Satanism
| Here's to my sweet
Satanism |
| Whose power is Satan |
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| He will give those with him 666 |
“”And who created Satan? It was God. Satan is the opposite of God, and, as one of His aspects, he contains a holy spark.
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| —S. Ansky |
Satanism is a loose term which has been used in a number of different ways and covers several distinct concepts, not all of which involve bowing to our Dark Lord.
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[edit] Definitions and origin
The idea of devil worship is centuries old, although the usage of the term "Satanism" to describe a specific belief system appears to date from the nineteenth century.[1] Stories of devil-worshippers existed in the middle ages and later but were largely folkloric and did not describe genuine religious practices. However, there have been a few branches of religious belief which involve the worship of Satan.
In Sweden, where the process of Christianization lasted into the second millenium AD,[2] there is evidence that Satan received a degree of popular worship into the early modern era as an ambivalent or even benign spirit of nature, possibly the result of the Judeo-Christian figure blending with traces of local pagan deities. For example, in 1739 a Swedish fisherman named Mickel Kalkström remarked that he prayed to the Devil for help in his pursuit, believing that God had little or no power over fish. Testimonies from the trials of alleged sorcerers in seventeenth-century Sweden, meanwhile, equate Satan with various traditional nature spirits. Historian Mikael Häll points out that many of these people were outlaws living in the woods, and speculates that they may have adopted Satan as a sort of patron spirit. He concludes that, while it is unlikely that there was an organised cult of devil-worship in Sweden at the time, there were people who could be termed Satanists.[3]
[edit] Beliefs
Like most religions, there are a variety of beliefs, but a few precepts are generally observed by most Satanists.
- Major emphasis is placed on the power and authority of the individual Satanist, rather than on Satan himself. Knowledge, uniqueness, critical thinking, and creativity are considered valuable assets due to the power that they give people over their own lives, while conformity, ignorance, and stupidity are among the closest things that Satanism has to sins. As such, Satan is often identified with the serpent from the Garden of Eden, providing Adam and Eve with the knowledge of good and evil in defiance of God, who wished to keep humanity ignorant.
- They believe that "no redeemer liveth" — that each person is their own redeemer, fully responsible for their own life.
- Celebration and exaltation of life are highly encouraged. Children are not to be abused or killed, as they are seen as the purest expressions of life, and as such are held sacred and precious. Opinions tend to be more diverse on the subject of animal sacrifice, however.
- They believe that people should live out their lusts and desires, and enthusiastically explore the Seven Deadly Sins with other consenting adults.
- They follow many beliefs, practices, and rules of behavior which are in conflict with traditional Christianity, and essentially all other mainstream religions. Notably, most forms of Satanism do not follow the Golden Rule, seeing it as a flawed moral system that rewards parasitic behavior. Instead, they feel that respect should only be given to those who deserve it or otherwise have done no harm, while those who show disrespect or malice should have such given back to them in turn. (Basically, "do unto others as they did unto you.") Likewise, they believe that Christian definitions of good and evil are similarly flawed and promote conformity and unquestioning acceptance of authority.[4]
[edit] Types of Satanism
In terms of theology, Satanists today can be divided into two main groups:
[edit] Atheistic Satanism
Atheistic Satanism does not believe that "Satan" actually exists, as such; they do not worship Satan. They believe every person is their own god and that everyone should worship themselves. To them, "Satan" is a symbol of rebellion rather than a literal figure; they do not worship Satan any more than Buddhists worship Buddha.
[edit] LaVeyan Satanism
LaVeyan Satanism is an atheistic "religion" whose chief organization, the Church of Satan[5], was founded by Anton LaVey in 1960s San Francisco. They all but admit that they chose to call their belief system "Satanism" to annoy Christians. While anti-religious, it also rejects many of the ethical tenets of secular humanism, feeling them to be too close to Christian morality (which they feel represses the individual) and instead following a combination of pseudo-Nietzschean ideas and Ayn Rand worship that it calls the "Left-Hand Path."[6] For the record, they officially frown on child and animal sacrifices, saying that we should all strive to be like children or animals. (Adult sacrifice, on the other hand, seems to be totally cool, as long as the person pissed you off.)
