Explain your reason for being a Satanist

[Spiderman]

It seems to me that Satanists aren't like Hollywood or Christians portray them as. My assumption is that if you are a Satanist, you believe that Satan has your best interests in mind even more so than God. What is your reason for believing that? Do you believe Satan has more power than God?

Also, what are your views on human sacrifice?

Although I'm a Catholic, I'm very edified by the Satanists and Pagans on this site. I can't think of one that I don't like and I find that I can relate better with Pagans than I can with Christians. I'm hoping that God will change his mind and eventually redeem everyone, including Satan. According to Allan Kardec, author of "The spirits book", all spirits will be made perfect eventually, it's just a matter of time. I hope that's true.

 

[Luciferi Baphomet]

It seems to me that Satanists aren't like Hollywood or Christians portray them as

Hollywood just makes Satanism look bad.

Do you believe Satan has more power than God?

I may not believe Lucifer has more power than God.
Lucifer never wanted more power than God.
What he wanted was to tell the truth about what God was really doing.
He wants to liberate people from God's slavery.

Also, what are your views on human sacrifice?

I don't believe it should ever be performed. To kill someone who is innocent is wrong.

 

[Mindmaster]

It seems to me that Satanists aren't like Hollywood or Christians portray them as. My assumption is that if you are a Satanist, you believe that Satan has your best interests in mind even more so than God. What is your reason for believing that? Do you believe Satan has more power than God?

Also, what are your views on human sacrifice?

Although I'm a Catholic, I'm very edified by the Satanists and Pagans on this site. I can't think of one that I don't like and I find that I can relate better with Pagans than I can with Christians. I'm hoping that God will change his mind and eventually redeem everyone, including Satan. According to Allan Kardec, author of "The spirits book", all spirits will be made perfect eventually, it's just a matter of time. I hope that's true.

The problem is complicated by the fact that there are basically three types of Satanists.

But, a summary:

1) Symbolic or (LaVeyean) Satanism - Satan is a symbol only, most commonly atheists. Ritual is psychodrama, necessary for happiness but not necessary otherwise. No consideration of Christian theology, other than to reject it as most skeptics do.

2) Theistic - Usually literally believe in Satan, don't necessarily need to pray to him, don't necessarily believe in Christian theology either. It's complicated. Generally looked up to in the way that one would a teacher/guide. May or may not work with demonic entities... Ritual is magic.

3) Agnostic - Knows there is no way to separate the subject from the viewer, so believes in the metaphorical Satan, but realizes there is no way to determine the existence outside of one's own head. Ritual is meta-magic, that's to say what you believe in is real. (similar to ideas held in Chaos magic, another subject completely though.)

Anyway, no Satanists identify or accept Christian views on the subject or follow Satan like Christians do. I think it's important to understand that all varieties of Satanism are non-dogmatic, and are personal expressions of one's own understanding of the world. Satan is the rebel, the symbol of freedom, illumination, art, and everything carnal. Largely, deciding to follow such a path rejects the pearly gates for something real but it isn't about the movie stuff, it's about what we can learn and earn through our own eyes and efforts and the freedom to seek those things without guilt, remorse, or fear.

There are no sacrifices, that's fiction, etc.

 

[Spiderman]

God can be cruel. I disagree with the way his policies lead to the trampling upon of other cultures by monotheists. I love Jesus but I also love Woden, Thor, Freyja, Frigg, Athena etc...I pray an occasional prayer to Lucifer as well but I'm not to the point where I trust him

 

[Mindmaster]

God can be cruel. I disagree with the way his policies lead to the trampling upon of other cultures by monotheists. I love Jesus but I also love Woden, Thor, Freyja, Frigg, Athena etc...I pray an occasional prayer to Lucifer as well but I'm not to the point where I trust him

Well, faith isn't a component really even in theistic Satanism, A theistic Satanist has a deep and inspired PERSONAL relationship with Satan, but doesn't follow Satan like a pet. That'd certainly be missing the point. I don't know too many Satanists which pray outside of the context of a practice known as theurgic magic, so the normal groveling sessions Abrahamic religions are fond of aren't common. One can feel one's connection to something without being enslaved by it.

Personally, I tend to view Satan in a sense that he exists inasmuch as I can tell so effectively he does but I borrow more heavily from LaVey and others for other points of contention. I tend to hybridize all three of the views I mentioned to some degree, but I felt there were a few major types worth mentioning.

