Satanism - Principles, Beliefs, Statements, and Sins

[Raevyn]

This site I found is excellent for a general reference, so I thought I'd give everyone a few links off it to help them understand Satanism. If someone is interested in discussing it, I think, it's a good idea to at least look over part of what it is. (Please note, these opinions are not my own, and I don't suggest that I agree with everything here. I present it for discussion and reference, not as my own work or belief).


Question: "Who is Satan?"

Response: "In Satanism, Satan is an archetype, a representation of certain qualities that the Satanist embodies including rational self-interest, avoidance of oppressive mentalities, the questioning of all, and a perseverance towards success and human potential."


Question: "What is the difference between Satanism and devil worship?"

Response: "Satanism and devil worship are two distinctly different animals. Devil worship is what it is: the worship of an external deity, much as it could be labeled inverse Xtianity. The Satan in Satanism is an archetype, one many know by name and is relative to the culture. Some Satanists choose different aspects of this archetype, depending on geography or just plain aesthetics, but the same characteristics still hold true. It would make little sense for us to claim to embody the archetypal qualities of Satan (rebellion, rational self-interest, carnality, etc.) on one hand, and then attempt to worship an anthropomorphic Satan on the other. In laymen's terms, it's hardly rebellious to worship a figure that represents rebellion. Devil worshipers need to be subjugated, ask for it by their own actions. The Satanist finds such unproductive and one-sided idol worship to be draining and useless (not to mention hypocritical).

[Raevyn]

Essentials - the statements, rules, sins, etc.

The 9 Satanic Statements

I Satan represents indulgence, instead of abstinence!

II Satan represents vital existence, instead of spiritual pipe dreams!

III Satan represents undefiled wisdom, instead of hypocritical self-deceit!

IV Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates!

V Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek!

VI Satan represents responsibility to the responsible, instead of concern for psychic vampires!

VII 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!

VIII Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!

IX Satan is the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years!

-------The Satanic Bible

The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth

I Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.

II Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure that they want to hear them.

III When in another's lair, show him respect or else do not go there.

IV If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy.

V Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.

VI Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the person and he cries out to be relieved.

VII Acknowledge the power of magic if you have used it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained.

VIII Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.

IX Do not harm little children.

X Do not kill non-human animals unless attacked or for your food.

XI When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.

-------Anton Szandor LaVey, 1967 c.e.

[Raevyn]

The 9 Satanic Sins

For years, people have asked Church of Satan representatives, "Well, okay - your philosophy is based on indulgence of human instincts but do you have sins like any other religion?" Our answer has always been "No". But the time has come to amend that response. We have grown steadily over the past 21 years and find that it is appropriate to have some clear guidelines on, not only what we strive for,but also what we work to avoid - what we disapprove of. The difference is where other religions develop sins that people can't avoid, we consider a number of things "sinful" that people could avoid if they worked a little.

Stupidity -- The top of the list for Satanic Sins. The Cardinal Sin of Satanism. It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid.

Pretentiousness -- Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn't applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone's made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not.

Solipsism -- Can be very dangerous for Satanists. Projecting your reactions, responses and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won't. Instead, Satanists must strive to apply the dictum of "Do unto others as they do unto you." It's work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point.

Self-deceit -- It's in the Nine Satanic Statements but deserves to be repeated here. Another cardinal sin. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it's fun, and with awareness. But then, it's not self-deceit!

Herd Conformity -- That's obvious from a Satanic stance. It's all right to conform toa person's wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many.

Lack of Perspective -- Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain for a Satanist. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints -- know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world.

Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies -- Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something "new" and "different," when in reality it's something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the "creator" and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society.

Counterproductive Pride -- That first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you've painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, "I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow," then do it.

Lack of Aesthetics -- This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but "an eye" for for beauty, for balance, is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It's not what's supposed to be pleasing -- it's what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one's own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied.

-------Anton Szandor LaVey, 1987 c.e.

Also take a look at Pentagonal Revisionism - the ultimate goals of Satanism (http://www.satanism101.com/penrev.html), A Satanism FAQ (http://www.satanism101.com/satfaq.html) and Another Satanism FAQ (http://www.churchofsatan.org/faq.html).

Also of interest,


VIII Beware of cults offering sex orgies and drugs, or killing animals in the name of Satan. As you well know, these are not part of Satanic practices. The leaders are copying the lame-brain spook stories from Geraldo and Oprah and obviously know less than you do. Use common sense. Don't let someone take advantage of you for his or her own perversity; examine motives carefully.

Read more on the Satanism bunco sheet (http://www.satanism101.com/bunco.html).

[Raevyn]

Links (http://www.satanism101.com/weblinks.html) which will also be of great interest.

Also, check out Satanism 101 (http://www.satanism101.com/) which is what I'm using as a reference and from which I get all the info I've posted here. It's also recommended that one read the Satanic Bible to get an understanding of Satanism.

(Note to mods - I'm pretty sure what I've pasted here falls within fair usage guidelines and I intend to post it for discussion and consideration. Obviously if there's a problem you'll edit it or let me know so I can).

[Raevyn]

Now, I have a few comments here.. I hope Marchosias and Haedis especially will chime in as well.

I think the first bit, the two quotes I posted as to Satanism and Satan as an archetype, help clear up what I'm looking at here - a religion or philosophy based around an archetype or symbol, not on a deity. I personally don't necessarily agree with belittling those who do work with Satan as a specific entity, as the author seems to here, but I see the point as well.

From the statements, you can see Satanism is largely based on achieving one's needs on this plain and in this life, rather then putting stock in things that might not exist in another (such as Heaven, Hell, Gods, etc.). It also focuses on not encouraging stupidity, and from there has a bit of a bite to it.

