ritual murderer Ricky Kasso (b. Richard Allen Kasso, Jr. in 1967) aka "The Acid King" for his use of LSD. He became involved with reading the Satanic Bible as well as listening to Satanic rock groups like AC/DC and Judas Priest (he is pictured at the top of this post). Kasso murdered his 17-year-old friend Gary Lauwers in Northport, New York, on June 19, 1984 in a ritualistic Satanic slaying. Kasso attacked his friend in the woods with two accomplices, stabbing him multiple times and demanding that he say, "I love Satan." Instead, the victim replied, "No! I love my mother!" Lauwers bled out, and Kasso hid the body under branches and leaves. He bragged to his friends about the killing, even going so far as taking some to see the decaying corpse, and declaring  Satan was "pleased with [him for] the murder" and manifested himself to Kasso in the form of a black crow. 

The body of the missing Lauwers was discovered by police on July 4th, and Kasso was arrested two days later. He committed suicide in his jail cell by hanging himself on July 7th. (See Say You Love Satan, Dell Books, [1987]). Kasso was an early example of "self-styled Satanists." These are individuals that seek out Satan on their own for power. They are not affiliated with any formal "church" or "coven." This is in distinction to The Church of Satan founded by Anton LaVey in 1966, or other formal Satanists like the sect called the Temple of Set. 

The biggest lie perpetrated by LaVey was claiming that "Satan" only represented the repressed forces of nature but was not a real entity. In a book published posthumously in 1999 (LaVey died in 1997), he admitted in an interview: "If they’re at all intelligent [other Satanists] …they'll realize that there’s only so much I can say publicly…I will not advance things in print which make my position untenable…How long would the Church of Satan have lasted if I hadn’t appeased and outraged in just the right combination? It required a certain amount of discretion and diplomacy to balance the outrage." (See Lucifer Rising: A Book of Sin, Devil Worship and Rock ‘n’ Roll by Gavin Baddeley [1999], p. 133). 

The case of Ricky Kasso was shocking at the time; that someone so young would become involved with devil worship. We are now witnessing young children doing the same. On May 31, 2014, 12-year-olds Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, admitted that they lured their friend, Payton Leutner into some woods near a suburban Milwaukee park. Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier urged her on, according to investigators. Leutner was left for dead but she crawled out of the woods and got help from a passing bicyclist. Geyser and Weier said they carried out the attack to curry favor with "Slender Man," a fictional online horror character typified by spidery limbs and a blank white face. 

If you think the story is an anomaly, just a couple of mentally disturbed pre-teens, you'd better think again. Just last month, a story came out that sent shivers down my spine. It has been spun by the media in interesting ways. Two young girls (11 and 12) whose names have not yet been released due to their ages, wanted to murder their classmates, drink their blood, and commit suicide to be with Satan. According to USA Today:

Police say the girls — ages 11 and 12 — were found in a bathroom stall, allegedly with multiple knives, a pizza cutter and knife sharpener in their possession. The girls planned to commit suicide after stabbing other students, police say. "The plan was to kill at least 1 student but were hoping to kill anywhere from 15-25 students," an affidavit said. "Killing all of these students was in hopes it would make them worse sinners ensuring that after they committed suicide ... (they) would go to hell so they could be with Satan."

The girls allegedly hatched the plot after watching scary movies over the weekend, detectives said. The plan involved lying in wait for smaller students, mutilating their victims' bodies and drinking their victims' blood, according to authorities. (See https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/10/24/florida-girls-plotted-satanic-school-stabbings-police-say/1756036002/)

Rolling Stone magazine quotes a Satanic sect as saying, "I’m sure it will be established that these girls held no active role in any established form of religious Satanism, the major sects of which today are non-theistic, humanistic, and anti-superstitious,” Lucien Greaves, spokesperson and co-founder of the Satanic Temple says. “Their distorted perspective of what Satanism is, and their apparent supernatural belief in what Satan wants, is almost certainly the product of a Christian upbringing, possibly an attempt at the tired ‘the devil made us do it’ defense." (See https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/satanic-temple-responds-murder-plan-satan-worshiping-girls-747337/).

Am I the only one to see the media hype doesn't add up? Why would any middle schooler seek out such violent thrills, especially if the "type of Satanism" they followed was not at all according to its teachings?  Madness is not contagious. I'm not a psychologist, but it seems more than a bit odd that two pairs of young girls who are friends would both have severe psychological problems, to the point of sharing the same psychotic ideas and plot. Murder, suicide, and blood drinking from a weekend of horror movies? No, it goes deeper than that. It's the Satanic influences all around. Slender Man and the horror movies were just the proverbial "last straw" in kids who went from the implicit Satanism in our modern pagan culture to overt Satanism. It wouldn't surprise me if the girls had been reading the Satanic Bible and the press wishes to prevent so-called "Satanic panic."

And lest anyone suggest that this latest duo is hardly a trend, there have been more and more grizzly murders in the name of Satan since Kasso. To list but a couple:

• In Italy, a rock group aptly named The Beasts of Satan, were involved in Satanic ritualistic killings. According to The Guardian: Andrea Volpe and Pietro Guerrieri had confessed to roles in the 1998 killings of Chiara Marino, 19, and 16-year-old Fabio Tollis in woods outside Milan. Volpe - considered to have been the mastermind of the ritual killings - was sentenced to 30 years, 10 more than prosecutors had asked for. Guerrieri was given 16 years. Mario Maccione, who also confessed to the killings, was cleared because he had played a secondary role. Five other members of their suspected Satanic cult have been ordered to stand trial in June. (See https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/feb/22/italy). 

