Another stupid fear-mongering cover from Time magazine (1972)

Time has long history of running cover stories designed to whip up artificial frenzies. The hood on this Satanist has some nice embroidery on it. I wonder if Jenny Hart's seen it?

[#1 posted by Gareth Branwyn , February 2, 2009 12:10 PM]

I'm still waiting for the Occult Revival.

[#2 posted by mgfarrelly , February 2, 2009 12:11 PM]

Clearly your mockery of those exposing the threat of satanists means you are simply part of the conspiracy.

Yes, this hat is made of tin-foil. To keep out the rays, that's why. Stop asking me silly questions you satanist!

[#3 posted by Ceronomus , February 2, 2009 12:15 PM]

There are several interesting true crime books that cover some of the criminal activities of some of the smaller Satanic groups in the 70's. Was most of this whole thing hype? Yes. Was it all hype? Nope. The folks that were the target of criminal investigations were part of the more hedonist than Satanist "Church of Satan", there were (and probably still are) some really scary people out there.

Whipping things up into a witch hunt frenzy certainly isn't helpful, I mean, by comparison there are probably more "Pro-Anna" people out there than uber scary Satanists...but I'd be far more interested in reading about the Satanists.

[#4 posted by zuzu , February 2, 2009 12:23 PM]

Forbid your children from playing Dungeons & Dragons too! :p

[#5 posted by Cowicide , February 2, 2009 12:25 PM]

Could it be???.....................

SATAN!?!?!?!!!!!!!

[#6 posted by urshrew , February 2, 2009 12:26 PM]

My character died! I'm going to go kill myself!

[#7 posted by minTphresh , February 2, 2009 12:27 PM]

satan, eh? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt7cdTPFqE4

[#8 posted by Takuan , February 2, 2009 12:27 PM]

I miss Satan.

[#9 posted by rasz , February 2, 2009 12:28 PM]

looks like something Bush senior would wear at Bohemian Grove

[#10 posted by Brainspore , February 2, 2009 12:33 PM]

That cover is actually a puff piece about the late '60s rock band "Occult Revival" reuniting with their lead singer Satan Fogerty.

[#11 posted by Teapunk , February 2, 2009 12:38 PM]

@9: for all we know, this might even be Bush Senior wearing the hood at whereever.
Satanists usually have their comeback in summer in Germany, when all the politicians are on their vacations and nothing much else happens, apart from exiting news about the weather.

[#12 posted by harpdevil , February 2, 2009 12:45 PM]

1972: embroidered hood
2009: snuggies

[#13 posted by Gregggelz , February 2, 2009 12:46 PM]

Is there some funky 70's photo-magic going on with the eyes? I mean, THE EYES!!!!!

[#14 posted by Jeff , February 2, 2009 12:53 PM]

Revival? I didn't know it (the occult)had faded from popularity. I'm so behind the times.

[#15 posted by noen , February 2, 2009 12:53 PM]

Membership in the Golden Dawn was pretty exclusively held among the European aristocracy. I'd say that the deeper message here is to the middle class: "Occultism is not for you, it is reserved for us."

The same is true for pedophilia.

[#16 posted by Sundog , February 2, 2009 12:58 PM]

It's got a very Tron vibe to it - perhaps a rejected costume design for a Daemon?

[#17 posted by Daemon , February 2, 2009 1:07 PM]

Hail Satin!

[#18 posted by Fitz , February 2, 2009 1:12 PM]

Not to be a Debbie-Downer on your Time bashing but the piece that cover was associated with wasn't really a scare piece. You can read it at

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,877779,00.html

[#19 posted by codesuidae , February 2, 2009 1:13 PM]

I blame this on all the atheists. They're all devil worshipers don'tcha know.

[#20 posted by Teller , February 2, 2009 1:21 PM]

There is probably no Satan.

[#21 posted by Chelvis , February 2, 2009 1:22 PM]

You think that's scary, I remember seeing THIS cover of TIME when I was a kid, and was HORRIFIED!

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/atheism-religion/images/time_cover.jpg

[#22 posted by Mark Frauenfelder , February 2, 2009 1:31 PM]

Fitz@18: "Not to be a Debbie-Downer on your Time bashing but the piece that cover was associated with wasn't really a scare piece."

You are actually an Ulgine-Upper because you've proven my point. Time runs a scary cover, but there's no scary reality behind it.

[#23 posted by Gareth Branwyn , February 2, 2009 1:39 PM]

Gawd, remember the Time kiddie porn cover, with the little kid with his mouth in the shape of a blow-up doll? Really classy.

I'd take Satan any ol' day.

[#24 posted by Mark Frauenfelder , February 2, 2009 1:51 PM]

http://bit.ly/2WXQw4

http://bit.ly/fL0Z

[#25 posted by StRevAlex , February 2, 2009 1:55 PM]

A forgotten character from Alejandro Jorodowsky's "The Holy Mountain" perhaps?

