Satanic Views On Good And Evil

Satanism and Satan are usually related to evilness. However, this is a general misconception. Satanists do not advocate being evil, but reformed understanding of the connection between good and evil.

You can not even define evil without discussing what is good. Therefore, the two are inseparable. One can not understand darkness without experiencing light. One cannot appreciate day, without having night. Opposites compliment, define and complete one another. To destroy all evil in the world means there would be no good left to appreciate, therefore the Satanist does not worship or disrespect either quality! We value ourselves and nature instead and venerate opposition in balance!

The definition of good and evil is subject to change because it exists only as a perception. "Evil" is a label we assign according to our mood swings to those who are politically incorrect. The ascended masters of Eastern Philosophy become the fallen angels of Western Philosophy. One man's "demons" are another man's "saints." Theologians create gods and devils in man's image, then conflict between them to divide the heart and conquer the soul! They pit spirit against matter, then appoint themselves position of supreme arbiter, divine interpreter of right and wrong, good and evil.

"Good" are the things we like. "Evil" are the things we dislike. It often depends on who or what you are. As Diane Vera says, if you're a mouse, cats are evil, but to the pet owner, cats are heavenly. Therefore, evil is not an essence - it is a value judgment. From a Christian point of view, Satan is "evil" because he represents the savage instincts they are attempting to hide or suppress. Satanists are truth seekers who desire to peek behind such labels.

Of course, there are certain ethical wrongs, but they are set by a society or culture so that all can live harmoniously. Examples of these would be thieving, disrespectful behavior and killing or abusing an innocent.

A chief attribute of the trickster god is the role of Devil's Advocate. The Satanist illustrates "opposition in balance," wielding contradiction like a scalpel in the hand of a skilled surgeon. Our objective? Closure to this unnatural dichotomy, this madness you call "good and evil." Bringing flesh and spirit together. The establishment of a New World Order, free of guilt, self-loathing and shame, where every man and woman is the god of his or her own life. We look upon religion as the starter of wars and the breeder of hate and intolerance. We believe that people are intelligent enough to instill moral and ethical codes into a societal structure without a threat of an imaginary supernatural being wreaking havoc on an offender.

source: Satanism Central - Do You Worship Evil?

Although not originally a satanic symbol, the Yin Yang is a symbol adopted by satanic culture, because it does visualize that belief that is commonly held.

This symbol represents the state of everything as the circle. It shows an intricate balance between the lightness and darkness, good and evil, the yin and the yang. And in the light part there is a spot of darkness. And in the dark part there is a spot of light. This is how satanists view the world, as a balancing of the two forces that move the world. Some of it we might like, others we don't. But even those parts that we don't like are there out of necessity. And as evil and dark as they might seem, there is a silver-lining somewhere.

Criticizing Anton Lavey and his Tradition

Reverend John Allee is a Satanist who openly and relentlessly criticizes the tradition of Laveyian Satanism. Check this video titled "Modern Satanism: The Failed Religion". Personally, I disagree with Laveyian Satanism. However, I think that the criticisms that are presented in that particular video are misguided. They do misrepresent the Laveyian tradition, and it's message and goals.

I also don't agree with the title saying: "Modern Satanism: The Failed Religion". The reason I disagree is that it makes a non-sense generalization that "Laveyian Satanism" is "Modern Satanism"... Which is something completely misinformed! As a matter of fact, philosophical satanism and modern satanism mean roughly the same thing. So, I think a better title would be: "Laveyian Satanism: The Failed Religion".

I have way too many criticisms to the video apart from it's misleading title which I will not address in this entry. However, I think the video addresses some legitimate concerns, and in the spirit of openness to criticism and critical thinking, I think that is a good video to watch for satanists and non-satanists alike.

For those who don't know who Anton Lavey is; Lavey is a Modern Satanist who wrote a book titled "The Satanic Bible" in 1969, among few other Satanism related books. He also created what is called "The first church of Satan". Satanists had very diverse reactions to Lavey's actions, some applauded him, while the majority disagreed and opposed him. Personally, I disagree with many of the views that Lavey presents in his book. However, I think that presenting Satanism as a religion on par with other religions as a commendable achievement, with the reservation that Laveyian Satanism only represents the views of Lavey and his followers, but not Satanism in general.

Religions and Politics

Some people might ask, what does religion have to do with politics?! The answer is A LOT. Religion and politics have very strong ties in many aspects: psychological, socio-economical, socio-political, intellectual, and historical. In history, many countries were founded with religious regimes. Christian and Islamic crusades are prime examples. The Dark Ages when the christian church ruled that caused Europe lots of suffering. And in contemporary politics, Israel which is a state founded on religious background.

However, knowledge of those religions does not explain how religion has been able to have this drastic effect on politics. The reason that religions are powerful is that they shape the intellectual terrain, the ethics and morality of people, and is taught as truth to people ever since they are born. Anyone who studies mainstream religions find that they carry an incredible amount of evil. Mainstream religions teach hypocrisy, fear, false morality, submission, and hate. Anyone who looks at those religions objectively can see their true purpose, which is to enslave humanity.

Most religions are engineered by power-hungry people, and fed to the public to enslave them. It can be seen without ambiguity that mainstream religions pave the way to absolute tyranny. "God" this mysterious being who watches you every minute of every day, and is ready to punish you mercilessly if you disobey. It does not take a genius to figure out that "God" is nothing but the alter-ego of a tyrant government. The primary purpose of religion is to make people sympathize with the idea of absolute tyranny. To trick people into believing that being "watched", "judged", and "punished" is something acceptable. Not only accept this type of behavior, but to support it and root for it. And then it boils down to the oldest trick in the book, bait and switch. Make people accept those heinous behaviors, then the tyrant would engage in those activities without being questioned.