• Italian police stated their intention to create a special unit focusing on new religious sects, particularly Satanists and other violent ritualistic groups. It would be dubbed "The Satan Squad" (See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6168827.stm)
• In September 2014, while awaiting trial for the murder of a 40-year-old in Pennsylvania, 19-year-old Miranda Barbour confessed to the murder of more than 22 people across the United States. "After 22, I just stopped counting," she told a local newspaper.The young woman explained that she started killing at the age of 13. At the time, she was dating a member of an Alaskan satanist sect. After being arrested for the murder that took her to court, her car was searched and a satanic bible and a medieval dagger, which was presumed to have been used to kill the victim, were found. [Barbour was sexually abused and it led her into evil companionship]. (See https://www.dailyitem.com/news/barbour-body-count-at/article_2d85b849-c9e6-508b-96f3-4e80639a867a.html). 

So is it Demonic Possession?

 What is causing the unbelievable crimes being committed (at first) by teenagers, and now even by young children in the name of Satan? Are they possessed? Some may be, but it isn't a stretch to see how children get caught up in things covertly demonic until they reach the point of giving themselves (literally) over to Satan. Consider:

• The Harry Potter franchise portrays witchcraft in a positive light, and promotes moral relativism. Something is only right or wrong depending on who does it and for what reason; the end justifies the means  
• The Star Wars franchise promotes Eastern pagan pantheism and an impersonal "Force"
• Rock, pop, and rap music is rotten to the core--see my once per month series "Singing For Satan" on the first Monday of every month
• The Twilight franchise promotes evil as good, and implies statutory rape
• Video games desensitize children to violence
• So-called mediums, "psychics" and "ghost whisperers" pervade entertainment on TV and are even invited into homes by adults to "speak to deceased relatives"
• The "Charlie Charlie Challenge" has inspired millions of ­youngsters to dabble with Satanic rituals by using a simple Ouija board made from a sheet of paper divided into quarters. They write “Yes” in two corners and “No” in the remaining squares. They then make a cross by stacking one pencil on top of another and summon the demon "Charlie" who answers questions – or even gives them instructions – by turning the top pencil to point to "Yes" or "No." The Daily Mirror reports: "Players have reported strange phenomena after contacting Charlie, especially if they believe they failed to sever the spiritual link after the game. One player from Buckinghamshire claimed her laptop malfunctioned, then the power failed. When she tried to call her parents the phone cut out. Another from Texas said he had seen a black figure with red eyes at the top of the stairs. Others reported hearing sinister laughing and objects moving without any obvious explanation."
• Pagan practices such as yoga and reiki are promoted not only in public schools but in Vatican II sect schools and churches
• Horror movies are seeped in the occult 
• The Satanic Bible and Wiccan books are readily available to children in public libraries and schools
• The Vatican II sect tells its members that all religions are more or less good, so no need to combat Satan or convert others--Christ is thereby rendered "one among many options" (at best) or totally irrelevant (at worst)

Conclusion

The so-called "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s was not all mass hysteria as the media portrays it. The incident with Father DePauw was not reported in the media, and neither were others. The hysterical stories were given the limelight. In the wake of the Great Apostasy, we are seeing the insidious growth of demonic influence. The first organized religion based on Satan started less than a year after the close of Vatican II. We see the growth of paganism, and evil in all forms. I find it interesting that one source I read called the two Satan worshiping pre-teens wannabe "vampires" because they wanted to drink their victims' blood. The story conveniently left out all reference to Satan, which is analogous to reporting on 9-11 without mentioning Islam. 

 I will not be like some Protestant preacher saying "Satan is everywhere," and everything that goes wrong is because of him. That is hysterical, theologically unsound, and does more harm than good. However, he is in many places and his influences grows. In the wake of this Satanic influence, the answer for those of us who hold on to the One True Faith, is not to panic. It must be a resolve to expose it and fight it with all natural and supernatural means we have at our disposal. May St. Michael the Archangel lead us, and defend us in battle against the malice and snares of the devil. 

The Disregarded Virtue

 It's a sight that is now commonplace. On Saturday nights and Sundays (especially during the summer), I'll see men and women dressed shamefully. The men look like slobs with t-shirts, old worn out sneakers, and tight pants. In many cases the t-shirts have lewd messages. The women are dressed either just like the men, with the tight pants and t-shirts with bad messages, or they resemble "ladies of the evening" by wearing hot pants and see-through blouses. Their destination? Not a bar or a beach, but a Vatican II sect Novus Bogus "mass."  The virtue of modesty has disappeared from our society, and the Vatican II sect couldn't care less, as they embrace immodesty in their own churches. The last time I had the misfortune of passively attending their abomination of a service (circa 2004), I witnessed the "priest" giving "communion" to a young woman about 20 years old who was dressed so shamefully, I can't believe her parents let her out of the house looking like that, let alone go to church.

In this post, I will present the teaching of the Church on the virtue of modesty, and its necessity both in and out of Church. Let me say at the outset that both men and women need to dress modestly. It is also my hope that this post will squash the exaggerated claims of certain Traditionalists who needlessly castigate properly attired ladies with false claims of "immodesty" which only serves to drive people away from the One True Church.

Church Teaching on Modesty

 According to theologian Prummer, modesty is "...that virtue which moderates all the internal and external movements and appearance of a person within the bounds and limits proper to his state in life, intellectual ability, and wealth. There are four virtues included under modesty: humility, studiousness, modesty in external behavior, and modesty in dress." (See Handbook of Moral Theology, [1957], pg. 238). I will limit discussion to modesty in dress. The Blessed Mother warned at Fatima, "...certain fashions will be introduced that will offend Our Lord very much." Our Lady knew what was coming; an assault by Satan on purity. Why? Our Lady also said that more souls go to Hell for "sins of the flesh" (i.e., sins against the 6th and 9th Commandments) than for any other reason. 

