The Truth About [LaVey] Satanism

[Koko 3,944]

so im assuming most of you have the idea of satanists being devil worshiping evil doers who perform sacrifices and creepy rituals and such.

but im here to tell you that you're wrong!

now there are many types of satanism and lemme tell you, there are many nontheistic forms of satanism that do not worship the devil! theistic satanism and luciferism are the ones when it comes to that.

i'm also going to assume most satanists you meet are lavey satanists (which is what i've seen as the more popular form of satanism)

some people say that lavey satanism was a joke over religion written by anton laveyan, but even if it is, it's still a really interesting set of rules and beliefs that many people (including myself) agree with!

 

now i'm not trying to tell you guys to convert or anything, this is simply to educate and dispel of the negative ideas of satanists.

 

under the spoiler, i will talk about the beliefs and such in case you guys want to read

 

 

 

lavey satanism doesn't worship any deity except for one's self but i believe some people still believe in a deity AND practice satanism! lavey satanism is very much about individuality and finding one's self and making you happy. individuals must find their own meaning and discover ones self and have their own ambitions and diversity is expected among satanists.

 

there are nine satanic statements

 

The Nine Satanic Statements

• Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence.
• 
  
• Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams.
• 
  
• Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit.
• 
  
• Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates.
• 
  
• Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek.
• 
  
• Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires.
• 
  
• 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.
• 
  
• Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification.
• 
  
• Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years.

 

as you can see, its very different from christianity in many aspects! while christianity encourages kindness to all (which is a really good ideal, ngl), satanism acknowledges that some people can not be kind to everyone! especially those who do not deserve it. as well satanists have the belief of eye for an eye and etc.

 

there are rules in satanism as well and they are as follows

 

The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth

• Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
• 
  
• Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them.
• 
  
• When in another’s home, show them respect or else do not go there.
• 
  
• If a guest in your home annoys you, treat them cruelly and without mercy.
• 
  
• Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
• 
  
• Do not take that which does not belong to you, unless it is a burden to the other person and they cry out to be relieved.
• 
  
• 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.
• 
  
• Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
• 
  
• Do not harm young children, for they are the future.
• 
  
• Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked.
• 
  
• When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them.

 

 

what i really like about these rules is number 5. it discourages from unwanted sexual advances (which would lead to rape). as well some of these rules are kind of a common decency thing (with exception of number 4 and the last part of 5)

 

and finally! there are satanic sins. these are slightly long so i'll put these under a spoiler too

 

The Nine Satanic Sins

• Stupidity — The top of the list for Satanic Sins, the Cardinal Sin. 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. One must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid.
• 
  
• 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.
• 
  
• Solipsism—Can be very dangerous. 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, one 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.
• 
  
• Self-deceit—It’s in the “Nine Satanic Statements” but deserves to be repeated here. 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!
• 
  
• Herd Conformity—That’s obvious - 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.
• 
  
• Lack of Perspective—Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain. 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.
• 
  
• 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.
• 
  
• 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.
• 
  
• 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 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

 

 

 

these are pretty self explanatory imo and if you havent noticed, they bring up Magic as well.

there is Greater Magic and Lesser Magic. lesser magic is more of a manipulation thing, having to do with sex, sentiment and wonder. 

greater magic involves 'rituals' (no you do not sacrifice anything) and has to do with lust, compassion and destruction. its suppose to focus one's energy for a specific purpose. i actually do not know much about the practices of magic because theyre not necessary to be a satanist!

 

 

 

and with all that said and done, satanism is not really a religion or faith but more like a set of beliefs many people agree with. and many do not! after all it is said satanists are not made, but born! 

Edited February 21, 2013 by Koko

[Xaldin III 80]

Interesting. Do you practice with Chaos Magic like sigils?

[The_eternal_nothing 586]

its still not dark enough

[TripleNipple 308]

I actually do believe you. I used to think Satanists were those weird people who do rituals and all that jazz (sorry by the way). But why did the creator come up with the name "Satanist" and "Church of Satan"? I mean, couldn't he have at least seen some controversy with the name?

