Anyone remember Rebacca Brown? Does anyone still believe it?

In the early 1990s I joined a charismatic mega-church. The anti-satanism witch-hunt and hysteria was in full motion in South Africa at the time. It created a whole cottage industiry of books on Satanism, and how the occult was seducing the youth. I remember two books quite fondly, both written by Rebecca Brown MD. They were: "Prepare for War" and "He Came to Set the Captives Free". These were then considered literal spiritual warfare documents, and we all huddled and hushed, hanging on to every word. In the former book Brown (a nurse) described how Elaine became the top global witch in a satanic "brotherhood", and she eventually gets married to Satan himself, who (duh) turns out to be an abusive husband. She then flees to the Christian nurse, who drives out all her demons. It kinda ends with the two women living happily together. It gave credence to the prevailing paranoia of the time, and preached:
- homosexuality, rock music or any other-cultural beliefs were evil and a gateway for Satan and demons to enter your life
- the Catholics were part of the "Satanic mafia", and all their paraphenalia is demonic
- D'n'D games were satanic
- were-wolves and vampires are real, and caused by demonic power
- one can pray for others by asking God to let you take their pain
- elaborate and constant exorcisms are needed for deliverance, even after salvation
Now, I googled variously "Rebecca Brown+fraud", "Fraud+Rebecca Brown". Oh dear, it turns out she was a bit of a whack-job, who wrote her books while high on stolen medication. I think en.wikipedia.org...(Christian_author) is a good synopsis from Wikipedia.
Still today we have an occult cop in South Africa (Kobus Jonker), and others who make their daily bread from this myth. Thousands of people were said to be sacrificed every year, but without evidence. Strange how urban legends reflect wider anxieties, because there were missing people at the time due to political conspiracies. Yet Brown also has her die-hard fan base, who label all accusations against her as lies and attacks from the devil.
I'll miss lying in bed, and imagining the satanic masses and werewolves outside. It was such snug entertainment. It also provided a real explanatory conspiracy as a world-view. She even provided a verse that still makes me wonder about vampires, were-beasts: Psalm 57:4: "I lie amongst ravenous beasts - men whose teeth are spears and arrows".
Any opinions, or memories?

I don't know about this case, but I find Christianity in Africa fascinating in general. There are many strange, interesting, and sometimes disturbing Christian-based cults...reminds me of the US in the 1970s "Jesus Freaks" era (and some US churches today).

Any interesting links on this topic or similar ones?

reply to post by silent thunder


The Brown books are very much set in the US. I remember Christian bookshops especially importing them for us. They were even translated into Afrikaans. However, on (the perhaps unintended) impact of US fundamentalists in Africa, please see my blogs "Exorcism - Exporting Terror" and "Was the King James Bible ordered by a black magician?"

Another thing Rebecca Brown wrote is that an occultist can place a demon into any object. I remember these home-cell church people were once having a lying little teenage brat over, and she claimed to have cursed the reisdent girl's Cross amulet, and her Def Leppard tape. On the song "Pour some sugar on me" everyone heard: "Take the Bible, tear it up'. Meanwhile it says: "Take the bottle, shake it up". I never knew a tape could be disembowled so inhumanely!
I liked that theory though, whenever people got "saved" everyone would stand around to get their album and T-shirt collection (they couldn't face burning it, and usually demanded it all back a week later).

reply to post by halfoldman

I get arguments from "Christian", who, slippery as fish, refuse to identify their denominations and traditions. They dote on witchcraft and anti-Catholic positions. My guess is they come from the Rebacca Brown stream of fundamentalism with all its scandal. Nevertheless, I think if your intentions are good, anything can have spiritual power. So bless them.

reply to post by halfoldman


Here's another devastating article on Brown, with some illuminating quotes from her books www.answers.org...