1. Any one of a number of religions based on Gnostic beliefs that the world was created by a demiurge who seeks to prevent humans from acquiring knowledge. Satan and the snake in the Garden of Eden are seen as manifestations of the true diety. 2. A cult based on rather childish principle of reversing the Christian religion, notably by doing evil to others and worshiping the Christian devil.

Belief in a pre-Christian concept of Satan that is more of a force than a deity, and embodies virility, sexuality, and sensuality.

Emphasis is placed on individuality, and that one should explore their lusts and desires instead of trying to suppress them. Indulging in this life instead of preparing for an afterlife. Wisdom instead of self-deceit. Human life is sacred, else how can someone enjoy theirs?

Unrelated to the Christian concept of Satan.

Satanists and sympathetic parties often claim that Satanism has nothing to do with the Christian Satan since its adherents do not believe in God or, strictly speaking, in the Devil at all.

The reason this will never fly with Christians--though it may sway those not familiar with Christianity or its core beliefs--is that the denial of God and Satan's existence is a Satanic act in the classically Christian sense. To go about claiming that God is a fiction, a mere mechanism of social control, and that the individual human being and his worldly desires have the highest place in the cosmos, is to preach utter damnation.

Satan is indeed an archetype. In earliest history he was identified as a figure hostile to humanity, sort of a chief prosecutor who accuses us and works for our defeat. As this figure was developed and interpreted over the centuries, he came to be seen as the enemy of God and all His works, one who seeks to destroy life, joy, trust, creativity, all that comes from the Divine. To suddenly assign these positive qualities to Satan is akin to pointing at a stop sign and announcing:

  • That it actually means "Speed Up".
  • That the common perception that it means "Stop" is a lie spread by would-be enslavers and believed only by weaklings and fools.
  • That barreling your way through busy intersections at top speed is a much more authentic and pleasurable way to drive.

Historically, there were quite a few movements that referred to themselves (or were referred to by others) as Satanism.

At the present, the Church of Satan founded by the late Anton Szandor LaVey calls its tenets Satanism. LaVey even wrote a Satanic Bible.

LaVey's Satanists do not believe in Satan as a personal deity, rather as an archetype.

LaVey has authored nine Satanic Statements:

Note: IANAS (I am not a Satanist), I just found this info at http://www.satanism101.com/ .

It has nothing to do with worship, ritual killings, and other Geraldo-invented atrocities.

To try and define yourself by the symbolic structures handed down to you by society is wrong, and as such a rejection of one's own moral principles and escape into nihilism, as defined in the core of Satanism is also wrong. The sense of alienation as described by those living through another's will only exists because they do not identify enough with others to comprehend their value systems.

Now while a person may reject these value systems outright, they will be well advised to examine the reasoning behind these value systems, and their relationship to the reality that they have experienced. After all, a philosophy that tries to let you define your own limits, presumes that you know where those limits should be. As most philosophers of note will readily state, most people have no idea of their own abilities, physical, mental or moral.

A process of exploration must of course occur, and the denial of the meaning that one has drawn from one's relation to life so far, is I believe a mistake, as it denies you a context. In short one's retreat into nihilism, and an alternative lifestyle in which to express themselves, may very well be a mistake when we say that the absence of Christian values is Darkness and Evil, and therefore implies Satan, whereas in actuality the absence, is well, just absence.

A person cannot live in a nihilistic vacuum for long though, we need beliefs, and if one is to try and rebuild these beliefs on the basis of rationality, one must concede that rationality is itself based on belief and assumption, and that true life and enlightenment isn't a lack of belief or religious scene, but rather a selection of the right one for oneself. This again comes through a process of discovery and clear thinking, not by retreating into a falsely degraded version of an existing belief mode that one has tried to escape. So it probably isn't a good idea to be a Satanist.

