Opinions on Satanism

[Infinitum]

What does a Satanist think of this sentence? "Love thy neighbor as much as thyself"
or rather "Love your neighbor even more than yourself, from that to above"

I can speak only in general terms since every Satanist would have their own take on this, so I'll approach it from a wider framework (the Left-Hand Path) instead. A typical Satanist would disagree with loving someone more than themselves, since this leaves them vulnerable to abuse from said neighbour. There are many ways in which this comes up in the Nine Satanic Statements, most notably the sixth: "Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires". What psychic vampires means in this context is a person or a group of people who "leech" your emotional or physical energy by demanding more from you than they give you back. In other words, everyone is at the core responsible for themselves and can't assume others will help them without doing what they can themselves first. If you've ever known a person who is constantly asking you for things but never give anything in return, you will understand where the logic derives from. It's not fair against you to simply be walked over by others.

Which brings us back to what I briefly mentioned in my previous post: the Left-Hand Path holds individual humans in a very high esteem, but also demands much from them. A Satanist will respect those who are honest, kind and reliable. Depending on their personal values they might either ignore people who aren't deemed worthy or work towards teaching them to become better, while still maintaining their freedom to choose. The Church of Satan has recently been very active in the US in an effort to raise awareness about alternative ways of thinking, for example by working to get their own statue to compete with the Ten Commandments. The statue certainly has some shock value to it, if you are a certain type of person, but shock also wakes people up to think about a topic and form an opinion about it. Hence from a Satanists viewpoint, causing discomfort to someone can be a form of kindness.

 

[Estro Felino]

I can speak only in general terms since every Satanist would have their own take on this, so I'll approach it from a wider framework (the Left-Hand Path) instead. A typical Satanist would disagree with loving someone more than themselves, since this leaves them vulnerable to abuse from said neighbour.

All right, but your answer was not that specific. I need to know:
- Would a Satanist get richer than they already are, at cost of the neighbor's poverty?
- Does a Satanist believe in social justice (equality)?
- Does a Satanist believe in divine justice ?(that is, those who hurt the neighbor will go to Hell, )

 

[Reap]

The Church of Satan has recently been very active in the US in an effort to raise awareness about alternative ways of thinking, for example by The statue certainly has some shock value to it, if you are a certain type of person, but shock also wakes people up to think about a topic and form an opinion about it. Hence from a Satanists viewpoint, causing discomfort to someone can be a form of kindness.

The Church of Satan has nothing to do with the monument. In fact Peter Gilmore has been outspoken in his opposition to it. Without going into to much drama the best way to describe The Church of Satan is lethargic. Another organization made up of Satanists called The Satanic Temple who believe in social activism are responsible for the monument in OK. I invite anyone interested to look into both groups to see what differences there are. I won't prime your biases
I am deeply involved in the subject, I even host a podcast on the subject :angel2:

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Well, I gather from what I hear. I view it sort of inferior as a left hand path and over the years it got stretched out very far very fast making it near meaningless.

I've met plenty of Satanists in my life, and they are very diverse. Unfortunately, quite a few of them simply came off as annoying and childish to me.

AND, on the otherhand, some of them were extremely well thought out.

 

[Estro Felino]

I've met plenty of Satanists in my life, and they are very diverse. Unfortunately, quite a few of them simply came off as annoying and childish to me.

Well, lots of people become Satanists just because they like hard metal. so...

 

[ametist]

Well, first of all I want to thank you for describing in detail the history of Satanism, the distinction between these two philosophies and their principles .
You were so attentive and informative. Thank you again.

I already knew that Satanists focus on personal freedom, search for knowledge and autonomy These are Christian values too.
But Christianity puts very big limits: the good of mankind and the good of your neighbor, which are the same thing.
So, my personal freedom ends when the neighbor's freedom begins.

What does a Satanist think of this sentence? "Love thy neighbor as much as thyself"
or rather "Love your neighbor even more than yourself, from that to above"

When you come to the point of love towards satan, you dont have any problem left with anyone or anything. So they are among the rare sects who understand love your neighbour as yourself. They on the other hand dont have personal freedom. Such an alien term for a true satanist.

 

[samosasauce]

Satanism is a pretty chill religion, if you look beyond the name and at the actual concepts. It's very humanistic and supportive of people's rights. I can't say more than that since I haven't been well educated on the topic. Satanists I have met (and who have been somewhat open about it) have all been genuinely kind people.

 

[Estro Felino]

Satanism is a pretty chill religion, if you look beyond the name and at the actual concepts. It's very humanistic and supportive of people's rights. I can't say more than that since I haven't been well educated on the topic. Satanists I have met (and who have been somewhat open about it) have all been genuinely kind people.

