Satanism: Misunderstood

[Wadders]

Edit:

This mini series is interesting, and is vaguely OT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNN-ZnYg1Vo&feature=fvsr

I saw this a while back. It practically sums up everything I said about the misguided modern take on Satanism. Good call

Thank you Ghaal is quite an interesting chappie, with some interesting things to say.

 

[El Poncho]

Well atleast satan hasn't killed as many people as god because he was bored, and he is taking care of sinners ofcourse seems like a nice guy

 

[The Maddest March Hare]

Edit:

This mini series is interesting, and is vaguely OT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNN-ZnYg1Vo&feature=fvsr

I saw this a while back. It practically sums up everything I said about the misguided modern take on Satanism. Good call

Thank you Ghaal is quite an interesting chappie, with some interesting things to say.

He is indeed, and does make quite a few good points throughout that series. However, he seems to have grabbed the wrong, and mysteriously sticky, end of the Satanism stick xD

Which is a shame because he now promotes his beliefs to the masses, which creates a new generation of 'bad' Satanists, allowing the cycle to continue.

 

[Deadpoolsbrain]

I always saw it as satan being the bad cop and god being the good cop.

 

[leecho7]

Satan, as an idea and a figure, is fascinating.

If you're into religions, like I am, you might want to look into some of Farid ud'Din Attar's works about Satan.
Attar is actually a Sufi Muslim poet who believed Satan was the greatest Muslim who ever lived.
Needless to say, his thoughts were highly controversial for Orthodox Sunni and even Shi Muslims at the time.

As for Satanism the religion itself, just given my brief and short experience, Satan the figure so common in Christian traditions actually doesn't play much of a role. Now mind you, this is just from my personal experience observing a Black Mass that a colleague of mine, who was head a particular Satanist sect, invited me to.

 

[Biek]

All I heard about satanism is that its basically a way to give christianity the finger. And that they have pretty much the same guidelines. (Love thyself and thy neighbour etc.)

While im not into their style much, I really dont mind them.

I thought Satanism was treating yourself like you own God.

I think that can be considered Atheism. Wich is basically 'somethingism'. Everyone believes in something. My boss actually had a motto: 'Theres only one god and thats me'. Meaning he believes he is in control of his own destiny.

 

[spindle]

Lol satan was just added in to the bible to control people. Just look at the themes, good casts adam out for wanting knowledge, lucifer is cast down for questioning god. Even the name lucifer is a roman name in a hebrew text, clearly it was added in at a later date. The whole message of christianity is obey and don't ask questions.

 

[Agrael]

1) There is no good without evil - i.e. there is no Satan without God and vice versa.

2) We made them the FUCK UP.

3) Believe in yourself. You'll do better, trust me.

 

[Agayek]

What I never understood about Satanism is how they use his name out of context for the name of their church. Satan is the ultimate bad guy in the Christian bible, and rules his little domain in hell, but the church of Satanism doesn't believe in that?

I dunno, Satanism has just always been confusing to me.

The Christians got the name "Satan" from a group of pagan worshippers that eventually became known as Satanists

Edit: It was a power play at the time, one of the earliest "smear campaigns"

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Let me save you some money. Satanism isn't a real religion. It's just libertarianism [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism] sold as an anti-christianity to rebellious and gullible teens.

To be more precise I feel it has a lot in common with objectivism.

 

[OneBig Man]

I only just found this out and I think its logic you simply can't argue with. But Satan isn't that bad. All he is is an IDEA. He's what you make of him. According to The first High Priest of the Church of Satan, Anton Szandor LaVey, there is no heaven or hell after death. But it's always with you in life. Your actions reflect the consequences in life and that this one life that we are given was meant to be lived. Its the almsot exact opposite of Christianity (Obviously).

So Satanists don't believe in a higher power or an afterlife? I thought that what being an athiest was.

 

[Corneliusthederelict]

Just read Ayn Rand. Lavey stated his religion was basically her philosophy with rituals.


If you want a summary of Ayn Rand, it's an evil rationalization of selfishness and egotism

 

[Agayek]

Wait......Satanism does not evolve devil worship? Then why bother naming the bloody religion after the very ruler of hell itself?

