Misconceptions About Satanism pt2
MYTH: A Satanist has to believe in the Christian God to be a Satanist
REALITY: It is a myth that some who are not initiated into Satanism tend to believe: that you cant have one without the other. But, Satanism is a Satanic belief, not a Christian belief. If Satanism were a Christian belief, then Christians would accept Satanism as part of their teachings, and of course they do not. The Christians have their own understanding of Satan, as reflected in their gospels and books, and Satanists have their own understanding of Satan reflected in our Satanic writings and books.
You could say that Satanism came from, or was influenced by Christianity but it is not a Christian belief or practice. Just like Christianity was influenced by Judaism, it is not the same as Judaism. Just because something is similar does not mean that it is exactly alike.
Once the beliefs of Satanism are far removed from original Christian ideas they cease to be ‘Christian’ in origin, and become by a Christian definition, ‘Satanic’.
Because of this, not every Satanist will agree on whether they care about the Christian god or not and in the end it really does not matter. To a Satanist, Satan is the main figure, the god of this world and does not need any other god to validate it’s existence. What Satanists believe about Satan varies but the belief in the Christian god is not necessary for Satanic practice.
MYTH: Satanism is not a religion!
REALITY: Satanism is in fact a religion and within lawful practice like any other religion it is protected under the US constitution. The 1st amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”(1). Also in April 1978 within the Army Chaplain’s handbook is direction and instruction, written by Anton LaVey for the Church of Satan.(2) . Also in 1992, the chaplains handbook also included information on the Temple of Set. (3). The Temple of Set is not Satanic but they are Left Hand Path oriented.
Both the COS and the TOS are legally tax exempt Religious organizations. It’s about time that society recognized Satanism and has given it some respect in the regard to freedom of religion, but this is not always the case. For some Satanists who were incarcerated for crimes, some have had to sue or appeal to get their Satanic Bible and other materials into their cell. Like the man who sued a Montana county jail last February for 10mil. because he was denied his first amendment right to practice Satanism.(4)
There is also measures put into place to suspend or stop Satan-worship in prison altogether in some places. (5), Whatever happens for it or against it in the media, it seems that Satanism is not an easy thing for society to accept. Just because some recognize it as a religion and others may not, this is used as a reason to claim that Satanism is not real. Satanism is real and its been ‘real’ for more than 30 years!
It does not matter if you only recognize Satanism as Symbolic or spiritual..the fact is, Satanism when lawfully practiced is protected under the freedom of religious expression in the US.
1. (1st Amendment) 9/28/09
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am1
2. (1978 Army Chaplains Handbook) 9/28/09
http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/ChaplainsHandbook.html
3. (Chaplains Handbook, 1992) 9/28/09
http://alleeshadowtradition.com/pdf/army_chaplain_handbook.pdf
4. (2009 Lawsuit to Sue for Religious Freedom) http://www.onpointnews.com/NEWS/Will-Hell-Freeze-Over-if-Satanist-Inmate-Wins-Suit.html
5. (Attempts to stop Satanism in Kentucky Prisons)
http://abcnews.go.com/US/CrimeBlotter/story?id=91225&page=1
MYTH: The Satanic Lifestyle: Most Satanists Are goth, metalheads, wear black, and are frustrated and depressed!
REALITY: Satanists enjoy a diversified lifestyle. not all satanists enjoy wearing black. my personal preference is black, but that’s because black matches anything and it looks svelte. I happen to enjoy black, and others may not. I think that these myths about satanic lifestyle come from the fact that many satanists begin exploring Satanism through metal and through alternative ‘dark’ lifestyles. These avenues seem to be a source for Satanism and Satanic expression. The idea of Satanism is individualism and these lifestyles are most likely to afford people the opportunity to be unique or individual, and self expressive.
A Satanist should know that it is OK to like whatever they choose as far as lifestyle choices are concerned, including music, dress, and sexual preferences or orientation. There are no rules telling all Satanists to think and act the same, like some religions have. Also, most Satanists I know in person are not depressed. Many I know are very self motivated and focused. Most of us eventually learn that life is for living and many of us enjoy our life in the here and now. It is through the Satanic lifestyle that they find the freedom to be themselves.
At the other end of the spectrum are the Satanists who use Satanism for self destructive behaviors. This can be found in any religion, when it is used by people who are mentally unstable or who takes things to the extreme.
Visit: Misconceptions in Satanism part 1
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About The Author
Venus Satanas
My name is Venus Satanas and this is a bit of copy about me. I have been a Satanist since 1992, and I am the author of SpiritualSatanist.com, author and administrator of the Left Hand Path Books Review Blog, and creator of educational videos on Satanism at Youtube. That's not telling you much, so find out more about me here
You won't. The rules for Satanism actually forbid killing animals except if you are attacked or for food. As for the antisocial behavior that is dependent on the person, not Satanism. So all those stories about animal/human sacrifice are complete BS.
I have always suspected that the reports of satanic worship in the woods,sacrificing animals/other asocial behavior were the stuff of hysterical fear mongering Christians. I have been surprised to find no reference to the phenomena in my searches.
"I think that these myths about Satanic lifestyle come from the fact that many satanists begin exploring Satanism through metal"
I was wondering if you would consider writing an essay explaining exactly how Satanism fits into metal? I have always felt that metal and Satanism are incredibly complimentary. I identified early as a Satanist before getting into metal in my teens, but it was an amazing fit that has served me well decades later. Frankly, I am a bit appalled at the way Satanism is treated by even metalers who follow bands with members who are openly Satanic. On the one hand, few metalers have any problems with the song titles, lyrics and album covers that express Satanic images and themes (though the diabolical ones obviously cause confusion) but yet, if you take Satanism seriously and identify as a Satanist, all of a sudden, you are under heavy suspicion. Metalheads can be just as PC and ignorant as any other group. I've stopped identifying myself as a Satanist at even black metal concerts because eventhough the inverted cross and inverted pentagram are standard, if you're wearing the Sigil of Baphomet, the Sigil of Lucifer, the Crux Satanas, etc. and you identify as a Satanist, as I have, it's just not worth the trouble. And it likely doesn't help to have guys like Hanneman and King who say they're not Satanists because they "hate religion". As we know, Satanism does not have to be embraced only as a religion. Then you have groups who have dropped Satan to embrace other genres of metal, or members who no longer identify (in public) as Satanists, most notably King Diamond and Gahl. There are so many misconceptions in the metal community. I remember one confused metaler saying that Satanists "might be cool" but didn't know why you had to worship Satan to want freedom. If think that if there was one concise essay that you could present, maybe even to a few metal websites, it might do a lot of good.