True, this is a private revelation which no one is bound to believe, but I personally accept it because it not only comports with Church teaching on the gravity of such sins, it is prophetic insofar as we have a sex-saturated world that has forgotten God. Sex, in all forms, no matter how perverse, is thriving in a world where (by a conservative estimate) at least 15% of all websites are pornographic, with some estimates at 34%. I say this is a "conservative estimate" because researchers will differ as to what, exactly, constitutes "porn." Some consider websites with scantily clad  models not to be pornographic even if they are practically nude. Sex for the God-ordained purpose of procreation within marriage is scorned, as once Catholic countries have free access to all forms of contraception, and murdering babies by abortion is legal.  

Modesty is necessary to keep lust in check. Since the Fall of our First Parents, concupiscence (a disordered inclination to sense pleasures against the direction of reason), must be fought. Today's fashions have surrendered to evil. 

The Beginning of Immodesty

 Fashions in the Christian West began to change dramatically in the wake of World War I. A fallen away Catholic, Gabrielle Chanel (better known by her nickname "Coco"), introduced certain fashions for women that were quite risque for the time. She introduced "bobbed hair," and a "boyish look" for women. (The perfume "Chanel No. 5" was named for her). Most shockingly, she introduced bathing suits for women made with long sleeves, and it extended past the knees covered by a long skirt. Sounds innocent enough, but it caused quite a stir, and was considered scandalous by decent people. According to one source:

 When Chanel opened her first shop in Paris many of her sportswear-inspired pieces were made of jersey.

At the time Chanel’s choice of fabric was a shock to her satin and silk inclined clientele as jersey was the material of choice for men’s underwear. The ever entrepreneurial designer, however, favored the fabric because it was inexpensive and draped well. The result was clothing that suited her customers’ increasingly fast paced lifestyle. (See https://www.vogue.com.au/fashion/news/coco-chanel-was-the-original-jersey-girl/news-story/805ae884ab158711852cf19ee817ceed; Emphasis mine). The "fast pace" was accompanied by immoral standards regarding dress, sex, and the use of alcohol/drugs.

She followed up by introducing another fashion; women wearing trousers like men:

Various women had tried to introduce the concept of trousers for women at times, with bloomers being briefly worn in the late 19th century, but it was Chanel who was first able to get women into trousers in 1929. The look was still considered shocking, and only wealthy women whose status in society was unquestioned, could get away with it. Even then, trousers were only worn during sporting events - only a star like Marlene Dietrich could get away with something like a trouser suit for evening in the 1930s. But another star, Katharine Hepburn, embraced trousers and showed they could be glamorous and sophisticated and the stage was set for another revolution, as if Coco Chanel designs hadn't already revolutionized fashion!
(See https://womens-fashion.lovetoknow.com/Coco_Chanel_Designs). This was the beginning of tighter and tighter pants/jeans.

The "bomb" of indecency was dropped in 1946, when French designer Louis Reard came out with the bikini.

However, the name "bikini" was coined by Louis Reard, and it actually refers to Bikini Atoll, where atomic bomb testing took place. He decided for this name because he hoped that the swimsuit would cause the same reaction as when people for the first time saw the rising mushroom clouds of atomic bombs. (See https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/10/28/the-bikini-swimsuit-was-named-after-islands-the-us-used-for-nuclear-testing/; Emphasis mine).

Once the Great Apostasy began, immodesty grew in leaps and bounds. It wasn't long before men started sporting long hair and tight jeans, and women's clothing became more undignified and revealing. It is not unusual to see women getting married in church wearing sleeveless, open-backed, short "dresses" that leave little to the imagination.

The Church Attempted to Stop Immodesty

Prior to the Great Apostasy, the Church spoke out against the rising tide of immodest (and immoral) apparel. 

In 1930, Pope Pius XI approved the following decree:

By virtue of the supreme apostolate which he wields over the Universal Church by Divine Will, our Most Holy Father Pope Pius XI has never ceased to inculcate, both verbally and by his writings, the words of St. Paul (1 Tim. xi,9-10), namely, "Women ... adorning themselves with modesty and sobriety ... and professing godliness with good works."

Very often, when occasion arose, the same Supreme Pontiff condemned emphatically the immodest fashion of dress adopted by Catholic women and girls -- which fashion not only offends the dignity of women and against her adornment, but conduces to the temporal ruin of the women and girls, and, what is still worse, to their eternal ruin, miserably dragging down others in their fall. It is not surprising, therefore, that all Bishops and other ordinaries, as is the duty of ministers of Christ, should in their own dioceses have unanimously opposed their depraved licentiousness and promiscuity of manners, often bearing with fortitude the derision and mockery leveled against them for this cause.

Therefore this Sacred Council, which watches over the discipline of clergy and people, while cordially commending the action of the Venerable Bishops, most emphatically exhorts them to persevere in their attitude and increase their activities insofar as their strength permits, in order that this unwholesome disease be definitely uprooted from human society.

In order to facilitate the desired effect, this Sacred Congregation, by the mandate of the Most Holy Father, has decreed as follows:

 Exhortation to Those in Authority

1. The parish priest, and especially the preacher, when occasion arises, should, according to the words of the Apostle Paul (2 Tim. iv, 2), insist, argue exhort and command that feminine garb be based on modesty and womanly ornament be a defense of virtue. Let them likewise admonish parents to cause their daughters to cease wearing indecorous dress.

2. Parents, conscious of their grave obligations toward the education, especially religious and moral, to their offspring, should see to it that their daughters are solidly instructed, from earliest childhood, in Christian doctrine; and they themselves should assiduously inculcate in their souls, by word and example, love for the virtues of modesty and chastity; and since their family should follow the example of the Holy Family, they must rule in such a manner that all its members, reared within the walls of the home, should find reason and incentive to love and preserve modesty.

