What does Satan mean to you?

[gurlygurl2004]

I'm curious as a Satanist, what does Satan mean or stand for, for you? Do you take into account the fallen angel myth/story of Christianity?

[DarkWater]

He is Lucifer the Light Bringer, owner of the flaming sword.

[Fairy_Princess]

Satan's real name is Parry and he's not a bad sort once you get to know him....

[MoonDust]

Nothing really. not into the whole christian/satan thing.

[Stormbeard]

Hell ain't a bad place. Hell is from here to eternity.



That said, I'm fucking sick of these threads. Stop asking the same question over and over again or I will come to your house and cut you.

[Eternal Night]

Hell ain't a bad place. Hell is from here to eternity.



That said, I'm huging sick of these threads. Stop asking the same question over and over again or I will come to your house and cut you.

Hawt! :heybaby:

[NADer_Meister]

Satan represents power and freedom and independence and rebellion.

He is the ultimate rebel against Christianity and against slavery.

[_Mo_]

For me, the myth of the fallen angel of Lucifer is a beautiful story, but nothing more than influence in today's religions. I believe Satanism is the power within me to put my middle finger in the air and tell the judgmental Christians in my town where to stick their Bibles. It's my power to indulge in my human instincts without fear of persecution from conformists and without guilt. Satanism represents an escape from conformity and the freedom to do what my spirit needs. It's really the driving fire behind my path, keeping me going no matter what my family may do to me if they find out of my Pagan path.

Satan himself is much more complicated. Satan and Satanism are two totally different things. Satanism is the human instinct inside all of us, while Satan (for me, at least) represents all polar opposites: good/evil, hot/cold, up/down, smile/frown, praise/curse, etc. Metaphorically, this means the choices we must make and how these affect our spirit and who we are. Satan gives us the freedom to not be the Jesus-clones the Christian God encourages us to be, but rather to embody a spirit all our own that represents something unique for all of us.

I'm gonna stop rambling now because I know I'm not making much sense...I can explain what Satanism is to me much better, but Satan himself keeps coming off as something similar or almost the same, when he's not...meh...

[Thyrsos]

I won Satan's soul in a game of strip poker, but I'm letting her buy it back, one sin at a time.

[Rainsong]

I've always felt that all things come from energy and if enough people believe in something then their combined energy creates that reality. So the "idea" of "satan" that so many hold to, creates the energy to make "him" real in their lives. As for me... That's not an energy I choose to lend to.

[Stormbeard]

I've always felt that all things come from energy and if enough people believe in something then their combined energy creates that reality. So the "idea" of "satan" that so many hold to, creates the energy to make "him" real in their lives. As for me... That's not an energy I choose to lend to.
Satan is not self perpetuating

[earthtide]

Satan is not self perpetuating

How do you know?

If you've ever read the Philip Pullman books His Dark Materials, it gives an AWESOME new perspective on satanism. Don't expect to get it from the movie though.

[Sacredsin]

Satan is semi-complicated. Growing up Satan was always Christianity's bad boy, but now I view Satan as LaVey did.

[Stormbeard]

How do you know?

Because for that to be possible, things exist simply because others believe them to exist.

If I believe you can fly, and you believe you can fly, and enough people believe you can fly. You will still fall to a horrible death from a tall building.

[earthtide]

Because for that to be possible, things exist simply because others believe them to exist.

If I believe you can fly, and you believe you can fly, and enough people believe you can fly. You will still fall to a horrible death from a tall building.

That's not necessarily true, because Satan is a concept rather than a thing. For example, common courtesy vs. I can fly. Common courtesy is a concept developed over many years that exists ONLY because others believe it to exist. Flying for a human without aid is virtually impossible due to the laws of gravity, and thus it does not matter who believes it exists or not.

So, the concepts of God and Satan, two things that aren't scientifically provable, would not exist if people ceased to believe in them. To clarify, God exists as an idea that a large amount of people follow as a moral code of ethic. If no one believed in God, "he" wouldn't exist.

Thus, concepts are only self-perpetuating, and nothing more.

[/know-it-all] :crown:

[Beatnik Bettie]

So, the concepts of God and Satan, two things that aren't scientifically provable, would not exist if people ceased to believe in them. To clarify, God exists as an idea that a large amount of people follow as a moral code of ethic. If no one believed in God, "he" wouldn't exist.

Thus, concepts are only self-perpetuating, and nothing more.

[/know-it-all] :crown:

You're assuming that most Satanists think of Satan as an actual being, much like the christians who think of God as being an old bloke with a beard and billowy robes...

[earthtide]

You're assuming that most Satanists think of Satan as an actual being, much like the christians who think of God as being an old bloke with a beard and billowy robes...

Even as a symbol, a symbol of whatever Satanists symbolize with Satan, without the personal effort to believe that symbol exists, it flutters away into the distance. For example, crows aren't a symbol for honey nut cheerios. But if I believe they are, and then I publish a book about how they are, and then a bunch of people read it, believing it, all of a sudden, every time someone sees a crow they buy honey nut cheerios (and I get paid massive amounts of money from General Mills... :lol:). The point I'm trying to make is that symbols and conceptual thinking are both human constructs, that wouldn't exist if we didn't think of them.

[David19]

You're assuming that most Satanists think of Satan as an actual being, much like the christians who think of God as being an old bloke with a beard and billowy robes...

Just to play devil's advocate (I swear I didn't do that on purpose!), but there are quite a few Theistic Satanists, especially on the internet, and offline (the Temple of Set (http://www.xeper.org/), IMO, being the largest, and a great organisation, again, IMO).

I'd also recommend Diane Vera's Theistic Satanist site (http://www.theisticsatanism.com/), for a really great Theistic Satanist site, IMO (and one of the best, much better than the Joy of Satan (http://www.angelfire.com/empire/serpentis666/), a neo-Nazi organisation (see here for the author's, unedited views (http://www.666blacksun.com/)).

Just throwing that out there. There are quite a few Satanists who do see Satan as real being, not just as symbol, in the same way that Pagans see their Gods, etc.

[Beatnik Bettie]

Just to play devil's advocate (I swear I didn't do that on purpose!), but there are quite a few Theistic Satanists, especially on the internet, and offline (the Temple of Set (http://www.xeper.org/), IMO, being the largest, and a great organisation, again, IMO).

I'd also recommend Diane Vera's Theistic Satanist site (http://www.theisticsatanism.com/), for a really great Theistic Satanist site, IMO (and one of the best, much better than the Joy of Satan (http://www.angelfire.com/empire/serpentis666/), a neo-Nazi organisation (see here for the author's, unedited views (http://www.666blacksun.com/)).

Just throwing that out there. There are quite a few Satanists who do see Satan as real being, not just as symbol, in the same way that Pagans see their Gods, etc.

Oh, I know about theistic Satanists, which is why I used the qualifier "most Satanists"... actually, in retrospect, 'most' is maybe not the right term, I should have said "some"... not really sure of the exact numbers...

[Stormbeard]

Flying for a human without aid is virtually impossible due to the laws of gravity, and thus it does not matter who believes it exists or not.

But you see the laws of physics were invented by mankind, they may not neccessarily be true or correct.

[black sun]

Satan himself is an icon of sorts. A representation of a philosophy.