SATANISM: MY BELIEFS AND POINT OF VIEW
As of 6-1-05

What is diety?

There is a uncomprehensible, impersonal force which is part of everything and everything is part of. Everything was created from this force and everything returns to it when it dies. It is neither good, nor evil, yet it is both. It is neither male, nor female, yet it is both. Being impersonal, there is no such thing as “God’s plan”, since it does not acknowledge our existence.

Throughout history, man has felt this force and tried to explain it. Therefore, they invented gods and goddesses to explain different aspects of nature. Different civilizations had different gods and goddesses. Examples of these are Roman, Greek, and Egyptian mythology.

What is paganism?

Paganism is the ancient, pre-Christian polytheistic belief in and reverence to the gods/goddesses of nature. Often times, this included a belief in the reality of magic/witchcraft. There are many forms of paganism, encompassing many belief systems or religions. The modern day, “mainstream” revival of paganism is known as Neo-Paganism.

What is the Christian connection?

As Christianity was formed, they took the old pagan gods/goddesses and transformed them into the demons, making them the enemies of the “one true God”. The image Christianity uses for the Devil is that of the horned god, Pan. Christianity, being a monotheistic belief system (which in reality is a duotheistic belief system, pitting God against the Devil) had to find a way to gain and keep control over its followers as its influence spread. Therefore, when someone sins, the Devil influences/tempts them. However, seeing that the “Seven Deadly Sins” all concern natural human instincts which the Church saw as threats, it is impossible for a person to keep themselves from sinning.

The Christian myth of Satan is as follows. When God created the angels, one stood out as his favorite. His name was Lucifer and was the most beautiful angel. After a while, Lucifer grew jealous of God’s power and began to question his authority. He led a revolt with some of the angels. After a battle over Heaven, Lucifer and his followers were cast out of Heaven and down into Hell, where they suffer for all eternity.

What is the relevance of the myth of the Fall of Satan to Satanism?

The Christian myth of the fall of Lucifer is symbolic of Christians rejecting the “evil” parts of themselves and God, and only accepting the “good”. This is how they can blame the Devil for their shortcomings. When followers of organized religions begin to rationally think for themselves and question what they are told to believe, they are silenced with non-answers. The Devil is attacking their faith and they are told to strengthen their faith and believe because they are told so. Those who do not submit are rejected and at times even thrown out of the Church for not following blindly.

What Satanism is?

Satanism is reverence to a pre-Christian idea of Satan. Satan represents the balance and dualism in nature: good/evil, male/female, etc. By reverence, it is meant that Satanists take inspiration from what Satan stands for, not that they actually worship and bow down before Satan. Satanism is named as such because, even though the philosophy it represents is one of the oldest known to man, Satan is the most familiar representation of those principles in modern society. Also, since Satanists hold nature sacred, Satanism is a Pagan belief system. However, although there are many gods and goddesses, Satanists relate most to Satan.

Satanists believe in responsibility to the responsible. We don’t need some unseen “God” to tell us what is right and wrong. Since one makes up one’s own mind, each person is held responsible for their actions. This is the essence of true free will. Since we each only have to answer to ourselves as to what is right and wrong, there is no such thing as committing a sin and one will not be eternally punished in some sort of “Hell”. These are two creations of the Christian church to keep people in line.

Satanists believe in indulging, rather than abstaining from, our natural instincts and desires. When one represses one’s natural instincts and desires, it will lead to unhealthy expression and manifestation of them. Sins, including the so-called “Seven Deadly Sins”, represent everything the Christian church tries to repress in its followers to keep them in spiritual slavery. They all naturally lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification.

Satanists believe in questioning everything and taking nothing as truth on blind faith. The Christian church and world governments have held the masses enslaved for centuries through manipulation, fear, and brainwashing.

Satanists believe in true individuality and self-expression. Satanists live by two ethical concepts. The first is “Do what thou will”. Do what you want as long as you feel it is the right thing to do for yourself. Be yourself and don’t care about other’s opinions of you. Let your creativity flow out of you naturally instead of allowing censorship, including from yourself. Think for yourself and form your own opinions. Do not fall victim to the herd mentality, for conformity is the death of the individual. The second is “Do unto others as they do unto you”. Treat everyone as they deserve. Loving everyone unconditionally is unnatural. Of course, meet everyone with a blank page, but judge them by their true colors and treat them accordingly.

Satanism is life-affirming. Satanists live with a lust for life. Therefore, they do not live waiting to die. The Christian church tells people to live according to its rules in order to be saved after death. Since no one knows what happens after death, there is no sense in depriving yourself of living life. You only have one chance at it. Satanists abhor the idea of death because, in a way, life is like a party, and who wants to leave a good party.

