Satanism

Satanism is a religious, semi-religious and/or philosophical movement whose adherents recognize Satan as an archetype, pre-cosmic force, or some aspect of human nature. Although named for Satan, a name associated with evil and temptation, Satanism is more commonly the name given to certain spiritual paths which emphasize the Left-Hand Path, as opposed to the much more common Right-Hand Path. Left-Handers believe in spiritual enrichment through their own work on themselves, and that ultimately they are answerable only to themselves, while Right-Handers believe in spiritual enrichment through the dissolution or submission of the self to (or into) something greater. Many Satanists do not in fact worship a deity called Satan, or necessarily any other deity, nor do they follow a principle of evil. This aspect of their beliefs is very commonly misunderstood.

Satan within Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Ayyavazhi

The term "Satan" originated with Judaism and was expanded upon by Christians and Muslims. This Judeo-Christian-Islamic view of Satan can be broken up as follows:

Related Topics:
Judaism - Christians - Muslims - Judeo-Christian - Islamic

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• Jewish: Satan ‏(שטן)‏ in Hebrew, means "adversary" or "accuser", and is also the name used for the angel who tests believers. Satan is not considered an enemy of God, but a servant whose duties include testing the faith of humanity.
• Islamic: The Arabic word for Satan, "al-Shaitaan" ‏(الشيطان)‏ means transgressor, or adversary, as in Judaism. It is a title which is generally attributed to a being called Iblis, who is a Jinn.
• Christian: In many branches of Christianity, Satan, originally Lucifer (before he fell away from Grace), is a spiritual being who opposes God, to wit, the Divinity in Nature. (In Christianity, the fallen "son of the dawn" of Isaiah 14:12 is identified with the "adversary" of the Book of Job.) Also called the Devil from the Greek "diabolos" (Διαβολος), meaning "slanderer" or "one who accuses falsely" (derived from a verb which most literally means "to throw across" or "carry something over"). Reportedly, LaVey made the claim that the word "devil" was derived from the Sanskrit "devi", meaning goddess (though this is an incorrect etymology). This idea might seem plausible because of the patriarchal teachings of all three of the major monotheistic religions, and the example of other "pagan" proper nouns and archetypes that had been appropriated and redefined by Christianity and Judaism (e.g. Baal, Hel, Pan, Lucifer, Astarte, etc.).
• Ayyavazhi: Akilattirattu Ammanai the source of Ayyavazhi mythology and religious book of Ayyavazhi says about Kroni, a satan like figure. He was sliced into six fragments and in each succesive Yugas these fragments took birth in the world as Ravana, Duryodhana etc.