An AIA review of The Black Mask: Satanism in America Today
Written by John Charles Cooper
Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Publishing Company, 1990
Reviewed by Bob and Gretchen Passantino
Copyright 1994 by Bob and Gretchen Passantino.
(The Black Mask: Satanism in America Today by John Charles
Cooper. Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Publishing Company, 1990,
Trade paperback, 192 pages, $7.95.)
Dozens of lurid, sensational books on Satanism cram display racks at
our local mall bookstore. The bold covers and screaming titles promise
blood, gore, mystery, terror, and sinister incantations. The lineup at
our local Christian bookstore is nearly identical -- the only
differences being that in the Christian books Satan finally loses and
God wins by a hair. Book after book promises to deliver facts, evidence,
sound analysis, and constructive advice. Book after book fails, most
simply rehashing common rumors and proposing fantastic conspiracies. In
fact, out of the two hundred book working bibliography we developed for
our own research on satanism and witchcraft, we recommend only one
Christian book as a good general introduction to contemporary American
satanism: The Black Mask by John Charles Cooper.
This short, fast-paced, well-documented book brims with pithy,
laser-sharp observations about satanism. Cooper is not speaking off the
top of his head: he has spent thirty years teaching, counseling, and
observing the American religious scene. With a minimum of words he
clearly summarizes the causes, development, and current status of
satanism. Following are excerpts illustrative of the gems scattered
throughout the book:
Fixation with the occult indicates that our society has neglected the
human soul, indeed neglected the human being, in pursuit of the
scientific-technological revolution and the power and wealth
technocracy has promised and delivered -- to some (p. 25).
Satanism is political rebellion, ethical inversion, religious
heresy, and suicidal self-loathing, all mingled in one great, taunting
gesture of obscenity, thrown in the face of the universe. . . .
Satanism is the ultimate in deviant behavior, the preeminent in
perversion (p. 32).
Satanism, in the modern sense of that concept, began as a search
for sexual "kicks," sensual enjoyment, and power over
others. That is what it remains today (p. 38).
Popular culture, the way we see ourselves and the way we are with
one another, is the source of satanic activity, not some
"organized conspiracy." . . . We are the people our parents
warned us against. We, who call license "freedom," are the
sources from which the young and the unbalanced draw the elements to
create their individual "hells" (p. 53).
[Satanism] is utter selfishness, pure egotism in action, and a
quest for personal power and unlimited sensual pleasure. Destructive
occultism represents the triumph of the will and the rejection of all
authority. . . . (p. 54).
Satanism blesses and encourages the expression of all that is
natural to adolescent development -- rebellion, defiance, and
specialness -- yet it lacks a positive, rational framework and totally
disregards relational, social, and religious boundaries and values (p.
61).
These feelings of power, the desire to control, and the
pathological pleasure in hurting others are emotions quite close to
those expressed in the utter hedonism, the conscienceless pleasure
seeking of the committed destructive occultist (p. 112).
After much thought, I believe that the claims of breeders and great
numbers of MPD [Multiple Personality Disorder] cases are classic
examples of urban legends. The reality of satanic crime makes
unthinking belief in unsupported claims unnecessary. I may be wrong,
of course, but logically there is no cause to accept claims without
proof (p. 120).
Those fascinated by the occult and drawn to the practices of
Satanism are obsessed with the dark, the filthy, the dead, the
irreverent, and the antisocial (p. 124).
In a personal interview, Cooper explained he wasn't afraid of the
controversy stirred by some of his more controversial statements against
conspiracy theories and against the credibility of breeders. "Truth
is my only motivation. I debunk what is not true because it is not true.
I have no agenda but truth. As a Christian, I believe you can't remain
in a state of grace without upholding the truth."
John Charles Cooper has a broad background in philosophy, theology,
pastoral counseling, and teaching. Cooper has several earned degrees,
including an M.Div. from Lutheran Seminary, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in
philosophy and theology from the University of Chicago. He has written
dozens of books throughout the last thirty years. Currently Cooper
teaches philosophy and religion at Eastern Kentucky University and
pastors All Saints Lutheran Church in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Cooper
has extensive experience counseling troubled youth concerning cultic and
occultic involvement, and has consulted with numerous law enforcement
representatives.
The Black Mask combines facts, evidence, sound analysis, and
constructive advice for dealing with the deadly world of contemporary
American Satanism. Cooper's book shows an intensity of commitment to
moral absolutes and spiritual integrity that alone rescues the Satanist
from himself. As Cooper observes, "Ignorance can be overcome with
instruction, but moral stupidity continues its devastation year after
year" (p. 41).
