Satanism Today - An Encyclopedia of Religion, Folklore and Popular ...

216 Procter and Gamble
were performed at every elevation of status. There
were also many unique aspects of Process ritual.
For example, during one’s elevation to Messenger
the initiate received a Mendes Goat badge,
symbolic of Satan (later changed to a silver cross
with a red serpent). The core of the symbolism of
the Sabbath Assembly, which took place every
Saturday evening, focused on the central teaching
of the Process, which was the “dual relationships
of the gods and the unity of Christ and Satan”
(Bainbridge, 1978, 194). During its heyday, the
Process was frequently portrayed as a group of
devil worshipers.
By the early 1970s, conflicts had emerged within
the leadership. The de Grimstons separated, and
Robert de Grimston was ejected from the group in
1974. Subsequently, certain practices and doctrines
were changed, and the Process was renamed the
Foundation Faith of the New Millennium (later the
Foundation Faith of God). The Society of the
Processeans (later called the Church of the Final
Judgement), a separate organization descended
from the Process, was founded in 1979 primarily as
a secular community action group. These successor
groups distanced themselves from the “satanic”
aspects of Robert de Grimston’s legacy.
For Further Reading:
Bainbridge, William Sims. Satan’s Power. Berkeley:
University of California Press, 1978.
———. “The Process Church of the Final
Judgement.” The Sociology of Religious
Movements. New York: Routledge, 1997.
———. “Satan’s Process.” The Satanism Scare. Ed.
James T. Richardson and David Bromley. New
York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1991.
Melton, J. Gordon. “Process Church of the Final
Judgement” The Encyclopedia of
American Religions. Detroit: Gale Research, 1996.
Procter and Gamble
In the early 1980s, at around the same time the
Satanic ritual Abuse scare was getting off the
ground, rumors began to circulate that the Procter
and Gamble trademark—a circle containing a side
view of a man-in-the-moon face looking out over
a field of thirteen stars—was a Satanic symbol.
Although the precise origin of the rumor is
unclear, it seems that some overly vigilant
Christian probably looked closely at the logo’s
five-pointed stars (pentagrams are also Wiccan
symbols), pondered the occult significance of thirteen
(the number P&G chose because it corresponded
with the number of the original
colonies), inferred that the man in the moon must
also be something sinister, and concluded that the
trademark was a covert symbol of evil. The corporate
leadership of Procter and Gamble must,
therefore, somehow be minions of Satan.
Whatever the source, there were surges of
anti–Procter and Gamble propaganda at the grassroots
level in 1982, 1985, 1991, 1995, and 1999. It
has been modified and embellished upon over the
years. Originally the accusations circulated via
letters, faxes, and word of mouth. More recently,
they have been transported by the Internet. A
recent e-mail version that began circulation on
July 19, 1999, read as follows:
The President of Procter & Gamble appeared
on the Sally Jesse Raphael Show on Monday,
July 19, 1999. He announced that “due to the
openness of our society,” he was coming out
of the closet about his association with the
church of Satan. He stated that a large portion
of his profits from Proctor & Gamble
products goes to support this Satanic church.
When asked by Sally Jesse if stating this on
TV would hurt his business, he replied:
“There are not enough Christians in the
United States to make a difference.”
P&G product list includes:
Cleaning Supplies—Bold, Cascade, Cheer,
Joy, Comet, Dash, Spic&Span, Tide,
Top Job, Oxidol, Ivory, Dreft, Gain, Mr.
Clean, Lestoil & Bounty towels
Food—Duncan Hines, Fisher Nuts, Fisher
Mints & Fisher Dehydrated Fruits, Jif
Peanut Butter
Coffee—Folgers & High Point
Shortening & Oils—Crisco, Puritan &
Fluffo
Deodorants—Secret & Sure
Diapers—Luvs & Pampers
Hair Care—Lilt, Head & Shoulders, Prell,
Pert, Vidal Sassoon & Ivory
Acne Products—Clearasil