CHRISTIANS CREATE DEVIL WORSHIPERS.
CHRISTIANS EMBRACE IGNORANCE. THEY CONSIDER THEIR REFUSAL TO READ THE SATANIC BIBLE EVIDENCE OF THEIR DEVOTION TO GOD, BUT IT IS REALLY AN INTENTIONAL NEED TO SUPPORT THEIR DELUSION.
THEIR INHERENT REPRESSION AND NEED TO BLAME THE DEVIL FOR THEIR NEGATIVE ACTIONS PREVENTS THEM FROM COMPREHENDING A RELIGION THAT FORCES PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY UPON IT'S ADHERENTS.
So.............
There would be no SRA, no "Satanic" abuse were it not for Christian ministers/pastors/priests/evangelicals/and others in the religion business selling their impression (read:darkest desires) of what Satanism is.
Christianity is what is being blasphemed in devil worship, and devil worshipers are Christian heretics, not Satanists.
Unlike the contradictory views put forth in The Holy Bible, The Satanic Bible and Church of Satan dogma PROHIBIT all forms of live sacrifice, PROHIBIT the abuse of animals and children, and are PRO Law & Order. Satanists live in concert with the laws of man, and show no mercy to those who claim to be following "God's laws" as an excuse to be criminal!
Christians are violating their own religious laws by bearing false witness against their Satanic neighbors.
Christians have a financial as well as a spiritual motivation for spreading lies about Satanism.
Ygraine finally caves and faces the facts that Christians create the Devil Worshiping scumbags that do all the bad stuff Satanists get blamed for!
Because I find the assignment of blame, in the day to day real life world, to be less than productive I rarely place it where it belongs. In life I have find the blame game to be a waste of time that usually would be better spent fixing a problem than determining who's fault it is. 5 kids, all of whom will blame the others for the broken window, will negate the need for literal blame, and propel one forward to Home Depot in the hopes of merely fixing the window without anyone actually cutting their arm's off.
Lately, though, in what I am more and more convinced is a sad return to the days of Satanic Panic, it becomes more and more obvious that Christians are the most irresponsible people on the planet. Their inability to claim the bastard children they have created, and then the further audacity to blame us for the actions those children cause is inexcusable, and I am at a loss to understand how they can sleep at night with that much damage on their consciences.
I found an article called When God is Cast From the Altar by Selwyn Duke.
Mr. Duke is a conservative. Seriously. Now, as any Church of Satan member knows, we have a HUGE portion of membership that is so politically conservative* that aside from threatening to leave the USA if Obama won the presidency, they've made John Birch Society members seem like Planned Parenthood escorts. In suits. The point here is that Mr. Duke would probably be quite shocked to note that many real Satanists hold conservatism as their political ideal. When Mr. Duke veers away from religion in his writing, I can read/hear the echo of any number of friends of mine in the Church of Satan hierarchy who agree with his political views.
I'm guessing he'd hate that.
I bring all this up to demonstrate to Mr. Duke and other Christian enablers that it isn't conservative politics that are objectionable. What is objectionable is the refusal of Christians to accept that they are, almost exclusively, guilty of creating devil worshipers
Mr. Duke writes for about 6 different conservative blog sites, and I used the one on the New American, owned by and posted for The John Birch Society. The article is repeated on several other sites, as well.
Mr. Duke is bemoaning the the Russian situation earlier this year that I have mentioned on this blog. The one where some heretics bought the Christian propaganda of what "Satanism" actually is, and acted according to Christian mythology. Duke writes:
According to the Sun Russia has experienced a series of murders, rapes, mutilations, and desecrations linked to Satanists. No, I did not say Stalinists, although, given how communists will persecute Christians, one could be forgiven for confusing the two. And a most horrific example of such ritualistic murder has just taken place in the nation's hinterlands, as a ring of Satanists has just killed and cannibalized four teens, three girls, and a boy.
Says the Sun-
"The gang of Devil worshippers butchered their victims and roasted them on a bonfire before devouring their flesh....
Their private parts had also been cut off in the sickening ritual in a rural area of Russia.
After police arrested eight suspected members of the ring, one boasted how they had previously dug up the grave of a newly-dead girl and eaten her heart."
Duke continues with:
It is easy to sensationalize the subject of "Satanism," although, of course, wholly unnecessary. It is also common nowadays for people, awash in moral relativism and its corollary of religious-equivalency doctrine, to dismiss the Satanic element of the event as just incidental. To them, these are just some bad kids who did a very bad thing. End of story. But let us not be so philosophically sloppy. Now, I am not going to address the matter of whether or not the Devil actually exists, and while I think those who claim Satanism does not really prescribe such barbaric rituals have taken rationalization to a new level,******************************************************************************
Yup.
WE are rationalizing.