I find the rules interesting and often very applicable. As you can see they advise *not* killing animals except for protection or food, *not* stealing, *not* forcing oneself on others, and being respectful of people, while still not allowing oneself to be compromised (as in, respect people until they show you you shouldn't).

The sins, I feel, are also mostly quite reasonable. The "ultimate goals of Satanism", I feel, are goals as seen by the author of the website more so then Satanism in general. I'm not sure I agree with some of them or would consider them ultimate goals as a Satanist, but as usual this is all IMHO.

[Valnorran]

Glad to see that somebody finally listed stupidity as a first class sin!

[MistOfTheSea86]

Originally posted by Valnorran
Glad to see that somebody finally listed stupidity as a first class sin!

Yes really!

I remember in the past when we had discussions on this Raevyn, it always ended badly. But now hopefully we will all approach this in a clear logical manner and no one will be hurt and offended.

This actually cleared up alot for me on the subject and it will be much easier for me to defend when someone's ignorance gets the best of them. I do agree with you on how the author would belittle others for their own personal beliefs, and although some of them I feel would deserve a nice smack on the head with a two by four, he seems much more adamant to claim stupidity on someone who differs in his belief system. There is in interesting article that twig posted, I will see if I can find it.

[MistOfTheSea86]

http://www.neopagan.net/Contents.html

[vespertine]

Thankyou for posting that information Raevyn!! Ive never really read much about Satanism, (never really pricked my interest) but im glad I read through this, even though its just skimming the surface, it was quite interesting to separate hearsay from some of the facts

[Haedis]

I have a couple of questions directed at nobody in particular.

Do you think LaVey often fell victim to the "sins" of Satanism, himself? If so...which and why do you think so?

Do you find that Satanists in general do a good job of avoiding the Sins?

Do you think that Satanists are more apt to "sin" than Christians are? (judging by their own definitions of sin)

[Marchosias]

The inquiry is quite welcome, Haedis!
I would like to think that the Satanic sins are more...reasonable than the Christian ones. After all, we are not trying to emulate a God, which makes things simpler.
As far as frequency, I would put our amount of "sin" around equal to Christians, possibly less.
I would also say that one of the hardest sins for new Satanists is herd conformity, as it can be easy to fall into that kind of thing. Not a problem for me--I educated myself, and am solitary.
Hope that helped

[Draca]

Since LaVeys death in 1997, much has come to light about his personal life. You ask did he succomb to his own self defined sins?
If the new evidence is to be believed it would seem he did. He allegedly abused at least one of his wifes. He also beat and mistreated his pet Lion Togare. Many of the claims which he made in His various writings have proven to be false. There is no record of his ever having worked for the SFPD. He never was an organist for the San Francisco orchastra. He died embittered, broke and and estranged from his family. One can read most of this evidence and the First Church of Satan website.

In regards to your second question. I think that most serious, modern Satanist do a good job of avoiding the "Satanice Sins". If only because it hurts when you screw up your life making these errors.

Concering your third question I do believe that Satanists are more careful about avoiding their self defined sins than Christians and other religonists are because they know it is in their own best interests to do so. Christian sins are designed to keep the Christian to avoid doing anything pleasurable, and or taking actions which might lead them to question their churches teachings. Satanic sins on the other hand are guidelines which help one to avoid pain and suffering to begin with.

[Draca]

You have done an admirable job of representing the key ideas behind Modern Satanism. I would like to point out that like Neo-Paganism and Christianity there are different sects within Contemporary Satanism. Chief among the types of these sects are the already discussed modern Satanist, and Traditional Satanist. Traditionals generally are looked down upon by Modern Satanist as being Devil worshipers and as such are no better than their Christian counterparts.
As in most things in the real world there are many shades and degrees of Traditional Satanism. There are some very scholarly and serious ceremonial magicians in the Traditional movement. Then again you have some real crazys out there who are an embarssment to all Satanist. There are also many wannabees who think they are Satanist because they have a favorite satanic band or because they dress in black and play the big bad magus. I hope most pagans realise that there are plenty of overnight Witch Queens in their own ranks that should not be taken seriously. I hope this brief article has cast a little more light on the subject.

[Sequoia]

wow, that was a really fascinating read!

I read an essay a friend of mine had written on Satanism, from his point of view, and had been surprised that I'd agreed with much of it. Reading this, I also agree with it. o_o dear gods, somebody hold me, I'm agreeing with satanists. ;)

ack- I need to go. Sorry for the short post! But that was all really interesting! Thanks a lot! I've learned :D

[Malkosha]

I read the Satanic Bible when I was stationed in California back in the early 70’s (geezer alert). My interpretation at the time was heavily based on my Christian upbringing but even then I found a lot of material that I agreed with. I’ve also studied the Satanic Rituals and for the most part they were put together quite well. I went as far as memorizing the ritual of destruction if for no other purpose the way that the prose went together to create a powerful effect.

Back then I had the understanding that there were different levels of information dissemination to the church.

The level represented in the Satanic Bible was for the general public and presented a belief that we as humans needed to rely on ourselves. In fact when we pray to God (xian) we admit failure and the inability to accomplish anything ourselves. This in turn gives rise to being susceptible to outside influences and made us sheep like and easily controlled. It seems the slant of the book was set towards self-reliance, power through knowledge and belief in one’s self.

In the deeper levels, that the public was barely aware of, I was led to believe that the actually worship of Satan as a being was taking place in a manner that resembles the classic xian take on it. Like I said earlier however, I had a strong xian influence and most of the info on the “other” take on the Church was highly suspect. After reading some of the info in the links above, I still find the philosophy a tad too self-absorbed and barren for my tastes. However, it makes for an interesting read and now I think I can take a stab at understanding the concepts without all the “baggage” that I brought with me the first time I looked it over. Great post!