Something Vexes Me.......

[Eternal Night]

Now my brain is working over time and I could do with some input from Satanists who don't actually believe in the Devil, or believe in any God/higher beings.
What makes you Satanists and Not Athiests?!.

(And sorry if this is explained in the Stickies. I am slowly working my through them 8O)

[Stormbeard]

We are athiests.

Atheism is not a religion, it is the affirmation that there is no god/s

[Eternal Night]

Ok so what is the difference between the non Satanist Athiests and the Satanic Athiests?!.

(Sorry if I'm sounding dum......Curiousty killed the cat......or should I say SB killed the EN)

[spiral]

I may be wrong but Satanism seems to be more of a philosophy than a religion to me. It's kind of a reaction against the moralism of religions like Christianity, and emphasises indulgence, being honest about who you are and what you desire, embracing what's usually seen as the darker side of life. So a Satanic atheist is someone who lives by these principles, and a non-Satanic atheist is someone who doesn't.

Hopefully I've got this right and I'm not offending anyone...

[Stormbeard]

I may be wrong but Satanism seems to be more of a philosophy than a religion to me.

A philosophy is all a religion is. The philosophy behind Christianity is basically 'Do unto others...' and love one another. The hypocritical dogma and false idols are simply embellishments on this.

[Stormbeard]

Ok so what is the difference between the non Satanist Athiests and the Satanic Athiests?!.

(Sorry if I'm sounding dum......Curiousty killed the cat......or should I say SB killed the EN)

It's quite simple really. All Satanists are athiests, but not all athiests are Satanists.


So a Satanic atheist is someone who lives by these principles, and a non-Satanic atheist is someone who doesn't.

That is correct.

[spiral]

A philosophy is all a religion is. The philosophy behind Christianity is basically 'Do unto others...' and love one another. The hypocritical dogma and false idols are simply embellishments on this.

Interesting way of looking at it, but I think its more complicated than that. Christianity is about the worship of Christ. The do unto others stuff follows as a means of living like Christ.

[Stormbeard]

Remove the deity, and keep the ideals. The deity serves no purpose.

Think deeper. All religions have these ideals ingrained within them somewhere. The reason for the deity is spiritual judgement. Law to the lawless. If you believe you are to be judged by god, you should fear to sin in public or private. It is a tool for control of the masses.

The masses were uneducated and confused, so blindly followed, but now that we have the capacity to understand, we are asking questions.

[spiral]

I understand what you're saying I think, you see deity as irrelevant, therefore once you remove God or Christ from the equation all that is left is the philosophy of Christianity, the love thy neighbour stuff. Is that right?

That's fair enough from your point of view, and I suppose from the Satanist point of view as well. But it doesn't work for those who don't see deity as irrelevant, which is the vast majority of people. I don't believe in God per se, but I still prefer to keep the concepts of religion and philosophy separate, because I don't think I have the right to tell someone their God doesn't exist.

I hope that makes some sense, it's past midnight and I'm tired lol.

[RainInanna]

Non-Satanic atheists are just atheists. They could be atheists who follow other philosophical frameworks, or not. They just aren't theists, that's what marks them.

Satanic atheists also follow Satanic ideals and principles, and avoid Satanic "sins". They follow Satanic philosophy specifically. Although they aren't theists either, they take it further and follow Satanic philosophies.

[Eternal Night]

Ahh hokay....now the penny drops thanks :D

But how is it a religion.........cos in my op it's def more of a philosophy.

Could following a philosophy effectively be the same as a religion or is that for each individual to decide?.

[RainInanna]

IMHO religion is a structure with philosophy, rituals, mythology, etc.

All religions have philosophy, but philosophy doesn't have to be a religion - if you add spirit, rituals, deity, etc. to a philosophy that makes it religion/spirituality.

[veracity]

Not to mess with anyone's perceptions but unfortunately Satanism is the reverse of Christianity, therefore to follow the path of Satanism is to still be part of the Hebrew/Jewish religion of a God of Jews who "chooses" them as his chosen people and damns all others as enemies of the chosen. Which is still empowering the religion by just being the antithesis of its leverage of control.

[Bettie]

Not to mess with anyone's perceptions but unfortunately Satanism is the reverse of Christianity, therefore to follow the path of Satanism is to still be part of the Hebrew/Jewish religion of a God of Jews who "chooses" them as his chosen people and damns all others as enemies of the chosen. Which is still empowering the religion by just being the antithesis of its leverage of control.