Satanists believe in complete separation of church and state.

Satanism is an individualistic religion. One is not taught to believe any dogma or follow any thinking which is naturally rejected by the self.

What Satanism is not?

Satanism is not a worship or practice of evil. Satanism has nothing to do with kidnapping, ritual murder, senseless murder, or the killing of children or animals. Children and animals are the purest, unpolluted forms of life energy, and to take away that energy would be against the affirmation of life.

Satanists are law-abiding. Since breaking laws would be against one’s best interest, it would be detrimental to satanic philosophy.

Satanism is not reverse-Christianity. Since a Satanist does not believe in Christian doctrine and dogma, involving any of it in ritual would be pointless.

Although Satanism represents elevation of the ego and positive heightening one’s self-esteem, it does not mean that one should deny emotional ups and downs and natural emotional reactions. While Satanists aspire to achieve a god-like status, they are still human, with human faults and fears.

Satanism is an individualistic religion. There are no concrete right or wrong answers to one’s approach. One must keep an open mind, even when studying Satanism itself. While investigating different Satanic groups, adopt what aligns with your natural philosophy, and reject what seems suspect. And beware of anyone who claims to have a direct link to Satan, claims to have spoken to Satan personally, or claims to know what Satan thinks.

Satanism is not a religion of prostelyzation. Satanists do not try to convert others. They may have intelligent conversations to explain Satanism and correct misconceptions. It is believed one is born a Satanist. One should not have to try to live Satanic philosophy. It should already be a natural part of one’s makeup.

One only needs to find alignment with Satanic philosophy to be a Satanist. Satanism does not involve selling your soul to the Devil or making blood pacts with demons. However, certain blasphemy rituals or dedication rituals can help to psychologically free one of the guilt and hang-ups which stem from the brainwashing of organized religion.

What is Satan?

This is a three-fold answer.

Satan is an aspect of the nature force which everyone feels. Satan represents that part which people in organized religion reject as the “evil” part of themselves. Since one makes up one’s own mind about what is right and wrong, “good” and “evil” are subjective concepts forced on us by organized religion and society. Satanists accept themselves as they are.

Satan is also one of the Pagan gods which represents an aspect of Nature. Satan represents man’s carnal nature: sexuality, sensuality, greed, lust, power. When Satanists call on Satan in ritual or for magic, they are not praying to him. They are merely tapping into the energy in nature through the god they relate to most. Satan is the one who questions all things.

Satan is also man himself. Since gods are invented by humans to explain existence, Satan is part of man. When Christians talk about the Anti-Christ, they don’t really refer to one person who is the son of the Devil or a human incarnation of the Devil. They refer to every Satanist, since they are Satan.

What are demons?

When Christianity started to take control of the religious landscape, most people were polytheistic. In order to control the masses, the leaders of the Church forced most to convert, making most people accept a monotheistic approach. Those who did not convert were either eliminated or forced into hiding. As this happened, the old gods were changed to demons and were said to be evil. However, as with all of nature, the demons are aligned with energy. Certain ones are more aligned with positive energy, and others with negative energy. When people call on them for assistance in magical workings, they materialize according to the intent and nature of the one utilizing the magic, along with the nature of the particular demon being utilized.

What is magic?

Like a good number of Pagans, many Satanists are also witches. They study the occult and utilize divination tools and magic to achieve positive change in their lives.

Magic is not unlike the concept of praying. When a person says a prayer, the person asks for intervention or guidance from a supreme God. However, when witches perform magic spells, they are actually empowering themselves psychologically to create change. Whereas praying is asking and waiting (and maybe never seeing results), magic is preparation to action. It serves to alter your consciousness. It yields results according to the amount of dedication of the one who performed the spell.

Unlike popular misconception, magic is not supernatural. It is an exchange or displacement of natural energy. When a witch performs a working, he or she sends part of their personal energy into the universe. This energy is what affects outer forces, including the sub-conscious mind of another person. Our sub-conscious is constantly being influenced by outside forces. The degree to which someone is influenced depends on their awareness of the influence and the extent of their ability to reject it. Someone does not need to believe in the effectiveness of magic to cast a successful spell or be affected as a recipient. This is why someone should not perform magic unless they know what they are doing and are prepared to accept responsibility for the results, whether positive or negative.

There is no such thing as white and black magic. There is just magic. The intent and nature of the person utilizing it yields the results. If someone is looking to tap into negative energy, they will yield negative results. The same goes for positive energy. Also, one’s knowledge of magic and the demons one conjures up influences results. With the knowledge and power of magic comes the necessity for responsible use of that knowledge and power.

Hail Satan!