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SATANISM
Due to the many misconceptions many have about Satanists and Satanism as a whole, I feel it necessary to dispel a few myths before looking at the subject in any sort of detail:
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Satanism is not about harming animals or children, ritual Sacrifices of babies, etc. That said... There are indeed a handful of nutcases who have committed crimes in the name of " Satan" (vastly outnumbered by the people, not to mention entire governments, that have committed atrocities in the name of Christianity). But to say that Satanists in general do this sort of thing is at least as absurd as judging all Christians by the behaviour of the Inquisition.
It has been documented that most rumours of "Satanic crime" are totally unfounded. Moreover, sacrificing babies would be contrary to the spirit of most modern forms of Satanism, for a variety of reasons. I'll add another reason: most forms of Satanism emphasize the individual's self-interest; and most Satanists deem it to be not in their own interest to commit crimes, especially crimes that serve no rational purpose.
I personally would suspect that the reason those who commit such cruel and brutal acts has much more to do with their 'mental state' rather than any religious/spiritual 'trappings' that they would 'dress it up' with.
For documentation regarding "Satanic crime" scares, see the following books:
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Satanists do not believe that drug abuse is a great idea. The vast majority of Satanists regard it as being un-Satanic to cloud the mind and impair judgement.
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Satanism is not merely Christianity reversed. Though most 'denominations' do not believe in all the morals Christianity holds, things are a lot more complex than that.
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Very few denomonations actually worship an entity called ' Satan', or believe in a devil of any sort. There are a few that do, but this is not a defining point among all Satanic denominations.
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Satanists are generally not ignorant, moronic anarchists out to take over and/or destroy the world. Those who claim to be Satanists that fit this description that I have met fit - more often than not - into the "Marilyn Manson-worshipping Gothic High School dropout" stereotype who have little, if any, real understanding of Satanism and their actions stem more from mis-placed teenage rebellion and anger than from any genuine religious or philosophical belief or conviction. In fact, most of the Satanists I have personally met with were well-spoken, well educated, polite, sane and generally 'nice' people.
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Satanism is not, in any way, a part of or allied with, Wicca and/or other forms of Neo-Pagan Witchcraft and should, properly, be seen as a seperate belief system entirely, in much the same was as Hinduism is a completely different belief system to Islam.
One thing that probably 'muddies the waters' more than anything about the subject of Satanism is Satanic Dabbling...
This is a syncretistic religion which largely lacks a consistent theology. Its followers blend elements copied from genuine Satanism, Ceremonial Magic, Wicca, other Neo-Pagan Traditions, Goddess worship, various Occult Traditions, and any other useful source of rituals that the followers can find. Frequently, writings about Hollywood Satanism by fiction, Roman Catholic, or Evangelical authors are added to the mix.
It is typically
practiced by rebellious teenagers or young adults - generally for a short time. They probably number in the tens or hundreds of thousands at any one instant in North America. An exact estimate is impossible to obtain, since they are totally devoid of any central organization.
They occasionally engage in minor criminal activities such as vandalizing cemeteries and painting Satanic graffiti on walls. In very rare instances, a few have been known to Sacrifice small animals.
Some look upon Satanism as a method of rebelling against their parents' beliefs. It is usually a passing fad that they quickly outgrow. Satanic Dabblers have no connection with genuine Satanists. There is of course no connection between teen dabblers and other beliefs and practices which have been called "Satanism," because the latter do not exist (or are extremely rare).
Every few years, the media report a ritual murder of a human by "Satanists." Further examination has so far revealed that the perpetrators have been primarily motivated by a severe mental illness, rather than by any religious beliefs that they might have. When the media report a particularly horrendous criminal act, they often initially suggest that
some Satanic ritual was involved.
This happened in early 2004 with a case in Fresno, California. Eleven deaths are reported including nine children allegedly fathered by the same man. At various times, news reports announced that the victims were mutilated, that ritual killings were suspected. These reports were later found to be unfounded.
Apart from the 'pseudo-Satanist' rebellious youths described above, there are three basic threads within real Satanist belief. They are: Traditionalists, Modernists and LaVeyan Satanists. I shall briefly examine each in turn.
DENOMINATIONS - Traditional
Traditional Satanists are those Satanists who believe in Satan as a literal existent being, whether human, spirit, alien, or god. Sometimes Satan is viewed as a friend - a comrade, a fellow being which is an equal to be befriended just like any other person or being. Sometimes Satan is seen as an superior being, but not necessarily THE most superior being, who should be respected for the power he has. Sometimes he is seen as the supreme creator of all things; sometimes he is seen as BEING all things, the divinity inherent in All.
Regardless of what the Traditional Satanist defines him/her as, the commonality therein is that Satan is a definable (if vaguely) external force which has an existence and usually consciousness in and of itself. This may or may not be an active consciousness, but is a consciousness of some sort.