Anyway, I guess the core thing to understand is even the theistic Satanist will not expect you to believe them about Satan, they will expect you to forge that relationship and learn of his nature yourself. If you are curious about theistic Satanism here are a few good links:

Satan's Den

Theistic Satanism: Diane Vera on today's new kinds of Satanists

 

[MonkeyFire]

It seems to me that Satanists aren't like Hollywood or Christians portray them as. My assumption is that if you are a Satanist, you believe that Satan has your best interests in mind even more so than God. What is your reason for believing that?

Hell is not a healer

Do you believe Satan has more power than God?

The devil is relative to weakness and all things nil.

I'm hoping that God will change his mind and eventually redeem everyone, including Satan. According to Allan Kardec, author of "The spirits book", all spirits will be made perfect eventually, it's just a matter of time. I hope that's true.

I'm a pacifist, I send dis!!-belief to naught.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

One can feel one's connection to something without being enslaved by it.

Beautiful.

 

[Spiderman]

The only thing that bothers me about Satanism is how materialistic and carnal it is. I admire wisdom, self-control, self-discipline, charity, humility, selflessness, peace, and enlightenment, all of which can be found in every Religion.

I'm ecumenical to the point where Christians wouldn't consider me a Christian but a Pagan who loves Jesus.

 

[Mindmaster]

The only thing that bothers me about Satanism is how materialistic and carnal it is. I admire wisdom, self-control, self-discipline, charity, humility, selflessness, peace, and enlightenment, all of which can be found in every Religion.

I'm ecumenical to the point where Christians wouldn't consider me a Christian but a Pagan who loves Jesus.

Well, I don't consider myself a materialist at all since I am a very spiritual person but non-religious and that is pretty incompatible with my views. Satanism directly embraces wisdom, self-control, and enlightenment as a rule and all of those ideas are pretty critical to my existence.

Some of these concepts are pretty nebulous though, like what does "peace" mean and what involvement do you really have at a personal level? Humility really has no importance for me, as a Satanist, because to what end does it lead? Satanism is very much about achieving one's own desires, and if those are altruistic they are certainly in scope. It is about your goals at every level, not just on the physical plane.

 

[1137]

It seems to me that Satanists aren't like Hollywood or Christians portray them as. My assumption is that if you are a Satanist, you believe that Satan has your best interests in mind even more so than God. What is your reason for believing that? Do you believe Satan has more power than God?

In Christian mythology, God is corrupt and has us in a catch 22. He allowed us to be "tricked" and to fall, he allows us to suffer and threatens us with torture if we do not throw love and praise at him. He cares about his ego, not us. But Satan gave us free will, he gives us knowledge and inner strength to act. Satan wants the best for each individual whereas god simply wants us to throw ourselves before him. Outside of Christianity, this god is more a mindless, deterministic force of nature, responsible for things like consistent laws of physics. But Satan is free will, something isolate and separate from, able to overcome this deterministic nature. It is debatable whether this makes Satan or god more powerful.

Also, what are your views on human sacrifice?

Absolutely unacceptable outside of some sort of psychologist cleared consent from an individual. The self is to be respected as is the will, and not just ones own self but the very concept of individual self-hosted itself.

The only thing that bothers me about Satanism is how materialistic and carnal it is. I admire wisdom, self-control, self-discipline, charity, humility, selflessness, peace, and enlightenment, all of which can be found in every Religion.

I'm ecumenical to the point where Christians wouldn't consider me a Christian but a Pagan who loves Jesus.

I consider myself neither materialistic or carnal. Just because I do not shun the material and carnal as sinful or wrong does not mean I am a materialistic hedonist.

 

[Onyx]

To me, Set (or Satan if you prefer) is the "first principle" of the universe that brought forth my isolate will, and is therefore also able to reveal my higher potential. There is no worship or grace in my religion, it is self-directed personal evolution.

Media depictions of Satanism are usually pretty ridiculous. I'll show you my "bookshelf" altar, which just has things on it that are meaningful and useful to me ritualistically. (The dagger is dull and used for symbolic purposes only.)



I don't believe in a single omniscient "God".

 

[Spiderman]

Thank you for helping me see the beauty in Satanism. I believe he is an Angel that will be perfected, God just deliberately made him more hard-headed than the others. God wanted an adversary.