3. Let parents keep their daughters away from public gymnastic games and contests; but if their daughters are compelled to attend such exhibitions, let them see that they are fully and modestly dressed. Let them never permit their daughters to don immodest garb.

4. Superioresses and teachers in schools for girls must do their utmost to instill love of modesty in the hearts of maidens confided to their care and urge them to dress modestly.

5. Said Superioresses and teachers must not receive in their colleges and schools immodestly dressed girls, and should not even make an exception in the case of mothers of pupils. If, after being admitted, girls persist in dressing immodestly, such pupils should be dismissed.

6. Nuns, in compliance with the Letter dated August 23, 1928, by the Sacred Congregation of Religious, must not receive in their colleges, schools, oratories or recreation grounds, or, if once admitted, tolerate girls who are not dressed with Christian modesty; said Nuns, in addition, should do their utmost so that love for holy chastity and Christian modesty may become deeply rooted in the hearts of their pupils.

7. It is desirable that pious organizations of women be founded, which by their counsel, example and propaganda should combat the wearing of apparel unsuited to Christian modesty, and should promote purity of customs and modesty of dress.

8. In the pious associations of women those who dress immodestly should not be admitted to membership; but if, perchance, they are received, and after having been admitted, fall again into their error, they should be dismissed forthwith.

9. Maidens and women dressed immodestly are to be debarred from Holy Communion and from acting as sponsors at the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation; further, if the offense be extreme, they may even be forbidden to enter the church.

(signed) Donato Cardinal Sbaretti, Prefect
Congregation of the Council
Rome, January 12, 1930

In 1946, the Catholic Bishops of Canada issued a decree warning men to wear shirts, even to the beach:
"Man himself does not escape from the inclination of exhibiting his flesh: some go in public, stripped to the waist, or in very tight pants or in very scanty bathing suits. They thus commit offenses against the virtue of modesty. They may also be an occasion of sin (in thought or desire) for our neighbor."

In 1959, Cardinal Santos, Archbishop of Manila, wrote:

"O Christian mothers, if only you knew the future distress, peril and ill-restrained shame that you prepare for your sons and daughters by imprudently accustoming them to live barely clothed, and permitting them to lose the sense of modesty, you would be ashamed of yourselves, and of the harm done to the little ones entrusted to you by Heaven to be reared in a Christian dignity and culture."

Finally, the Vatican declared in 1956,"...in order that uniformity of understanding prevail in all institutions of religious women ... we recall that a dress cannot be called decent which is cut deeper than two fingers breadth under the pit of the throat, which does not cover the arms at least to the elbows, and scarcely reaches a bit beyond the knees. Furthermore, dresses of transparent material are improper ..." The Cardinal Vicar of Pius XII, as recounted in Standards of Decency [1956].

Why is Modesty So Important?

 So far, the Church's definition of modesty has been presented, the history of modern day immodesty in attire set forth, and the True Church's reaction to this immodesty--prior to the Great Apostasy-- has been given. Now, below are the reasons why this virtue of modesty in dress is so important.

1. It is sinful to entice others to sin. Immodesty in dress (of either sex) can engender impure thoughts and desires. To woman who object, "Men need to control themselves," they deny the effects of fallen human nature which is inclined to sin. "But every man is tempted by his own concupiscence, being drawn away and allured." --(St. James 1:14-15). To men who claim modesty "varies according to custom," Pope Pius XII on November 8, 1957, in an address to The Latin Union of High Fashion, stated, " . . . no matter how broad and changeable the relative morals of styles may be, there is always an absolute norm to be kept after having heard the admonition of conscience warning against approaching danger; style must never be a proximate occasion of sin." (See https://www.ecatholic2000.com/cts/untitled-295.shtml: Emphasis mine). God commands us to be modest in dress. Compare Wojtyla ("St" John Paul II) who, on May 8, 1984, allowed a bare-breasted woman to come up and "present the gifts" in Papua New Guinea. There was good reason missionaries of the True Church made the so-called "noble savages" give up many of their customs. 

2. As Traditionalists, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost. We have God indwelling in our soul if in the state of sanctifying grace, and should we lose it (God forbid) we still have a baptismal character. We expect our Churches to be adorned with proper respect for God; shouldn't the same hold true for our bodies? We have a duty under the Fifth Commandment to take reasonable good care of our bodies. Even if not Christian, the body was God's creation, and human life is not to be disrespected. Is God glorified by tattoos, piercings, and shameful clothing? If you are a woman ask yourself, "Would the Blessed Mother wear this?" If you're a man, ask, "Would St. Joseph, or his Divine Foster Son, wear these clothes?" 

3. You don't want to attract disreputable people and give a bad image of yourself. In law school we were told, "Dress like a slob, don't expect to get a job." Very true. I knew a federal judge who would refuse to listen to a male lawyer in court if didn't wear a suit complete with tie, vest, and jacket. "The law demands respect," he would intone. As a former teacher, I would dress in a suit to be a good role model for my students. Education majors who interviewed while dressed casually were not hired in the 1980s here in NYC. If men dress immodestly, they shouldn't expect a professional job, or a woman of good character to enter their life. They will be treated like bums. Women who dress like whores should not be surprised when men look at them and treat them that way. You will attract low-class men who will not be good husbands or fathers.