Edited February 21, 2013 by TripleNipple

[Koko 3,944]

I actually do believe you. I used to think Satanists were those weird people who do rituals and all that jazz (sorry by the way). But why did the creator come up with the name "Satanist" and "Church of Satan"? I mean, couldn't he have at least seen some controversy with the name?

it might of been because in many ways, satanism is very opposite of christianity!!

while christianity advocates falling into a community and finding the path that god has chosen for you, satanism says to be an individual and choose your own path

christianity is conservative concerning sexuality and the expression of it while satanism encourages people to explore their sexuality and satisfy their sexual needs

those are just a few examples, but i dont know the exact answer!

[Hardrada 117]

Lucifer is used symbolically rather than as an actual diety to be worshipped. The idea is that in the garden of Eden, god was the bad guy and satan was doing humanity a favor. God knowingly put the forbidden fruit of knowledge there to see how loyal his creations were, while satan told adam and eve to eat the fruit because it would provide them with knowledge they needed. God = ignorance, obedience Satan = knowledge, free will is what it boils down to for the church of satan.But again, The church of satan does not worship the devil. I'd place it closer to buddhism than any of the abrahamic beliefs.On an interesting note, "Satan" is a title meaning adversary. "Lucifer" would be his name, "Satan" is the title he holds.

[Ajexmi 446]

 

so im assuming most of you have the idea of satanists being devil worshiping evil doers who perform sacrifices and creepy rituals and such.

but im here to tell you that you're wrong!

now there are many types of satanism and lemme tell you, there are many nontheistic forms of satanism that do not worship the devil! theistic satanism and luciferism are the ones when it comes to that.

i'm also going to assume most satanists you meet are lavey satanists (which is what i've seen as the more popular form of satanism)

some people say that lavey satanism was a joke over religion written by anton laveyan, but even if it is, it's still a really interesting set of rules and beliefs that many people (including myself) agree with!

 

now i'm not trying to tell you guys to convert or anything, this is simply to educate and dispel of the negative ideas of satanists.

 

under the spoiler, i will talk about the beliefs and such in case you guys want to read

 

 

 

lavey satanism doesn't worship any deity except for one's self but i believe some people still believe in a deity AND practice satanism! lavey satanism is very much about individuality and finding one's self and making you happy. individuals must find their own meaning and discover ones self and have their own ambitions and diversity is expected among satanists.

 

there are nine satanic statements

 

as you can see, its very different from christianity in many aspects! while christianity encourages kindness to all (which is a really good ideal, ngl), satanism acknowledges that some people can not be kind to everyone! especially those who do not deserve it. as well satanists have the belief of eye for an eye and etc.

 

there are rules in satanism as well and they are as follows

 

 

what i really like about these rules is number 5. it discourages from unwanted sexual advances (which would lead to rape). as well some of these rules are kind of a common decency thing (with exception of number 4 and the last part of 5)

 

and finally! there are satanic sins. these are slightly long so i'll put these under a spoiler too

 

 

 

 

these are pretty self explanatory imo and if you havent noticed, they bring up Magic as well.

there is Greater Magic and Lesser Magic. lesser magic is more of a manipulation thing, having to do with sex, sentiment and wonder. 

greater magic involves 'rituals' (no you do not sacrifice anything) and has to do with lust, compassion and destruction. its suppose to focus one's energy for a specific purpose. i actually do not know much about the practices of magic because theyre not necessary to be a satanist!

 

 

 

and with all that said and done, satanism is not really a religion or faith but more like a set of beliefs many people agree with. and many do not! after all it is said satanists are not made, but born! 

 

Although this seems very 'unofficial', it's sound logic to live by. I particularly like and agree with this:

 

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.

 

Satanism sounds like a super-indulgent and pride fuelled adaptation of Buddhism - again, logical guidelines in which to live life by as opposed to strict law set by an outdated book or scroll. To be honest, as I take many of my own life lessons from what I learned in Fight Club, I can accept Satanism in the forms you described and see sense in them. I love how there are people who have the courage to commit to real beliefs and principles that require no faith and stand against the religious majority of the world and be proud of what they believe in.