I disagree.

[Philosophia]

Not to mess with anyone's perceptions but unfortunately Satanism is the reverse of Christianity, therefore to follow the path of Satanism is to still be part of the Hebrew/Jewish religion of a God of Jews who "chooses" them as his chosen people and damns all others as enemies of the chosen. Which is still empowering the religion by just being the antithesis of its leverage of control.

How did you come to this conclusion?

[veracity]

I merely stated fact. I have an opinion on the subject by I generally want to stick with truth and fact. Disagreeing with fact is a bit odd. I specifically left out any opinions I may have about Satanism because I didn't want to distract from the truth.
Was there something I shouldn't have said? I was definitely not trying to offend. I checked my facts this morning and they still hold true so I will just leave it at that.

Peace and Truth,
- Veracity

[aranarose]

I think a vast majority of philosophical satanist would disagree that it's simply the opposite of Christianity. Whether you like it or not, you're not stating fact, you are stating opinion.

[Myzterio]

Ahh hokay....now the penny drops thanks :D

But how is it a religion.........cos in my op it's def more of a philosophy.

Could following a philosophy effectively be the same as a religion or is that for each individual to decide?.

It's not a religion. Theistic Satanism is a religion; atheistic Satanism is not. The differences are subtle, but they're there. You can, I suppose, call it a spiritual path, though, if you wish.


IMHO religion is a structure with philosophy, rituals, mythology, etc.

All religions have philosophy, but philosophy doesn't have to be a religion - if you add spirit, rituals, deity, etc. to a philosophy that makes it religion/spirituality.
Quoted for truth.
I'd like to stress that religion needn't be organised, though. Not that you stated otherwise, just adding it.


Not to mess with anyone's perceptions but unfortunately Satanism is the reverse of Christianity, therefore to follow the path of Satanism is to still be part of the Hebrew/Jewish religion of a God of Jews who "chooses" them as his chosen people and damns all others as enemies of the chosen. Which is still empowering the religion by just being the antithesis of its leverage of control.

This seems really uneducated. Atheistic Satanism has rather little to do with Christianity, it seems to me.
Mind you, I think the naming was a bit stupid, although it should help keep the fluffbunnies out. :lol:

[Philosophia]

I merely stated fact. I have an opinion on the subject by I generally want to stick with truth and fact. Disagreeing with fact is a bit odd. I specifically left out any opinions I may have about Satanism because I didn't want to distract from the truth.

Like everybody said, you're not stating a fact but an opinion. There are many different forms of Satanism and trying to place it into one definition is difficult.

[WynterWynd]

Isn't it..in Satanism, that you look to yourself instead of a higher-being? You take responsibilities for your own actions, accept the outcome of your own actions, you thank yourself for all the hard work and accomplishments you have had in your life...you are your own god-figure.....:hrmm:

[Happydeadkitty]

Isn't it..in Satanism, that you look to yourself instead of a higher-being? You take responsibilities for your own actions, accept the outcome of your own actions, you thank yourself for all the hard work and accomplishments you have had in your life...you are your own god-figure.....:hrmm:

That's what I've understood from what I've read (mostly Anton LeVay & Alister Crowley) And isn't it mostly about self indulgence?


HDK

[WynterWynd]

Thats what I thought too:hrmm:
I was pretty sure, it didn't have a thing to do with being the opposite or left-handed :rolleyes: version of christianity.

But, I could be wrong:whatgives

[veracity]

I understand that there have been many attempts to separate it and define it differently to make it more acceptable and not seem so caught up in Christianity.

But the definition of Satanism is AND I FRICKIN QUOTE: "The worship of Satan characterized by a travesty of the Christian rites."

Thats it. Now stop attacking me for stating FACT. Jeez. I am on your side. We are all intelligent humans so stop acting like school children. I know that there are branches and other forms of it. I know that there are offshoots. But you will always be wrong if you lie to people and say that Satanism is not the worship of Satan. I don't care what "new" crap you bring up. I can find dictionary after dictionary that will prove you wrong. This is the last post because I hate talking to people who lie, distort, and ignore facts. What I said is supported by every fricking dictionary on the planet. I was not addressing all the offshoots or anything else.