Once people accept the idea of being slaves, enslaving them becomes easier. So teach people that they are slaves to God, then they will be more accepting to be slaves to an autocrat. Teach people that God watches them 24/7, and then having an intelligence agency spying on them becomes acceptable. We now see people okay with governments spying on them with satellites, tapping their phone calls, putting cameras in public places. All those behaviors are facilitated by the psychological warfare that is religion. And of course, God knows everything, so the government should know everything. And God punishes people with endless suffering, so torturing people is okay, especially if torture is used to get information, because the government has a right to know everything. The parallels are endless, but you can now see how mainstream religions fit the picture. Mainstream religions are nothing more than psychological tools that rationalize the actions of a tyrant government, with God as the alter-ego of such governments. When it comes to religion, you need to accept the "facts" without questions, which is very convenient for tyranny. Tyrants don't want people to ask questions, just to obey blindly; And that's easy because they had lots of practice in their religious beliefs.

But of course, God loves us all... That's the christian way of saying: "The government does bad things, but only because they care. It's all for the greater good!"

It is no coincidence that democracy and secularism go hand in hand. Of course change needs time, and the effects of history takes time to heal. But the fight for freedom and democracy is ultimately a fight against religious institutions. The religious beliefs that made tyranny possible and even acceptable. And tyranny and religions shall fall together because they are two sides of the same coin. Anyone observing history can easily see the inverse relationship between freedom and religion. The more religious the public is, the more tyranny is prevalent. And in this time and age, religions are slowly fading away, as freedom is slowly growing more and more. Once again, it is not a coincidence that the most developed nations of our time are those where secularism is prevalent.

Anyone who follows my blog knows that I am a relentless supporter of Satanism. Satan being a symbol of Humanity and rebellion against God. However, it always was (and still is) my vision that promotion of Atheism and Satanism is not just about philosophical investigation of facts of the world, such as whether or not God exists. It goes beyond that: It is a promotion for the ethics and beliefs that will change the world from one that is ruled by tyrants, to one where freedom and personal liberty are essential part of the socio-political scene.

I urge anyone and everyone who is looking for reform in the political arena to understand the negative effects of the religious institutions to our freedom. Your rebellion against tyranny is a rebellion against "God", and rebellion against "God" is rebellion against tyranny. Because at the heart of the matter, they are one and the same. "God" is a symbol of absolute tyranny, and supporting that symbol is the greatest heresy against humanity.

Meta-Religion: RHP vs LHP

One of the main concepts that need to be addressed when analyzing religions is the difference between a Left Hand Path (LHP) religion, and a Right Hand Path (RHP) religion. Since the exact definition of the RHP and LHP is not well established, I will approach those concepts from a point of view that is most meaningful for my personal views.

Most mainstream religions follow the RHP; Examples include all Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism). Most Satanic divisions follow the LHP.

So what do those paths entail?!

The main difference between those two paths is their views to individualism, morality, meaning, and the way their followers perceive idealism. First of all, LHP religions emphasize individualism and self-reliance. The RHP emphasizes the need for a deity or a divine being. The RHP believes that humans cannot achieve goodness on their own. The intent of "Right-Hand Path" belief systems is to attain proximity to divinity, or integration with divinity. That's why we find RHP followers try to connect with a divine being through different methods. The RHP conceives perfection of its deity, and tries to achieve that perfection through methods dictated by that deity, or by imitating that deity.

We find that this issue in particular is a major attack point of RHP followers against LHP followers. Although atheism is not strictly a LHP (some atheists might subscribe to the RHP), but we find that RHP followers are afraid of atheists. Atheists are usually described as being immoral while "God" followers are described as moral. A common argument that RHP followers usually present is that they attain their morals from their holy books and their God, then they ask where do the atheists get their morals from?!

"Codes of morality, of course, have always been grounded in religion. For those of us in Western civilization, its tenets emanate from the Judeo-Christian ethos. By casting this heritage aside, and replacing it with nothing more than the conscience of lone individuals, we lay the groundwork for moral anarchy." — Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League

"How do we define 'good' if we don't believe in God? God in his word, the Bible, tells us what's good and bad and right and wrong. If we are each ourselves defining what's good, it's going to be a crazy world." — Tim Wildmon, American Family Association

If we look in depth at that argument we find that those RHP followers cannot perceive morality to be attained without a deity. This approach is very dangerous; A good article on this subject called: "Positive Atheism: Ethical Stability" demonstrates the volatility of the RHP approach to morality.

"If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed." — Albert Einstein

While the above quote handles a slightly different issue that might not apply to all RHP religions, this is another argument about the moral volatility of some mainstream religions.

In short, the RHP religions are based on the belief that humans need a deity to achieve goodness, morality, idealism, giving their life meaning, deliverance, and many other concepts that they believe that they cannot achieve on their own. In contrast, the LHP is based on the belief that humans need to work on and make an effort to achieve goodness, morality, meaning, ...etc, and that humans can achieve those results on their own. Results may vary, one person might find meaning different than another, another might find morality different than another, and some might define goodness different than others. Some might achieve their set goals, other might not. No deities are needed, no supernaturals, only the work of human hands. As we can see, choice and responsibility are very necessary for the LHP.