4. Proper attire affects the way we think and behave. A Vatican II sect neighbor of mine once asked me many years ago as I was leaving for Mass, "Why do you get so dressed up just to go to Church?" It was summer, and he was wearing a t-shirt with a brand name beer on it, shorts, and sandals. I looked at him and asked, "If you had to attend the funeral of a relative or friend, would you go dressed as you are now?" He laughed, "Of course not!" I asked why. "You have to pay your last respects to the deceased." Then I let him have it. "I understand. So you believe dressing properly and seriously demonstrates respect to the loved one who died. If that's true--and it is--shouldn't you show even more respect when meeting, praying to, and receiving Jesus Christ Himself at Holy Communion when in His Church?" He turned red-faced, excused himself, and never brought up the subject again. The Vatican II sect merely pays lip service to the Real Presence (which they no longer have anyway), so they don't care how their congregants dress. If they truly believed Christ Himself was present, would they dress as they do? We carry ourselves differently, both in and out of Church, depending on our mode of attire.

A note of caution. It is not the business of laymen and laywomen to be the "clothing police" at church. A friend of mine who is a Traditionalist, had his wife leave the Church for the Vatican II sect after some busybody came up to her and told her that her dress "should be longer." (It was fine the way it was and not too short, except in this other woman's imagination). The clergy will enforce standards of decency. Do not attempt to enforce those standards as if you had authority, and don't go beyond what the theologians and popes taught before Vatican II when speaking about modesty to others. 

Conclusion

 Modest behavior respects the boundaries of intimacy that are embedded in our natures by the natural law and the principles of proper behavior put forth in Divine Revelation. Part of being accepted and desirable for a marriage partner, according to the underlying messages from many fashion magazines and media stars, lies in clothing, especially revealing clothing. The opposite is true. When we dress modestly we keep our thoughts, and the thoughts of others, pure. We show respect for both our bodies as Christians, and to our Churches where God resides. We give a good self-image and don't attract disreputable people. Lastly, we obey God's Law and we should always think and behave as He commands. Modesty has been called the "disregarded virtue of our age." Disregard modesty, and you do so to the detriment of society and jeopardize the salvation your soul.  

Don't Bet On It

It was the summer of 1978, and very hot here in New York City. It was a Saturday and I was having a catch in the street with my dad, when our neighbor "Ed" (not his real name) came over and walked up to my father. I grew up in a very poor section of the city, and New York was going through a tough financial crisis. Ed (about 50 years old at the time) took out a twenty dollar and a five dollar bill from his pocket. To put things in perspective, when adjusted for inflation, $25 in 1978 equals just over $100 in 2018. Ed worked for a company that constructed asphalt roofs, and he made the equivalent of about $17,000 in today's economy. He had a wife and three teens, and they barely made enough to survive. His company, like many of the time, had no pension or provision for their employees to retire. Ed worked long and laborious days for little money. Less than ten years later, the job would claim his life, as he contracted lung cancer from breathing in the carcinogens associated with hot asphalt fumes.

He showed the money to my father and told him, "Today is the day I finally get to retire. I've saved up for weeks to buy lots of lottery tickets and I'm going to win!" (His words as I best remember them). My father wished him luck. Poor Ed was depressed at the end of the week when the only thing he got was $25 less money when he lost. In 2018, there are plenty more like Ed who believe their economic salvation rests with gambling in one form or another. Many others struggle with gambling addictions. The purpose of this post is to lay out the teaching of the Church on gambling, and to offer my reasons why I believe gambling (in all its forms) should be avoided. Please note that Church teaching must be followed, not my opinions. I have no Magisterial authority, and I have never claimed to be a theologian or canonist. Follow what the Church teaches, but my opinion is just that--a layman's opinion, with which you may agree or not.

The Teaching of the Church on Gambling

The eminent Dominican theologian, Fr. Dominic Prummer, distinguishes two types of gambling, betting and gaming. 

1. Betting. This is defined as a contract in which two or more persons disputing the truth of some event lay down a sum of money to be given to the person who was right. Theologian Prummer sets out two conditions that must be met in order for bets to be moral. First, they must be made for a morally good purpose, and second, the bet must be made on something that is both lawful and uncertain for both parties.

2. Gaming. This is defined as an aleatory contract [i.e., a contract where an uncertain event determines the parties' rights and obligations] whereby a reward is given to the winner of a contest undertaken as a pastime.
There are three kinds of gaming: (a) Games of Skill are those in which the result of the game depends largely on the skill of the players themselves [e.g. football or horse racing]; (b) Games of Chance which depend purely on random acts requiring no skill [e.g., rolling dice or "craps"]; (c) Games of Mixed Character which depend partly on skill and partly on chance [e.g., poker]. (Prummer lists the lottery under gaming).

In order for games that are played for stakes to be moral, five conditions must all be met:

• The players must be free to dispose of the stakes for which they gamble
• The gamble is undertaken with full knowledge and consent
•  The players must have a morally equal chance of winning
• All fraud must be excluded
• Gain must not be the chief motive of the game, neither must it be sought after too eagerly

(See Handbook of Moral Theology, [1957], pgs. 163-164)

One can easily see that while the old Bingo games played pre-Vatican II can easily meet the five criteria, modern casinos and lotteries are much different. Hence, theologian Prummer warned as far back as 1957, "Since games played for stakes are most dangerous because of the serious disorders that often ensue, the confessor should prudently censor them." (Ibid, pg. 164). Likewise, "Civil laws today [1957], as a result of the many abuses which can easily arise, prohibit betting completely or partially or declare it void...These statutes seem to be legitimate and, ordinarily speaking, may be followed in conscience." (Ibid, pg. 164). 

Banning gambling seemed legitimate in 1957, and I can only wonder what Fr. Prummer would say today. The fourth and the fifth criteria above seem the hardest to ensure, and there are other evils that go in tandem with gambling---all of which will be considered next.  