[#26 posted by jokrausdu , February 2, 2009 1:59 PM]

Satan has a devious goal! Well, he did have a goal a couple of days ago for the Pittsburgh Penguins... http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app?page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8459534&service=page

[#27 posted by timmccready , February 2, 2009 2:00 PM]

I'm doing a Satanic Panic movie night in Toronto this Wednesday at the Drake Hotel. Here's a link to a trailer I made.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysd8VCnxQus

[#28 posted by Antinous / Moderator , February 2, 2009 2:10 PM]

Okay, that Cyberporn cover is obviously intended to terrify pedophiles, not parents and children. Can you imagine surfing a porn site and seeing that big-headed, tiny-fingered, devil doll pseudo-child? That would rid you not just of pedophilia, but the ability to sleep and the will to live.

[#29 posted by noen , February 2, 2009 2:39 PM]

If it wasn't for the fear mongering of Satanic cults, pedophiles and terrorists how else would our masters control us?

[#30 posted by jennyhart , February 2, 2009 3:44 PM]

Now I have! Year of my birth! Let's see, there's some nice chain stitching, stem stitching, double devil beast knots...

[#31 posted by Cowicide , February 2, 2009 4:08 PM]

@ #24 POSTED BY MARK FRAUENFELDER

The child in the 2nd photo is fake, but the coke in the 1st photo is real. Very real. You can tell by the granules and seeing a lot of granules in my time.

@ #26 POSTED BY JOKRAUSDU

Huh, so Satan delivered 17 assists for 2008. I never knew he was such a team player. The goatee is a nice touch.

[#32 posted by Takuan , February 2, 2009 4:15 PM]

I miss Satan's sweet, sweet cocaine.

[#33 posted by Beelzebuddy , February 2, 2009 4:26 PM]

Of all the songs I've heard which use the word "Satan" more than fifteen times per minute, this is undoubtedly the best:

Fangbaby - Blueberry SATAN

CC-NC license, btw, so if you like it go nuts.

[#34 posted by zuzu , February 2, 2009 5:07 PM]

Mmm... seitan...

[#35 posted by Takuan , February 2, 2009 5:12 PM]

seitan is wonderful if you put some bacon in it.

[#36 posted by Art , February 2, 2009 5:21 PM]

Baphomet!!!!

I say, "Bring back the old-school demons".

[#37 posted by Cowicide , February 2, 2009 5:25 PM]

@ Takuan

http://tinyurl.com/d3vxyk

[#38 posted by wolfiesma , February 2, 2009 5:33 PM]

I recently looked up the tenets of Satanism, as written by Anton leVey, and strangely, they sounded relatively reasonable. All the vengeance stuff is a little much, but really, it's just the opposite of turn the other cheek, and neither one of those extremes sounds very balanced to me, so anyway, see for yourself:
http://www.churchofsatan.com/home.html

[#39 posted by Art , February 2, 2009 5:45 PM]

Ha!

The Church of Satan accepts PayPal.
Is this internet thing great or what?

[#40 posted by Takuan , February 2, 2009 6:15 PM]

yep, that's my shirt

[#41 posted by Fitz , February 2, 2009 6:33 PM]

If you want an interesting look at the early years of the Church of Satan, including a brief discussion of the Time article see Dr. Michael Aquino's _The Church of Satan_ memoir at

http://www.xeper.org/maquino/nm/COS.pdf

[#42 posted by Beelzebuddy , February 2, 2009 6:41 PM]

@38: I am not involved in the church myself, but AFAIK LaVeyan Satanism is essentially enlightened atheism. "You are your own god. Go wild." The satanic trappings are largely there to piss off the fundies.

[#43 posted by Takuan , February 2, 2009 6:44 PM]

sure "Beelzebuddy", yer not involved.

[#44 posted by eustace , February 2, 2009 9:11 PM]

Most people have forgotten the story behind this article by now, especially since some effort was made to cover it up later. The mass conversions of former Flower Children, Yippies, etc. to the Armies of His Satanic Majesty culminated in a pitched battle not far outside Baltimore in May 1976. Although conventional forces managed to surround the Satanic Legion, they were stymied by swarms of imps and minor demons summoned by the increasingly sophisticated High Priests. Robert Anton Wilson was brought in to negotiate - his solution was adopted, and the Legions of Satan left our plane of existence forever, choosing instead to overrun and conquer the somewhat less-well-defended Plane of Unicorns, Kittens, and Puppies.

[#45 posted by tacokills , February 2, 2009 10:50 PM]

I though yakult was good for you.

[#46 posted by jere7my , February 3, 2009 12:00 AM]

Tacokills@45: No, it's occult, Vince.

[#47 posted by Takuan , February 3, 2009 12:17 AM]

only in Japan

[#48 posted by Halloween Jack , February 3, 2009 9:22 AM]

My impression of 70s Satanism is that it was mostly people that wanted a church that was more into orgies than potlucks.

[#49 posted by buddy66 , February 3, 2009 10:24 AM]

Satanism might have seemed silly in the 1970s, but that soon changed. I suppose I could look up how many people went to prison in the 80s on convictions resulting from charges of Satanic ritual child abuse, and how many died there, or are still there...

But it would be too enraging, and subsequently too depressing. It was an evil time, and evil in the name of virtue flourished.

[#50 posted by ill lich , February 3, 2009 11:18 AM]

@48

Aren't orgies just another form of "potluck"? You never know what you're gonna get.

[#51 posted by tacokills , February 4, 2009 5:23 AM]

jere7my@46: Cheers jere7my; you're a diamond.