RHP is based on the belief that humans need to be part of something larger than themselves. They need a deity to give their lives meaning. The RHP religions usually require submission to a collective group and\or a deity. For this reason, we find that RHP followers are usually involved in working for a "greater will", a "divine plan", or "God's will"!! All those concepts diminish the value of the individual because those individuals are only perceived to have value through their connection to the deity. On the other hand, the LHP emphasizes the value of the individual independently of any groups they might participate in. The LHP is solitary, individualistic, personal, based on self-development, self-analysis, and self-empowerment.

This shades some light on the common questions Satanists receive by those with a RHP background. "Why do you worship Satan?", "Who do you worship?", as pressing as it might seem to the RHP followers to know "who to worship", this question is of least significance in the LHP, and is also pretty much meaningless question. The need of an object to worship is a characteristic of the RHP that can be very blinding when applying this methodology to a LHP religion. The RHP followers fail to perceive a religion where there is no-one to worship, where there is no leader to follow, where there is no absolute book of truth.

Another aspect where the LHP and RHP differ is their attitude toward the concept of darkness. LHP usually embraces darkness, while RHP usually fears darkness. Darkness symbolizes lack of sight, or more generally lack of knowledge. Darkness also symbolizes the unknown.

So why does the RHP fear the darkness while the LHP embraces it?!

The reason is that RHP is based on the belief that the humans lack the ability to learn and to explore the unknown. RHP is based on the concept of guidance. RHP depends on a divine being guiding its followers, a divine being to light up their path and show them the way. In contrast, the LHP is based on self-reliance. LHP encourages exploration of the darkness. LHP is based on the the humans' ability to create light in the darkness. So LHP does not avoid the darkness, but encourages its followers to explore that darkness, uncover its deepest secrets, and bring it into the light.

The conception of "God" is an obvious example of the RHP disbelief in the humans' ability to explore the unknown. While the exact details of the origin of the universe is unknown, the RHP simply does not give humans the chance to explore, and discover the reality of the origins of the universe on their own. Instead, the RHP provides unfounded conception of "God", thus releasing its followers from the need to explore.

In addition to what has been said, the LHP differs from the RHP in that the LHP emphasizes on freethought, whereas the RHP is usually dogmatic with strict rules. The LHP expects its followers to individually investigate, analyze, and decide their own set of beliefs, morals, ethics, make their own decisions, and plan their own lives. This is evident in all LHP literature that leaves so much for the individual to decide on their own. On the other hand, the RHP expects its followers to follow a strict set of rules and dogma. Many followers of the RHP become too engaged with following rules, and if no rules exist in their books, they might consult a theologian of their respective religion. Some RHP religions reach ridiculous extents in such rulings, that some RHP religions interfere with the personal life of its followers. For example, Islam and Judaism have strict rules of what its followers may and may not eat... In my personal opinion, those fine-grained rules that handles the most trivial issues, such as what and what not to eat, shows how much those RHP religions are absorbed in the process of dogmatism and the dire need for submission.

To make it in few points:

• RHP is the path of dependence on and\or submission to an ideal being, with perceived perfection, usually a deity.
  
• RHP is the path lightened by the perceived ideal, and guidance is provided through that ideal or its teachings.
  
• RHP is the path of integration with something larger than oneself, usually a deity, or the group of followers.
  
• LHP is the path of independence and self-reliance.
  
• LHP is the path of freethought.
  
• LHP is the path of responsibility through choice.
  
• LHP is the path of creating your own conception of morality, goodness, and idealism.
  
• LHP is the path of unguided explorations, and uncovering the unknown.
  
• LHP is the path of appreciating your own individualism and uniqueness.

Readings From The Satanic Bible - Part 3

The Book of Lucifer:
The "book of Lucifer" is my personal favorite part of the Satanic Bible. This is the book of Enlightenment. While the "book of Satan" states many of the Satanic beliefs, it lacks presenting explanations and justifications for those beliefs. The "book of Lucifer" is basically the more explained and justified part of the bible.

Lavey provides this magnificent introduction:
The Roman god, Lucifer, was the bearer of light, the spirit of the air, the personification of enlightenment. In Christian mythology he became synonymous with evil, which was only to have been expected from a religion whose very existence is perpetuated by clouded definitions and bogus values! It is time to set the record straight. False moralisms and occult inaccuracies must be corrected. Entertaining as they might be, most stories and plays about Devil worship must be recognized as the obsolete absurdities they are. It has been said "the truth will make men free". The truth alone has never set anyone free. It is only DOUBT which will bring mental emancipation. Without the wonderful element of doubt, the doorway through which truth passes would be tightly shut, impervious to the most strenuous poundings of a thousand Lucifers. How understandable that Holy Scripture should refer to the Infernal monarch as the "father of lies" - a magnificent example of character inversion. If one is to believe this theological accusation that the Devil represents falsehood, then it surely must be concurred that it was HE, NOT GOD, THAT ESTABLISHED ALL SPIRITUAL RELIGIONS AND WHO WROTE ALL OF THE HOLY BIBLES! When one doubt is followed by another, the bubble, grown large from long accumulated fallacies, threatens to burst. For those who already doubt supposed truths, this book is revelation. Then Lucifer will have risen. Now is the time for doubt! The bubble of falsehood is bursting and its sound is the roar of the world!

