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.

Types and approaches within Satanism

Philosophical Satanism

Largely considered to have been unofficially founded by Anton Szandor LaVey, with his creation of the Church of Satan (the first above-ground organization to use the term), Philosophical Satanism views one's self as the subjective center of the universe, and the highest aspirations and virtues are those which seek the elevation and improvement of the individual Satanist over others. Philosophical Satanists generally do not recognize a theological deity or a metaphysical afterlife (though this is not to say that one must not); however this does not equate to a life devoid of spirituality.

Related Topics:
Anton Szandor LaVey - Church of Satan - Subjective

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To the Philosophical Satanist, one is one's own god. He disdains rationalist, secular humanistic beliefs, seeing them as abhoring the existence of the supernatural, only to thereby promote a sterile life grounded in the 'real world' alone and sees them as working towards the altruistic advancement of His fellow man while neglecting due attendance to one's own gratification and fulfillment. Obviously, philosophically Satanic thought has had a long history before LaVey's Church, though it was the notion of Satan as the idealistic, self-seeking black sheep which inspired the title in spite of contemporary Christianity (which views him as evil because of these qualities).

Related Topics:
Church - Black sheep

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LaVeyan Satanism

Main article: LaVeyan Satanism

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This type of Satanism is based on the philosophy of Anton LaVey as outlined in The Satanic Bible and other works. LaVey was the founder of the Church of Satan (c.a. 1966). LaVey was influenced by the writings of Aleister Crowley, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ayn Rand, Marquis De Sade, Wyndham Lewis, Charles Darwin, Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain and others. "Satan", in the view of LaVey, is seen as a positive influence, while the divine actions of the church are to be mocked, and the mundane is held in the highest.

Related Topics:
Anton LaVey - The Satanic Bible - Church of Satan - Aleister Crowley - Friedrich Nietzsche - Ayn Rand - Marquis De Sade - Wyndham Lewis - Charles Darwin - Ambrose Bierce - Mark Twain

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A Satanist views himself as his or her own god; the Satanic rituals are quite similar Crowley's magick, with an eye towards furthering the Satanist's ends. The LaVeyan Satanist maintains that those who find themselves naturally aligned with Satanism should not adhere to herd mentality and assume there is something ethically wrong with them, but should instead adopt an individualistic attitude, and consequently should strive constantly to stand head-and-shoulders above the so-called Moral Majority, and not hesitate to exploit their misguided and naive altruism as necessary.

Related Topics:
Ritual - Crowley - Magick - Moral Majority

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Religious Satanism

Religious Satanism is often similar in outlook and attitude to Philosophical Satanism, though it is generally a prerequisite that the Satanist accept a theological and metaphysical canon involving one or more God(s) who are either Satan in the strictest, Abrahamic sense, or specially created to identify with or represent the practicioner. A Satan represented in the latter group may be entirely of the practicioner's mind, or may be an adoption from another (usually pre-Christian) religion.

Related Topics:
Canon - Satan

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Depending on the Satanists in question, this God (or Gods) may be any in a variety of deities, sometimes taken from ancient faiths; with common ones being Set of Egyptian theology, any number of ancient Mesopotamian Gods or Goddesses, sometimes Gods of Greek or Roman mythology (Mars, for instance). Others claim a largely original God, although it is usually said by those Satanists that their deity is in fact very old, perhaps from ancient pre-history and often being the first God worshipped by humans (though such claims are unverifiable at best).

Related Topics:
Set - Mesopotamian - Mars

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Others worship a stricter interpretation of Satan: that of the fallen angel featured in the Christian Bible, though unlike many rebellious or angry individuals who see him as being evil as defined by the Christian Church, they instead believe him to be correct in his rebellion against God. All these faiths hold in common, however, with each other and with Philosophical Satanists, that man, and specifically one's self are the highest priorities. This view is often supported by Satanists' view of the god, who is seen to encourage individuality and freedom of thought, and the quest to raise one's self up through means such as magick and similar to Nietzschean Will to Power.

Related Topics:
Christian Church - Magick - Will to Power

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One example of this would be the Abrahamic Satan, as the Serpent in Genesis encouraging mankind to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, saying "Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.", with the clear implication, coinciding with the beliefs of all Satanists, that mankind should know what is better for itself than any God which would forbid knowledge and self-government. Because of the common position that their faiths are in fact very old, or the oldest, Religious Satanists sometimes refer to themselves as "Traditional Satanists" and Philosophical Satanists as "Contemporary Satanists".

Related Topics:
Genesis - Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

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Setian Satanism

According to this sect, the Egyptian deity Set, is the real Dark Lord behind the name Satan. They have their own concept of the Black Flame.

Related Topics:
Egyptian - Deity - Set

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This type of Satanism maintains that the Hebrews ran into an adversary in Egypt who was the Pharaoh of the Seti Dynasty, when Set was the principal pharaonic Deity. After the Pharaoh expelled the Hebrews from Egypt, the Hebrew Bible scribes wrote "Exodus", demonstrating the enormity of this event to the Hebrew people. However, there are apparently no Egyptian records to back up any of the Hebrew claims except a passing mention of the Pharaoh kicking many foreigners out at that time — not just Hebrews. Even so, the impact of this expulsion was large enough to the Hebrews to warrant their calling Egypt and its Seti Pharaoh "ha stn", the adversary. Setian Satanists theorize that "Satan" is a wrong or slanderous label for a legitimate Egyptian God, the God Set.

