Reputation
Some of those who believe in backward masking, along with some fundamentalist Christians, believe messages such “Hail Satan” may subliminally inspire people to do evil, a view which may have received some reinforcement when the phrase was used as part of the vandalizing of churches, however its use then may have been the expression of a general anti-religious sentiment indicated by its use along with slogans such as “Think, don’t Pray.” Vandalism accompanying it may include the anarchy symbol or other slogans intended to shock, such as racial slurs. It may accompany symbols such as a swastika, pentagram or inverted cross. Such vandalism is usually by rebellious young people rather than Satanists, whose activities are not often criminal.
Rick Ross, whose work involves studying cults, referred to the murder trial of Scott Peterson, in which the defense made the claim that the killings were by a “Satanic cult” rather than the defendant. Ross called this a ridiculous manifestation of the Satanic panic, referred to it as a “Hail Satan Pass,” similar to the Hail Mary pass in football, a desperate and unlikely attempt.
