Reading Love and Lifesense

How about you telling us a little bit about your way of satanism? I'm interested in how you've come to it and how you're living it.

Maybe you could open a seperate thread.

Well, I normally try to avoid specifying a certain religion that I follow, but in this case, I wanted to make a point.

The Church of Satan was basically founded for the purpose of ticking off Christians, but with at least some genuine intent to form a legitimate religion... A former priest of the CoS broke off and formed the Temple of Set. Set was an Egyptian god which was basically their equivalent of Satan.

The Ninth Gate is actually the movie that got me curious about Satanism. Their site has a lot of good information that I can’t summarize better than they did, so I’ll just give a link =) http://ninthgate.com

Also, here is the official site for the ToS: http://www.xeper.org/
A good summary: http://www.xeper.org/pub/gil/xp_TOC_gil_English_printer.htm

The most important concept of Satanism (for me at least) is the belief that everyone has unlimited potential. Even potential to become god-like (this is what Christian religions disagree with so much).

I’m not actually a member of the Temple of Set (and I don’t care to become one), but I agree with a lot of their key concepts (but disagree with certain elements as well). I’m as much Christian as I am Satanic. And I’m as much Buddhist as I am Christian, but I don’t like to label myself as any of these things. When someone asks me what religion I am, I’ll normally say “atheist” or maybe just “ANTI RELIGION!!”

Interesting ideals I must say. I understand that the whole purpose of Satanism was to piss off christians. They did a terrific job.

Don't get me wrong when I say this, because I'm certainly not one to force beliefs on anyone. However, I think that the purpose of religion isn't "what would be cool" (for lack of a better phrase). The faith that everyone has towards their religion is there because they believe in it, not because it sounds right that there is one god or 20 gods.

Of course then, it is also probably true that a huge majority of the world believes in their religion simply because a significant parent figure taught them the ways of that religion, and not because it is "the correct religion." Not one religion believes that if you believe in another religion, that you won't go to hell or some other form of an awful place. With so many religions out there, the odds of going to hell are extremely high for everyone. I can't help but poke fun of religions in that way.

So in a lot of ways, I can completely sympathize with you mace. Seems like all religions are hypocritical in some fashion. At times I want to say that the only right religion is simply no religion at all.

If the world should blow itself up,the last audible voice would be an expert saying it can't be done

"Religion ist Opium für's Volk" - Karl Marx.

does say it all, IMHO.

cu, w0lf.

ps: translation for non-germans: "religion is opium for (the) people" - Karl Marx.

Metal has no laws. Metal is the law.

This post was edited by oxygenius on Dec 07, 2002.

But hey, Temple of Set isn't the original satanism, that is The church of Satan. I read the links you provided and some things at the Temple of Set page includes things that the Church of Satan really is against! What's the difference between these two? Temple of Set claimed that they were the original Church of Satan that had changed name but Church of Satan (Yes, still existing) seem to me to be very alive still! And they warned for organizations claiming to be the official satanistic church.

www.churchofsatan.com

One thing I read at the Set-page didn't do very well with satanism. You shouldn't have to pay to become the member of a group of satanism-followers. To be a member of the church of satan (the link I provieded) don't mean that you should pay to become a member. If you want to you can pay a fee but you don't have to. But your Set-church demanded a payment of $80 a year!

And one question, did La Vey practice black magic? Do all groups of satanism use black magic as the temple of set? I though satanism was about denying all gods and to believe in the human itself? This I don't know so please tell me what's the deal with it.

Something I didn't like at the Church of Satan page was that in their page of groups looking out for the warned for wiccas and feminists! They can't really know anything about feminism if they're warning of that! Feminism isn't about hating men but equality. Wicca I can understand if they warn for since it doesn't fit their way of thinking but wicca in fact isn't bad!

And to those not knowing anything about satanism, this is the most bacis thing to know:

THE NINE SATANIC STATEMENTS:

1. Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence!

2. Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams!

3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit!

4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates!

5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek!

6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires!

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!

8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!

9. Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years!

Well this whole discussion started with you thinking I disliked satanism but as you see I in fact know what it's about. I don't follow it myself for I'm more of a Neo-paganist myself but I like to know what the other churches, groups, religions are about so a couple of years ago I read about satanism to find out what it was.

Please do correct me if I'm wrong about something.

carpe diem.

this satanism thing ... wasn't it all about "do what you like"?
AFAIK, most so-called satanists in germany refer to this sentence...

so satanism doesn't have really to do with "praying to satan" but it's a philosophic thingy.

cu, w0lf.

p.s.: a monarchy inside a republic? isn't that kind of paradox? :) so lets get out and hunt 'em down, like they did it to us during the last 2000 years :D }:->
p.p.s.: for better understanding, try this. or this. or if you can't read germa: look over there).

Metal has no laws. Metal is the law.

Well that certainly isn't what Satan represents to christianity. Satan, to the Roman Catholic church, certainly isn't "...the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years." I see the irony. That may be correct, in fact, but you'll never find the catholic church saying that.

To the catholic church, Satan is intellectually superior but animalistic evil spirit whose only goal is to capture souls made from God's Divine creation of the universe and suck them down to the pits of hell to burn for eternity. If the devil made a deal with someone (whether it be a Satanist or a Christian), it was only to benefit himself in the long run and inevitably deceit that person and generally everyone materialistic enough to think that money CAN buy happiness.

If this isn't the same Satan that Satanists have come to believe in, than the Christians' Satan and the Satanists Satan are completely different beings (Gods, angels, whatever).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if we are talking about the same being, then wouldn't worshipping the devil according to God and the Bible mean inevitably going to hell? Openly defying God's will, according to the Bible, will basically lead you to hell when you die. So why do that? I know it pisses off a lot of christians, but to believe God and the church as it is and then worship Satan is to bang on the doors of hell and ask to come in!

Again, I say that this post is in no way sarcastic. I'm just trying to understand this thing from a seperate point of view. Help me to understand.

If the world should blow itself up,the last audible voice would be an expert saying it can't be done

This post was edited by Hawkeye on Dec 08, 2002.

To satanists the word satan has come to represent what they believe in for the things they follow, (read the list in my last post) are things by church seen as sinful. For example revenge. But they don't believe satan exists, nor god, they believe in the human.

Then there are other offsprings off the original satanism and sometimes they believe in a god of some sort but that's not true satanism.

Satanism isn't about religion really, it's about you're the only god you need and not to do things just becuase of old traditions.

carpe diem.