What is ‘Black Shuck’? Suffolk town Bungay emerges as 'satanic capital' of Britain after latest census
BUNGAY, ENGLAND: England’s relatively quiet town, Bungay, has reportedly emerged as Satanism's capital. 8,500 people live in Bungay and villages that are close to it in Suffolk, as per the 2021 census. 70 of those people apparently believe in demon worship.
One out of every 120 people associates themselves with Satanism as their religious belief, according to The Mirror. The report also noted that the numbers are “a hundred times the national average of only one in every 12,000 people identifying as a Satanist.” After Bungay, the place which boasts the most number of devil worshipers is in the Brondesbury area of North London. Only 20 residents identify themselves as Satanists despite being hugely populated compared to Bungay.
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‘We have very strong church and religious communities’
“I was very surprised to hear this statistic. I have never come across a satanist in the town to my knowledge. We have the legend of Black Shuck, but that is as far as it goes. The churches in the town are very well supported, although I wouldn't say Bungay is an especially religious community. I am wondering if people with nothing better to do during lockdown decided to put down on the census that they were Satanists,” Town Mayor Tony Dawes commented on the latest development, according to The Mirror.
Bungay Town Council clerk Rosalind Barnett also shared her thoughts on the census record and stated, “I have spoken to several councilors and none of them believe they have ever met any Satanists. So this number in the census is a bit of a mystery. Devil worship has never crossed our radar and has never been discussed. We don't know anything about it. The council might discuss it at our meeting in February under correspondence.”
Judy Cloke, a Conservative county and district councilor representing Bungay, seemingly tried to reject the census number as she reportedly said, “Bungay is most definitely not the devil-worshipping capital of the UK. We have very strong church and religious communities and I find it quite insulting that someone is having a laugh at Bungay at the expense of the residents. It is very unfair. People might not have been telling the truth in the census. I just don't know.”
Martin Evans, of the Friends of St Mary's Church, added, “I have seen no evidence of Satanists at all. I can't imagine why anyone would put that down in the census, but we do have a lot of jokers around here.”
What is 'Black Shuck’?
Though local leaders and authorities have outrightly denied any truth related to the latest census, some have hinted toward a possible connection to a devil that horrified the St Mary’s Church’s congregation in the town in 1577. The same demon had also created havoc at Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh. It has been said that the devil at the time transformed itself into a black dog, named Black Shuck, before spreading its terror.
The residents of Bungay believe in the tale of Black Shuck, which gave birth to a Black Dog Running Club, a Black Dog Judo Club, and a Black Dog Arts group, The Mirror reported. Not just that, Bungay's Coat of Arms also includes a black dog and so does the "weather vane, which stands in the town center, and a Bungay Black Shuck Festival launched in the town last year,” it added.
What is Satanism?
Today’s Satanism has nothing to do with animal sacrifices and worshiping the devil, according to Dr David Robertson, senior lecturer in religious studies at the Open University. “You look at the campaigning of conservative Christian groups in the 1980s and 1990s when there was a fear of satanic abuse, which history shows is completely false, a fabrication,” he told The Daily Mail.
Robertson continued to state that it's most likely the young, rebellious crowd, who “willfully challenge the hegemony of Christianity by associating with Satan,” before adding, “I hope it’s a bunch of people either having a laugh or snookering at the local church.”
Besides, Professor Linda Woodhead, head of the department of theology and religious studies at King’s College London, reportedly pointed out that Satanism "is a young person's religion." She also added, “There's now a lot of solitary exploration, particularly with the internet, and you can find anything to fit your particular identity, interests, values, or beliefs.”