This book is a selection of articles published on the Witchvox web site and is by no means complete on what Cuhulain has discovered and exposed regaridng the disinformation, distortions, and outright lies of the religious right about Wicca, " satanic ritual abuse" and other related areas.

I reccomend this book for everyone, Christian and non-Christian. The overall theme is that the distortons and lies certain ( in particular) Christian groups and people have repeated over the years can be easily corrected by the simple facts and their claims checked out ( and often refuted). For the Christian who believed the claims of these self-proclaimed experts, it will be an eye opener. And for them it also will be distressing ( if they are honestly about the truth, not doctrine) about how prevalent the misinformation is. For the non-Christian or non fundamentalist, this book will be informative in showing some of the claims out there and explaining how the claims are in error.

I know I am sounding like I am attacking Christianity. I am not. It's just that over the decades of reading Christian books on the " new age" movement and on subjects I am interested in, it is rare that a tape or a book will objectively say the facts about the subject so the audience can be informed, not indoctrinated. If Christians want non-Christians to believe them, they should stick to the facts. How can we believe them about their claims about Jesus when we see them lie about things we know about?

Cuhulain exposes some of the lies and shows the claims of some of these people are at best questionable. He shows their bias and shows why they are incorrect in their claims.

Our very own Wiccan Cop - Kerr Cuhulain - shares in this book decades of research into the myths and misinformation that has spread around the various communities about paganism in it's various forms, from Satanism to Wicca.

This book is based on research Mr. Cuhulain did on various accusations and misinformation that has appeared in the general public and made it's rounds from police handbooks on the occult and cults to religious bulletin boards on the Internet. The research has been painstaking, and sometimes slow, but it is accurately documented and substantiated and recorded in book form for others to reference.

The bulk of this material was "serialized" on The Witches Voice website [...] for the pagan community to read, reference and use when we are approached by others who question information they have been given. Many times acts of discrimination and harassment have been justified or based on misinformation that has since been proven to be inaccurate or unjustified or unfounded. The paperwork has been done by Mr. Cuhulain, and used by him to show various law enforcement institutions and government agencies the actual facts in many cases.

There are many stories that have sprung up about Wicca, most of it developed by fundamentalists of the hard core kind, some by cultists in their own rights, and still more as offshoots of hysteria and rumors, all of which have been spread by word of mouth in certain circles and have resulted in long, useless and harassing investigations by law enforcement officers on persons who do not deserve it. The perpetrators of these legends cost our governments money in the time it takes to track them down and find the facts in the many cases. Most of the time it is lies or fantasies made up by the perpetrators, and we have wasted many man hours of our precious law enforcement agencies resources. Mr. Chulain examines some of these in detail and shows the checkered past and shadowed sources.

The book covers a few "handbooks" that were published by government agencies in the 80s. These handbooks carried much misinformation to the law enforcement agencies at that time because they were written by so called "experts" who did not do enough homework or drew conclusions based on little or wrong information. These handbooks did a lot of damage on their own, and in some cases they continue to be present in the offices of many law enforcement agencies and government offices. Mr. Cuhulain points out the obvious flaws, discusses the misinformation and substantiates his facts with proof.

Mr. Cuhulain carefully outlines What Wicca is. Using the written material that came out of The Council of American Witches in 1974, he focuses on the positive aspects of who we are and what our beliefs are comprised of and what our practices are. This section is carefully and clearly written out so that anyone can understand and appreciate it. I would include this whole chapter in "required reading" for anyone approaching outsiders to our spiritual path and trying to explain it. It is very well done and clearly stated.

The book covers well known Urban Legends, going to the source of the misinformation, naming names and dates and speeches or articles or pamphlets that outlined these lies or fantasies. From the accusation that Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonalds, proclaimed he was a Satanist on a well known TV show to the logo of Proctor and Gamble being a Satanic Symbol, Mr. Cuhulain goes over the myths, examines the sources and documents the actual truths. Yes, Mr. Kroc was on the Phil Donahue show, and Mr. Cuhulain documents what he actually did say vs, how someone interpreted what he said. And regarding the logo on the P&G products, this was actually written up in an infamous boycott circular which states the president of P&G was on the Donahue show (again) and the Merv Griffin show claiming the company supported the Church of Satan. The 13 Stars and the man in the moon motif was finally changed 1985 because of the 15,000 phone calls about this each month, and yet... the rumor still runs rampant.

There are more incidents like this, from the erroneous stories of poison candy at Halloween to Chick Tracts, Mr. Cuhulain covers the material like a pro, providing written statements, stating sources and citing cases involved with the questionable materials.

The book also covers Occult Crime "Experts", those folks who claim to be experts in Occult Crimes and criminology who have mislabeled crimes and wasted taxpayers time and money. There is discussion on Satanic Calendars, where dating of crimes, or making up of calendar events to substantiate false evidence or misrepresent actual crimes has also cost us time, money and manpower.

The chapter on Symbols would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic. It is amazing how everyone seems to find Satanic Symbols in the strangest places. Mr. Cuhulain covers many so called "symbols" and also covers some of the actual meanings of words or symbols we use today.

There is also a chapter on Demons. Mr. Cuhulain writes:
There are three reasons that I'd like to include a chapter on demons in this book. One is so that you can understand what some of these people that I write about believe (or perhaps, more correctly, one could say so that you can understand what they don't understand). The other is that showing you what these people have to say about this subject gives you a very clear picture of what their fears and motivations are. [ ...] The last is that these people tend to classify many of the aspects of divinity that Pagans commonly use as either "demons" or "Satanic".

Mr. Cuhulain goes over the sources of this topic, giving the layman a very clear and easy to understand basis. If anyone takes the time to read this through, he will come away with a very good understanding of the subject. Again, well presented, clearly defined and simply written for those who have no background in this topic.

The final chapter is titled Coming Out. This is more a guide for the individual looking to come out of the "Broom Closet" and contains some personal experiences and suggestions for the pagan considering this move. There are cautions given, obstacles you can encounter, situations that may arise. Offered here are "support groups" you can use to help you in your path. The list is quite impressive, including not only local support groups or foundations, but sources of information as well as Religious Rights groups. This is, again, a well written positive support section of the book and again, I would recommend this for anyone having a problem deciding if it would be right for them to come "Out of the Closet".

There are footnotes on just about every page, the appendices provide a glossary of Wiccan terms, a brief history of Satanism, and there is a huge bibliography and an index.

The Conclusion of the book poses some "food for thought" material about the attitude of the larger community towards the steadily growing community of the pagans. It offers reflections on where we are now, and how we want to wander on our paths into the future.

Mr. Cuhulain follows his own path of Wiccan Warrior in the name of the Wiccan community, assisting where he can to assure us of our right to Freedom of Religion.

He is a veteran of 27 years on the Canadian police force working as a Hostage Negotiator, Child Abuse Investigator, member of the Gang Crime Unit and the Emergency Response team and now working with the police dealing with the community mentally disordered. He is an author and an Elder in the Wiccan Community, public speaker, works with the Witches League for Public Awareness and the Preceptor General of the Officers of Avalon (Wiccans in the emergency services). He has earned the respect he is given by the community and he continues on his own path "To Serve" with honor and professionalism.

This book is an excellent resource, very much needed in the pagan community and thanks should be given to Mr. Cuhulain for sharing his research and taking the time to compile this book for the pagan community. A "must have" on the shelves of any community group or coven or grove, and excellent reading for the rest of the pagan community. boudica