Pre-judging

[Aasimar]

As an atheist I run into a lot of pre-judgment about things I believe, but I was thinking today about satanists. I mean, I've done a very small amount of research on the subject and was quite surprised by what I learned. How often do Satanists get pre-judged, that is people make extremely broad assumptions about what a satanists is without performing other research on the subject?

 

[GiantHouseKey]

Greetings

Seems like nobody else has answered so i'll give a quick answer of my own, if you're still interested.

Most people I know are incredibly closed-minded. At least where I come from, it's not often you get asked 'What is your religion?' or 'What do you believe' etc. So although the judgement of my religion is not something I generally enjoy, it's not often that anyone even cares that I am a satanist.

Having said that, when people I know do ask about specific beliefs, they are often laughed at or mocked extensively. Today, for example, my belief on the topic of evil (That is, I do not believe that evil exists, especially not in the same way that they do) was the subject of a stream of mockery. People (although certainly not as many people on RF, but that's expected) are usually uncaring of religious beliefs, especially if it conflicts with an idea they 'understand' so strongly.

However, when, and if, anyone does care, or it happens to become known that I am a satanist, people are usually ill-educated on the topic. As a result of a primarily monotheistic society that believes in the God, and the devil, most people tend to initially think that you worship their idea of 'the devil'. Of course, some satanists do, but not this one. People are then often confused and mock me when I explain that I do not believe, let alone worship, their devil. It's the same principle, if somebody understands something and somebody disbelieves it, it is generally going to seem to be stupid or confusing if somebody does not also understand it the way that they do.

How often do Satanists get pre-judged, that is people make extremely broad assumptions about what a satanists is without performing other research on the subject?

To answer your main question, personally, not very much because people dont ask. If people do I ask, I will tell. If I do tell, then yes, pre-judgement occurs, and this is a very natural animal instinct to pre-judge, and especially common in human nature.

GhK.

 

[onegothmama]

Christian ideas have so well dominated our society that even those that don't believe will jump to bad conclusions when they here of Satan/Santism being mentioned. Christianity has done such a good job of labeling anything that doesn't conform to their ways as evil/Satanism that even a non-Chrisitan will have believe that when we call ourselves Satanists, that we hold the Christian view of Satan when we don't. Wiccians in general even have a stronger fear of Satanism because many Wiccan paths have no place at all for Satan or anything evil, where evil at least has its own place in Christianity.

 

[Isolation]

You cannot blame the christianity itself,you can blame people who are abusing christianity nowadays.
True christianity is about Unconditional Love.

 

[TheKnight]

*isn't a Satanist, but I still hope I can answer*

I would imagine that Satanists (especially considering their name) would receive quite a bit of pre-judgement.

Western society is intensely penetrated by Christianized thought and Christianized values. Therefore, anyone who doesn't easily fit into that mold is pre-judged. For instance, when I tell people I am not a Christian they say "OMG, you're an Atheist! Why don't you believe in God?" To which I respond saying, I believe in Judaism.

I have a friend who is a Satanist and when people find out he is they something along the lines of "Holy ****e! You're a devil-worshiper! That's totally freaky!"

 

[onegothmama]

You cannot blame the christianity itself,you can blame people who are abusing christianity nowadays.
True christianity is about Unconditional Love.

Most Christians don't agree with most Christians about what Christianity is. Some Chrisitians say that all you need to do is live a good life, some say just love your neighbor, some say follow every single rule laid out in the bible, some say that it''s to stamp out darkness, some say it's about worshipping Jesus all the time, and there are countless variations.

When I said

Christianity has done such a good job of labeling anything that doesn't conform to their ways as evil/Satanism

I was actually thinking of the Crusades and various Christians that have continued on in such manner. Many atrocities have been committed in the name of Christianity; it doesn't mean I have anything against Christianity. But this is a Satanist board, and I was demonstartating my ideas as an individual Satanist (I do not speak for Satanists as a whole) that I feel that one reason Satanism is prejudged is because of the Christian ideals that pre-dominate our society. Notice that I said Wiccans have a strong fear and a tendancy to pre-judge also, so this was not an individual attack on either religion/way of life. In the past, those that claim to have been from God have attacked anything that didn't conform to their beliefs to the point that in this modern era, we still have a hard time letting go of those ideas that were pounded into the minds of our fore-fathers.