The Many Serious Problems With Gambling

1. It can become addictive. The American Psychiatric Association (APA's) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fifth edition (DSM-5), includes gambling addiction as a psychological disorder. No one starts out with compulsions/addictions, they are brought on by people's choices, just like the choice to use drugs leads to drug addiction. Problem gambling is harmful to psychological and physical health. People who live with this addiction may experience depression, migraine, distress, intestinal disorders, and other anxiety-related problems. As with other addictions, the consequences of gambling can lead to feelings of despondency and helplessness. In some cases, this can lead to attempts at suicide. The rate of problem gambling has risen globally over the last few years. In the United States in 2012, around 5.77 million people had a gambling disorder that needed treatment. (See https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/15929.php)

2. Gambling leads to materialism. A new paper in the Journal of Gambling Studies takes this angle. As the authors write, "gambling has never been studied from a materialism perspective."

In other words, for a behavior that involves trying to win money, there’s a surprising lack of research on whether materialistic attitudes are a factor in gambling. To address this gap, the researchers surveyed 65 problem gamblers and 65 non-problem gamblers, administering surveys about their gambling behavior, financial attitudes and self-esteem.

The researchers found that problem gamblers were distinguished from non-problem gamblers by having higher levels of materialism on average. The link between materialism and problem gambling was especially true for those who believe that happiness depends on having material possessions. 

(See https://blog.allpsych.com/materialism-and-gambling; Emphasis mine). One can legitimately ask if the materialism causes problem gambling, or problem gambling causes you to become materialistic. I argue that the materialistic mindset is inherent in gambling, whether the person is a compulsive gambler or not. What is the purpose of gambling? To make money for doing nothing productive. It's all about getting money and not having to work.

Christ tells us, "...Take heed and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life doth not consist in the abundance of things which he possesseth." (St. Luke 12:15). Scripture also warns us that "Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.This too is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 5:10). 

3. It exploits the poor. If gambling was a good way to get rich, you would see millionaires, billionaires and upper class professionals playing it, and thanking the government for allowing them to get rich this way. Last month, I went to get gas and thought I'd have to wait on a long line. The line was for "Mega-Millions" with working class poor people ( I saw their cars and clothes) spending their money hoping to "retire" like Ed. Gambling is akin to a tax on the poor and people who can't do math. This is is a mathematical, and statistical fact. Americans spent more than $80 billion on lottery tickets in 2016 -- more than they spent on books, movie tickets, music, video games, and sports tickets -- combined.  The odds of winning the "Powerball" or "Mega-Millions" grand prize are, respectively, 1 in 292,201,338 and 1 in 302,575,350. The odds of getting struck by lightening are one in a million. So in 292,000,000, approximately 292 will be struck by lightening, but only one will win "Powerball." Studies also show that the zip codes that spend four times what anyone else does on lottery tickets are those in lower-income parts of cities.

According to a 2008 study reported by Business Insider, households with incomes under $13,000 per year spend 9 percent of that on lottery tickets. As it also pointed out, "you are 17 times more likely to get hit by falling airplane parts than you are to win the lottery." (See https://www.businessinsider.com/households-earning-less-than-13000-a-year-spend-9-of-their-income-on-lottery-tickets-2012-3).

4.  Casinos attract crime. Just over ten years ago, in Bangor, Maine, a 41-year-old housekeeper forged $40,000 in checks belonging to elderly people in the assisted-living home where she worked, then gambled it away at Hollywood Slots, a cavernous 1,000-slot-machine establishment. She pleaded guilty, blaming an addiction to gambling, and in 2008 received a three-year prison term. "Casinos, Crime, and Community Costs," published in 2006 in The Review of Economics and Statistics, a prestigious academic journal produced by Harvard and MIT, examined crime rates in every county in the nation covering a period of 20 years – from 1977, just before the first casinos outside Nevada were built in Atlantic City, to 1996. It concluded that opening a casino led to local crime increases averaging eight percent.

5. Gambling is linked to alcoholism. Some people find there is a connection between the effects of alcohol and what happens when they gamble. This may mean they:

• Drink more
• Spend more money gambling
• Stay at the venue for longer than intended (See https://www.gamblinghelponline.org.au/understanding-gambling/impact-on-health/gambling-and-alcohol)

Conclusion

While gambling may be moral, as outlined by theologian Prummer, five factors must be taken into consideration. Can we honestly say that fraud is excluded and financial gain is not the main motive? Here's what gambling does:

• Denigrates the dignity of labor; working for money
• Gives "get rich quick" ideas to the poor, who should be saving their money and not gambling
• Materialistic attitudes are created and/or exacerbated, leading to addiction
• Attracts crime where casinos are built
• Increases depression and drunkenness (leading to alcoholism in many cases)

Is this something in which a Traditionalist should participate? In my opinion, no. Donate the money to your Chapel or Church and have the Holy Sacrifice offered for your intentions or for someone's soul instead. If your Church or chapel has Bingo or a raffle, that's fine. Government sponsored gambling is bad news. Several years ago, the state of California was pushing its citizens to buy more Powerball tickets. You saw ping pong balls falling from the sky while the song California Dreamin' played. The message was "Believe in Something Bigger." Unfortunately, they did not mean God. Need any more be said? 

Singing For Satan---Part 16

This week I continue my once-per-month series of posts regarding an informal study I undertook in the early 1990s regarding rock and pop music. The purpose of my study (and the background to it) can be read in the first installment of August 7, 2017. If you have not read that post, I strongly encourage you to do so before reading this installment. I will only repeat here the seven (7) evil elements that pervade today's music:

1. Violence/Murder/Suicide
2. Nihilism/Despair
3. Drug and alcohol glorification
4. Adultery/ Fornication and sexual perversion
5. The occult
6. Rebellion against lawful superiors
7. Blasphemy against God, Jesus Christ in particular, and the Church

 The exposing of the bands/artists continues.