References:
The Satanic Bible, by Anton Lavey (PDF)

In this series:
Readings From The Satanic Bible - Part 1
Readings From The Satanic Bible - Part 2
Readings From The Satanic Bible - Part 3

Readings From The Satanic Bible - Part 2

The Book of Satan:
The "book of satan" is composed of five parts. It contains several verses that contains relevations about the falsehood of several religions and the 'religious institutions'.
Lavey provides this introduction:
The Devil has been attacked by the men of God relentlessly and without reservation. Never has there been an opportunity, short of fiction, for the Dark Prince to speak out in the same manner as the spokesmen of the Lord of the Righteous. The pulpit-pounders of the past have been free to define "good" and "evil" as they see fit, and have gladly smashed into oblivion any who disagree with their lies - both verbally and, at times, physically. Their talk of "charity", when applied to His Infernal Majesty, becomes an empty sham - and most unfairly, too, considering the obvious fact that without their Satanic foe their very religions would collapse.

The Book of Satan I:

1. In this arid wilderness of steel and stone I raise up my voice that you may hear. To the East and to the West I beckon. To the North and to the South I show a sign proclaiming: Death to the weakling, wealth to the strong!
   In this verse, Lavey admits the truth that the "Rule of the Jungle" is the supreme law. This law is justifiably true - and in my personal judgment is also fair.
   
   
2. Open your eyes that you may see, Oh men of mildewed minds, and listen to me ye bewildered millions!
   
3. For I stand forth to challenge the wisdom of the world; to interrogate the "laws" of man and of "God"!
   
4. I request reason for your golden rule and ask the why and wherefore of your ten commandments.
   Lavey publicly and clearly states his challenge to the "laws of Man": The laws of man are those laws that are created by people to control other people. He also claims a challenge to the "laws of God". In this context, Lavey mentions God in its Christian interpretation [hence he uses "God" with quotes].
   
   
5. Before none of your printed idols do I bend in acquiescence, and he who saith "thou shalt" to me is my mortal foe!
   Lavey states his refusal to follow divine idols or commands. The term "thou shalt" means being given orders, but Satanists hate to be given orders, and so Lavey states animosity towards those who give orders.
   
   
6. I dip my forefinger in the watery blood of your impotent mad redeemer, and write over his thorn-torn brow: The TRUE prince of evil - the king of slaves!
   In Christian mythology, as Jesus [The son of God] was on the cross, "a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS." (Luke 23:38)^(*). Lavey mentions this incident and states the slogans he would think be more befitting:
   1- The TRUE prince of evil: Lavey states that Jesus is the true evil, because his story is meant to spread lies, teach hypocrisy, and enslave his followers through a questionable sacrifice.
   2- The King of Slaves: Many followers of the Abrahamic religions consider themselves as slaves to God. Hence the name the King of Slaves. Here we notice that Christianity and other religions are trying to take away the poison of the concept of Slavery. Slavery and enslavement is a very great offense, but we find that in those religious circuits people would be calling themselves as slaves without any sense of shame or indignity.
   
   
7. No hoary falsehood shall be a truth to me; no stifling dogma shall encramp my pen!
   Lavey makes a solid statement about his and other Satanists' commitment to the truth. He states that he will not believe in falsehood, or support false religions or ideologies.
   
   
8. I break away from all conventions that do not lead to my earthly success and happiness.
   Ethical Egoism: Every person has a duty to be happy and successful. Lavey and other Satanists need to accomplish that duty even if that meant having to break customs and conventions.
   
   
9. I raise up in stern invasion the standard of the strong!
   
10. I gaze into the glassy eye of your fearsome Jehovah, and pluck him by the beard; I uplift a broad-axe, and split open his worm-eaten skull!
    
11. I blast out the ghastly contents of philosophically whited sepulchers and laugh with sardonic wrath!
    Again, Lavey is challenging other religions to prove their worth. Lavey issues a personal challenge to Abrahamic God and his teachings, and describes them as being powerless and philosophically corrupt.

References:
The Satanic Bible, by Anton Lavey (PDF)
The Christian Bible / The New Testament^(*) (PDF)

In this series:
Readings From The Satanic Bible - Part 1
Readings From The Satanic Bible - Part 2
Readings From The Satanic Bible - Part 3

Readings From The Satanic Bible - Part 1

Introduction:
It is important to note that, although the book is titled "The Satanic Bible", it does not represent satanism fully. Satanism has no authoritative books that can be taken as absolutes in Satanism. Further more, this bible was written in the late 1960s by Anton Lavey. Anton Lavey has created what is called The First (above-ground) Church of Satan, representing satanism as a religion at par with other religions. And in his view, creating a church and a bible was necessary. Many Satanists have criticized Anton Lavey and what he has done, especially that for many Satanists, Satanism was never meant to be an organized religion.
Personally, I don't agree with everything Anton Lavey says in his book. Nonetheless, I do recognize the importance of his work. Anton Lavey's work has created a sect called "Laveyan Satanism" to differentiate them from other Satanic beliefs.

The Nine Satanic Statements:

1. Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence!
   
   Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary defines indulgence thusly: "To give oneself up to; not to restrain or oppose; to give free course to; to gratify by compliance; to yeild to." The dictionary definition of compulsion is: "The act of compelling or driving by a force, physical or moral; constraint of the will; (compulsory, obligatory)." In other words, indulgence implies choice, whereas compulsion indicates the lack of choice.
   
   
2. Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams!
   
   This is for the most part a criticism of prayer in other religions. Many religions advocate wasting one's life on prayer and other 'spiritual pipe dreams'. On the other hand, Laveyian Satanism advocates living the moment, in an effective manner, by taking action. After all, actions speak louder than words.
   
   The Satanist realizes that man, and the action and reaction of the universe, is responsible for everything, and doesn't mislead himself into thinking that someone cares.
   
   
3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit!
   