[Koko 3,944]

Although this seems very 'unofficial', it's sound logic to live by. I particularly like and agree with this:

 

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.

 

Satanism sounds like a super-indulgent and pride fuelled adaptation of Buddhism - again, logical guidelines in which to live life by as opposed to strict law set by an outdated book or scroll. To be honest, as I take many of my own life lessons from what I learned in Fight Club, I can accept Satanism in the forms you described and see sense in them. I love how there are people who have the courage to commit to real beliefs and principles that require no faith and stand against the religious majority of the world and be proud of what they believe in.

 

 

Lucifer is used symbolically rather than as an actual diety to be worshipped. The idea is that in the garden of Eden, god was the bad guy and satan was doing humanity a favor. God knowingly put the forbidden fruit of knowledge there to see how loyal his creations were, while satan told adam and eve to eat the fruit because it would provide them with knowledge they needed. God = ignorance, obedience Satan = knowledge, free will is what it boils down to for the church of satan. But again, The church of satan does not worship the devil. I'd place it closer to buddhism than any of the abrahamic beliefs. On an interesting note, "Satan" is a title meaning adversary. "Lucifer" would be his name, "Satan" is the title he holds.

 

im in such awe over your posts idk how to even respond okay you guys are awesome and insightful and i genuinely appreciate your posts like wow i just felt like i had to say that

[Hardrada 117]

There are actual Theistic satanic organizations. The Temple of Set is similar to LaVeyan satanism but involves actual devil worship, mainly Set.The most extreme example however is The Order of Nine Angels. They actually promote illegal behavior and human sacrifice, and they have also been accused of having ties to Neo-Nazi movements. Regular satanism by comparison seems rather nice.

[AnsemTheWise 1,114]

I'm actually kind of surprised at how many of these "guidelines" I line up with. I've always known the general ideas of satanism, but I find the dual-sidedness of it a little (no offense) odd. I'm not in the habit of destroying the people that pester me (at least not physically), and some of the responses to actions seem a little vague (see previous "destroy").

 

But there is a lot of misunderstanding and misbranding of beliefs. Satanists don't run around sacrificing chickens (rule #10, anyways) and just because I'm a wiccan doesn't mean I sit at home in the dark brewing up potions (Potions are crap, anyways. I prefer charms.). I love that you always post things like this, Koko. It helps other people see what they normally wouldn't and helps them understand what they never bothered to truly acknowledge.

[Sora'sMum 352]

I for one am a Catholic, but this sounds pretty good, I have to admit. Personally, I've always seen religion as guidelines on how to best live our lives. For example, I think a lot of the bible stories, church dogma and rituals are a bit outdated I guess. In the sense that, in modern societies where a lot of these stories and acts of God have been disproven or believed to be fake. But I think that it's not these beliefs that should be our top priority, but following things like the commandments, beatitudes etc; The suggestions of how we can be better people. And I think that is the church's main goal: to make people worthy in the eyes of God. To allow people to be as good natured, friendly, kind and devoted to each other as possible. Basically to create a utopian society. That's not to say I think that people who are really avid followers of the bible stories in a literal sense are wrong. If anything, it just allows them to have a stronger faith in themselves and their actions. Ultimately, I believe that's what religion is about. Bringing people together and giving them the guidance to be the best people they can be.

[P50L 610]

"Do not harm your children, for they are your future""Do not kill Non-Human animals unless you are attacked""Do not take what does not belong to you"And I always thought Satanists were evil and wanted to kill anything holy...I was wrong then?

[Koko 3,944]

"Do not harm your children, for they are your future""Do not kill Non-Human animals unless you are attacked""Do not take what does not belong to you"And I always thought Satanists were evil and wanted to kill anything holy...I was wrong then?