This link proves I am right and anyone denying it should be ashamed for trying to use your opinions to misled others seeking information. Pathetic.

http://www.answers.com/satanism&r=67

Peace and Truth,
- Veracity

[WynterWynd]

From Wikipedia



LaVeyan Satanism

In LaVeyan Satanism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaVeyan_Satanism) the Satanist plays the role of the adversary to spiritual creeds, espousing social Darwinism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Darwinism), hedonism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonism), Randian Objectivism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objectivism_%28Ayn_Rand%29), Nietzschean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nietzsche) philosophy and atheism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism). The term LaVeyan Satanist is used by others to refer to supporters of the writings of Church of Satan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Satan) founder Anton Szandor LaVey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Szandor_LaVey) and successors such as Peter H. Gilmore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_H._Gilmore).[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanism#cite_note-2) Careful use of the word Satanism, according to one website, refers to a "large religious group that is unrelated to any other faith, and whose members feel free to satisfy their urges responsibly, exhibit kindness to their friends, and attack their enemies." This religion has 15 to 20 million worshippers in the United States. [4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanism#cite_note-3)

[edit (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Satanism&action=edit&section=2)] Theistic Satanism

Theistic Satanism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theistic_Satanism), also called Spiritual Satanism, contains a very broad scope of religious groups, from Pagans celebrating Pan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan) to Yezidis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yezidi) worshiping Melek Taus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melek_Taus).[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanism#cite_note-4) Even Thelema (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelema) can be considered Theistic Satanism, for Aleister Crowley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley)’s Liber SAMEKH contains this phrase "Thou Satan-Sun Hadith that goest without will", Hadith being one of the three Egyptian Gods in his "Book of the Law".[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanism#cite_note-5) There are many modern groups of Theistic Satanists, but most consider themselves to be Satanists and see no need for the use of the word Theistic. Another group that falls under the definition of Theistic Satanism are "reverse Christians", because they practice what Christians claim Satanists do and worship what Christians consider to be the enemy of Christ and God.
Recently developed is an offshoot of Satanism that keeps most of the tenets of Satanism, yet has more leniency to what is commonly referred to as a 'good' morality. These 'Christian Satanists (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christian_Satanists&action=edit&redlink=1)' reject the ideas of magic and rituals, and define themselves as being in the middle of LaVeyan Satanism and Christian teachings. This stance has led to their rejection from the Church of Satan.[7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanism#cite_note-6) I don't remember any one making a direct attack on you in this thread...but I'll re-read to make sure I'm not wrong.
But I will say this.....any one can look up a definition and only accept the parts that fit what they believe to be true and disregard the rest.

[Philosophia]

At first glance this may look like a simple question to answer: "Go
look it up in the dictionary." would seem to be straightforward
enough. In fact, I'll do it for you:

Satanism, n. 1. the worship of Satan or the powers of
evil. 2. a travesty of Christian rites in which Satan
is worshiped. 3. diabolical or satanic disposition,
behavior, or action.

[from _Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English
Language_, (c) 1989]


Unfortunately it's not that easy. Throughout history, the label of
"Satanism" has been applied variably by the opposing religious factions,
by the practitioners themselves, by historical revisionists some time
later, and by combinations of the above. This document will focus on
active modern forms of self-proclaimed Satanism, and modern religious
groups of undeniably dark character. It should be considered that
since dark and/or forbidden gods exist in many cultures other than
European-descended Christianity, forms of Satanism other than those
familiar to English-speakers do exist and in some cases flourish, but
can only be alluded to here. <Exu/Pomba-Gira worship, Yezidi, etc>
Unsurprisingly, there is no one set of beliefs that comprise modern
Satanism. Because there is no set of doctrines or scriptures agreed
agreed upon by a majority of Satanists, would-be practitioners must
define their beliefs for themselves, based upon a minimum of shared
information. The issue is further confused by the fact that,
historically, most records of real or imagined Satanism have been made
by Satanists traditional enemies, Christians. However a few
generalizations can be made: the average Satanist disagrees with much
of Christianity, believes in no absolute moral code, and places
emphasis on the individual and personal rights. If you think this
sounds like Libertarianism, you're right; many Satanists consider
themselves Libertarians or feel close to the party on social issues.

