I get this question often: “Where was God when I went through satanic ritual abuse (SRA) or on the altar?” It is usually followed by: “I called on His name but He did not help me.”

Can you answer this from a Biblical or Christian worldview perspective?

Thanks.

Hi JG, welcome! Nice question.


It sure seems like I've heard a variety of pat answers to your question. People try to defend their doctrines concerning Omnipotence and "God is Love", and then have to then explain why things don't work out in real life the way they expect them to.

The fact is though, that God most often does not come through in these instances. I'm not sure why He let Job, a godly man, be nearly destroyed by Satan. Or what the full purpose is for the Dark Night of the Soul. Or why we can feel so close to Him one day, and then the next it seems like we are abandoned and He is nowhere to be found no matter how hard we try.

I've found that the only way to have a real relationship with Him is to accept Him on His terms. Not that I'm always happy with His terms... but it does beat not having Him at all. Or formulating a make-believe imaginary version of Him and trying to force that into my experience.

People who cry out for God's help in a moment of great need are rarely answered with a miracle. I imagine the reasons for this vary depending on the situation. We are encouraged in the Bible to "Seek the Lord while He may be found." Perhaps if we neglect His Holy Spirit pulling on our heart in times when we are comfortable, He leaves us to our own salvation in times of peril? Like Job though, I have found myself left alone by God many times through no fault of my own. I think there is a valuable lesson to learn from seeing what our life is like with Him, as well as what it would be without Him. Only by comparing and contrasting the two different situations can we truly make an informed decision as to whether we want to have Him permanently in our life or not.

Just a question, i was wondering does SRA (Satanic Ritual Abuse) really exist? I mean come on, people can't be that bad or can they?

I'd get upset, but this is an honest question.

It honestly depends on how you define Satanic Ritual Abuse.

If Satanic Ritual Abuse is this huge conspiracy to capture and sacrifice people (why?) there is absolutely no hard evidence that Satanic Ritual Abuse exists. For some details, please see my post here: http://www.exwitch.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1488&start=25.

A good place to start is also here: http://www.religioustolerance.org/sra.htm

Satanic Ritual Abuse in that sense does not "really exist" so to speak. There is no big Satanic conspiracy, people don't randomly disappear for sacrifice, that is all false.

There are isolated cases of abuse which appear to have the trappings of Satanic Ritual Abuse. If they fit your definition of Satanic Ritual Abuse that's one thing, but I would point out that these cases are not substantially different from any other sorts of secular crime, or abuse. What makes a case of abuse into a case of Satanic Ritual Abuse? I suppose any abuser could claim to be possessed by the spirit of Satan during the periods abuse, and I guess that you could call Satanic Ritual Abuse. That of course, does not a conspiracy make, nor does it make it true.

Given that we just had a local case of a transgendered satanist who murdered a local female pastor by stabbing- then hanging him/her self and the cops not releasing any information because it would be too "disturbing" to both families...I will just say...interesting topic and what weird timing.

Good questions Journey Guide and Conquerer

I always feel awkward doing this but if you could spot an intro that would be great!

Concerning the SRA (Sadistic/Satanic Ritual Abuse):

I am aware of various successfully prosecuted cases in South Africa from the Occult Crime Unit (Now the Harmful Religious Practices Unit) of the South African Police Service. But I do agree with fhg1893 that some individuals and the media blow it out of proportion for sensational purposes or self-gain.

I believe that the SRA debate is one of those “Never Ending Story” cases. My personal opinion on the matter is that if someone ‘cries’, SRA, we should try to help despite our own views on it (for or against). Should it be proven to be true then the victim needs help, should it prove to be a lie the individual lying still needs help to stop.

On “Where was God”, I was thinking along the lines of the Natural and the Supernatural realms. Might it be that sometimes we are so caught up in our present (carnal / Natural) situation or trauma that we are not sensitive enough to see God / His angels fighting for us in the Spirit realm? We then perceive God as being absent due to our limited understanding or subjectivity.

no but i can answer it from my perspective :O

there are no coincidences. they happen so you can come to this forum and ask why they happen. they happen because without them happening you can not learn from them. you wouldn't learn how misguided some human beings can be. without them happening, humans as a whole could not move forward towards compassion as effectively.

some people talk about "gods plan"... some don't like that expression. *shrugs* it may be a plan, it may not be. i dont know. it seems to me though, that everything is moving towards something. looking back at history, one can see the evolution of societal norms as they change from generation to generation. looking into the future, what can you see them changing into? without these sacrifices happening, what differences would you see in the future? would you be asking the same questions? seeking the same answer? be the same person even?

Thanks for the reply Indigo-Love. I also believe that all are moving towards one great event as it is stated in the Bible. When and exactly how it is going to be I cannot say for sure. But I fully agree that we need to learn from the university of life and not only from the universities of academics. I really believe that sometimes the term as you also stated it “the plan of God...” is loosely used as a pet answer when people do not know what else to answer. As I believe that not all that happens to us is part of God’s plan, we sometimes bring things over ourselves, nevertheless, I do believe He can use it to our benefit and turn bad into something good.