 

exactly the reason why i titled this "The Truth About [LaVey] Satanism"

[KingdomHearts3 2,591]

Look, Satan is evil and will deceive all. He tempted St. Faustina to forget the Divine Mercy and allow God's anger to give the punishment. If she succombed to it, we would not be here since there have been close calls in her diary. He wants to destroy all souls and represents sin and darkness. Human kind needs mercy and has needed it since Adam and Eve.

Edited February 26, 2013 by KingdomHearts3

[Koko 3,944]

Look, Satan is evil and will deceive all. He tempted St. Faustina to forget the Divine Mercy and allow God's anger to give the punishment. If she succombed to it, we would not be here since there have been close calls in her diary. He wants to destroy all souls and represents sin and darkness. Human kind needs mercy and has needed it since Adam and Eve.

The point flew over your head and you obviously did not read the thread.

[KingdomHearts3 2,591]

The point flew over your head and you obviously did not read the thread.

I'm sorry. I wasn't specific enough. I meant the devil himself. He is no friend to the Church. If these are guidelines to doing avoid pulling a dumb move in society, then fine. These better not be guidelines to believing that doing wrong is fine, cause it isn't.

[Koko 3,944]

I'm sorry. I wasn't specific enough. I meant the devil himself. He is no friend to the Church. If these are guidelines to doing avoid pulling a dumb move in society, then fine. These better not be guidelines to believing that doing wrong is fine, cause it isn't.

Again, DID YOU READ THE THREAD AT ALL

[KingdomHearts3 2,591]

Again, DID YOU READ THE THREAD AT ALL

Yes I did. If I am missing something, kindly tell me what it is.

[Junko 2,815]

wow i never knew there were many types of satanism and it sounds kinda logical 

[Koko 3,944]

Yes I did. If I am missing something, kindly tell me what it is.

You're missing everything.

I stated that Satanism does not worship the devil.

As well, if you actually read and understood the rules and statements of Satanism, you would know that Satanists actually practice things that would be considered human decency. 

For example

"Do not harm your children, for they are your future""Do not kill Non-Human animals unless you are attacked""Do not take what does not belong to you"

 

So yeah, either educate yourself or get out. 

wow i never knew there were many types of satanism and it sounds kinda logical 

Satanism is basically very indulgent and very logical.

If someone bothers you, bother them.

Don't hurt those who are weaker than you (children, animals)

Etc. 

I mean if the satanic rule that says you should not rape is not an indicator of how NOT EVIL satanism is, then idk what is

[KingdomHearts3 2,591]

You're missing everything.

I stated that Satanism does not worship the devil.

As well, if you actually read and understood the rules and statements of Satanism, you would know that Satanists actually practice things that would be considered human decency. 

For example

 

So yeah, either educate yourself or get out. 

Satanism is basically very indulgent and very logical.

If someone bothers you, bother them.

Don't hurt those who are weaker than you (children, animals)

Etc. 

I mean if the satanic rule that says you should not rape is not an indicator of how NOT EVIL satanism is, then idk what is

Ok. Thank you for explaining. I do not agree however with the statement that Satan is the Church's best friend. He's the Catholic Chruch's #1 enemy, not friend.

[Koko 3,944]

Ok. Thank you for explaining. I do not agree however with the statement that Satan is the Church's best friend. He's the Catholic Chruch's #1 enemy, not friend.

im p sure that last statement is a witty joke that flew over your head

[Hardrada 117]

The bit about Satan being the best friend of the church is sarcasm. (if not partly true)

[FireRubies1 1,325]

I really like this philosophy and think it's really interesting. I think a lot like this most of the time, and honestly the only area where I kinda lean more towards Christianity is the 'turn the other cheek' part o3o

[Ajexmi 446]

Ok. Thank you for explaining. I do not agree however with the statement that Satan is the Church's best friend. He's the Catholic Chruch's #1 enemy, not friend.

 

Glad your confusion was cleared up here, I was worried there was going to be a light side dark side deal here! The statement has some truth to it in the sense that many people that believe in the Christian/Catholic interpretation of God fear being eternally damned in Hell when they die - and feel that church-going may be an aid against this by pleasing their merciful deity. Or something like that.