   The Satanic Bible starts with this excerpt to show the amount of hypocrisy and self-deceit advocated by some religions, including Christianity:
   "On Saturday night I would see men lusting after half-naked girls dancing at the carnival, and on Sunday morning when I was playing the organ for tentshow evangelists at the other end of the carnival lot, I would see these same men sitting in the pews with their wives and children, asking God to forgive them and purge them of carnal desires. And the next Saturday night they'd be back at the carnival or some other place of indulgence."
   "I knew then that the Christian Church thrives on hypocrisy, and that man's carnal nature will out!"
   
   
4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates!
   
   This is a direct contradiction to the Christian teachings of "Love your enemy"! This obviously is another act of hypocritical self-deceit that is mentioned in #3.
   
   You cannot love everyone; it is ridiculous to think you can. If you love everyone and everything you lose your natural powers of selection and wind up being a pretty poor judge of character and quality. If anything is used too freely it loses its true meaning. Therefore, the Satanist believes you should love strongly and completely those who deserve your love, but never turn the other cheek to your enemy!
   Love is one of the most intense emotions felt by man; another is hate. Forcing yourself to feel indiscriminate love is very unnatural. If you try to love everyone you only lessen your feelings for those who deserve your love.
   
   
5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek!
   
   This -again- is a direct contradiction to the Christian teachings of "And unto him that smiteth thee on the [one] cheek offer also the other;" (Luke 6:29)^(*). This Christian teaching is flawed in every possible way. When someone hurts you or attacks you, you should not standstill welcoming for a second attack. Maybe the black slaves should have not fought for their freedom, and offered their children for slavery?! Right?! Wrong!! But thats the kind of behavior that Christianity is teaching.
   
   He who turns the other cheek is a cowardly dog!
   
   "Love one another" it has been said is the supreme law, but what power made it so? Upon what rational authority does the gospel of love rest? Why should I not hate mine enemies - if I "love" them does that not place me at their mercy?
   
   
6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires!
   
   I already discussed the need to recognize and immobilize psychic vampires. (X-Ref).
   
   
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!
   
   This should be interpreted in the light of the first statement: "indulgence instead of abstinence". The moral taboo advocated by religions create compulsion through abstinence. Satanism represents the abolishment of religious taboos (aka sins).
   
   
9. Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years!
   
   A very satirical -yet very true- statement of the relation between Satan and the Christian church.

References:
The Satanic Bible, by Anton Lavey (PDF)
The Christian Bible / The New Testament^(*) (PDF)

PS: The italicized parts are explanations quoted from The Satanic Bible

In this series:
Readings From The Satanic Bible - Part 1
Readings From The Satanic Bible - Part 2
Readings From The Satanic Bible - Part 3

Responsible For Me

"I swear by my life, and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."

Ayn Rand

Amen.

Who Is Satan?! - Subjectivism And Satanism

Satanism and the figure of Satan represent many things. The common thing between all that Satan represents is the human nature. Interpretations might differ, but there are few things that most Satanists would agree on.

The most direct answer you can get is: "Satan is You, Yourself!"... And that's true... That's who Satan really is!!! While this is an accurate and precise answer, this answer is to most people confusing at best!! Further yet, the statement "Satan is You" is a conclusion - the final answer, you might call it. So instead of this short answer, I will explain how this statement has been reached.

Philosophically speaking, Satanism is the bridge between Nihilism (Non-existence) and Rationalism (Existence of Self). Nihilism is an Objective philosophy, while Rationalism is a Subjective philosophy... Satanism is simply a way to be both subjective and objective at the same time. Okay, this is still confusing, I'll try to elaborate.

Can you objectively say that you exist?! Can you prove that you exist?! Can you logically justify your needs?! The answer to the above three questions is NO!! The concept of "Self" cannot be formulated by objective means. Can you make us a mathematical formula that tell us who you are?! What are we anyways?!

The above reasoning would put anyone in the corner!! So what if someone tells you: "Okay, I am gonna shoot you, rape your mother, and take all your money... You don't exist! Actually, neither any of us exists, so why would you care anyways!!" - This sure would put any philosopher who advocates pure objectivity in a tight corner!!

Obviously, it's irrational to give up your life (and personal interest in general) just for a small game of words, isn't it?!

The solution is simple. We need to first understand that through the above reasoning, defending yourself and not defending yourself are BOTH objectively irrelevant. Objectively speaking, it doesn't matter if you die - And it doesn't matter if you live, either! So whatever you do is a valid outcome. For this reason, subjectivity is valid. Since both answers are valid through objectivity, we create a new system that we judge our decisions by. This system simply admits that you exist, and that you have needs, and satisfying those needs is a favorable outcome. [This solution is similar to the solution of justifying knowledge within skepticism]

Through admitting subjectivity, you admit your own existence, and is able to achieve Rationalism. And Satanism is basically being yourself through the understanding of the path between Nihilism and Rationalism. Since Satanism is admitting your own existence, then Satan is You!! Because without Satanism the word "I" would not have meaning.

Apart from the philosophical aspects, one the most important features of humans is responsibility. Once a person admits responsibility, he would automatically understand the other things that Satan represents.

Knowledge for example is a responsibility. Humans are responsible to create a good life for themselves. Knowledge is the best tool to create a good life. Consider all the benefits of knowledge... With knowledge we conquer all life's problems, we create tools to help us solve problems.

Humans can be both good and evil, and so does Satan. But Satanists (in general) prefer the naked truth... They don't like disguises. They don't like to make up stories to answer questions they don't know the answers for. They don't want to behave in a manner dictated on them by hypocritical systems, including -among others- religious institutes that advocates human-made rules as God-sent rules.