Sting and The Police

 Formed in London, England, in 1977, the rock group The Police consisted of three musicians, Sting (b. Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner in 1951), Andrew James Somers (b. 1942), and Stewart Armstrong Copeland (b. 1952). Sumner was a teacher who played in bands on the weekends. From his early days he was given the moniker "Sting" because of the black and yellow striped sweater he would wear, which made him look like a bee. He met Somers while playing a gig, and was solicited to join him in forming a new band. They added drummer Copeland to the line-up, thus completing the power trio. Originally, they were to be called Police Brutality, to show their contempt for authority, but decided to give the group a softer image and settled on The Police. 

 Sting's song about a French whore, Roxanne, was so catchy, A&M Records offered them a record deal; however the song was not placed on the BBC's playlist because of the controversial content. A&M consequently promoted the single with posters claiming "Banned by the BBC," and The Police became an overnight sensation with their first album Outlandos d'Amour released in November 1978. They were part of the so-called "Second British Invasion" of English musicians (circa 1982-1986) making it big in the United States because of MTV. The group would disband in 1986, but Sting would go on to have an incredible solo career (he is still performing as of this writing). In their nine years together, The Police would release five albums, four of which would make Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time," and they are listed as #70 on the magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time." The band has sold over 75 million albums worldwide, and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. 

The band is not only anti-authoritarian and promotes promiscuity, but they are seeped in the occult. They are led by Sting--an apostate Catholic with a traditional Catholic education.

Feeling the Sting of Satan

The album "Ghost in the Machine" is named after the corrupt philosophy of Descartes who likened the soul to a "ghost" that inhabits the "machine" of our body. Atheists and pagans use the phrase as a derogatory term for the Christian belief in the soul. The album looks innocuous with some strange dysfunctional computer display. Turn the album backwards and it is the "666" for Antichrist (see picture below)

Sting was raised a true Catholic in the 1950s, but has since rejected his childhood Faith and embarked on a religious journey through Eastern paganism and occultism. Most of the songs by The Police were written by Sting and exhibit pagan/occult themes. The album Synchronicity (1983) was inspired by the book The Roots of Coincidence  (1972) by Arthur Koestler, which is an introduction to theories of parapsychology, including extrasensory perception ["ESP"] and psychokinesis. It was also a theory developed by occultist and psychotherapist Carl Jung. According to "Carl Jung Resources:"

Synchronicity, as an explicative theory, applies to phenomena from the area of parapsychology, prevision and premonition, to I Ching (the specific method of consulting the Oracle of Changes), to astrology and many other borderline fields. It is also present in psychotherapy, as we have already shown, but also in situations where patients find information about their psychotherapists by extrasensory ways, information that was not public, or vice versa, when psychotherapists get information about their patients. The latter case is attested by Jung in his accounts. (See https://www.carl-jung.net/synchronicity.html). 

The album, the fifth and final by The Police, contains songs of pure evil. The hit song Every Breath You Take is about a stalker obsessed with his female victim and determined to get her to "love" him.

Every breath you take

Every move you make

Every bond you break

Every step you take

I'll be watching you

Every single day

Every word you say

Every game you play

Every night you stay

I'll be watching you

Oh can't you see

You belong to me

My poor heart aches

With every step you take

Every move you make

Every vow you break

Every smile you fake

Every claim you stake

I'll be watching you

Since you've gone I been lost without a trace

I dream at night I can only see your face

I look around but it's you I can't replace

I feel so cold and I long for your embrace

I keep crying baby, baby, please

Oh can't you see

You belong to me

My poor heart aches

With every step you take

The song King of Pain is about the hopelessness of life and how Sting realizes that the human being is "King of Pain" because he can reflect on the absurdity of life.

There's a little black spot on the sun today

It's the same old thing as yesterday

There's a black hat caught in the high tree top

There's a flag pole rag and the wind won't stop

I have stood here before inside the pouring rain

With the world turning circles running 'round my brain

I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign

But it's my destiny to be the king of pain

There's a little black spot on the sun today, that's my soul up there

It's the same old thing as yesterday, that's my soul up there

There's a black hat caught in a high tree top, that's my soul up there

There's a flag pole rag and the wind won't stop, that's my soul up there

I have stood here before inside the pouring rain

With the world turning circles running 'round my brain

The song Wrapped Around Your Finger is described by Sting himself as:

...vaguely alchemical and probably about a friend of mine, a professional psychic and my tutor in tarot, with bits of Doctor Faustus and 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' thrown into the pot for good measure. (See https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-police/wrapped-around-your-finger; Emphasis mine)

Sting admits he is a practitioner of the occult (psychics and tarot cards), and he is "wrapped around the finger"of his evil master from Hell. 

You consider me the young apprentice

Caught between the Scylla and Charibdes

Hypnotized by you if I should linger

Staring at the ring around your finger

I have only come here seeking knowledge

Things they would not teach me of in college

I can see the destiny you sold turned into a shining band of gold

I'll be wrapped around your finger

I'll be wrapped around your finger

Mephistopheles is not your name

I know what you're up to just the same

I will listen hard to your intuition

You will see it come to its fruition

I'll be wrapped around your finger

I'll be wrapped around your finger (Emphasis mine)

In Greek mythology, Scylla and Charybdis were a pair of monsters who lived on opposite ends of the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily. To be "caught between Scylla and Charibdes" is an idiom meaning "having to choose between two evils." In the German legend of Faust, the title character is bored with life and sells his soul to Satan in return for knowledge and worldly pleasures. Mephistopheles is Satan's demon-messenger. The song says, "Mephistopheles is not your name," because Sting appears to be dealing with the devil himself.

Sting has said, "I would not consider myself a Christian any longer. My beliefs are much wider than that. I don’t believe God is necessarily a Catholic or Islamic or anything else…it’s a much larger concept than that."

He also said in his early career, "In a sense I am more of a Hindu … I like the Hindu religion more than anything else at the moment." Although he currently claims agnosticism, in 2009, he reported seeing a "ghost:"

Rocker STING and his wife TRUDIE STYLER were left spooked one night, when they both saw a ghost in their bedroom.

