FUNDAMENTALIST RELIGION AND THE MORAL CRUSADE AGAINST SATANISM - THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF DEVIANT-BEHAVIOR

This article presents a symbolic interactionist model of the social dy namics of moral crusades to define a new form of deviant behavior. It identifies the collective behavior processes through which a contempor ary legend leads to the social construction of deviant behavior, parti cularly when underlying sources of social stress activate the search f or scapegoats. The cognitive content of scapegoating is constructed wh en a frame for a perceived threat links a contemporary legend to a cur rent ideology. The contemporary legend enables the claims of moral cru saders to reach a wide audience because their propaganda will appeal t o familiar preconceptions of the nature of evil in society. The model was developed from research on the claims-making activity of fundament alists in the moral crusade against satanic cult crime. Fundamentalist religion plays a central role in the social construction of satanic c ult crime because it offers: (1) a receptive ideology, (2) a well-esta blished communication network, and (3) organizational resources for mo ral crusaders.