There are many, many instances where LaVeyan Satanism is confused for Theistic Satanism from the bible. This has caused many, many people to cite whatever stupid thing LaVey comes up with "satanic", such as taking his HUGE ego and wise-ass seriously.[7], and taking his hand-sign explanations seriously.[8]
[edit] The Satanic Temple
Similar to LaVeyan Satanism, Satanists associated with the Satanic Temple are atheists, and do not believe in a literal Satan. Unlike LaVeyans, however, Temple Satanists reject the supernatural entirely. This has been brought up in the assessment of whether or not they actually are a religion, and they have responded by stating that this belief is outdated and ignorant, saying that to define religion as supernatural is to give the enemy free license to label as they please.[9] They also differ from LaVeyans in that they reject the "might makes right" philosophy of the Church of Satan, and have a set of tenets founded on secular humanism rather than social Darwinism.[10]
The Satanic Temple is best known in the media for its publicity stunts done in the interest of protecting church-state separation, in a manner similar to Pastafarianism. Among their exploits are their attempt to distribute Satanic coloring books to public schools in Orange County, Florida after a Christian organization was given the green light to distribute Bibles to students[11], and an ongoing attempt to put a 10 foot tall statue of Baphomet on the grounds of an Oklahoma courthouse that allowed a monument to the Ten Commandments to go up. Due to these actions, they have become quite popular with the atheist community, and their spokesperson, Lucien Greaves (real name Doug Mesner) has appeared on shows like The Friendly Atheist podcast and others.[12]
[edit] Theistic Satanism
Theistic Satanism believes that "Satan" is an actual independently existing being, which serves as a God-analogue. While atheistic Satanists categorically deny that any gods or higher powers exist, theistic Satanists vary in their opinions:
- Most deny God's existence altogether
- Some believe that God exists, but is weaker than Satan
- Some believe that God exists, and that Satan is weaker and God will ultimately triumph over him — and they will be consigned along with Satan to an eternity in hell. They believe that it is "better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven", as Milton said.
- Some believe that both God and Satan exist but that the final outcome of all this is unknowable.
- Some believe that God exists, but is unworthy of worship, and choose to worship Satan rather than show even tacit approval for such a God.
A prominent example of theistic Satanism is the Temple of Set.
[edit] Luciferianism
Luciferians and Satanists follow most of the same precepts, with the main point of contention between the two groups being one of philosophical hair-splitting: Luciferians tend to look down upon Satanism as being too preoccupied with the carnal and with anti-Christian rebellion, whereas they, on the other hand, seek to rise above their status as base animals.[13]
[edit] Marginal divisions
Groups such as the Church of Satan fall into the category of Organized Satanism: publicly known Satanic groups which oppose criminal activity and have well-developed theologies which they often publish electronically or in printed form. Outside of organized Satanism we find marginal groups which can be divided along more sociological terms:
[edit] Dabbler Satanism
Dabblers are people, usually teenagers, who turn to Satanism as a form of rebellion against authority. Generally, they lack a well-developed theology, taking most of their beliefs from stuff gleaned off the internet and various books, from pop culture depictions of Satanism, and even from Christian tracts about Satanic evil (all the better to shock their parents, teachers, and pastors with), combined with an unhealthy dose of teen angst. They are often involved in petty crimes such as vandalism, although occasionally, they have been linked to more serious criminal activity, including property theft, assault, and the murder of animals, including pets. Most of them grow out of their Satanism by the time they reach their twenties, although some will develop into another form of Satanism over time.
[edit] "Sicko" Satanism
"Sicko" Satanists are criminals and psychopathic individuals who use Satanism as a justification for murder, rape, child molestation, and similar activities. They are most commonly loners or occasionally small groups, and like dabblers, they generally lack a developed theology. In some cases, the trappings of Satanism are used to try to scare victims (especially children) and prevent them from reporting the crimes, while in other cases, Satanism is used to get media attention instead. Two of the most notorious examples of "sicko" Satanism are the Ripper Crew[14][15], a gang of serial killers in Chicago in the early 1980s, and the "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez, who killed at least 14 people in California in 1984 and '85.[16]
[edit] Fascist Satanism
Fascist Satanism is exactly what it says on the tin — Satanism combined with neo-fascist and/or neo-Nazi ideology. In some cases, the flirtations with fascism come from historical fascist movements' fixations on the aesthetics of power, which would appeal to those in a religion that, in many of its formulations, spurns egalitarianism and the Golden Rule in favor of calling for the "great" to dominate their enemies. The shock value of openly calling oneself a fascist also plays into it.[17] In others, Satanism is seen as an "Aryan" religious alternative to "Jewish" Christianity, similar to the more racist versions of Asatru.[18]
One of the more notable fascist Satanist groups is the Joy of Satan (JoS). The JoS was founded by "Maxine Dietrich" — real name Andrea Herrington, the wife of the former head of the National Socialist Movement, Clifford Herrington, who was subsequently expelled from the organization after his wife's Satanism came to light. In addition to bog-standard rituals and other Satanic material, they frequently feature anti-Semitic hate tracts on a number of their websites and message boards, claiming that Jews were created by the evil YHWH and that they in turn created Christianity in order to enslave the Aryan race and destroy their "spiritual heritage" (i.e. devil-worship).[19]
They're also fond of trying to find negative mention of their group online and deleting any evidence if it's on a wiki. So much for their supposed support of free speech, eh?