My Philosophy

"My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."

Ayn Rand

Amen to that!

The Figure Of Satan Before Torah

Satan is a symbolic figure that existed even before Torah was made. At that time, Satan was a figure for curiosity and thirst for knowledge. It was a very positive figure connotated with people of science, including among others: Mathematicians and Physicists.

In the Jewish (and later on Christian) mythology, when The Lord of Moses (God) created The Garden of Eden (Heaven), he created many trees. One of those trees was the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Some clergies refer to the tree as an "apple tree", which strips it from its symbolic meaning).

The Lord of Moses has forbidden Man to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Satan (which represents thirst for knowledge) has raised curiosity of Man to know what that tree tastes like, and thus Man has defied the will of The Lord and eaten from the tree.

Thus according to Torah and the Christian mythology, Man's curiosity for knowledge caused him to be expelled from The Garden of Eden, and thats why Satan according to Torah is a negative figure. And Man is now being punished for his curiosity.

Satanism (and Satanists in general) carry the old tradition of thirst for knowledge, and Satan still represents that thirst for knowledge, and the Satanists admire the knowledge being gained.

Some people might wonder why The Lord of Moses has forbidden Man to eat from that tree. It is simple, knowledge (in general - as well as that of good and evil) is considered a Godly attribute (Don't all Abrahamic religions state that God is all-knowing?). The Lord of Moses (and almost all Gods known to mankind) didnt want Man to attain such Godly attribute.

Biblical References:
Old Testament: (PDF)
Genesis 2:16-17 [God forbids Adam to eat from the tree]
Genesis 3:1-5 [Satan convinces Eve to eat from the tree]
Genesis 3:7-11 [What happened when Man has eaten from the tree]

Religious Perspectives: An Insight Into Modern Satanism

The following excerpts are taken from "Religious Perspectives" - an interview with Oz Tech, a Satanic priestess from the temple of Set.

Basic Beliefs:
Q: Do Setians then worship the personification of evil?
A: We believe that the prince of darkness is responsible for consciousness, the psyche, what divides human being from animals, one aspect of aspects of that is an understanding of the idea of good and evil. We don’t worship a god of evil. We admire a being who takes the idea of good and evil, works with it and makes enlightened choices.

Q: Who or what does the Setians believe or worship?
A: The Setians believes in him or herself; worships his or her capacity to think, to choose, to evaluate, and to create. The Setian strives to become his or her own god.

Q: So what’s next on your agenda? World conquest?
A: What we are after is an individual awakening. We are looking for people who want to walk their own path in the world, who want to improve themselves. We are looking for people who are interested in pursuing the challenges like Prometheus; the people who are going to steal the privileges of the Gods and hand them over to humankind. Those are the people who are Satanists.

Q: What is the eventual goal of the Setian?
A: The eventual goal of the Setian is to become his or her own God. To create the universe in which he or she lives. To experience. To learn. To attain wisdom. To reach undreamed of capabilities through the exercise of will and intelligence.

Ancient Myths And Symbology:
Q: Then how do you perceive the prince of darkness?
A: The prince of darkness was originally a compliment to the Lords of light in the ancient Egypt. This has to be seen in view of an earlier philosophy, a philosophy which sees in the dark, a philosophy which is not afraid the dark, a philosophy that draws a line between the people who cower around a camp fire in the darkness and talk about the monsters out in the dark while they are waiting, and the people who pick up a torch, the light bearers, who then go out into that darkness, who go out and explore the unknown.

Q: This is what I cannot understand: if Lucifer is the so called the bearer of light, then why do you call him the prince of darkness?
A: Set was originally the lord of darkness; he is a stellar deity in the Egyptian mythos. I might point out that while the darkness is the symbol of ignorance to people who are themselves ignorant, most of our knowledge about true the position of man in the cosmos comes from the astronomers, the people who found knowledge in darkness. It’s no accident that Galileo was prosecuted by the church to his death. There is wisdom in darkness; there is wisdom to be found going the solitary way, against the doctrines of the church, the doctrines of society. There is a refining of the individual intellect that comes with the path of the rebel, and the path of innovator. There is Prometheus who gave the gift of fire to mankind. The gods punished him for this.

Q: And I suppose your medallion that you are wearing gives you some sort of a special power to accomplish that goal, right? [The medallion is an upside-down pentagram]
A: This medallion is the insignia of the temple of Set. It shows the pentagram; a very old symbol. In the time of ancient Greece, it was the secret of the Pythagoreans, a fraternal band of mathematicians and philosophers who wanted to inquire into the secret things of nature. Today this symbol still represents the desire to inquire into the structure of the cosmos and to know its secrets. There is no more magic in this medallion than the magic of understanding that is found in the enlightened human mind.

Deformed Perception Of Satanism:
Q: Ok. What about Richard Remer and those other satanic slaves?
A: Psychotic killers are failures. Drug cultists who are using voodoo to keep people in line are failures. Our philosophy is not a philosophy of failure, violence, and mayhem. [It is baseless] To say that the prince of darkness or the philosophy of Satanism is responsible for the combination of ignorance and psychosis that one sees in these crimes which have nothing to do with Satan or Satanism.

Q: What about books like "Michelle Remembers" written by ex-cultists who describe blood rituals, sexual perversion, and brain washing?
A: Stephen King makes a lot of money writing such things as fiction, others make a lot of money writing such things as fact. There is no evidence that any of these things have actually happened. Where are the convictions? Where are the trials? You get these people on talk shows. They never talk to police departments. They talk on television. Talk in books. Give me a break!

