What is Satanism? You may expect a long complex answer to this simple question. If you ask a Catholic what Catholicism is you're likely to receive a long answer detailing the life of Jesus and the authority of the church. But if you ask a Satanist what Satanism is you will get a fairly short and simple answer. Satanism is the belief that you are your own God and that self-fulfillment is your goal.
Isn't Satanism the worship of Satan?
The worship of Satan is not a vital part of Satanism. You do not have to worship Satan to be a Satanist. The idea behind Satanism is to better yourself and do what makes you happy. As long as you follow the Satanic way of life you can call yourself a Satanist. You do not have to worship Satan to be a Satanist.
Satanism is the worship of oneself. The term Satanism was
given to all people who worshipped a religion that was different from
that of the Catholic Church in the middle ages. It was a term used to
describe those who worshipped a different god, the earth, themselves, or
anything not christian.
"Satan, as a god, demi-god, personal savior, or whatever you wish to call him, was invented by the formulation of every religion on the face of the earth for only one purpose - to preside over man's so- called wicked activities and situations here on earth" (Satanic Bible, pg 62).
The idea of Satan was developed by religions to give a personification to all that is considered "evil." This devil is meant to represent the so-called sins of humans. According to these same religions, Satan represents destruction.
On the other side there is the alter ego of this Satan, called God. Like Satan, God has many names depending on the religion and time period your looking at. This God is supposed to represent all that is good about people, all the positive things you can do for others. This God is supposed to represent creation.
"Most Satanist do not accept Satan as an anthropomorphic being" (Satanic Bible, pg 62). To the Satanist, Satan is nothing more that a force of nature. Satan is not usually taken as an actual deity. This force is what is considered the darker side of nature. This so-called dark side of nature is not necessarily evil, it is merely an unexplored part of nature. It is the part of nature which conventional religions do no confront, they merely label these things as evil and then leave them alone.
The question comes out when discussing Satanism as to whether the Satanist worships Satan. The first thing that must be understood is that there are three different levels. There is the worship of Satan, belief Satan exists, and the belief that there is no greater power.
The belief that there is no greater power is the same as being atheist. These are the people who don't believe in any deity. When speaking of these people as Satanist your probably speaking of some of the strictest believers in Satanism. These people believe that they have only one life to live and that that life should be lived to the best it can, for their is nothing to look forward to after death.
The belief that Satan exists is perhaps the most prevalent of beliefs. At this level the person doesn't worship Satan but still acknowledges that this deity exists. These people are the ones which make up the majority of Satanists now a days. The downfall of these people is that they are influenced easier by other religions then are the other two levels.
The final level is the more extreme of the three. This is the level of the worship of Satan. This is the group that is the most radical of Satanists. These are the people who have a tendency to get carried away and give Satanism in general a bad name. Unlike those who just acknowledge Satan, these people are not easily influenced by outside groups. They're so set in their ways that they can sometimes go to far with their beliefs.
To summarize, Satanism does not require the worship of Satan,
it doesn't even require the belief of any deity. The level you are at
is up to you. It is up to the individual to decide what level suits you
best. The worship of Satan is a some what more extreme form of
Satanism. THE WORSHIP OF SATAN IS NOT AN INTRICATE PART OF SATANISM!
When you look about you will find Satanists in all walks of life. Satanists live freely about us. But usually the only time you realize your talking with a Satanist is when they tell you they are a Satanist. Occasionally you may see someone that is trying to look like a "Satanist" by the way they dress or act. These people are the radicals that give Satanists a bad name.
Everyone has heard of the different stereotypes about Satanists. The majority of people who are Satanists are not these stereotypes. These stereotypes are a very radical branch of Satanism. These are the people who take the Satanic way of life to the extreme. Often times these extremist do not truly understand what Satanism is.
Those who are Satanists are often labelled. They are labelled
unjustly because of what a small extreme group do. Why should the
Satanic way of life be hurt by the activities of a few people who go to
far with what they believe.
HOCUS POCUS
To some Satanists there is a thing known as Satanic Magic. Not all Satanists believe in this magic, but the majority do believe in it and some even practice this magic. But what is this magic, this mystical practice that journalist and novelists poke fun at?
First, lets refer back to what the Satanist is according to many beliefs. Satan is the darker, unexplained part of nature. Satanic magic draws its power from this darker side of nature. To put it simply the Satanist is just using the power of the darker side of nature to achieve its goals. The Satanist is just manipulating this power to achieve what it wants.
The use of Satanic magic is not as prevalent as people would
like to believe. Satanic magic is not something that can be broken down
and studied. It is something that the believer usually has to take
based on faith. The ability to manipulate these powers comes from the
belief that you can control these forces. There are several rules you
can follow to strengthen your ability. These six points out line what
the Satanist believes and accepts concerning the use of Satanic Magic.
The main idea behind these statements is to keep the
unbelievers from gaining to much knowledge. As unbelievers gain more
information they begin to make fun of the beliefs and practices of the
Satanist. They make fun of the beliefs and practices even though their
own beliefs and practices may be more humorous then the Satanist. This
is why two of the statements deal with keeping quiet about your
practices.
As you read about and study Satanism you will notice a sort of pattern. This pattern involves the way in which the beliefs of Satanism are expressed. This pattern is one of varying degree. Through out the teachings you will see that very few if any at all are required Satanic beliefs.
In nearly every religion there is some belief that you must follow. In order to be a part of a religion you must accept at least one of their essential beliefs. For example, in order to be Catholic you must believe that Jesus was the christ. If you do not believe this then you can not be Catholic because this is something which is essential to being Catholic. Nearly every religion has such a belief which must be accepted.
It is this forced acceptance which turns many people away from organized religions. Satanism recognizes that people don't necessarily like being forced to accept something. People want to be free to make their own chooses and to chose what they believe. People don't want to be forced to believe so they go out in search of something they can believe in with out being forced to accept something they don't want to. Forced acceptance of a belief is contrary to human nature. This is where Satanism comes in.
Satanism does not force people to believe in something they don't want to. Satanism is perhaps the most flexible religions when it comes to its beliefs. Satanism encourages individuality. This push for individuality is so strong that there is a small group of people who consider themselves Catholic-Satanists (see CHAPTER 5: THE CATHOLIC- SATANIST). These people believe in God and Jesus Christ, but they choose to live the life that Satanism advocates.
Hard core Satanists will deny that Satanism can be interpreted so broadly. These people are usually the radicals that go so far as to worship the devil. These people don't always understand what Satanism is really about.
As you look at each level of Satanism you see changes in the acceptance levels. Someone who is just following the general idea of Satanism is more likely to accept that there are varying degrees of Satanism. Unlike the radical Satanist who is so set in their beliefs that they can't accept the idea of others not accepting their beliefs. All religions have groups like this. There are radical Christians and Ultra-Orthodox Jews.
This variation of beliefs in religion is what pulls them apart.
Satanism recognizes this weakness in religion. That is why Satanism is
so selective on what it makes a requirement to be believed. Religion is
something which should be chosen by the individual. Forcing beliefs on
some one is contrary to the idea of free will. Satanism does not force,
but asks that you accept a very small number of essential ideas.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 2: Civil Satanism
Chapter 3: Lets Talk
Chapter 4: That Feels Good
Chapter 5: Who Knew?
Omega: The Closing