William Schnoebelen
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William ('Bill') Schnoebelen (b. 24 August 1949) is an American fundamentalist Christian who claims that he was once a Satanist and a Vampire. He was born in a devout Roman Catholic household and at the age of five, he desired to become a Catholic priest.
Schnoebelen said that because of the changes made during the Second Vatican Council and the so called 'hypocrisy' of the Catholic clergy at his seminary, he began looking for other paths of faith.
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[edit] Satanism
Bill Schnoebelen also claims that because of the influence of the professors at his seminary, he studied Spiritualism, ESP and Witchcraft. By the time he received his Bachelor's Degree, Schnoebelen was a fully fledged Wiccan. He also claims that he became a second degree Satanist in the Church of Satan; that he was involved in Freemasonry, Thelema, Rosicrucianism and many other mystical organisations, and that these organisations are connected to Satanism; that reports of flying saucers and alien abduction events are linked to Satanism; and that Satanists sacrifice people at every Halloween.
In 1988, Schnoebelen accused Dungeons & Dragons of being a "feeding program for occultism and witchcraft". He claimed that the game's materials contained authentic magical rituals, and that two of its writers had approached him and his wife in their capacity as 'sorcerers' to make sure that these rituals were authentic. In 2001, he renewed his accusations against Dungeons and Dragons and made similar allegations against the Harry Potter books.
[edit] Conversion to Fundamentalist Christianity
By his account, Schnoebelen became a Fundamentalist Christian in 1984[1] after reading a Jack Chick tract; he has subsequently become a friend of Chick and is sometimes cited in Chick's tracts. Schnoebelen and his wife Sharon currently operate With One Accord Ministries, based in Iowa. Bill Schnoebelen also has written Masonry: Beyond the Light, Wicca: Satan's Little White Lie, Lucifer Dethroned and Blood on the Doorposts which attack Satanism and organisations allegedly linked to Satanism.
[edit] Criticisms
Most of the groups involved in Schnoebelen's accusations have rejected his claims as fiction. Some allege that his writings contain errors of fact about the organisations he claims to have joined - for instance, according to Masons, the 'Palladium Masonry' Schnoebelen claims to have joined is a hoax and never actually existed[2]. It is often difficult to independently investigate such claims, since most potential sources of information are closely affiliated either with Schnoebelen or with the groups he alleges to be Satanic.
A more easily verified criticism is that the sheer number of activities in which Schnoebelen and his associates claim him to have been involved (often, involved in depth) stretches belief. According to the biography on his own page[3], Schnoebelen's curriculum vitae includes:
- "Sixteen years as a teacher of witchcraft, Qabalah [later versions replace 'Qabalah' with 'spiritism'], and ceremonial magick."
- Seven years in the Church of Satan
- Nine years as a Freemason
- Five years as a Mormon, where he held "numerous offices, including elders' quorum president"
- A degree in music and education (1971, Loras College)
- Master's degree in theological studies (1980, St. Francis School of Pastoral Ministry; this is a Catholic seminary[4])
- Master's degree in counseling (Liberty University, 1990)
- Nearly thirty years of research into UFO phenomena
- Ability as "a Naturopathic doctor, a Nutritional Herbologist and a Certified Natural Health Professional". [While Iowa does not license naturopathic doctors, the N.D. degree typically requires four years of graduate school study and intensive clinical experience[5].]
According to a timeline[6] offered by Schnoebelen's friend Ed Decker, Schnoebelen became a 'Witch' in 1968; a 'Witch High Priest' in 1973; joined the Church of Satan in 1975; became a Master Mason in 1976; a 'Gnostic Catholic (sic) Bishop' in 1978; joined 'Palladium Masonry' in 1979; obtained his Master's Degree in Theology in 1980; joined the Latter Day Saints Church in 1980 and first attended LDS Temple in 1981, becoming a LDS Quorum President in 1982 and an Institute Teacher in 1983, before 'getting saved' on June 22, 1984. However, Schnoebelen and Decker's claims are spurious in several prominent areas: to become a Wiccan High Priest in such a short time as Schnoebelen claims is a feat that much of the Wiccan community considers impossible (or at least highly improbable). Additionally, as noted below, Schnoebelen's own written works broadly conflict with the claims made in his biography.
Schnoebelen has also reputedly claimed to have ordained women while he was a Roman Catholic bishop[7].
The dates given in Schnoebelen's books create several apparent conflicts with his biography. For instance, in Masonry: Beyond the Light, Schnoebelen claims that he was a Mormon and a Mason when he was 'saved' in mid-1984; this implies that either he was already a member of both in 1980 when he was studying theology at a Catholic seminary, or his claim of "five years" as a Mormon was exaggerated. In Wicca: Satan's Little White Lie, Schnoebelen reputedly claims that "Up to our departure from the city of Milwaukee in 1984, we were presiding over one of the oldest and largest networks of covens" - implying that before his conversion in that year he was simultaneously a Mormon, a Mason, and a Wiccan.
His claim about "authentic rituals" in Dungeons & Dragons is a complete fabrication, as there are no such rituals in the game. Instead, the 'spell' is simply a two- or three-line text description, an application of game mechanics (normally in the form of a dice roll intended to match or exceed a given number), and creative interpretation on the part of the players, and no motions or rituals of any kind are performed at any time.