One thing the above nodes failed to mention, is aside from Satanists believing in indulgence rather than abstinence etc., that they too want to return Humanity to its primal form. In the more extreme forms of Satanism, it is believed that Humanity should be running through the trees naked, foraging for food, grunting, fighting over women, living life as they see fit with purely primal instincts; rather than living in an ordered life with laws, a religions trying to shove their propaganda down your throat. In other words, the Satanist wishes for chaos to consume the world and order to be thrown to the wind, and in so doing, returning Humanity to primal instincts.

Satanism - Egotistic NOT Evil-istic

Every other weekend or so, I like to sit back and enjoy one of my favorite past-times - watching movies that derived their existence from comic books. From Blade to my pirated copy of TNN's mediocre reproduction of Witchblade, if you look within these adaptations hard enough a spark of truth shines through. Within the sectioned chapters of my Spawn DVD is where I found one such truth.

To describe the scene, briefly, Clown has taken Spawn to his gravesite. There Spawn realizes he is truly dead and gave his soul to Hell. During this, there is a minor story line of a group of three are trying to wake Satan. Consistent with behavior of intoxication or "altered perceptions", they dance around a ram(goat) skull and damanding a hellish presence be made. Then one inquires on whether or not a virgin sacrifice is needed.

The truth within this scene is the lie that has been propagated by the media, especially Hollywood, for many decades now.

Satanism is about self-elevation of spirit, not worshipping the Devil.

According to Anton-Szandor LaVey, founder of The Church Of Satan, "The performance of Satanic ritual does not embrace the calling forth of demons; this practice is only followed by those who fear the very forces they conjure."

LaVey solidified Satanism by the use of inversing the Keys of Enoch. This is best shown by the use of the inverted pentagram, or as commonly referred to symbol of Baphomet. The discipline of using the Keys of Enoch (refferred to as Keys from here) is a very mathematical practice of understanding the balance of nature as created by God. When used correctly gives the practitioner the "powers" of Angels. The second of the basic power shapes is the pentagram - which represents one's self existing upon the balance of the four physical elements. The inversion of such puts the existence of the four physical elements balancing upon one's self, symbolizing the desire of the self controlling the elements.

Think of this as a group of tweny-five people on an island. All twenty five wish to leave this island to travel to another island where life is better. Each person has a complete shop worth of supplies to build a vessel. Five of the group are Satanist. The remaining twenty people begin to pool their resources and knowledge to craft as vessel to carry them all together, while the Satanist work alone to create five seperate ships that are perfect for just them.

The "supplies" would be knowledge of the Keys. Where as Enochians, Keepers of the Light, and members of the Society of the Golden Dawn practice the discipline of Key usage to assist in the evolution of man to a higher state as a whole, Satanism utilizes the powers of the Keys for their own self elevation. The Keys, not unlike a knife, are nothing but a set of tools for universal energy influence.

LaVey impresses this point by stating that "the God you save may be yourself". According to LaVey, one must not feel any remorse for the consequences that using the Keys can occur when accomplishing a goal. Example, if one uses the Keys in a Satanic ritual for money, one will receive it. Though it may originate from an insurance policy from the death of another.

According to the Society of the Golden Dawn's core values, the flaw within LaVey's ideology is after one begins to influence the universe by the Keys for his/her personal gain, higher evolved (and considerably less tolerant) entities will notice the energy disturbances brought on by a Keys usage. The gratification given within the boundaries of Earth does not set well with the entities that exist on other planes.

Using the island example, once the vessels set sail those who put the twenty-five on the island notice the ships leaving, so they decide to sink the vessels. The five Satanists will have to hope that their design can hold up to everything the journey has to offer - weather, seas, and interlopers. The other twenty pull together all aspects of the travel and design a very solid, stable, and defendable vessel. Also they can work as a team to sail and repel opposition at the same time.

Sources:

The Satanic Bible by Anotn LaVey ,a Bible, The Book of Knowledge: The Keys of Enoch (c)The Academy for Future Science

Sa"tan*ism (?), n.

The evil and malicious disposition of Satan; a diabolical sprit.

[R.]

<-- 2. Worship of satan. -->

 

© Webster 1913.

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