They should change name, then

 

[samosasauce]

They should change name, then

I think they call themselves "Satanists" because they believe Christianity and likewise religions do not support the same things they do, so it's that opposite. I have no clue if it's true or not, it's just a guess.

 

[Infinitum]

The Church of Satan has nothing to do with the monument. In fact Peter Gilmore has been outspoken in his opposition to it. Without going into to much drama the best way to describe The Church of Satan is lethargic. Another organization made up of Satanists called The Satanic Temple who believe in social activism are responsible for the monument in OK. I invite anyone interested to look into both groups to see what differences there are. I won't prime your biases
I am deeply involved in the subject, I even host a podcast on the subject :angel2:

Thank you. As hopefully already came up, I'm not an expert on Satanism, especially not in the US. I still think the statue is a good example of what Satanists could and do come up with to further their cause.

 

[Infinitum]

All right, but your answer was not that specific. I need to know:
- Would a Satanist get richer than they already are, at cost of the neighbor's poverty?
- Does a Satanist believe in social justice (equality)?
- Does a Satanist believe in divine justice ?(that is, those who hurt the neighbor will go to Hell, )

I can't answer specifically because it's impossible to sum up the opinion of all Satanists. You can try your luck with these questions in the Satanism DIR, but I'm not qualified to answer them.

Personally I don't believe in divine justice, nor any other sort of divine retribution. I don't even believe in an afterlife. I do believe in social equality and only mind my own business what comes to my neighbours. I live in a country where the state supports its poorer citizens (students, unemployed people and so on) and owe much of my current well-being to the kindness of strangers (tax payers) and friends. It's taught me plenty of respect for helping others, and perhaps one day I'll be able to help someone else in return.

Still, your first question isn't entirely as simple as it sounds. Would I steal from someone? No. Would I unfairly kick them out from their job if it suited me? Doubtfully. Still, competition is built in to how our society works. In a job interview, my success comes at the loss of someone else's job. If I apply to a school, I take away someone else's education. When I rent a house, I take a home from someone who needed it as badly as I do. I'm constantly aware of these, perhaps more than people are on average. Nearly all my success is bound to be at the cost of someone out there, whether I know that person or not. I see it as a necessary evil, not something I specificity would enjoy.

 

[xkatz]

Satanism (or LHP in general), has never really interested me. Much of it seems extremely philosophical and metaphysical in nature but really lacking in praxis. I have tried to understand it, but I guess it's too edgy for me.

 

[Estro Felino]

. I see it as a necessary evil, not something I specificity would enjoy.

Well, the purpose of Christianity is to erase that "necessary indirect and unconscious Evil". How? By creating a common projects where the individualistic liberties are sacrificed on behalf of social equality and justice.
This is possible. It deals with organizing all the people's lives, so everyone gets what they give.
Of course there will be no difference between rich and poor, because they all will belong to a modest bourgeoisie.

 

[Infinitum]

Well, the purpose of Christianity is to erase that "necessary indirect and unconscious Evil". How? By creating a common projects where the individualistic liberties are sacrificed on behalf of social equality and justice.
This is possible. It deals with organizing all the people's lives, so everyone gets what they give.
Of course there will be no difference between rich and poor, because they all will belong to a modest bourgeoisie.

While I appreciate the thought, the reality is that very few Christians or any other people actually follow this principle. They're too busy either living their own lives or pushing their harmful beliefs on other people. Homosexuality, women's rights, birth control, misuse of power of all kinds, unnecessary noise about this or what country being a Christian nation, when in reality being a Christian nation tends to mean trying to erase our scientific knowledge and our personal freedom. It's been refreshing to see pope Francis take a more modern stance on these issues, but it's not enough.

 

[LuisDantas]

Here you can explain what you think about Satanism. I am particularly interested in Christian opinions, but anyone is welcome.

I find it slightly odd, and more than a bit of a reaction to some of the most questionable beliefs about the God of Abraham.

It does not seem to be very organized or very homogeneous, except perhaps that it is usually aimed at the encouragement of self-worth.

I must also say that I have met Christians that seem to me to be far more self-centered and egotistical than the average Satanist. And to a large extent they seem to be that way due to mishandled, abused Christian beliefs.

Firstly, you can say what you've heard about Satanism. And what you think it deals with. Then you can say what you think about Satanists.

Hmm, it seems to vary considerably, but the average Satanist claims that we should rejoice in the animal aspects of our behavior and joys instead of feeling ashamed of them (which is of course at least part of the truth). And also that it is foolish to let others have us further their ambitions at the expense of our own.

A dangerous or at least risky message, to be sure. But in my experience no more dangerous than that of Christianity.

