Satan: To Worship or Not to Worship

Does Satan like to be worshiped? Does Satan even care if you decide to worship him or not? While some that I have met have claimed that Satan does demand worship there are varying beliefs when it comes to Satan and Satan worship. This post will explore some of these ideas.

What is Satan Worship? To a Christian it could mean anything that is not Christian that is being worshiped, including American Indian gods, Hindu gods..or even the Muslim or Jewish god! The Christian belief is, of course that any god that is not Christian is obviously, evil and is Satanic.

To a Satanist, ‘Satan worship’ can mean varying things. What most associate with this is the worship of the Christian Satan.

Category 1
Reverse, Inverse Christianity,
Pre-Christian Traditional Satanism
[Including Diabolism and Devil Worship]

In its truest sense, reverse Christianity is the worship of the Christian Satan, and a reversal of the god- Satan relationship. Some may include gnostic beliefs into this practice. They are often labeled as ‘devil worshipers’.

As in the case of pre-Christian, Satanic beliefs, some believe that Satan existed prior to Christianity, had an ancient history and created the world. I discussed this idea in my other post at the Spiritual Satanist Blog, Satan as Creator of Humanity.

On the other hand, theistic Satanism is a general term for both of these types. but it could also include independent beliefs. Such as the belief that I hold, that Satan is a cosmic force who became a separate entity from his Christian roots in this day and age.

Satan is both the forces of nature and a god to me, and this may be true for others as well. This Satan is recognized on a personal level, not as a personal savior or god but as a means of self enlightenment, self realization and as a source of Satanic empowerment. Ive discussed my beliefs about this at my Spiritual Satanist website with the article, The Force of Satan.

Category 3:
Atheistic, Symbolic and Philosophical
Atheistic Satanists and Philosophical Satanists have no need for Satan worship as they recognize their Satan not as a deity but as a symbol. This does not mean that they are not genuine, but that they just have their own way of expressing their beliefs. To me they are a part of the Satanic landscape, adding their own reasoning and variety to what we know as Satanism today.

Along with this I want to define several different methods of Satanic Worship:

Subservient Worship
This type of worship is most often related to ‘traditional satanism’, inverse Christianity, and Diabolism. It is the outright, blatant worship of the Christian version of Satan. Some feel as if they are under his control or that they are to do what they feel Satan makes them do. To do Satan’s bidding, as it’s known.

To be his slave, while he is the father and master. some feel that they should worship in this way so that Satan will protect them and see to their needs. Worship of this type may include blasphemy or inverse christian rites and prayers. Some, like my online acquaintance [‘traditional satanist’] Lianna Diabolique, worship in this way to gain self-empowerment through this type of subservient relationship. Serving is a position of empowerment, when you consider it..

This type of worship is specific in that it relies on Christian cosmology to make it work. Not all Satanists who worship Satan feel the same way, nor do they all recognize Satan as a Christian invention.

Spiritual Worship
Spiritual Worship of Satan is similar to what I practice. Spiritual worship is the recognition of Satanic forces without being indebted to subservience. Your experience with Satanism is as fulfilling as you want to make it – and I’ve found a lot of strength in not worshiping Satan but recognizing his force through simple rituals that involve praise and meditation. How is this different than subservient worship? I, and many others of our type have no interest in being the ‘slave’ of Satan.

My will is too strong and independent to be like this, and that is why I created a pact that delineates this idea. I appreciate my relationship with Satan and on occasion I will let him know with a candle burning or simple ritual. It’s all that I need to feel connected with his spirit. As you can see the experience of Satanic spirituality, while maintaining personal will, can be very empowering and beneficial.

Self Worship
Some have said that the worship of the self is by proxy the worship of Satan. This would be true if you considered yourself to be Satan! Most symbolic or atheist Satanists engage in these types of self-worshiping activities that satisfy personal desires. This is their method of recognizing the symbolic aspects of Satan, and living the Satanic life. This self worship also allows some satanists to recognize the god that is within, in a symbolic way. Self-worship is another means to self-empowerment, for ALL Satanists..What kind of Worship is right for you? Do you have the need to worship Satan?