[edit] The kids-sacrificing-your-pets, backward-messages-in-heavy-metal kind of Satanism
A controversial issue is the alleged existence of large scale, conspiratorial groups which practice human sacrifice, child molestation, etc., many of whose members allegedly occupy positions of power, authority or respect in their communities (such as doctors, lawyers, politicians, police officers, schoolteachers, etc.) Some believe in the existence of this form of Satanism; however, there is no evidence for its actual existence, so it seems to most likely be a form of urban legend or mass hysteria.
If you're looking for an article on that kind of Satanism, see Satanic Panic.
[edit] Politics
Satanists typically eschew mainstream politics. However, when asked to describe what they believe, many Satanists voice political views that are in line with some form of heterodox libertarianism. This is roughly in keeping with both the theology and culture of Satanism — it emerged from the counterculture and is, at best, begrudgingly tolerant of Christianity and very supportive of libertarian beliefs in personal freedom, while its heavy emphasis on individualism often leads to dismissal of ideologies that are seen as promoting collective or hierarchical authority. In this, Anton LaVey's influence on modern Satanism is evident — he cited both Ayn Rand[20] and the book Might is Right (which he, at the very least, drew heavily from while writing the Satanic Bible)[21] among his inspirations, while the Church of Satan that he founded speaks approvingly of Objectivism as an antecedent to Satanism, albeit not without criticism of some of its finer points.[22] However, the principle of non-aggression and non-coercion, frequently found in libertarian writings, seems to have little counterpart in Satanism.
Libertarian politics are not universal. Other Satanists are more supportive of left-wing views, particularly the tactics of various civil rights movements, on the grounds that, as an unpopular minority religion, hanging together in mutual support is better than hanging separately with no one to have their back when confronted by people who hate them. The idea of a social safety net and economic protection is also justified from the perspective that, even though Satanists should strive to improve themselves, actually believing in one's own perfection is the height of hubris, and besides, a society with higher mobility and lower economic inequality is one where it is easier for individuals to thrive and improve themselves.[23] Leftism in this sense is interpreted through the lens of Satanic theology, of course; one left-wing Satanist cites Saul Alinsky and other New Left "street fighters" as inspirations, due to their willingness to take drastic action to better themselves and support what they believed in rather than worrying about the ends justifying the means.[24]
And of course, there are also Satanists who believe in neo-fascism, which are described above.
[edit] The First Amendment and religious freedom
As of late, with a number of Supreme Court rulings granting unprecedented power to Christian groups in the name of religious freedom, some Satanic groups have decided to test the limits of these rulings by asserting that, as religious organizations, they too have the right to, say, hold Black Masses in civic centers, pass out literature detailing Satanic rituals at public schools, and put up a monument of Baphomet in front of the Oklahoma State Capitol.[25] While these are often little more than publicity stunts, they (especially the reactions of Christian leaders) do wonders at showcasing the hypocrisy of the religious right when they try to claim that they just support religious freedom as opposed to theocracy.
[edit] Satanism and pop culture
Many musicians and other artists have used the trappings of Satanism for artistic or "rebel cred" purposes. In some cases, the artist is an actual adherent of organized Satanism and sees his or her art as a vehicle for spreading Satanic ides. In most cases, however, Satanism is not adopted as a belief system, but rather chosen to be shocking or outrageous, or due to an artistic preference for "dark" imagery.
