In Memory of Susan Denise Atkins-Whitehouse
ut clara tenebris
As we learned earlier,
Susan and her former associates were each sent a Bible
by someone Susan did not know.
In Susan's work
Child of Satan Child of God
(by Susan Atkins with Bob Slosser),
Susan shares with us;
As we learned earlier,
Susan and her former associates were each sent a Bible
by someone Susan did not know.
In Susan's work
Child of Satan Child of God
(by Susan Atkins with Bob Slosser),
Susan shares with us;
"One of the most significant events in my entire life at CIW
came immediately after my arrival.
A Roman Catholic chaplain came to see me,
bearing a brown leather Bible.
'Susan', he said, handing it to me,
'this was sent to you by a woman named (name).
She sent one to each of you girls.'
I looked at it.
'Susan Atkins' was inscribed on the front.
'Hah!' I said sharply.
'A lot of good that'll do me now.'
I tossed it onto one of the boxes in the corner,
and gave the chaplain a big smile.
'Thanks anyhow.'"
came immediately after my arrival.
A Roman Catholic chaplain came to see me,
bearing a brown leather Bible.
'Susan', he said, handing it to me,
'this was sent to you by a woman named (name).
She sent one to each of you girls.'
I looked at it.
'Susan Atkins' was inscribed on the front.
'Hah!' I said sharply.
'A lot of good that'll do me now.'
I tossed it onto one of the boxes in the corner,
and gave the chaplain a big smile.
'Thanks anyhow.'"
Susan goes on to tell us
she picked the Bible back up,
and opened it to the flyleaf.
Susan was not surprised to see something written there;
"Jesus, my prayer is that you reveal yourself to Susan Atkins."
This angered Susan;
"Who in the hell is (woman's name)? I muttered angrily,
flipping the book back to the box..."
"'...I'm going crazy!' I yelled inside myself.
'These games we're playing are driving me out of my mind!'
Here I was, waiting to die,
and we were playing all kinds of games about our privileges,
and about embroidery and sewing,
and about gardens and flowers---
and now, a Bible from some weird little old lady!
These people can all go to hell!
My mind was still a mess,
but over the weeks and months,
I was coming to see that I was being eaten up
by my guilt and my loneliness..."
she picked the Bible back up,
and opened it to the flyleaf.
Susan was not surprised to see something written there;
"Jesus, my prayer is that you reveal yourself to Susan Atkins."
This angered Susan;
"Who in the hell is (woman's name)? I muttered angrily,
flipping the book back to the box..."
"'...I'm going crazy!' I yelled inside myself.
'These games we're playing are driving me out of my mind!'
Here I was, waiting to die,
and we were playing all kinds of games about our privileges,
and about embroidery and sewing,
and about gardens and flowers---
and now, a Bible from some weird little old lady!
These people can all go to hell!
My mind was still a mess,
but over the weeks and months,
I was coming to see that I was being eaten up
by my guilt and my loneliness..."
"...My twisted dreams at night never ended.
I was alone.
I was hated.
And I hated in return.
My letters to my remaining family were full of that hate,
full of attempts to inflict pain.
I was determined,
in my pain and madness,
to infect everything and everyone with pain and madness..."
(All quotes are from
Child of Satan Child of God
by Susan Atkins
with Bob Slosser)
home
I was alone.
I was hated.
And I hated in return.
My letters to my remaining family were full of that hate,
full of attempts to inflict pain.
I was determined,
in my pain and madness,
to infect everything and everyone with pain and madness..."
(All quotes are from
Child of Satan Child of God
by Susan Atkins
with Bob Slosser)
home