The one unifying theme among the Satanisms is the last of the three
dictionary definitions; one can say with some certainty that all
Satanisms and Satanists have diabolical or satanic dispositions in
that they are "like Satan." They possess the virtues of antinomianism,
self-reliance, rebellion and adversarialism.

There are several divisions one could make as to the belief systems of
various "Satanic" groups. This (arbitrary) division was included to
point out various currents or influences in modern day satanism rather
than an attempt at categorization.

1. The Dabblers: adopt Satanic trappings for a brief
period of time, usually for entertainment rather than
serious purposes. Many modern youths fall into this category.

2. Churches of Satan: are patterned after the teachings of
Anton LaVey. These groups believe in individualism, gratification
of the ego, self-reliance and the ideal of the Nietzchean Superman.
These groups use Magick as a tool for earthly power. They see
Satan as the driving force behind achievement in mankind.

3. Gnostics: can be divided into two major categories
3a. Promethean Gnostics: Believe in a literal "Satan", but believe
that the creator of the world (Jehovah) is the evil deity. Satan is
seen as the "bringer of light"; a beneficent god. This is an old
"heresy" seen in groups such as the Yezidis or the Ophites.
3b. Dark Gnostics: Worship the dark force in nature. These groups
follow the whims of a capricious god, which most westerners would
see as being "evil." There are a few historical Christian heresies
which would fall into this category. Kali worshipers could also
be categorized here as a cross cultural example of a "Satanism."

4. Secondary Satanists: follow a faith outside the Christian
mainstream. Most would not consider themselves as being "Satanic"
and strictly speaking should not be defined as Satanists (as per se
with some of the Gnostic groups), but the ignorant often categorize
them as Satanists. Voodoo and Santeria could be grouped here, as
could medieval witchcraft (if it actually existed). Certain forms of
Tantric Buddhism could also be placed in this category.

5. Hellfire Clubs: Were a phenomenon of the 18th century, mentioned
because of historical relevance to modern Satanisms. The first of
these was founded by the Duke of Wharton in the early 1700's. Most
infamous was sir Francis Dashwood's Medmenham club (Often
incorrectly called the Hellfire Club). Dashwood was a close friend
of Benjamin Franklin, who may have been a member of this group.
Franklin's description of the Medmeham club's secret chambers is
one of the few we have, so his membership seems likely. In any
case, Dashwood and Franklin co-authored the "Franklin Prayer Book"
(often called the Book of Common Prayer) which is commonly used in
America. Another famous member of the Medmenham club was the Earl
of Sandwich, inventor of (guess what) the Sandwich. Hellfire clubs
were exclusive groups dedicated to much political intrigue,
partying, and some occasional occult activities. Other similar
groups included the Irish Brimstone Boys and Blue Blazers.

6. Romantic/Promethean Satanists
Literary/historical "Satanists" -William Blake, Charles Baudelaire,
Maupertin, Carducci, Lautremont and Gabriele D'Annunzio. Artists
and romantics with "sympathy for the devil" have a long tradition;
Satan being a great patron of the arts.

7. Left-Hand Path Pagans
There are several European groups, most of them consisting of small
"covens" of several people, that are or could be considered
Satanists. Two of the larger of these groups are The Fraternity of
Baelder and the Order of Nine Angles (ONA). These groups allegedly
have longer traditions, and "more authentic" origins (whatever that
might mean). ONA is especially fond of calling itself the
"traditional Satanists."
These groups tend to have more "extreme" views than the others
mentioned, and have little, if any authoritarian structure.

From http://www.faqs.org/faqs/religions/satanism/faqngp/


There are many kinds of Satanists.

For most of the past forty years, the most public Satanist spokespeople have been atheistic symbolic Satanists, who do not believe in or worship Satan as a literal entity, but who regard Satan as a symbol of independence, pride, individual ambition, etc. The best-known symbolic Satanist organization is the Church of Satan, founded by Anton LaVey.

There is now a growing movement of theistic Satanists, who do believe in and revere Satan as a deity.

There are many kinds of theistic Satanists. The vast majority do NOT simply accept Christian beliefs except for siding with the Other Guy. The beliefs of most theistic Satanists are based on sources other than just Christianity.

Some theistic Satanists regard Satan as the Christian-era image of a more ancient deity such as the Egyptian god Set, the Greek Titan Prometheus, or the Sumerian god Enki. The Temple of Set is the best-known organization holding such a belief.