[edit] Heavy metal
One of the best-known examples of Satanic imagery being employed in pop culture comes from the heavy metal scene. Many pioneering metal bands in the 1970s like Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Kiss and in the 1980s, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Slayer and W.A.S.P. traded heavily in shout-outs at the devil. Of course, most of the time this Satanism was just for show, done in order to win fans and make cool music, with the members of such bands often being Christians or irreligious in their private lives. For instance, Black Sabbath (together with Paul McCartney) wrote "After Forever"[26], a song whose lyrics could easily be mistaken for Christian rock if one didn't know otherwise, while in many of their other songs Satan was portrayed as a clearly evil and menacing figure and not something that should be worshiped or idealized.[27] Alice Cooper (real name Vincent Furnier), meanwhile, is a lifelong born-again Christian.[28]
However, many people often found it difficult to tell the difference. Heavy metal was the subject of a massive moral panic in the 1980s that was linked to the broader Satanic Panic of that era. On one hand, Christian groups led boycotts and censorship attempts, and whipped up a manufactroversy over backward masking, while on the other, the bands attracted misaimed fandoms from teenage dabblers who heard their parents and pastors talking about that eeeeeevil music and saw an easy way to rebel.
By the 1990s, the association of heavy metal with Satanism had produced bands that very much were serious about the religious aspects of it. "Black metal", a subgenre of heavy metal known for its militantly anti-Christian and misanthropic lyrics, emerged in Scandinavia during this time and spread throughout Europe, taking the Satanic imagery of '80s speed/thrash bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Venom, Celtic Frost, and Bathory to the next level. The brand of Satanism practiced by many black metal musicians often took on airs of national mysticism, drawing as much inspiration from old Norse legends and myths as it did from "orthodox" Satanism. Whether Satanist or pagan, black metal musicians and fans viewed Christianity as a foreign import from the sunny Mediterranean that was alien to the frigid Nordic lands and people and had oppressed the native pagan faiths, with their attacks on Christianity often being framed as a holy war of national liberation from Christendom. These attitudes often went well beyond just writing songs about hating Christianity and its followers; the movement was associated with over fifty arson attacks against Norwegian churches between 1992 and 1996, a number of which were carried out by the musicians themselves.[29][30]
[edit] Marilyn Manson
Because so many have asked[31]: the '90s shock rockers Marilyn Manson, arguably the best-known "modern" Satanic rock band, frequently straddled the line between "serious" and "theatrical" in their image. While Manson himself (real name Brian Warner) had been made an honorary reverend in the Church of Satan by Anton LaVey, the band's music and themes were more generally concerned with anti-Christian shock value than anything specifically Satanic[32], and included a good deal of self-parody right from the start.[33]
[edit] Conspiracy theories
Apart from the black metal scene, most serious Satanic musicians tend to be fairly underground and obscure. However, this hasn't stopped some conspiracy theorists from updating the old hysteria about heavy metal to claim that Satanists are in control of the entire entertainment industry, forcing aspiring artists to literally sell their souls to Satan in exchange for fame, inserting Satanic messages into hit songs to lure impressionable young people to the Dark Side, and carrying out rituals in the guise of music videos and concerts.[34] A simple YouTube search for "<pop star's name> satanism" will turn up an ocean of videos from people with way too much time on their hands, dissecting every frame and lyric for anything that could be tenuously connected to some Satanic/Freemason/Illuminati symbol or for a quick look at what "Satanism" and music is, just look at Jesus Is Savior.
Such theories often show up surrounding the death of Tupac Shakur[35], claiming that the Illuminati had him assassinated after he found out about Their plans and tried to expose them to the public. The irony here, of course, is that Tupac not only didn't believe in the Illuminati, but criticized those who did[36], saying that conspiracy theories about the Illuminati were distracting people from real problems of racism, inequality, and injustice. He would roll over in his grave if he saw how the "Satanists control pop and hip-hop" crowd turned him into their Vince Foster.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- First Satanic Church
- Church of Satan (LaVey)
- Satanism: Real and Imaginary, Religious Tolerance
- Satanism page at rickross.com
- Temple Of Set
- Joy of Satan, if you like your Satanism with a side of UFO's, anti-semitism, and holocaust denial
- The Satanic Temple
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (1962 edition) identifies the earliest known use of the term as dating from 1562. However, this usage is defined as "A Satanic or diabolic disposition, doctrine, spirit or contrivance"; the modern usage of the term, to describe the worship of Satan, is identified as dating back to 1896.