The former Police frontman never believed in a ghostly afterlife until he and Styler spotted a spectre in a home they used to own. He says, "I would never have said I believe in ghosts, until I saw one – and I’ve seen a ghost with my own eyes. I woke up at three in the morning, bolt upright, looked into the corner of the room and thought I saw Trudie standing there with a child – our child – in her arms, staring at me.

"And I thought, ‘Well, that’s strange – why is she standing in a corner, staring at me?’ And I then reached next to me and there was Trudie, and I suddenly got this terrible chill. And she woke up and said ‘Gosh, who is that?’ and she saw this woman and a child in the corner of the room. A lot of things happened in that house, a lot of flying objects and voices and strange, strange things happened.

"When you live in old houses you get this energy there. Intellectually, no I don’t believe in them (ghosts), but I’ve experienced them on an emotional level." (See http://www.theoccultsection.com/2009/11/25/stings-spooky-encounter/; Emphasis in original). It seems Mr. Sumner has experienced many strange encounters from Hell having immersed himself in paganism and the occult, despite protests of currently being an agnostic. Like all who serve Satan, he lies.

Cranking Out More Evil Lyrics

The cover for the single Can't Stand Losing You (1978) depicts a man committing suicide by hanging. He stands on a block of ice while a heater melts it until he slowly strangles to death. It was banned in the UK for promotion of suicide.

Sting admits to having written one of his most infamous songs--All This Time (1990)--- about a boy who wants to bury his father at sea over the objections of two priests. In the song he blasphemes Christ:

I looked out across the river today.

Saw a city in the fog and an old church town where the seagulls play.

Saw the sad shire horses walking home in the sodium light,

Two priests on the ferry.

October geese on a cold winter's night.

All this time the river flowed endlessly to the sea.

Two priests came 'round our house tonight,

One young, one old, to offer prayers for the dying to serve the final rite.

One to learn, one to teach which way the cold wind blows.

And fussing and flapping in priestly black like a murder of crows.

All this time the river flowed endlessly to the sea.

If I had my way, take a boat from the river and I'd bury the old man.

I'd bury him at sea.

Blessed are the poor, for they shall inherit the earth.

Better to be poor than a fat man in the eye of the needle.

As these words were spoken I swear I hear the old man laughing.

What good is a used up world and how could it be worth having?

All this time the river flowed endlessly like a silent tear.

All this time the river flowed.

Father, if Jesus exists then how come he never lives here?

Yeah yeah. Yeah yeah. Yeah yeah. (Emphasis mine)

The Police song Murder By Numbers is about having the right to kill your family and anyone else who insults you:

Once that you've decided on a killing

First you make a stone of your heart

And if you find that your hands are still willing

Then you can turn a murder into art

There really isn't any need for bloodshed

You just do it with a little more finesse

If you can slip a tablet into someone's coffee

Then it avoids an awful lot of mess

It's murder by numbers, one, two, three

It's as easy to learn as your ABC's

It's murder by numbers, one, two, three

It's as easy to learn as your ABC's

Now if you have a taste for this experience

If you're flushed with your very first success

Then you must try a twosome or a threesome

You'll find your conscience bothers you much less

Because murder is like anything you take to

It's a habit-forming need for more and more

You can bump off every member of your family

And anybody else you find a bore (Emphasis mine)

Be My Girl Sally is about a rubber sex doll:

There was somehow

Something wrong somewhere 

And each day 

Seemed grey and dead

The seeds of desperation 

Were growing in my head

I needed inspiration

A brand new start in life

Somewhere to place affection

But I didn't want a wife

And then by lucky chance 

I saw in a special magazine

An ad that was unusual

The like I'd never seen

"Experience something different 

With our new imported toy

She's loving, warm, inflatable 

And a guarantee of joy."

She came all wrapped in cardboard

All pink and shriveled down

A breath of air was all she needed 

To make her lose that frown

I took her to the bedroom 

And pumped her with some life

And later in a moment 

That girl became my wife (Emphasis mine)

The song Don't Stand So Close To Me is about pedophilia between a teacher and an underage student. (Even more disturbing when you realize Sting was a teacher for two years before embarking on his musical career). There is a reference in the song to "Nabakov." Vladimir Nabokov is a Russian novelist who penned the morally reprehensible novel Lolita in 1955, which tells the tale of a middle-aged literature professor obsessed with a 12 year-old girl whom he rapes repeatedly after becoming her stepfather.

 Young teacher the subject
Of schoolgirl fantasy
She wants him so badly
Knows what she wants to be
Inside her there's no room
This girl's an open page
Book marking she's so close now
This girl is half his age
Don't stand so close to me
Her friends are so jealous
You know how bad girls get
Sometimes it's not so easy
To be the teacher's pet
Temptation, frustration
So bad it makes him cry
Wet bus stop, she's waiting
His car is warm and dry
Don't stand so close to me
Loose talk in the classroom
To hurt they try and try
Strong words in the staff room
The accusations fly
It's no use
He sees her
He starts to shake he starts to cough
Just like the old man in
That famous book by Nabakov
Don't stand so close to me (Emphasis mine)

Conclusion

Sting and The Police were seen as relatively "tame" compared to the overtly demonic bands of the time like AC/DC and Judas Priest. I remember the parents of my friends not objecting to The Police, and thinking how they looked like "nice young men." As the evidence shows, they were anything but "nice." Gordon Sumner is an apostate Catholic who has promoted murder, suicide, pedophilia/perverse sex, and the occult. He even has contacts with the demonic. If you're ever going through a spiritual emergency, don't turn to The Police, call on Christ and His Blessed Mother instead.