Only a very slim minority of Traditional Satanists actually claim to worship/follow/identify with the Christian concept of Satan as a being of absolute and pure evil. As already stated, most of these I have personally encountered seem fit very closely into the "Marilyn Manson-worshipping Gothic High School dropout" stereotype who have little, if any, real understanding of Satanism and their actions stem more from mis-placed teenage rebellion than any genuine religious or philosophical belief or conviction.
Now for a rundown of some specific Traditionalist groups:
This is a group, originating in Shrewsbury, Shropsprie, England founded by Anton Long, which views Satanism as a "sinister way of life" or a "Left Hand Path". They distinguish themselves from the Ritualistic Magick groups/Satanists/Occultists in that they consider it a misnomer to call atanism: "a) a worship of the Devil/ Satan; b) a religious cult which practices Black Magick; c) an inversion of the Nazarene religion [Christianity] and its rites; d) a sect which preaches and practices perversions and sexual licence."
The progression of human evolution appears to be a central theme in their "philosophy", where they apply a very Social Darwinian approach where "the strong survive, win through, while the weak perish." Their goal is to "excel to go beyond what one is." To this end they engage in a number of activities, which in the ealry stages focuses on a use of magickal practices and ruituals, but in later stages is transcended and left behind. "These are experiences, the development of certain Esoteric skills, and a learning of 'forbidden arts. They also enable indulgence in worldly pleasures - carnal, materials and otherwise. But such rituals are not a fetish or of a religious nature - they are merely a means, to be used, learned from and then transcended."
The First Church of Satan (FCoS)
The First Church of Satan is a very evangelitic organization. Lord Egan (the leader and most vocal of the FCoS) has repeated expressed ideas about Modern Satanists being "lost" and "ignorant," needing to recognize the "grace of Satan" and become "saved." Weekly sermons are offered in RealAudio from the Church's website, as well as an HTML version of Satan's Bible (not to be confused with The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor La Vey).
The FCoS espouses the view that the so-called deities of the world, such as Jesus, Lucifer, Satan, Jehovah, Ra, Isis, et al., are all Daemons... beings which are more highly-evolved than ourselves, but who are still very much involved in what we would call a "human life," as regards having passions, emotions, agendas, etc. They are a "further stage" in our evolutionary development, and some day (after many Reincarnations of the spirit), those who are fit will become Daemons themselves.
Church of Lucifer
The Church of Lucifer apparently goes much further back than the First Church of Satan, and is still distinct from it. The Church of Lucifer has suffered a roller-coaster existence; once practically wiped out, it has since been revived with an apparent new "strength." Nate Leved's "Church Lucifer" and Children of the Black Rose are separate from the Church of Lucifer, and appear to be very well-organized and documented organizations of their own. Leved's Church Lucifer has more or less allied itself with the First Church of Satan, although how far and deep this alliance goes, I don't know. The Church of Lucifer has a highly-aggressive / anti-"other religions" stance.
Children of the Black Rose
Notable of the Children of the Black Rose is their very organized and well-documented philosophy of self-enhancement and evolution, the eventual aim being personal perfection and achievement of a "personal heaven" in the Astral Realm along with Lucifer, who they regard as the Father God. Most of their materials seem to be of a psychological bent rather than of a spiritual; it is definitely worth a scan at very least.
The Inner Circle Coven of Laiad
The Inner Circle Coven of Laiad is a feminine-based organization, which emphasizes Magick and feminine energies through the personae of feminine deities such as Kali, Lilith, and Hecate. I cannot tell from their website if they truly believe these figures to be real and worship them accordingly, but it is apparent that they believe strongly in the energies of these divine figures and use this in their practices. Thus, I term them (at the moment) pseudo-Traditional, since it is not clear whether or not they are Symbolic or Traditional.
DENOMINATIONS - Modern
Modern Satanism is probably the widest-spread of the Satanic 'denominations', and also the biggest "bone of contention" amongst the others. Modernists do not worship Satan as a god or deity; theistically, they are atheists. They believe in neither a god nor a devil, nor spirits and "supernatural beings."
Needless to say, it is usually not the Modernists who appear on Jerry Springer or get featured in the headlines of the local newspapers. The main "argument" over the Modernists is that, if they are in truth atheistic, why even bother using the name " Satan?" Why not just call yourself atheists or humanists or secular humanists, et al., instead of dragging in the name of a Christian boogyman? Obviously I can't answer this for them, but the section "Why Satan?" on the "SATANISM: Foundations of Belief" page may shed some light on the various reasons which exist.
There are primarily three 'flavours' of Modern Satanism: Naturalist, Psychologic, and Symbolic. They are not necessarily mutually exclusive:
Naturalist
The Naturalists view Satan as the natural force of the universe, the "underlying current" of nature. The power which makes trees grow, earthquakes shatter, stars form and die... all these, the raw energy of "What Is," is Satan. As such it has no good or bad side in and of itself; it is everything. But, it is not intelligent or self-aware. Just like electricity or windpower, it exists without consciousness, but may be tapped by the conscious user (magician).
