One of my friends told me...

[prash4]

...that Satanism actually exists to keep Christianity alive.

What do you think?

 

[DianeVera]

...that Satanism actually exists to keep Christianity alive.

What do you think?

On what did your friend base that claim?

I would say that sensationalistic STORIES about Satanism have been used by some Christian evangelists to scare people, attract attention and money, and thus to help keep Christianity alive. (Also, the Catholic Church now seems to be using worries about "Satanism" to distract attention from its own scandals.) But that is quite different from saying that Satanism itself exists for that purpose.

 

[michel]

...that Satanism actually exists to keep Christianity alive.

What do you think?

You might find the following site useful.

http://www.churchofsatan.com/home.html

 

[Dr. Nosophoros]

What is popularly called "satanism" has nothing to do with their Satan, the belief in a cosmic "bad guy" keeps those religions going because they help explain bad things people do without forcing believers in "good" to accept that they may have those aspects within themselves and deal with them. It's easier to blame someone else than the the self and look outwards for guidance than it is to confront those aspects and deal with them. Christianity will survive without "satanists" or what has been coined as "satanism" but it cannot survive without their Satan.

 

[Prima]

I think that in modern times, the two don't interact very much. That is, of course, compared to how much they could interact (religious war, anyone?) So I don't see how they could have this kind of relationship. As for Satanism keeping Christianity alive - that kind of parasitic relationship doesn't really apply, because Christianity would do just fine without Satanism.

I think that what your friend meant to say is that EVIL exists to keep Christianity alive. Though a lot of Christians don't 'get' this, evil is not the same as Satanism.

As far as evil existing to keep Christianity alive, I don't think that is true, either. That implies that the purpose of evil is to support Christianity.

What I think IS true is that if there were no evil, there would be no Christianity. We would have an Eden-like state, where nothing was organized but everything was good.

Your friend's statement would also imply that there is some ulterior motive to the existence of Satanism. I personally can't picture some crooked old monk saying 'let's make us a counter-religion to keep them Christians on their toes!' What I CAN see is that everything naturally creates its opposite. For every religion, there's someone who's not happy with it and goes off to support a religion different from their original belief. If there's not an opposite there - they'll make one, gosh darn it!

 

[hail-satan-666]

it does exist just for that reason without it god and jesus and all his followers would have noone to point there fingers at all gods ways always put down satan so without satan there is no god

 

[Era]

Satanism came long before christianity and satanism certainly don`t need christianity . When christianity came they had to find a reason for it`s existence so there was satanism . They took the name , not the essence of satanism and put their own imagination at work .

 

[Cr0wley]

Satanism came long before christianity and satanism certainly don`t need christianity . When christianity came they had to find a reason for it`s existence so there was satanism . They took the name , not the essence of satanism and put their own imagination at work .

Agreed. Alot of christains are very confused on the subject, not really knowing what the core of Satanism is, putting it in the same boat as Wicca and Cultism. Hell, Christains called Pokemon evil, and those were cute and cuddly creatures, imagine their reaction to people that "worship" Satan?

Tsk tsk...

 

[TrueQ]

Well, when some mean-spirited evangelist starts ranting and raving about how evil Satanists are and hurting our feelings, we can all have a good laugh saying, "Pah, he doesn't even realize that we're keeping his religion alive!" and cheer up a little over that joke.

As for that being actually true, probably not, although I suppose strange things do happen on occasion. If it were true, it would likely also mean that Christianity exists to keep Satanism alive, which has a certain poetry to it, but doesn't take the whole view of things into account. Doubtlessly, Satanists and Christians have a certain link, since Christians are always going on about Satanists and vice versa. But it would be pretty narrow to say that people from one religion are always talking about minions of the other.

 

[Circle_One]

LaVey states something along these lines in the Satanic Bible. He says Christians continually put down Satan, when, if it weren't for him, the Christian church would have no followers, nothing to scare its' followers into complacency with, no funding from people doling out money to the churches to remain in God's good graces. He says if it weren't for Satan, Christians would have nothing to be scared about and nowhere to be scared of being sent. Christians go to church as a means of keeping with God so they are not sent to hell with Satan. He says they use it as a scare tactic.

This is probably where your friends got that from Prash4.

Just for the record, this is in no way my opinion, but I've read the Satanic Bible and I'm just reiterating what I've read.

 

[EnhancedSpirit]

Ying and Yang

 

[Nic_Italiano]

I wouldnt say that Satanism keeps Christianty alive, but I think that Satanism as a mis-conception to Chrsisitans is just used to keep them obidient, and the way they want them.

 

[fromthe heart]

I don't think Satanism keeps Christianity alive but some ministers sure do use it as the other side of Christianity. The fact is as a Christian prior to getting on an all religion type forum I had no idea of all that has to do with all rhelms of belief...after being better informed on things such as Satanism I realize what has been happening is 'well meaning' ministers put fear into Christians to just BE better Christians thus using Satanism as a point of being evil and not many are even aware of any other cultural things and due to this have a negative thought AND fear towards those of this sort of belief. Ignorance in these things breed fear and learning brings understanding in which both can more easily learn to co-exsist in peace instead of fear.

 

[michel]

You must spread some Karma around before giving it to Circle_One again.

​

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Satanism came long before christianity and satanism certainly don`t need christianity . When christianity came they had to find a reason for it`s existence so there was satanism . They took the name , not the essence of satanism and put their own imagination at work .