 

[Erebus]

Funnily enough, most of my friends take quite a humorous approach to my beliefs. I'd always been jokingly accused of being a Satanist long before I picked up the Satanic Bible and when I told them it actually made a lot of sense to me, they said they pretty much saw it coming. For the most part, the people who I choose to reveal my beliefs to tend to be interested in finding out what Satanism is actually about. Then again, I don't reveal my beliefs to just anybody (not in person anyway, forums allow a certain degree of anonymity) simply because I think it would be detrimental to my own life.

Interestingly enough it actually reached several English newspapers a few years back when the Royal Navy was joined by its first practising Satanist. Needless to say, various politicians (predominantly conservatives) went ballistic about this, revealing the age old prejudice against anything out of the ordinary. So yeah... I'm not inclined to share it with most people.

 

[onegothmama]

Can't blame you there. A while back, I mentioned to one of my best friends (who happens to be Wiccan) that I had left Christianity again, and I had been studying Satanism, and that i was stuck somewhere in between Wiccan and Satanism in my beliefs, and she never responded back to me.

 

[The Hammer]

I typically don't reveal my religion often. But when I do it is for one of two reasons: 1) The sheer amusement of ignorant responses, they make me chuckle.
And 2) The person I am telling is a close friend, and I try to be open about my view to people.

I wear my Sigil of Baphomet visibly in public, and usually don't have any issues. Although the worst case of pre-judgment I have had is when I was out at a gas station in a little hole of a wall gas station off of a Nevada highway. I stopped got gas, and while I was refueling I saw an older woman and man selling homemade jerky. I went up to them to inquire about the jerky prices, and was asked if I knew what the pendant around my neck meant. I told them yes that it was a Sigil of Baphomet. They then had the audacity to tell me that they refused to sell me their jerky unless I took off my necklace and threw it in the trash.
In turn I merely flashed them the horns and walked back to my car and left.

Other than that people say oh ok and try to avoid the subject if it is brought up, or they act interested and ask me what I believe. I say "act" interested because normally after they find out that I don't believe in a god or a devil, or that I am not a "devil-worshipper" like they suspected they abruptly change the conversation topic like I am no longer interesting, lol.

People are quite funny sometimes.

 

[s.gal83]

Back when I was a theistic Satanist(for about a year), when I told people about my beliefs, they automatically think that I practise sex orgy, murder babies and animal, etc.

 

[Bitterfly]

People don't do research on subjects they don't care about and will generally judge a group based on 1. Other people in the group that they've seen and 2. What they've heard.

I don't like thinking about prejudice I get as a Satanist because I hate people who play the victim. If you're going to call yourself a Satanist then take some responsibility for your choice; if that bothers you, then be a positive role model and don't whine about it. That hurts the public image almost as much as being thought of as a bunch of devil-worshipping necrophiliacs.

 

[ScottySatan]

Everybody judges everything they see, all the time.

 

[Orias]

I typically don't reveal my religion often. But when I do it is for one of two reasons: 1) The sheer amusement of ignorant responses, they make me chuckle.
And 2) The person I am telling is a close friend, and I try to be open about my view to people.

I wear my Sigil of Baphomet visibly in public, and usually don't have any issues. Although the worst case of pre-judgment I have had is when I was out at a gas station in a little hole of a wall gas station off of a Nevada highway. I stopped got gas, and while I was refueling I saw an older woman and man selling homemade jerky. I went up to them to inquire about the jerky prices, and was asked if I knew what the pendant around my neck meant. I told them yes that it was a Sigil of Baphomet. They then had the audacity to tell me that they refused to sell me their jerky unless I took off my necklace and threw it in the trash.
In turn I merely flashed them the horns and walked back to my car and left.

Other than that people say oh ok and try to avoid the subject if it is brought up, or they act interested and ask me what I believe. I say "act" interested because normally after they find out that I don't believe in a god or a devil, or that I am not a "devil-worshipper" like they suspected they abruptly change the conversation topic like I am no longer interesting, lol.

People are quite funny sometimes.

I think its a common experience that us who are true to ourselves experience.

But your example is a good reason why I usually just tell people I am a pantheist with an Oppositional background, people usually don't care to take it farther, but those that do are usually open minded enough to even at least understand what I am saying.

But then again the only truly revealing symbol I carry with me is my tattoo, the sigil of Orias, which most people have no idea what the heck it is even is or is related to. Other than that I would say that my long hair and usually black apparel can mislead people into thinking that I am a "devil worshipper", I simply reply that I am beyond them and leave it at that

 

[Orias]

You cannot blame the christianity itself,you can blame people who are abusing christianity nowadays.
True christianity is about Unconditional Love.

Oh please...