It's the other way around. The Christian bad guy, Lucifer, the Morningstar, whatever you want to call it, was given the name Satan so that the average peon would actively hate Satanists and try to eradicate the religion.

 

[quiet_samurai]

Another thing is that Paganism is usually confused with Satanism, with the animal sacrafices and virgin blood and all that. The Catholic Church replaced alot of Pagan Holidays with new Christian Holidays and the ones they could not morph into their own views they pegged off as Satanism. Hollywood and the media also help inflience the confusion of Paganism and Satanism.

 

[Wadders]

Edit:

This mini series is interesting, and is vaguely OT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNN-ZnYg1Vo&feature=fvsr

I saw this a while back. It practically sums up everything I said about the misguided modern take on Satanism. Good call

Thank you Ghaal is quite an interesting chappie, with some interesting things to say.

He is indeed, and does make quite a few good points throughout that series. However, he seems to have grabbed the wrong, and mysteriously sticky, end of the Satanism stick xD

Which is a shame because he now promotes his beliefs to the masses, which creates a new generation of 'bad' Satanists, allowing the cycle to continue.

Indeed. I do wonder how he justifies his band to himself. As he says himself in that series, a lot of the people in the crowd at his shows are the kind of person he abhors. So why then, is he making music and putting on shows that allow them to become even more sheep-like or whatever?

Is it because he's just doing his own thing, and playing music that he loves to people, in the hope it will encourage them to be more like him, in that they think for themselves etc. or is it because he enjoys their lionization of him as a "superman" and a leader?

With regards to the erm... sticky stick of Black Metal and Satanism, I don't think he has quite grabbed the stickiest bit. The church-burning bands such as Varg from Mayhem have already got hold of that part.

Damn I really had to stretch that metaphor, but I didn't want to abandon it.

 

[Lazarus Long]

It always kind of bugged me that the first half of the Satanic Bible is some pretty straightforward philosophy (shamelessly stolen from Might is Right [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Might_is_Right]) saying how Satan is a metaphor for Man's base nature. It's essentially a humanist work.
Then the second half is some kind of Black Sabbath occultism, with magic(k) ceremonies and all the fuzzy-headed mysticism the first half denounces.
LaVey had (or maybe just popularized) some good ideas. I just think the Church of Satan feels a bit like a big practical joke.

 

[Wadders]

I just think the Church of Satan feels a bit like a big practical joke.

Agreed. For a religion/ movement that seems to be based on being your own master, and worshiping the god inside yourself, a Church of Satan seems remarkably hypocritical, as well as being more than a bit reactionary to the Christian Church.

 

[Rorschach II]

I just think the Church of Satan feels a bit like a big practical joke.

Agreed. For a religion/ movement that seems to be based on being your own master, and worshiping the god inside yourself, a Church of Satan seems remarkably hypocritical, as well as being more than a bit reactionary to the Christian Church.

Thats exactly why it was set up like that. All the 'Black Masses' basically mock Normal Masses that Christians have with very dramatic imagery. They have destroy massses where they tear a doll in half as a representation of someone who had caused them grief in the last week.

 

[Wadders]

I just think the Church of Satan feels a bit like a big practical joke.

Agreed. For a religion/ movement that seems to be based on being your own master, and worshiping the god inside yourself, a Church of Satan seems remarkably hypocritical, as well as being more than a bit reactionary to the Christian Church.

Thats exactly why it was set up like that. All the 'Black Masses' basically mock Normal Masses that Christians have with very dramatic imagery. They have destroy massses where they tear a doll in half as a representation of someone who had caused them grief in the last week.

Yes. It is a direct reaction to Christianity. That kind of "Satanism" is just posturing and isn't really a religion, it's just a bizarre parody of Christianity, that does the opposite of the Christian Church without its own proper belief system.

OT: I'm not getting messages in my inbox when I'm quoted, is anyone else having this trouble?

 

[Spartan Bannana]

The issue is that many satanists interpret it badly, take that guy Crowley from the 60s, he had people eat a young woman, and they were just all too drugged out to care.
That's the issue with it, many people who practice satanism perform odd, sometimes grotesque rituals and some even practice cannibalism or commit murder.