I thought the actual Satanism Religion didn't come about until the 1960's when LeVay wrote the Satanic Bible and made it a religion? I am sure there would have been some rebelious Hebrews that decided to worship Satan though.

 

[Nic_Italiano]

I thought the actual Satanism Religion didn't come about until the 1960's when LeVay wrote the Satanic Bible and made it a religion? I am sure there would have been some rebelious Hebrews that decided to worship Satan though.

LaVeyan Satanism came in 1960s, but Traditional Satanism can be dated back to times before Jesus Christ ever walked the Earth, apparently.

 

[IndigoChild]

...that Satanism actually exists to keep Christianity alive.

What do you think?

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]The Nine Satanic Statements[/font]
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[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]from The Satanic Bible, ©1969[/font]
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[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]by Anton Szandor LaVey
[/font]
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[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]1. Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence! [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]2. Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams! [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit! [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates! [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek! [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires! [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]7. Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours, who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all! [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification! [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif] 9. Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years! [/font]

 

[IndigoChild]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]The Nine Satanic Sins[/font]
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[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]by Anton Szandor LaVey ©1987[/font]
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[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif] 1. Stupidity—The top of the list for Satanic Sins. The Cardinal Sin of Satanism. It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]2. Pretentiousness—Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn’t applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone’s made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]3. Solipsism—Can be very dangerous for Satanists. Projecting your reactions, responses and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won’t. Instead, Satanists must strive to apply the dictum of “Do unto others as they do unto you.” It’s work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]4. Self-deceit—It’s in the “Nine Satanic Statements” but deserves to be repeated here. Another cardinal sin. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it’s fun, and with awareness. But then, it’s not self-deceit! [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]5. Herd Conformity—That’s obvious from a Satanic stance. It’s all right to conform to a person’s wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]6. Lack of Perspective—Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain for a Satanist. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints—know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]7. Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies—Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it’s something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]8. Counterproductive Pride—That first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you’ve painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I’m sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]9. Lack of Aesthetics—This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It’s not what’s supposed to be pleasing—it’s what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one’s own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied. [/font]

 

[IndigoChild]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth[/font]
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[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]by Anton Szandor LaVey[/font][font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif] [/font][font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]©1967[/font]
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[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][Spanish, Croation] [/font]
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[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]1. Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]2. Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]3. When in another’s lair, show him respect or else do not go there. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]5. Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]6. Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]7. Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]8. Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]9. Do not harm little children. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]10. Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]11. When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him. [/font]

 

[IndigoChild]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]PENTAGONAL REVISIONISM: [/font]
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[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]A FIVE-POINT PROGRAM[/font]
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[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]by Anton Szandor LaVey[/font] [font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]©1988[/font]
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[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]In recent years, we’ve wasted far too much time explaining that Satanism has nothing to do with kidnapping, drug abuse, child molestation, animal or child sacrifice, or any number of other acts that idiots, hysterics or opportunists would like to credit us with. Satanism is a life-loving, rational philosophy that millions of people adhere to. Now we’re ready for something that goes quite a few steps beyond just explaining our principles. Every revisionist movement needs a set of goals/guidelines that are clear, concrete, and that will effect significant changes. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]The following Five-Point Program reflects attitudes which allow others to decide whether they wish to align themselves with Satanism or not. Each is necessary for Satanic change to take place. When asked what we’re “doing,” here’s the answer:[/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]1. Stratification—The point on which all the others ultimately rest. There can be no more myth of “equality” for all—it only translates to “mediocrity” and supports the weak at the expense of the strong. Water must be allowed to seek its own level without interference from apologists for incompetence. No one should be protected from the effects of his own stupidity. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]2. Strict taxation of all churches—If churches were taxed for all their income and property, they’d crumble overnight of their own obsolescence, and the National Debt would be wiped out as quickly. The productive, the creative, the resourceful should be subsidized. So long as the useless and incompetent are getting paid, they should be heavily taxed. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]3. No tolerance for religious beliefs secularized and incorporated into law and order issues—to re-establish “Lex Talionis” would require a complete overturning of the present in-justice system based on Judeo-Christian ideals, where the victim/defender has been made the criminal. Amnesty should be considered for anyone in prison because of his alleged “influence” upon the actual perpetrator of the crime. Everyone is influenced in what he or she does. Scapegoating has become a way of life, a means of survival for the unfit. As an extension of the Judeo-Christian cop-out of blaming the Devil for everything, criminals can gain leniency, even praise, by placing the blame on a convenient villain. Following the Satanic creed of “Responsibility to the responsible,” in a Satanic society, everyone must experience the consequences of his own actions—for good or ill. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]4. Development and production of artificial human companions—The forbidden industry. An economic “godsend” which will allow everyone “power” over someone else. Polite, sophisticated, technologically feasible slavery. And the most profitable industry since T.V. and the computer. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]5. The opportunity for anyone to live within a total environment of his or her choice, with mandatory adherence to the aesthetic and behavioral standards of same—Privately owned, operated and controlled environments as an alternative to homogenized and polyglot ones. The freedom to insularize oneself within a social milieu of personal well-being. An opportunity to feel, see, and hear that which is most aesthetically pleasing, without interference from those who would pollute or detract from that option. [/font]

[font=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif]This is the encapsulated version of the current thrust of Satanic advocacy. So when someone asks you, “Well, what do Satanists do?”, you will be qualified to tell him.[/font]