The Fall Of Biblical Churches:
Q: But that was one small period when the church fell from the grace of god.
A: This was the time when Christian faith had its strongest hold on the mind of men. You judge for yourself what the product was. Today that grip is weakening, technology is moving ahead, progress is being made, people are living longer, they have more freedom and more enjoyment in life. You tell me what Christianity has brought to humanity. At its hype, people were being burnt at the stake, hanged for heresy, people were dying in their 20'es and 30'es, filth and disease, and people said it was god's will. I’d rather be my own god if that’s the god that Christians have to offer.

PS: Download a text version of the interview here
PS: View the full interview here

The Servitude Of Truth

Truth is a mean, rather than a goal: A mean to make rational decisions and well-informed choices to enhance our experiences and favor those pleasant ones... Lets consider the basic definition of Satanism: It aims at understanding the mechanics of life so we can get through it, so we can make best use of things in our hands.

Knowledge is power: This is the main claim... But we dont sacrifice the end for a mean, do we? Its stupid if we do, but sometimes one gets too carried away with the mean that they forget the end!!!

Are They New Religions?

When a puppy reaches maturity it becomes a dog; when ice melts it is called water; when twelve months have been used up, we get a new calendar with the proper chronological name; when "magic" becomes scientific fact we refer to it as medicine, astronomy, etc. When one name is no longer appropriate for a given thing it is only logical to change it to a new one which better fits the subject. Why, then, do we not follow suit in the area of religion? Why continue to call a religion the same name when the tenets of that religion no longer fit the original one? Or, if religion does preach the same things that it always has, but its followers practice nearly none of its teachings, why do they continue to call themselves by the name given to followers of that religion?

source: The Satanic Bible, by Anton Lavey / Some Evidence Of New Satanic Age (PDF)

Satanic Commandment: Never Repent

Slipknot in "I Am Hated":

We will not repent - this is our religion (Full lyrics)

Repenting is an irrational, degrading, and self-abusing thought!

To better understand the implication of regret, and the philosophical reasoning behind that commandment, read this article.
snippet: Perhaps your counterpart would have had a better life than you, in which case the past event was impartially bad. It lead to a life less good than some alternative life would have been. But it wouldn't have been your life. So the alternative would not have benefitted you. It would have made someone else exist in your place.

Indulging Temptation

"I never resist temptation, because I have found that things that are bad for me do not tempt me." (source)

-George Bernard Shaw

True! True! True!

Funny Video: The Satanic Cult

Check this to see how funny satanism is perceived! :D

Ontological Question: Atheist Or Agnostic?

In discussions after dinner Darwin asked his guests, "Why do you call yourselves Atheists?" saying that he preferred the word "Agnostic." Aveling replied that "Agnostic was but Atheist writ respectable, and Atheist was only Agnostic writ aggressive." (source)

However, later in the same lecture, discussing modern non-anthropomorphic concepts of God, Russell states: That sort of God is, I think, not one that can actually be disproved, as I think the omnipotent and benevolent creator can. (source)

However, later in the essay, Russell says: I think that if I heard a voice from the sky predicting all that was going to happen to me during the next twenty-four hours, including events that would have seemed highly improbable, and if all these events then produced to happen, I might perhaps be convinced at least of the existence of some superhuman intelligence. (source)

So it depends on who is asking, and what they mean by their question; If it was an average person asking, i say im an atheist! If it was a philosophical question asked by a well-informed person, i say im an agnostic! From an ontological point of view, i am agnostic!

Ontology is the study of what exists... Materialism states that matter is the only thing that exists; I agree with the definition, with a slight twist to clear some confusion that might arise: Materialism states that everything that exists is matter!
So it exists if and only if it is matter...

What does that mean? It simply means that if there is such a thing as creator of this universe AKA God, then this "creator" is part of the universe rather than out of it! If a "super-natural being" created this universe, then this being is a "natural being" in its own dimension!

From an ontological POV i am an agnostic; From a semantic POV i am an atheist; Atheism states that there is no GOD... But the God that atheism rejects isnt a question of what exists; But rather rejects the definition of GOD; An omnibenevolent, omniscient, omnipotent, conscious definition of GOD...

The problem of evil shows that omnibenevolence is nothing but a dream! "Can God make a rock so big, that even he can't lift it?" This simple question shows that nothing is omnipotent! Assuming the existance of Injustice, Justice is an unattainable goal even for a GOD! One demonstration of the unattainability of Justice is the problem of hell...

Argument By Lack Of Imagination

Flaws in arguments vary in type, but they are all eventually flaws... Its is important to have knowledge in various types of flaws and fallacies used in arguments! The most notorious of those fallacies is the over-generaliztion.

One of the less commonly known fallacies, which usually passes unquestioned, is the "argument by lack of imagination" or alternatively called "argument by ignorance";

To give an example of such argument:
Imagine that at year 1000 BC, two people had this little chat,

PersonX: I wish I can reach the moon.
PersonY: You are unrealistic person. It is impossible to reach the moon.

Obviously, PersonY lacks the basic element of imagination, therefore had made a false assumption based on his ignorance of the possibility to land on the moon.

One of the notable usuages of this kind of argument is in oposition to atheism; It is said that in the old times, this conversation happened between a religious person and an atheist:

Religious: Yesterday i saw a ship; It had no crew, it had no captain, it was sailing in the middle in the sea without anyone onboard!
Atheist: Sorry Sir, I think this is a made up lie!
Religious: So you are telling me that it makes sense that our whole world, with all galaxies... The accurate system in which a simple flaw can be drastic... This big big universe can exist without a captain managing it, yet find it questionable to find a ship without a captain?