Others base their ideas on ancient Ophidian Gnosticism, which venerated the serpent of the Garden of Eden myth. Ophidian Gnostics saw the Biblical God as the Demiurge (an evil god who created the physical world for the purpose of trapping human souls) and the serpent as Sophia, the bringer of wisdom. This theology isn’t popular among today’s Satanists, most of whom have a more favorable opinion of the material world and their own bodies than the ancient Gnostics did.

Some see Satan as “God of this world” in a deistic or pantheistic sense, thereby giving a decidedly non-Christian interpretation to a phrase used in the Bible to refer to Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4).

From http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/dvera/bgoat/essays/What-Is-S.html

Some more links:
http://www.modernsatanism.com/satanism.html
http://www.dpjs.co.uk/serpent.html
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bos/bos311.htm
http://users.aol.com/purging/ptp2/faq.htm
http://web.satanism101.com/

Dictionary definitions are notorious for sometimes being outdated. Those definitions also state: "diabolical or satanic disposition, behavior, or activity", "Profound wickedness" and "a belief in and reverence for devils (especially Satan)".

[veracity]

You people astound me. I am not talking about anything other than the true and factual root of Satanism. I could care less about LaVeyan Satanism or any other offshoot. I made a completely factual post. And by the way wikipedia is a pathetic source of info as has been proven MANY times over on a constant basis.

No one on this planet will ever convince me or any other intelligent being that Satanism has nothing to do with the Christian religion's Satan. Is this truly what this world is full of? Where is the intelligence? I am not attacking you paths people!!!! But you are either in denial or totally mental not to know the roots and pure definition of Satanism.

Now one last time: I could care less what your worship or who you worship. I am not Christian or religious in any sense of the word. But one thing I adhere to is the truth no matter how abrasive. Now stop being crazy weirdos and admit the origins of Satanism. Holy Crap!!! I never thought I would deal with this kind of stuff on a message board I thought had intelligent and open minded people. Why would you lie about things that are historically documented for hundreds of years? Its like pretending the world is flat.

Seriously cut this crap out. I know that intelligent people are on this board and I am just getting attacked by a few wackos.

Peace and truth,
- Veracity

[WynterWynd]

Well excuse me for using wikipedia as a source. I'm sorry its not up to your standards.

And since you said that would be the last post you made in this thread, I will have to assume that comment about being mental or a wacko was directed at the last two posters sine you were in here....I really don't appreciate being called mental or a wacko.
Again, no one attacked you directly either.
If you cannot handle what is posted, then leave it alone.
Your 'truth' is that....yours. Its what you choose to believe. Maybe other people have a different view of what they consider to be 'truth'.
There are many members here that don't belive in the chritainized version of god and satan, and no matter how many of 'your' truths you post, your not going to change anyones mind.

[veracity]

VroomBroom - Check this out. I love you. I love the world around me and you. I hate only the lies in the world that destroy people. I have a 4 year old and I have a 10 year old. The 10 year old got the lies of Christianity, Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and so on. The 4 year old got the truth. The 4 year old is beyond comprehension by most people and it is amazing what not EVER lying about ANYTHING will do to a human being. I love all you guys for defending your advances in Satanism, its grand. I just think it is so weird to deny the roots and origin and pretend that it is some sort of disease. I love that you are embracing being this Neo-Satanism. I am attempting to follow a persecuted path as well because I feel I am a creature of the night. I find that I am a dark pagan or nocturnal witchcraft is my path. But to lie or distort the truth to make yourself feel better is not very conducive to your cause. Tell the truth about the roots of Satanism and then explain how your path/religion/philosophy is different.

Peace and truth,
- Veracity

[Philosophia]

Seriously cut this crap out. I know that intelligent people are on this board and I am just getting attacked by a few wackos.

Nobody is attacking you. You are putting forth your opinion, we are doing the same thing. Calling us "wackos" because we don't agree with you is silly and disrespectful.

