From The Bard.

Allegations of Satanism at Mormons

 From the "Arizona Republic" Nov 3, 1991,  pg A7

 MORMONS STUDY SATANISM CLAIMS:
 Members Report Abuse As Kids By Renegade Cliques

 By James Coates; Chicago Tribune

 SALT LAKE CITY - Top officials of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
 Day Saints say they are investigating reports from members that as
 children they witnessed human sacrifices and "satanic abuse" at the
 hands of renegade Mormon-affilliated cliques.

 Glenn Pace, a member of the Church's three-man presiding bishopric,
 reported in a memorandum dated July 19, 1990, and made public last
 week that an internal church investigation detailed 60 cases in which
 Mormons described undergoing ritualized abuse in Utah, Idaho,
 California, Mexico and other locations.

 Pace wrote that he is convinced that at least 800 church-affilliated
 Satanists now are practicing occult rituals and devil worship in
 Utah's Salt Lake Valley.

 Many of them, he added, pose as devout Mormon leaders and include
 bishops, a diocese president, patriarchs, temple workers, members of
 the church's Young Women and Young Men groups, and even members of the
 world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

 "Not only do some of the perpetrators represent a cross-section of the
 Mormon culture, but sometimes the abuse has taken place in our own
 meetinghouses," Pace wrote to the committee set up by patriarchs of
 the 8 million-member church to investigate the claims.

 However, Pace wrote, he made a point of asking the victims to identify
 their tormentors only by their church rank. He gave no reason for
 this.

 Church spokesman Don LeFevre said he did not know whether Pace
 reported his findings to law-enforcement officers.

 Pace, he added, is traveling in South America and is not available for
 interviews.

 LeFevre said many law-enforcement officials have expressed scepticism
 about Pace's allegations of widespread satanic abuse. He appeared to
 share that view.


<<<<< SAT-MORM.TXT part two: >>>>>

 "It seems to me that even though one actual case is tragic and is one
 too many, the reports of ritualistic kilings are likely overblown,
 whether they be in connection with members of our church, of other
 churches, or any other segment of society, none of which is immune,"
 LeFevre said.

 Sgt. Don Bell, chief of the Salt Lake City Police Department's
 intelligence unit, said his office recieves about a half-dozen reports
 alleging satanic abuse each year. But there are no reports of finding
 the body of a sacrifice victim.

 "I have no doubt whatsoever that these people who describe enduring
 satanic ritual abuse are victims of some very profound type of abuse,"
 Bell said, "But I do not believe that there is an intergenerational
 network of Satanists active in this valley."

 Pace's memo, marked "Do Not Reproduce" at the top, was made public
 last week by anti-Mormon crusaders Jerald and Sandra Tanner.

 "We do not know that these tales of satanic rituals and human
 sacrifices are true," Sandra Tanner said last week.

 "But we do know that Pace is a very high-ranking church official, and
 we know that the memo in question is authentic and therefore of great
 interest to all people concerned about Mormonisim, both those inside
 the church and those on the outside."

 Pace had written he also was sceptical of the allegations until he
 spent a year interviewing survivors of the rituals, many of whom
 suffer multiple personalities and other psychological problems
 commonly associated with child abuse.

 "When 60 witnessess testify to the same type of torture and murder, it
 becomes impossible for me, personally, not to believe them," Pace
 wrote.

                                    -end-
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     Comments would be welcomed from all....and I repeat my offer:

     If anyone out there has any -solid- evidence of such criminal
     activity, I will be more than happy to pass it on to the appropriate
     law-enforcement agency. Anonyminity will be respected. You can
     send it net-mail to me at 1:114/29, or to this BBS c/o PO Box
     35190, Phoenix AZ 85069, and the SysOp will forward it to me.