Obviously, that religious person lacks the basic element of imagination! I leave the proof to the smartasses out there!! ;)
One of my school teachers used to say: "Imagination is more imprtant than knowledge"; I have to agree, because you can gain knowledge by imagination, while without the element of imagination you cannot make use of the knowledge you have!

Religions Under The Critical Eye

Here are a few religion-oriented essays written eloquently:

Essay 1: My God is Better than Your God
A great article from an agnostic POV; A functional and objective analysis to the state of religions... A "religion-friendly" aproach that holds the premise that GOD wants whats good for humanity...
snippets: In fact, about the only thing they have in common is benevolence. They all want their people to prosper and be happy... Wow. What a bombshell! God wants you and I to be happy... So once again, I tried looking at it from a different perspective: if I can't figure out what will make everyone happy, what can I show that will make anyone unhappy? Then it occurred to me: violence, in the most general sense of the word, makes people unhappy... And where do we get most of our violence? Religion.


Full Essay:

As one of the newest contributors to my world, I feel I should try to distinguish myself from the other members of my illustrious team. After careful consideration, I’ve decided on my niche: I am going to try to bring you all kinds of news that will prove that My God is Better than Your God.

That’s right, I said it out loud. I’ll say it again: My God is Better than Your God. I don’t care if you’re a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu or Branch Davidian. My God is Better than All Your Gods. Hands down. Now I suppose at this point you’re either ranting, raving, or building something to kill me with (or you just don’t give a damn, which means you’re probably not even reading anymore) but hear me out. Once I explain why My God is Better than Your God, you’ll most likely agree with what I have to say.

The only thing that makes my God Better than Your God is this: I’m not even sure my God exists. But that’s OK, because in the end it doesn’t make a licking difference in my life anyways. The way I see it, all through history mankind has been having this debate over whose God is the Best. And when I say debate, I mean debate in the religious sense: war, rape, atrocities, torture, maiming and baby killing. The fun kind of debate that religion has been up to for thousands of years. My God has tried to get away from that debate. He’s lead me to search deep within myself for the true answers. So I did. I thought about him and Jesus and Mohamed and all those other crazy party animals.

I thought about all the things that make them different for awhile, but that was just crazy; there’s too many differences to even try to document them all. Then I thought about what makes them all the same, and you know what? There’s very little that make them all the same. In fact, about the only thing they have in common is benevolence. They all want their people to prosper and be happy. Wow. What a bombshell! God wants you and I to be happy. That is a true saying no matter what religion you are talking about (except for the crazy ones, and who wants to follow a god that doesn’t want what is best for you? Such as @@). So how do we all achieve real happiness? It’s not by praying. Maybe praying makes you happy, but it doesn’t do much for me, and other people find it downright offensive. Maybe it’s by taking whatever we can as quickly as possible. No, it’s not that either. Material goods bring happiness when you buy them, but they quickly loose their attraction, and you end up just wanting the new one that just came out after you bought yours. That’s not true happiness, and even if it was, it’s not a way to make all people happy, because we do live on a planet of finite resources. And if we’re not all happy, someone unhappy will find a way to make others that are happy pay.

I went on and on like this trying to figure it out, but after a while I was at the same point I was at when I was trying to map out the differences between the religions. There were just too many things to consider. So once again, I tried looking at it from a different perspective: if I can’t figure out what will make everyone happy, what can I show that will make anyone unhappy? Then it occurred to me: violence, in the most general sense of the word, makes people unhappy. So even though I’m not sure what will make everyone happy, I can make sure we get closer to this mythical state of happiness by trying to get rid of some violence in the world. And where do we get most of our violence? Religion. That’s right. Religion causes the most violence in the world, and it’s been that way since we invented the word religion.

So the goal for me is to convince as many people as possible to give up on religion. It’s not the way to find peace, or to find God. If God loves you and me, and wants the best for you and me, isn’t it just logical to give each other enough space to pursue happiness? As I said before, I don’t even know if my God exists. I’ve gotten no definitive answers to the question of God’s existence. If he does exist (and he is a benevolent God) then I will make him happy by being good to myself and others, the whole time trying to make myself and the world around me better. If he doesn’t exist, then I’m still going to try to make myself as happy as possible, and I’m going to do that by feeling proud of myself and my accomplishments. In other words, I’m going to try to improve myself and the world around me as much as possible. So either way, I’m going to try to make myself happy by constant improvement in my character.

That’s what my God taught me, and that is why My God is Better than Yours.

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Essay 2: Let's see if I can get some death threats out of this one
A harshly worded essay criticizing organized religions! Partly addressing the danish cartoons that echoed violently in the muslim world!
snippet: I know, I know, it's all about respecting other peoples' religions. But I say "fuck that." I don't respect anyone else's religion (clearly). And you know what? Many of them don't truly respect mine, or my lack thereof. I do, however, respect their right to whatever beliefs they want to have. You're allowed to have your ignorant views, I'm allowed to have mine.

Essay 3: Satanism: The way of Life
A satanic POV showing satanism in its true colors, rather than the misguided interpretations provided by religiously biased light that many authorities promote...
snippet: So be it known to you that Satanism is the way of life or better still call it philosophy of natural life and being such it has nothing to do with child molesters, perverts, psychic vampires, rapists etc. Satanism is a peaceful religion advocating freedom of religion and thought.

Update: I included the full text of Essay#1 because the link became dead