Here at the
opening I would like to thank Jeff LeJeune for the video of Christopher Lee he
dug up (posted at The Hayride on 19 Sept. 2024) in which he describes
the reality of evil, satanic ceremonies, etc.
Much of what follows (which was mostly put together before I had seen
that video) is an elaboration of what was said on it. Glory to God for bringing these two posts
together. Folks reading this article
should have a look at the video if they haven’t already.
That said,
let us turn now to the main subject.
Another
powerful proof that the Enlightenment era of religious skepticism is nearing
its end has appeared, and once again it is found ‘deep in the heart of Texas’:
<<A
Texas reader sent me that last night. He says this Santa Muerte altar is at
the center of the Kyle Flea Market,
on the interstate highway between Austin and San Antonio. He writes:
‘Had lunch
with two Mexican-American colleagues today and they're telling me it is
absolutely everywhere now. Growing fast.
‘One of them
says of the Kyle Flea Market altar that it has been significantly expanded:
"When I went by it was mostly black and the black, hooded Santa Muerte
statue was very large, at least 8-9ft and right in the middle." Plus two
other brujeriá [witchcraft] stands adjoining it.’
Here’s an
NBC News piece from
ten years ago,
reporting on the US presence of the Santa Muerte (Saint Death) cult, which
began as a demonic parody of the Virgin Mary adopted by Mexican drug cartels,
but which burst out of the criminal underworld. Excerpts:
‘“Undoubtedly,
it’s the fastest growing religious movement in the entire Americas - not only
Mexico and the U.S.,” according to Andrew Chesnut,
Bishop Sullivan Chair of Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University,
who authored the first book in English about the saint, “Devoted
to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint.”
‘There is no
hard data on the amount of devotees, but Chesnut estimates there are 10 to 12
million worshipers between the U.S., Mexico, and Central America’
. . . This
year, a prominent Mexican priest who is also an exorcist issued a stern
warning:
‘Father
Andrés Esteban López Ruiz, a member of the College of Exorcists of the
Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico, recently warned about the risks of the cult of
“Santa Muerte” or “St. Death,” pointing out that those who practice it
“implicitly or explicitly worship Satan, risking submitting themselves to him
and experiencing his extraordinary action.”
‘In an
article published on the website of the International Association of Exorcists,
the priest noted that the “proliferation of this cult has led to a significant
increase in the extraordinary action of the devil,” which can include demonic
possession.
‘López said
that Mexican exorcists have confirmed “numerous cases of oppression, obsession,
and demonic possession linked to the practice and growing spread of the cult of
‘Santa Muerte.’”’
The exorcist
went on to describe the Santa Muerte cult as a “Mexican version of satanic
worship,” and warned people that involving yourself in it opens you up to
demonic possession>> (Rod Dreher, ‘Demon-Worship At The Flea Market’,
roddreher.substack.com).
If this were
not bad enough, there is also an extension of this evil cult here in Louisiana,
in New Orleans:
‘Steven
Bragg, a 38 year-old federal government employee, created a public shrine
outside his home in New Orleans, which attracts many worshipers, including
Latinos.
‘“I wanted
to have something outside for her and spread her devotion,” said Bragg’
(Ibid.).
This isn’t
something limited to fringe corners of a couple of Southern States. As Mr Dreher points out in his essay, big
corporations like Walmart are promoting the veneration of this ‘saint’ by
selling statues of it.
Part of the
appeal of this cult is the DIY nature of it:
‘According to Chesnut, one of the reasons for Santa Muerte’s widespread
appeal is that she accepts everyone and doesn’t discriminate. For instance, she
may have a connection to LGBT people, sex workers, and others who are often
shunned from the Catholic Church’ (Ibid.).
The younger
generations are especially drawn to these non-Christian religions:
<<Organised
religion is in decline. In Western countries, growing numbers are turning their
backs on the Church. Thousands of churches shutter each year, faced with
dwindling congregations and funds. The 2021 census on religion in England
and Wales alarmed many: for the first time since its advent in 1801, less
than half the population described themselves as Christian, down from 72 per
cent two decades ago. Those ticking “no religion”, the second-most common
response, soared to 37.2 per cent. The UK is now, statistically speaking, one
of the least religious countries in the world.
Across the
Atlantic, the story is similar. In 2020 less than half of Americans belonged to
a church, synagogue or mosque, the first time congregants slid below the
majority in Gallup’s eight-decade study. The holy current in Canada,
Australia, New Zealand and Europe is flowing in the same direction.
. . . Witchcraft is one form of alternative
spirituality in the ascendant: #witchtok has more than 45 billion views on TikTok.
Witch influencers proliferate on social media. Eight million #witchcraft
Instagram posts detail the how, what and when of magic: moon rituals, hexes,
tarot cards, herbal potions, spells. Reddit pages such as r/witch (101,000
members) and r/witchcraft (383,000) garner hundreds of sincere comments each
day. Advice is sought and given: how-tos on friendship spells, drying herbs,
charging crystals, candle divination. What was for centuries fringe and at
times heretical is becoming accepted, even revered, particularly among the
young.
Within the
phenomenon, something interesting is happening: increasing numbers are swapping
organised religion for witchcraft, or attempting to marry the two.
The reasons are myriad, complex and often deeply personal. Why are believers
ditching the church for magic? And what can this tell us about the decline of
traditional religion?
. . . I wonder whether it’s part of the
general decline in deference – a pick ’n’ mix attitude to faith that allows
individuals to curate beliefs that work for them. “People nowadays are a lot
more open-minded and free-spirited,” Netty remarks. “It’s also just a lot more
exciting: witchcraft is fun, personalised, personally empowering”>>
(Jessica Rawnsley, ‘The witchcraft generation’, www.newstatesman.com).
As we said
at the opening, the rapidly rising appeal of these demonic religions spells the
death of the overly-rationalistic Enlightenment. But to combat those religions will necessarily
entail the death of another false ideology – classical liberalism. This has been at the heart of Americanism
from its beginnings in the Declaration of Independence, with its pronouncement
that no one should be able to interfere with anyone else’s ‘pursuit of
happiness’ so long as they aren’t hurting anyone. It is an overemphasis on the individual and
his needs at the expense of the social body as a whole in all its varied
aspects, whether that is the family, past or future generations, the Church, a
neighborhood, etc.
‘Who are you
to outlaw the veneration of Santa Muerte if it helps someone experience
feelings of positivity?’ – such is the argument from classical liberalism. And as long as that ideology reigns in the
US, there isn’t much that can be done about it at an official, governmental
level. Folks in the States will have to
be content to watch as their relatives, children, neighbors, fellow Christians,
and others are seduced by satanists into harmful cults because wiccans, Santa
Muertists, etc., have the ‘right’ to the ‘free exercise of religion’.
But in
countries that do take Christianity seriously, that define their national
existence by it, things are different.
Take the little eastern European country of Georgia, for instance. Her Parliament passed a sweeping package of laws
that greatly restricted the LGBT cult and its promotion:
. . .
The rest is
at https://thehayride.com/2024/09/garlington-enlightenment-over-santa-muerte-in-la-and-tx/.
--
Holy Ælfred the Great, King of England, South Patron, pray for us
sinners at the Souð, unworthy though we are!
Anathema to the Union!
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