[quote]Balloon Posted:

It’s not exactly the same being. It maybe seen as the same but the idea is twisted. Our horned god became devils of the new religion…. which at the time was Christianity. And when you think about it… which came first Satanism or Christianity?

As for the names… what’s in a name? I hear more about Cenunnos. Cerne, and Herne and not of Lucifer (Morning Star) or Beelzebub. But there are so many accounts of the those names. Heavenly god? Fallen Angel? Sounds less like pagans and more like Christianity talk.

Also it interesting to note that there is no mention of this “devil” in the old testament. p/quote]

All good points. And Satanism came first. The word Satan didn’t come out until the age of Xianity. But his images, ideals and concepts come from thousands of years before, to the earliest of all known religions.

They do, I’ll admit. There’s a list of all the names of Satan in the S. Bible, but I’ve let a friend borrow it for the time.

Also note that you don’t really see the devil as a “punisher” as you do a tempter in the New Testament. All the fire and brimstone speeches didn’t begin until the medieval age.

[quote]Sneaky27 Posted:

Interesting. I believe in those same ideals. I’m not a satanist of any stripe. I simply don’t believe in religion. There is no one path to enlightenment, and consequentially all paths contain some grain of truth. Why limit myself to one?[/quote]

I asked myself the same question for a long time. In the first chapter of the Satanic Bible, Anton Lavey points out that if you find yourself agreeing with everything in the book, you are already a Satanist. I essentially picked up a book that had written down almost everything I value. After reading it, I thought, what would be different, except that I have a name for myself?

Now, Anton is a bit heartless at times…that’s not me. But the core message is something I agree with strongly.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to convert you…it’s not in my moral code. But you might enjoy reading the Satanic Bible. If nothing else, it’s an interesting read.

[quote]Uplink Posted:

Reading your comments, it seems you know quite a few things. And you seem quite keen to protect your comments on the subject. And here I am attacking you

I went through the Satanic Bible when I was somewhere around 18, and it didn’t sound like what I expected. I actually liked some of it. But… I didn’t like the title: the Satanic Bible. The role Satan played in my upbringing makes that title repulsive. Then again, I find any form of organized religion (by any name) repulsive. The philosophy is fine. Giving it a name and forming a group, one that bears the name of something that we were taught as being really awful… not the best idea out there. Don’t call it a religion, don’t mention gods and daemons, and by any means don’t call it a bible. [/quote]

Thank you for your tact.

I must admit that, though Satanism predates Xianity, a lot of Satanists I run into make it seem as if it’s one big battle against Jesus. It is, by Satanists themselves, often times polarized with Xianity, what with the Bible and the Ten Commandments and the priests and whatnot. I don’t see it that way. Many of my close friends are Xians. A few Xians I’ve met have even been well-read, intelligible, enlightened human beings, seeking truth and wisdom. I don’t see Xians individually as evil, of course (at least not always Log in to see images!, but I do see the institution itself that way. It’s designed to repress, oppress, and control.

I could see how that could be a turn-off. But it was actually one of the things that attracted me to it. The fear, the unknown aspects of the religion drew me to explore it further. I grew up with a strong Xian upbringing, and was very active in my church for many years. I even planned to become a monk for five years, then a minister. But it slowly came crashing down around me when I was 15, and I came to see the world as it was. That was a painful time for me. So, Xianity played a role in my upbringing that makes it…repulsive may be too strong of a word, but it come close.

Xianity has it’s good points, but its stereotypes are usually quite bad. I see Satanism as taking these negative stereotypes and turning them inside out. Self-loathing is replaced with self-empowerment. Constant fear of an intangible being is replaced with full confidence in and responsibility for oneself. Proselytizing is replaced with respect for people’s various beliefs. And, my favorite, hierarchy is replaced with intellectuality.

As for me personally, I’ve never been to a gathering of Satanists of any kind. The only “religious” practice I partake in is personal meditation. There really aren’t that many to be found in Laveyan Satanism. Black mbumes are only done to mock organized religion, and they are done rarely. We don’t summon demons or Satan, because, while we believe in universal energy, we don’t believe in the actual singular beings’ existence. In fact, I’m the only Satanist I know that I haven’t met over the internet. It kind of sucks, sometimes.