[Rudas Starblaze]

Nobody is attacking you. You are putting forth your opinion, we are doing the same thing. Calling us "wackos" because we don't agree with you is silly and disrespectful.

hey! what about me!? i think i did a good job earning my wacko badge!!:rollingla

[Philosophia]

hey! what about me!? i think i did a good job earning my wacko badge!!:rollingla

I'm sorry, Rudas..:hugz: I totally forgot. You can keep your wacko badge. :smile:

[Rudas Starblaze]

I'm sorry, Rudas..:hugz: I totally forgot. You can keep your wacko badge. :smile:

YES!!!!! :woot::abanana::dancy:

[WynterWynd]

For one, I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be a Satanist. :eyebrow:
Personally, I am a practitioner of Voudoun.

......you and I are just going to have to agree to disagree.

[WynterWynd]

hey! what about me!? i think i did a good job earning my wacko badge!!:rollingla

the wacko badge is all yours:hehehehe:

[Agaliha]

Now my brain is working over time and I could do with some input from Satanists who don't actually believe in the Devil, or believe in any God/higher beings.
What makes you Satanists and Not Athiests?!.


Don't forget that one can also be Buddhist and an atheist, Taoist and an atheist, etc. The difference there is that they have a philosophy that they follow in their daily life. A Buddhist (atheist) for example follows the 8 fold path and other core beliefs found in Buddhism, whereas an general atheist probably wouldn't. It's the same with with Satanism, from what I gather. Atheism is just a designation for your view on god. Just like being monotheistic doesn't necessarily mean that you have a religion, do rituals, have holidays, etc.

[Bettie]

You people astound me. I am not talking about anything other than the true and factual root of Satanism. I could care less about LaVeyan Satanism or any other offshoot. I made a completely factual post. And by the way wikipedia is a pathetic source of info as has been proven MANY times over on a constant basis.

No one on this planet will ever convince me or any other intelligent being that Satanism has nothing to do with the Christian religion's Satan. Is this truly what this world is full of? Where is the intelligence? I am not attacking you paths people!!!! But you are either in denial or totally mental not to know the roots and pure definition of Satanism.

Now one last time: I could care less what your worship or who you worship. I am not Christian or religious in any sense of the word. But one thing I adhere to is the truth no matter how abrasive. Now stop being crazy weirdos and admit the origins of Satanism. Holy Crap!!! I never thought I would deal with this kind of stuff on a message board I thought had intelligent and open minded people. Why would you lie about things that are historically documented for hundreds of years? Its like pretending the world is flat.

Seriously cut this crap out. I know that intelligent people are on this board and I am just getting attacked by a few wackos.


So because people have dared to disagree with you, this makes them "crazy weirdos", does it? I wouldn't dream of going to a christian thread, and telling them what their religion means, or it's origins.

You have stated your OPINION, as you are perfectly entitled to do. Just like people are entitled to disagree with you. You really need to get used to that without throwing a big wussy tantrum.

[David19]

VroomBroom - Check this out. I love you. I love the world around me and you. I hate only the lies in the world that destroy people. I have a 4 year old and I have a 10 year old. The 10 year old got the lies of Christianity, Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and so on. The 4 year old got the truth. The 4 year old is beyond comprehension by most people and it is amazing what not EVER lying about ANYTHING will do to a human being. I love all you guys for defending your advances in Satanism, its grand. I just think it is so weird to deny the roots and origin and pretend that it is some sort of disease. I love that you are embracing being this Neo-Satanism. I am attempting to follow a persecuted path as well because I feel I am a creature of the night. I find that I am a dark pagan or nocturnal witchcraft is my path. But to lie or distort the truth to make yourself feel better is not very conducive to your cause. Tell the truth about the roots of Satanism and then explain how your path/religion/philosophy is different.

Satanism does have roots in Christianity, that's very true, but it's the same way Christianity has roots in Judaism, they may worship a deity that appears in the Christian pantheon (the Theistic ones do, the non-Theistic see this deity as a symbol), but they have very different beliefs and philosophies, in the same way, that Christianity has very different beliefs, philosophies and practices to Judaism.

Also, how is letting a child believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc "hurting the child", I believed in them, and my mum's not even religious, and it didn't hurt me one bit.

And, how is your path "persecuted", you want persecution, go to Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan, try and live your life as an LGBT person, etc and get some perspective.

[Phoenix Blue]

Seriously cut this crap out. I know that intelligent people are on this board and I am just getting attacked by a few wackos.
ADMIN MODE

Oh, horsepuckey. A few people are disagreeing with you because your viewpoint of Satanism is undereducated. Either get over it and show some respect to others and their viewpoints or take your ball and go home.