 

[Estro Felino]

While I appreciate the thought, the reality is that very few Christians or any other people actually follow this principle. They're too busy either living their own lives or pushing their harmful beliefs on other people. Homosexuality, women's rights, birth control, misuse of power of all kinds, unnecessary noise about this or what country being a Christian nation, when in reality being a Christian nation tends to mean trying to erase our scientific knowledge and our personal freedom. It's been refreshing to see pope Francis take a more modern stance on these issues, but it's not enough.

I agree with everything you've just said. Including the Pope Francis part: he could do more. Much more.
You said " the reality is that very few Christians or any other people actually follow this principle."
very few? let's say the 0,05 %

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Well, lots of people become Satanists just because they like hard metal. so...

Yep. I occasionally seek out Satanists over the internet for music suggestions You'd be surprised how many Satanists don't listen to metal though.

 

[Mycroft]

While I appreciate the thought, the reality is that very few Christians or any other people actually follow this principle. They're too busy either living their own lives or pushing their harmful beliefs on other people. Homosexuality, women's rights, birth control, misuse of power of all kinds, unnecessary noise about this or what country being a Christian nation, when in reality being a Christian nation tends to mean trying to erase our scientific knowledge and our personal freedom. It's been refreshing to see pope Francis take a more modern stance on these issues, but it's not enough.

Well the christian nation is only the christian nation because it murdered the original inhabitants, put the survivors in camps (known as preserves) and stole all the land they wanted.

 

[ScuzManiac]

I've been a Satanist before. It usually was when I was mad at God. Anyway, I tried to come up with my own Satanic theology. It made sense to me but it never took root in the soul level and my spiritual practice was basically non-existent. So this was really no help to me. The problems with Satanism are much the problems with all new religious movements. It has no tradition, no real history and so there is nothing to refer back to and you basically make it all up yourself. It's very isolating, too.

Aside from that, the Satanic "scene" is a pathetic mess. There's a lot of crazies, delusional people, far-right extremists, etc. Some of it is quite scary because fascism and neo-Nazism are both popular with many Satanists. Many Satanists are as close-minded as any religious fundamentalist and many of them are filled with hatred and focus on destruction. There's not much compassion. There's a ton of arrogance and delusional superiority complexes. If you're a psychopath, it's perfect for you. Everyone else, who doesn't manifest psychopathic traits will be ridiculed and outcast as a "fake".

I got sick of it and it wasn't clicking with me, anyway. So I went back to Christianity. Jesus Christ is the true Lucifer as it is.

All right, but your answer was not that specific. I need to know:
- Would a Satanist get richer than they already are, at cost of the neighbor's poverty?
- Does a Satanist believe in social justice (equality)?
- Does a Satanist believe in divine justice ?(that is, those who hurt the neighbor will go to Hell, )

Satanists seem to believe a LOT of silly things.

My opinion on Satanism in general via good ol' Anton....

Scam, fad, trend, silly.

But I say the same things about a LOT of religions.

(This one very well take the cake though)

 

[1137]

My opinion is that the term is so broad it is essentially meaningless. "You are a Satanist? That means nothing!" It is very much an umbrella term. The most common kind - LaVeyan Satanism - I'll commonly see in adolescence. Most either were raised on a religious family they want to push away from or they feel separated from society and are trying to find what to do and how to handle it. This is where it gets labeled as rebellious and confused. The fallacy here is most individuals rebel in the teen years of their lives, they just do it in many different ways and which ways depend on their family, partly genetics, and probably mostly on their peers. The ages where we usually see LaVeyan Satanism is where peer influence vastly outweighs family influence.

Anyways, a lot of "traditional satanism" is just another legitimate religion or form of worship. The reasoning behind it could be so vast that it's pointless to attempt and touch on it without specific examples.

As someone mentioned here or in another thread, there is a large movement of "fascist satanism". As I've been lurking here in the past few weeks I've noticed a nice sized population of them here (though nothing compared to other forums). Again, reasoning would depend on the individual, but generally I've found that this type of Satanism resembles a gang mindset. There's a lot of ego involved, there's something to prove. In all groups like this - from satanism to neo-naziism - I tend to notice an over enthusiastic belief that the world is completely messed up and that this strict (fascist) philosophy can help one become vastly superior to the average ("lower") human being. I am not a fan of this form of satanism, partially because of personal bias and partially because I find such mindsets dangerous for the individual and especially for those around to / opposed to the individual.

Someone mentioned Luciferianism which is wholly different, though not mutually exclusive. Most Luciferians I've met are either extremely laid back / open and their using the term baffles me. Others tend to be highly intelligent individuals interested in the study of mythology, symbolism, etc. How one gets so interested in such topics in our society is the most interesting aspect of this, but it's off topic. I'm fond of Luciferianism, I've often played around with it but I find such a label too limiting.