Related Topics:
Hebrews - Pharaoh - Seti - Egypt - Bible - Scribe - Exodus

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The practices and theology of the Set sect are very oriented towards cultivating selfhood. They reject the dissolving of the individual into oneness with existence, and celebrate the separation of the individual self from the rest of the universe. Some followers believe in Set as a real theistic conscious being that appears in revelations and delivers messages, while others revere Set as a more of a principle. How historically correct their picture of Set is might be considered debatable.

Related Topics:
Theology - Universe

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This type of Set-Satanism is a legally tax-exempt religion in the United States.

Related Topics:
Religion - United States

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Sat/Tan Satanism

Main article: Sat/Tan Satanism

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Sat/Tan Satanism is a unique, quasi-philosophical/quasi-theological brand of Satanism which maintains both religious and non-religious philosophical influences, either inwardly focusing or outwardly. Sat and Tan are Sanskrit words meaning respectively "Being" and "Becoming" (stretching forth), and it has been called by followers often also Dark Doctrine or Dark Discipline Satanism. It maintains that before the universe existed, there was a vast Darkness which represented the concepts of chaos and night, and within that Darkness, there was a Flame or Light which represented Divine Right, or creative capacity. The Flame or Light flared up and spread to the uttermost corners of the Darkness, creating the universe as we know it. Sat/Tan Satanism maintains that today a theoretical "Darkness" still exists throughout the cosmos, and that while all life possesses the creative Flame or Spark of Divine Right, only those individuals defined in this article as Satanists recognize and properly nurture their own Divinity (in the Sat/Tan sense). Those who neglect it are seen as living in the Darkness of ignorance.

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An undoubtedly interesting note is that the Sith religion of Star Wars is a form of Sat/Tan Satanism; where The Force is seen as the Flame and the Jedi and their dogma are seen as living in the Darkness of meek or ignorant submission the so-called "Will of the Force" (the Sith believe the Force has no will except when put to proper direction by the will of the Sith Acolyte himself).

Related Topics:
Sith - Star Wars - The Force - Jedi and their dogma

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Satanic cults

Main article: Satanic ritual abuse

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The existence of large networks of organized Satanists involved in illegal activities, murder, and child abuse is occasionally claimed, often by fundamentalist religious movements. Those claims have never been substantiated and are widely believed to be false. See conspiracy theories.

Related Topics:
Illegal - Murder - Child abuse - Fundamentalist - Conspiracy theories

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Other groups

In the Ophite sect of early Christianity, the Serpent was praised as the giver of knowledge. Sometimes Satan was also referred to, under the names Lucifer or "the light-bringer". Some Gnostics claimed that the being declared God by Christians and Jews was in fact Satan, known as the Demiurge. Some early Gnostic sects, such as the Borborites and the followers of Carpocrates, were accused of horrific acts. It was said that they had sworn to commit all kind of evil acts in order to free themselves from the pains of this world. Accounts of these barbaric acts are not generally credible, as the accusations were rhetorical attacks against these groups by such heresiological writers as Irenaeus.

Related Topics:
Ophite - Serpent - Lucifer - God - Christian - Jew - Demiurge - Borborites - Carpocrates - Heresiological - Irenaeus

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The Order of Nine Angles (ONA) has labeled itself Traditional Satanist and considers Satanism to be an individual quest which goes far beyond the gratification of the pleasure-principle and involves the arduous achievement of self-mastery and self-overcoming in a Nietzschean sense, with the aim of cosmic wisdom. Their conception of Satanism is practical, with an emphasis on individual growth into realms of darkness and danger through risky acts of prowess. In addition, the ONA seek to change, and disrupt, society itself. They espouse human sacrifice, which they see as the culling of "opfers," victims who are chosen according to strict guidelines. The use of the term "traditional" by these Satanists (ONA) is viewed by some as improper because the ONA refuses to provide any evidence of an old tradition, countering that it is the duty of each initiate to work things out for themselves. In addition, it is felt that "Traditional Satanism" as a label applies better, or at least equally well, to parts of the gnostic movement and its modern remnants.

Related Topics:
Order of Nine Angles - Nietzsche

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The Misanthropic Luciferian Order is a Scandinavian example of a Neo-Gnostic Satanic current.

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The MLO is a Chaos-Gnostic Order that "seeks the true Light of Lucifer through the study, development and practice of all forms of dark, gnostic and Satanic Magical systems".

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The Norwegian Satanic Society, also known as DNSS, was the first LaVey-Satanic society in Norway and represents a more liberal or social-democratic Satanism, as writer Didrik Soderlind said it, compared to the more classic American Satanism.

Related Topics:
The Norwegian Satanic Society - Didrik Soderlind

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Ordo Illuminatorum is a norwegian concept of Satanic illumination, which is set up by The Norwegian Satanic Society and Norwegian Satanic Temple, also known as NST. NST represents the philosophy of DNSS as well, but is more involved in the process of interaction between Satanists.

Related Topics:
Ordo Illuminatorum - The Norwegian Satanic Society - Norwegian Satanic Temple

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In early 2004,John L. Westbrook, a former Oklahoma politician told a Penthouse reporter that he had formed an "occult fraternity, to finish the work that the Temple of Set has previously botched." He then displayed a platinum medallion which he had commissioned that resembled a Mars planetary sigil. He has christened this neo-Satanic fraternity The Order of Mars. He said membership in his "fraternity" is restricted to those whom he knows personally and that his group does not solicit memberships. He also stated that this "Order" is named in honor of the Roman god Mars, whom he claims is closely aligned with Egyptian god Set.

Related Topics:
John L. Westbrook - Oklahoma - Penthouse - Temple of Set - Mars - Order of Mars - Roman - Egyptian - Set

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See also Process Church, Yezidis for groups that have been called Satanist but do not accept that label.

Related Topics:
Process Church - Yezidis

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