[WynterWynd]

This is an interesting post by Stormbeard on Satanism....



Satanism: And how to spot it...
Firstly we must start by asking ourselves, what makes a particular person a Satanist? As the giant sandwich board with "I AM SATANIST" written on it, is purely optional in the Satanic dress code, we must look further than that to find a solution.

Ergo, we define a group or individual as Satanic (or Christian, or Muslim, etc) if their members sincerely regard themselves to be Satanic.

Unfortunately, "Satanism" and related terms have often been misused (oft, in a derogatory or inappropriate fashion). So to clarify, the following are just a few beliefs and activities which have been incorrectly referred to as "Satanism:"

16th century Satanism: This is an imaginary, profoundly evil religion that was invented during the late Middle Ages by the Christian church. The Church taught that Witches worshiped Satan, ritually killed children, boiled down their bodies to make magical implements, sold their soul to the devil, broke crucifixes, conducted black masses, created hail storms to damage crops, caused disease in farm animals and humans. etc. They were said to totally dedicate their life to harming others.

The church's creation of Satanism gave the theological foundation for the "burning times" in which tens of thousands of religious heretics, mentally ill people, and supremely unlucky individuals were burned at the stake (in Roman Catholic countries) or hung (in Protestant countries).

This form of Satanism never existed in the past as an organized entity. It does not exist today, except in the imagination of the public, and in horror movies. Belief in the reality of Satan-worshiping witches remains widespread in North America today, particularly among religious conservatives.

Sometimes, this imaginary form of Satanism is referred to as Gothic Satanism. I'd recommend against this term, because it might be confused with the Goth sub-culture. The latter is a philosophical, musical, cultural group that is not directly related to Satanism. However, a larger percentage of Goths are Satanists, than are found in the general population.

Serial murderers: Occasionally, a serial murderer will claim to be a Satanist in order to justify his horrendous activities. This is the classic "the Devil made me do it" defense. The perpetrator admits guilt, but says that he was not responsible for his crimes because he was under the control of the big bad Satan. Police investigations reveals that the perpetrator is faking it.

Psychotic murderers: Occasionally, news of a Satanic ritual murder will surface, complete with Satanic rituals, symbols, etc. But, after investigation, the prime cause of the murder will be found to be severe mental illness on the part of the perpetrator(s). A case in Germany hit the newsstands during 2002-JAN. The accused couple, the Rudas (ed - COINCIDENCE!? I THINK NOT!!), talked about glowing eyes, a glowing knife used as a murder weapon, a glowing victim, "Several witnesses have testified that the couple suffered from personality disorders. They could both face long terms at secure psychiatric institutions."

Child molesters: A small percentage of abusive pedophiles and other child molesters have been known to abuse children in a Satanic setting as a means of controlling the victims. The molesters are pretend Satanists; they are simply using the facade of Satanism to further their criminal acts. They figure that if one of their child victim complains to authorities, their disclosures will not be believed. A government study in England found three such perpetrators.

Heavy metal/rock bands: Some musicians pretend to be associated with Satanism. Their main motivation is to gain notoriety and capture free publicity. The suggestion of Satanic involvement increases record sales. Few bands are actually formed from sincere Satanists.

The Temple of Set: In 1975, a member of the Church of Satan, Michael Aquino, left the Church after a disagreement, and organized the Temple of Set. This follows the religion of Setianism. Members recognize a pre-Satanic deity, the Egyptian God Set as a living entity who stands separate and apart from the forces of the natural universe. He was typically portrayed as a man with the head of an animal (perhaps a hyena). Set was copied by the Chaldeans who called him Had or Hadit; this later became Shaitan, and still later the Satan of Christianity and Islam. The media have linked the Temple of Set with the Church of Satan and called both forms of Satanism. Leaders of both religious groups deny that they are related.

Sources: "Satanism:Religious Tolerance" by B.A. Robinson. The Daily Telegraph


From this thread http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=155292

[Stormbeard]

I merely stated fact. I have an opinion on the subject by I generally want to stick with truth and fact. Disagreeing with fact is a bit odd. I specifically left out any opinions I may have about Satanism because I didn't want to distract from the truth.

Your understanding of Satanism is incorrect.

[Stormbeard]

This is an interesting post by Stormbeard on Satanism....



From this thread http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=155292
I am, at times, quite educated you know.