This is the basis of Modern Satanic Magick: that by training oneself to "tap into" this force - Satan - one may subtly warp reality into a form more advantageous to ones desires. However, it is not an external godhead or force which enables you to accomplish this; it is the force of your own willpower and emotions, exerting a "draw" on the Satan, attracting it to you so that you can "mold" it into a more suitable shape.
Psychologic
The "Psychologic" viewpoint centers around Satan as being the primordial side of the human Psyche which the majority of humanity seeks to control and eliminate, instead of accepting and utilizing. The Freudian id, the Jungian shadow, the "animal within" - these are perhaps the best parallels to the 'Satanic self' which the Psychologic view of Modern Satanism desires to seek out and liberate.
There is a great tendancy by non-Satanists (including followers of Wicca and Neo-Pagans generally) to reflect on this particular viewpoint and come to a conclusion that developing one's 'Satanic self' is tantamount to reverting to childhood - akin to an infant's "gimme gimme gimme mine mine mine" outlook on life. While some may think this, it is the belief of most Satanists I have met that truly coming to terms with one's inner self, coming to terms with both the proper 'civilized' part and the unruly 'animal' part, is infinitely harder than shoving a piece of yourself in a closet and pretending that it does not exist.
Symbolist
The Symbolists view Satan as a mental/mythic Archetype, as the "Adversary" or the "Light-bringer." As such, they believe in the figure of Satan as an anthropomorphic being that is completely fictional: he does not exist as such. However, they believe the mental conception of the figure draws us to him. We identify with him, respect him, admire him, even as a fictional character. The Archetype or mythic figure embodies a lot of what Symbolists consider important and good qualities.
Some of them may include pride, independence, free-will, intelligence, knowledge, truthfulness, and ambition. The exact list will vary on who you ask. The qualities of the Archetype may be draw from various sources, such as the Christian Bible, Milton's Paradise Lost, the Apocrypha, The Satanic Bible, and personal experience or thought. For some, the admirable qualities may include destruction, cruelty, hatred - it truly depends on what the individual Satanist sees as "desirable" and "undesirable," or as "admirable" and "inadmirable."
Again, the Symbolists do not literally worship Satan-Lucifer, or acknowledge his literal existence, but view him as a mythic figure much like Peter Pan, Uncle Sam, Zeus, or King Midas.
LaVEYAN SATANISM
Finally, no discussion of Modern Satanism would be complete without discussing the LaVeyan Satanists (Church of Satan).
LaVeyan Satanism was founded in the 1960's by Anton Szandor La Vey. It is without a doubt the most well-known of the Satanic denominations, and has federally recognized religious status in the United States. Officially, it is known as the Church of Satan, and is headquartered in San Francisco.
Anton Szandor La Vey died in late October of 1997, at which time leadership of the Church passed into the hands of Blanche Barton (a long-time associate of LaVey). Although at one time Karla LaVey (LaVey's daughter) was participating as a "co-High-Priestess," she has since split from the Church of Satan over ideological differences. She is now the acting High Priestess of the First Satanic Church (founded Oct 31st, 1999), which claims to be a "resurgence of Satanic ideals" closer to the spirit of her father's original teachings.
Although it is true that Satanism existed before him, LaVey can be said to be (with relative authority) the "father" of Modern Satanism. Before LaVey went public with his new Church, and with his many works on Satanic philosophy (The Satanic Bible, The Satanic Rituals, The Devil's Notebook), Satanism was an underground, disorganized, and chaotic religion. Since the formation of the Church of Satan, information has become much more readily available and people had, for the first time, a sense of Satanic identity and organization.
The core philosophy of the Church of Satan is that of indulgence; of living one's life to the utmost of intellectual and material/carnal fulfillment. This includes fulfilling all of one's desires, so long as it does not involve the unwilling (children and animals are classed as unwilling). If fulfillment of these desires comes from illegal actions, so be it - but the Satanist must be prepared to pay for any actions which he or she performs (the doctrine of personal responsibility).
Lastly, we come to the point of semantics. LaVeyan Satanists generally contend that they are the only "real" Satanists, and that without LaVey none of Modern Satanism would be possible, as it was LaVey who "opened up the doors" to Satanism in the 1960s. They tend to regard literal Satan-worshippers or Devil-worshippers as foolish and trapped in Christian behavioural patterns (turning to a god or otherworldly force). Similarly, Traditionalists (those who worship Satan as a spiritual or divine being), tend to call the LaVeyans "pseudo-Satanists" or pretenders, claiming that they are just atheists who use the name "Satanist" for shock value and capitalistic gain.
see also: SATAN; SATANISM: Foundations of Belief; LUCIFERIANISM; LEFT HAND PATH; ORDER OF THE NINE ANGLES
OTHER RESOURCES:
see HARD FACTS ABOUT SATANIC RITUAL ABUSE in the ARTICLES Section of this Site.
PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.
Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.
Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.
- Jean-Luc
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