- ↑ http://christianization.hist.cam.ac.uk/regions/sweden/sweden-process-christ.html
- ↑ Hall, Mikael (2003). "'It Is Better to Believe in the Devil': Conceptions of Satanists and Sympathies for the Devil in Early Modern Sweden". The Devil's Party: Satanism in Modernity. Oxford University Press. pp. 23-40.
- ↑ Vera, Diane. "Satan and 'Evil' in Christianity." Theistic Satanism, 2003.
- ↑ Church of Satan home page
- ↑ Theory and Practice of the Church of Satan. Of interest for this reference are the "Nine Satanic Statements", the "Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth", the "Nine Satanic Sins", and the "Five-Point Program" for a Satanic society, the first point of which is a firm rejection of the concept of the equality of all men. They also offer a ringing endorsement of Objectivism as being in like with their teachings, and reject compulsory education in favor of homeschooling.
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDwpHtR0Fe4 ZOMG ANTON LAVEY ADMITTED SATAN IS A GOD AND THERE WILL BE ANEW KINGDUM ND STUFF
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NFeXq4q4Ks
- ↑ http://thesatanictemple.com/about-us/faq/
- ↑ http://thesatanictemple.com/about-us/35-2/
- ↑ http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/school-zone/os-satanic-temple-coloring-book-20141030-post.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYpOOGcx5kE
- ↑ Beyer, Catherine. "How Luciferians Differ From Satanists." About.com
- ↑ wp:Ripper Crew
- ↑ Ramsland, Katherine. "The Chicago Rippers." Crime Library. truTV.com/Turner Broadcasting. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ↑ Bruno, Anthony. "Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker." Crime Library. truTV.com/Turner Broadcasting. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
- ↑ Crabtree, Vexen. "Satanism and Fascism."
- ↑ A takedown of fascist and neo-Nazi Satanists by an anti-Nazi Satanist.
- ↑ Because we don't like linking to neo-Nazi sites, here's a source that isn't morally reprehensible.
- ↑ Foster, Star. "Ayn Rand: Godmother of Satanism." Patheos, 10 June 2011 (recovered 7 October 2014).
- ↑ "Hypocrisy, Plagiarism and LaVey." Description, Philosophies and Justification of Satanism (recovered 5 January 2015).
- ↑ Church of Satan: "Satanism and Objectivism."
- ↑ Theistic Satanism: "Satanist superman syndrome."
- ↑ "Saul D. Alinsky — a role model for left-wing Satanists."
- ↑ Marcotte, Amanda. "How satanists exposed the Christian right's core hypocrisy." Salon, 26 September 2014 (recovered 28 October 2014).
- ↑ Lyrics for "After Forever"
- ↑ For instance, "War Pigs", a song about warmongers being compared to "witches at black masses" and ultimately damned to Hell, where Satan gleefully prepares to feast on their souls. You also have "Lord of This World" and "Black Sabbath", where Satan is portrayed as a vicious deceiver who destroys people's lives with his mere presence.
- ↑ Patterson, Christina. "'Every Word of the Bible is True': An Interview With Alice Cooper." The Huffington Post, 17 October 2012.
- ↑ wp:Black metal#Church burnings
- ↑ Moynihan, Michael, and Didrik Søderlind. Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground (revised and expanded edition). Feral House, 1998 (revised 2003).
- ↑ For example, here, here, and here.
- ↑ Celeb Atheists: Marilyn Manson
- ↑ Case in point: this Manson T-shirt from around 1994, parodying the stereotypes of shock rock in general.
- ↑ Read, Max. "A Comprehensive Guide to the Illuminati, the Conspiracy Theory That Connects Jay-Z and Queen Elizabeth." Gawker, 28 February 2013.
- ↑ Tupac's murder is still unsolved, but only two theories are really considered credible by investigators, one of them moreso than the other. The first is that he was assassinated by The Notorious B.I.G. as the culmination of their heated rivalry, with Biggie paying a Compton street gang $1 million to kill Tupac and supplying them with the weapons to do so. Biggie's own death six months later was a revenge killing. The second (and more controversial) theory is that he was assassinated by Suge Knight, the owner of Bad Boy Records (Tupac's label) and an all-around shady figure who spent much of the mid-late '90s in legal trouble. This theory goes that Tupac was planning on leaving Bad Boy and signing with another label, a state of affairs that infuriated Knight, and so (with help from crooked members of the LAPD) he killed both Tupac and then Biggie in order to deflect attention from himself and make it look like their rivalry had gotten out of control.
- ↑ As seen in this video before his death.