Abstract Satanism is a blatantly, selfish, brutal religion. There are millions of Satanists worldwide. The occult is on the rise because young people are seeking their identity through what Satanism offers. Anton Szandor LaVey the creator of the Church of Satan believes in attitudes that are ungodly, controversial, unethical, immoral, and perversive as evidenced by the present society.
Satanism The content of this paper is intended to relay information about Satanism. A brief history of Satanism, the definition of the different groups of Satanists, and their beliefs, practices, and doctrines will be mentioned. The earliest Satanist tradition dates to 3200 B.C. with the ancient Egyptian deity Set. He was a God that represented individual consciousness.
He was linked to dark forces like thunder and hostility. As temples worshipped other gods, Osiris took over and Set was cast as an evil being. Satan ideas of independence and magic survived and became a tradition in the ancient Greek World. The Hebrews then adopted Satan as an agent for God who they believed was sent to punish sinners.
He was later changed to be the antithesis of God. Deities from pagan traditions were incorporated into the image of Satan. Satanic books about witches and their evil activities began satanic panics and resulted in torture and execution of “heretics” (http://www.religious movements.lib.Virginia.edu). In the 19th century, the Satanists resurfaced in the United States and the United Kingdom.
It was believed that Aleister Crowley was the creator, in 1947, with his ideas of paganism and sex magic. He based his rituals on Judeo-Christian principles and was later charged with committing animal sacrifices, experimenting with illegal drugs, and engaging in sexual orgies. The origin of Satanism is said to have begun in 1966, in Walpurgisnacht, by Anton Szandor LaVey. He believed in personal freedom and individualism and founded the Church of Satan (http://www.the600club.com/satanism/). The Bible contains many references to “the Devil”.
In the Old Testament the existence of spirit realm was recognized but had no idea of the two kingdoms at war with one another. In the New Testament, he is mentioned as a fallen angel and spirit being. The Devil does everything he can to control people so he can do evil to them and thwart the purposes of God. Sections of Ephesians 6:10-17 say, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against devil’s schemes for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” It is also clear that the everlasting battle between evil and good exists as evidenced by tragedy, and suffering in the world. In Revelation 20:10- it is understood that it will take a long time for Satan to be destroyed (http://www.truthortradition.com).
Satanism is defined as a small minority religion. The followers were different groups of people who were Gothic, Religious or Satanic dabblers. The Gothic Satanists were belief to date back to the middle ages to fables about “Witches”. Women were believed to worship Satan and submit their lives to him by kidnapping and killing babies. They harmed others using curses and black magic.
The Religious Satanists were adults who worshipped a pre-Christian deity Set. They were atheists and agnostics who saw Satan as a symbol of power. The Satanic Dabblers are typically rebellious teenagers who created their own black magic. They performed rituals and were responsible for graffiti on buildings and sacrificing small animals (http://www.religiousintolerance.org.) While many argue the physical existence of Satan, followers see him as divine, a liberator of mankind and a principal of individuality and of change. The beliefs and practices of Satanism all consist of one main satanic denomination, which in turn, branch out into smaller traditions and solitary practices.
According to B.A. Robinson, December 19,2003, The Church of Satan follows the Nine Satanic Statements: Indulgence, not abstinence Vital existence, not spiritual pipe dreams Undefiled wisdom, not hypocritical self-deceit Kindness o those deserving of it, not love wasted on ingrates Vengeance, not turning the other cheek Responsibility to the responsible, instead of concern for psychic vampires Man as just another animal- the most vicious of all Gratification of all ones desires The best friend that the Christian Church has had as he has kept it in business for centuries The Satanists also have nine satanic sins. They are stupidity, pretentiousness, solipsism, self-deceit, herd conformity, lack of perspective, forgetfulness of past orthodoxies, counterproductive pride, and lack of aesthetics (http://www.religiousintolerance.org). There is a variety of Satanic Practices and they work strictly in hierarchical systems.
The members move through the levels of initiate to master. Their practices are secretive and the rituals of the higher offices are mainly unknown. Many traditional Satanist groups hold worship services and rituals to their Deities and practice magic. The rituals are sexual, healing, happiness or destruction. Sex magic differs from mystical sexual practices such as Tantra, which was an intense and prolonged orgasm to increase the vital inner power to consecrate and charge sigils, amulets and talismans and heal or strengthen a partner. The ritual of Destruction included sticking pins in a doll, drawing a picture or description of the victim’s death or delivering a soliloquy.
Rituals were performed in groups to a targeted individual who they felt deserved it (www.religiousintolerance.org). The Satanic religion has certain doctrines that have to be met by the members of the cult. Just like any other religion, if it’s members do not follow these doctrines or rules they are considered unrighteous followers. Doctrines that Satanists have to deal with are sometimes very hard. Devil worshippers don’t care how or what they need to do to serve the devil, as long as their pleasures are met by obeying the rules and doctrines faithfully.
Satanic doctrines are ethically established in this religion as well as their rules and laws. According to Anton Szandor LaVey, there are Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth that needed to be followed in the satanic world: 1. Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked 2. Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them 3. When in another’s lair, show him respect or else do not go there 4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy 5.
Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal 6. Do not steal (paraphrased) 7 is not relevant. 8. Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself 9.
Do not harm little children 10. Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food 11. When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.
The Pentagonal revisionism is a five-point program that is represented by the famous satanic pentagon star. It is identified as the symbol of the devil and each point has significance. The first point signifies stratification. It means that no one should be protected from the effects of his own stupidity.
If a member of the satanic cult is caught in a wrong act, he or she must deal with his or her own wrongdoing. The member may not expect any help of any sort from the others. The second point signifies strict taxation of all churches. This is a belief that if all Godly churches are taxed they would crumble and their faith would not be practiced. Satanists would like all churches to be heavily taxed so that they can be eliminated and they can reign and have all the power. The third point signifies intolerance for religious beliefs secularized and incorporated into law and order issues.
This is very familiar to stratification. It means that in a satanic society, everyone must experience the consequences of his own actions for the good of evil. The fourth point is the development and production of artificial human companions. This would mean that the devil has dominion over television and computers and can use these to convince people of his power and domain. A lot of evil could be spread through these artificial human companions.
Lastly, the fifth point signifies the opportunity for anyone to live within a total environment of his or her choice. It is mandatory that there is adherence to the aesthetic and behavioral standards of this environment. This means that one would have the choice of the environment they want to live in. This would be a paradise atmosphere where there are no problems and all the rules are met (www.dpjs.co.uk/legalism.html). Satanism has always been about being an individual and determining where you want to go in life.
Satanism still exists today. Karla LaVey, daughter of Anton, continued the family tradition and organized The First Satanic Church” in San Francisco. It is estimated that there are millions of Satanists nationwide. They are held responsible for child molestation, kidnappings and murder.
These people are considered a manifestation of social paranoia in times of uncertainty occurring often in areas of economic hardship and turmoil (http://www.the600club.com/satanism). References http://www.dpjs.co.uk/legalism.html http://www.religiousintolerance.org http://www.religiousmovements.lib.Virginia.edu http://www.religiononline http://www.the 600club.com/Satanism http://www.truthortradition.com
