Gus Stevenson

The Satanic Misconception

The topic of Satanism is an important one that isn’t paid much attention in today’s society. It’s important not because it is a danger to our societies or way of life. Not because we are in constant danger of falling prey to murderous Satanic cults, but because we are in danger of remaining ignorant to what is essentially a belief system separate from others, like Christianity, but no more evil or manipulative than any other faith. Many people continue to believe that Satanism is an "evil" cult, and those who practice it are essentially maniacs. So what is Satanism really? What are its beliefs and practices, and how do they relate to the popular concept of Satanism?

Over the years, there have been several negative connotations associated with Satanism. Lurid tales of satanic ritual abuse, torture, and murder have circulated for centuries. Even today, people blame certain cases of murder, rape, and drug abuse on Satanism, among other things. In his book Painted Black, Carl Raschke provides several of such cases. One such case involved "Serial killer Richard Ramirez, known as the ‘Night Stalker,’ who displayed the satanic symbol of the five pointed star, or pentagram, during a courtroom appearance in 1985." (Raschke 118). However, most of these cases have little, if nothing to do with the actual religion. Over the years, several murders and rapists have claimed to be Satanists, even though they had very limited affiliation or knowledge of the religion. In their book "The Satanism Scare," James Richardson, Joel Best, and David Bromley cited several sources on the subject, including essays, books, and newspaper articles. This book was written to "focus on claims about Satanism and on the question of whose interests are being served by such claims." (Richardson et al. 3). The part of one article that caught my eye was one about Fundamentalist Christianity’s view of Satanism. It stated that "the message is clear and simple: all real Christians should be warning others about the satanic threat." (Richardson et al. 6). However, the book’s authors are skeptical that such a powerful "satanic threat" actually exists.

Perhaps the largest misconception about Satanism is the Satanists are devil worshipers, but there is a big difference between Satanism and devil worship. Satanists don’t worship the devil. They don’t even acknowledge the Satan that Christians believe in. However, as to what the actual satanic concept of Satan is depends on which branch of Satanism you are talking about. As with many other religions, Satanism is composed of several different denominations. The largest of these is the "Church of Satan," founded by Anton LaVey in the late 1960s. In their belief, Satan is a concept or principle, representing basic human desire and instinct. Another major satanic denomination is the "Temple of Lot." In their belief, Satan is a deity, but separate from the Christian Devil, and they still don’t worship it.

So if Satanists don’t worship the devil, then what do they worship? LaVey mentions in the Satanic Bible, "It is a popular misconception that the Satanist does not believe in God. The concept of ‘God,’ as interpreted by man, has been so varied throughout the ages, that the Satanist simply accepts the definition which suits him best." (LaVey 40). Basically, they see "God" as the "powerful force which permeates and balances universe, far too impersonal to care about the happiness or misery of flesh-and- blood creatures on this ball of dirt upon which we live." (LaVey 40). Their focus is not on any metaphysical being, but on the individual Satanist. "Satanism is a religion of the flesh, rather than the spirit." (LaVey 23). They believe that "God didn’t create Man in his image, but Man created God in his image." (LaVey 45). So, logically, if you created God, why not make that God yourself? Accordingly, the Satanist becomes the most important aspect of Satanism, and the most important of the Satanist holidays is the Satanist’s own birthday.

As I mentioned earlier, Satanism is composed of several denominations, the major ones being the "Church of Satan" and the "Temple of Lot." The former was founded by Anton LaVey, author of The Satanic Bible. "Michael Aquino, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer and High Priest in LaVey’s Church, left the Church along with 28 other Satanist priests to form the Temple of Set. His reasoning was "a person professing to be a 'Satanist' but denying the existence of Satan is simply using the term for ulterior purposes such as personal glamorization or commercial exploitation. If that person denies the existence of all metaphysical beings, he is thereby an atheist, not a Satanist." (qtd in Schall 56). Therefore, as opposed to the Church of Satan’s belief in Satan as a concept, the Temple of Lot believes Satan to be a deity. However, for intensive purposes, I’ll focus on the beliefs of the Church of Satan.

The main beliefs of the Satanist religion are reflected in the "Nine Satanic Statements." Among them are, "Satan represents indulgence, rather than abstinence," "Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek," and "Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates!"(LaVey 25). These statements also reflect the satanic belief in Satan as a principle, rather than a being.

Satanists practice indulgence, instead of abstinence. In their belief, failure to give in to one’s desires only leads to dissatisfaction, bitterness, and even compulsion. "Satanism encourages its followers to indulge in their natural desires. Only by so doing can you be a completely satisfied person with no frustrations which can be harmful to yourself and others around you." (LaVey 81). Satanists are even encouraged to indulge in the seven deadly sins. Satanic belief argues that "they hurt no one; they were only invented by the Christian Church to insure guilt on the part of its followers, because they are all things which we, being human, most naturally do." (LaVey 85). In their belief, many of the acts condemned by the Christian Church are perfectly normal, and that they were made immoral by the Church only because they knew that these sins, which include anger, lust, and gluttony, were basically unavoidable, and would lead to an endless cycle of guilt for everyone.

LaVey also mentions in the Satanic Bible that "you can’t love everyone, and that it’s ridiculous to think you can." (LaVey 64) "The truth is that human beings are not all benign or all-loving." (LaVey 65). In his belief, trying to feel love for everyone only causes it to lose its true meaning. "By honestly recognizing and admitting to both the hate and love one feels, there is no confusing one emotion with the other." (LaVey 65). Accordingly, it is completely acceptable to feel hate toward another individual. Why pretend to love them, when in reality you are wishing them into the fires of hell? Why not just admit your true your true feelings, and avoid confusion between the two emotions?

The topic of Satanism has indeed been a controversial subject for many years. Although it is seen by many as an "evil" or "corrosive" belief system, and has even become somewhat synonymous with the word "cult," Satanism is a religion, like any other. It has its own beliefs, practices, and denominations. It also believes itself to be the true religion, and holds a critical view of the beliefs of other religions. It also holds many beliefs that are contrary to other religions. It holds indulgence and the individual in high regard, and they believe that love and hate should not be confused. Personally, I believe that tolerance of faiths other than your own is important. As people have different tastes for food or music, I believe that people also have different tastes for spirituality. But we must not discriminate against a faith just because it is different from ours, or because we think it is wrong. After all, the people on the other side are probably thinking the same of us.

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Works Cited

Grace, Kevin Michael. "Satanism- how real?" Newsmagazine July 1997: 34.

LaVey, Anton Szandor. The Satanic Bible. New York: Avon Books Inc., 1969.

Raschke, Carl A. Painted Black: From Drug Killings to Heavy Metal - The Alarming True Story of How Satanism Is Terrorizing Our Communities. New York: Harper & Row, 1990.

Richardson, James T., Joel Best, and David G. Broley. The Satanism Scare. New York: Aldine De Gruyter, 1991.

Schall, James V. "Satanism." Crisis Sept. 1997: 56.