Ann,

Regarding your recent post on the Society for Creative Anachronism.

I have to say you penned a very accurate description, myself having been a member of the SCA for nearly ten years, beginning in the late 80’s.

At the time I worked for a Catholic Church (Novus Ordo), and with a love of medieval history, naively thought this was an awesome organization to join. Our small group (many working at the church with me) recreated a medieval Abbey, and worked hard to keep it authentic to the time period (researched the Latin, documents, rites, iconography, etc.)

One would think this would be a no-brainer, as researching medieval history is to research the Church!

Wrong.

The SCA created a secular revision of history or, as they put it in their own published literature, “Recreate the middle ages as they SHOULD HAVE BEEN.” (emphasis mine)

While we never experienced any direct hostility with other members – in fact, there were some who became genuinely interested in Church history – the environment at EVERY event was most decidedly hedonistic:

• Many were fetishists who liked to dress up and pretend they were a D & D character (think “wizard garb” and chain mail bikinis…yeah, real sticklers for historic authenticity).

• A large number of admitted communists and anarchists.

• Often proudly joked that they were the world’s largest and best singles group.

• Paganism was everywhere, with the whole nature worship being the most visibly prevalent.

To relate incidents that I PERSONALLY witnessed:

1 One man convicted and jailed for life for child rape and possession of child pornography

2 One man in his 50’s caught trying to seduce/rape a 13 year old girl

3 Pagan/Satanic rites – pentagrams, candles, goat statues, nude group sex worship, tarot cards, etc.

4 Flamboyant homosexual behavior and groups.

5 Mental and physical child abuse.

6 All of this in a so-called “family” environment, with young children exposed to it all.

Being in my early twenties, I quickly fell into this trap. Not because I actually believed in the wicca/ satan crap (didn’t even believe in God anymore), but because I had access to heavy drinking and casual sex with attractive girls who “offered it up”.

So, what happened to some of those in our group, who joined with good but misguided intentions?

• One married woman broke down and disappeared after trying to seduce a priest.

• The priest in our group left the priesthood to become an episcopal priest.

• One woman never married, is a former nurse still into reiki and crystals, and is totally miserable.

• One is still a religious education director at a very liberal novus ordo church, and is a fanatic “Papa Jorgee-The-First” worshipper.

Oh, and me: I fell out of the Church for over 35 years, two attempted suicides in my early twenties, a narcissistic and directionless life, only having returned to the Church two years ago after finding an FSSP parish and an incredible pastor willing to spend hours one on one with me and my wife.

My advice to anyone who thinks it may be fun to join the SCA. Don’t do it. If you love history, and would like to pursue and research the arts and crafts of that era, do it on your own. It is a fun and rewarding hobby (I took up blacksmithing in recent years). The historic aspects of the SCA are nothing more than a cover to give them a veneer of legitimacy, and to snag a non-profit designation from the government.

I’m not one to throw around the Satanic influence label on a whim, but I will completely agree with you on the demonic influence within the organization that is known as the SCA.

Yours in Christ,

Faulty Catholic