Our Bible, our Church, everything about us denies these practices, and more than all that is the simple fact that when you do not believe in gods or devils, in demons or angels, in any supernatural beings there is no reason for sacrifice of any kind. Combine that with the findings of the FBI as well as state law enforcement agencies and no rationalization is required. Ritual crime is a form of Christian Heresy, not a form of Satanism.
This guy is part of the machine, a veritable TOOL in the machine that creates these Christian heretics, and not only does he prove himself ignorant of the most basic religious information, but he wants to blame us--Satanists, for this sort of behavior! I only wish a Satanist could be the very person investigating this disgusting christian influenced crime as well as punishing these criminals. After all, a Satanist is under no religious command to forgive!
So...here is my letter to Mr. Duke--a blow by blow, that no doubt he will completely write off as coming from a Satanic kook so as to not be forced to look at himself and see how many times he is willing to bear false witness against his neighbors.
Dear Mr. Duke
Where Ygraine takes her futiles out for a long walk
I am a clergy member in The Church of Satan. My title/name is Magistra Ygraine Gidney-Mitchell, and one of my roles within the Church is to act as a spokesperson for the religion of Satanism. Our church, the Church of Satan has established and defined the term “Satanism” to describe a religion founded in 1966. The Satanic Bible, written by our founder, Anton LaVey has been in print continually since 1969. Attached are several links which can provide more information than time and space permit here.
The Church of Satan Official Website
Magistra Ygraine's Various Satanic Rants
I am writing as a result of your recently posted essay When God is Cast from the Altar. The article is confusing Satanism with the Christian heresy known popularly as ‘Devil Worship,” and therefore draws some conclusions that are false and detrimental to those who adhere to the legal religion of Satanism. It has also served as an inspiration for my latest blog entry. My blog is focused on the difference between Christian heretics and true Satanists and recently I have become more and more convinced that Christians have created the very thing they most fear, and yet refuse to take any responsibility for it. Perhaps my position would be clearer if I simply respond to your statements/allegations/commentary:
Duke: According to The Sun, Russia has experienced a series of murders, rapes, mutilations, and desecrations linked to Satanists. No, I did not say Stalinists, although, given how communists will persecute Christians, one could be forgiven for confusing the two. And a most horrific example of such ritualistic murder has just taken place in the nation's hinterlands, as a ring of Satanists has just killed and cannibalized four teens, three girls, and a boy.
Thus far no police report or published documentation has substantiated that these monsters were involved in any coordinated or codified religious expression. Giving them any religious title at all demeans the victims by implying some sort of explanation or excuse for this behavior.
Yet, if you want to lay this on religion's door, kindly take a peek at Christianity, because only Christians believe that this is what Satanists do. The remark equating communism/Stalinism and Satanism in order to, once again, martyr Christians, is equally absurd.
Satanists have accepted Christianity as an appropriate crutch for the masses. We feel that if the herd is so bereft of common sense and natural law that they need a list from an imaginary being telling them not to lie, steal and kill, so be it! ‘keeps them off the streets.
"The gang of Devil worshippers butchered their victims and roasted them on a bonfire before devouring their flesh....
Their private parts had also been cut off in the sickening ritual in a rural area of Russia.
After police arrested eight suspected members of the ring, one boasted how they had previously dug up the grave of a newly-dead girl and eaten her heart."
But that is the catch, isn't it? Christians get to voluntarily remain ignorant of Satanism, as proof of their faith, all the while blaming Satanism for that which they, the Christians, create. They get to utter the words of horror and destruction , of orgiastic and brazen sexuality, vicariously. Their own imaginations merge with the warning shots fired from the pulpit---a cheap, but ever so righteous, thrill. Of course the danger is that slightly off/genetically or environmentally damaged person in the pews. We'll call him Church Boy. We all know him-- he is the one who knows he will never live up to the expectations of God, as he is told that on each visit to church! He is imperfect. He is a sinner. He is unworthy of the blood that Jesus gave for him.
And then, in church, or on the religious channels like TBN, he hears these amazing stories about Satanists. He has been taught since birth about Satan, the devil, the only character who ever stood up to God! All the needs and desires our church boy has been told make him bad, make him dirty, are all embraced by the devil. Once his damnation is assured is it really any surprise at all that our church boy has given in?
Given in to the devil? Given in to Satanism?
No. Neither. The devil doesn't exist, under the name of Satan, or otherwise. Moreover our church boy believes in demons and angels and eternal battles, and in SERVING. If those church pews are good for anything, it is teaching a person how to kneel~and that is the one thing no real Satanist will ever do. Satanists serve no god, no devil, no demon, no angel, the Satanist serves himself and those he loves.
But church boy only knows Satanism from the mouth of his pastor, or the fund-raising TBN specials that lie about "re-formed" Satanists who finally found Jesus. He believes in nonsense like pacts with the devil, or soul selling. His church praises the concept of sacrifice day and night (remember Jesus?), and then, out boy finds a few Christian malcontents, and BINGO!
Next thing you know you've got stupid teen Christian heretics doing precisely what their Christian religion told them to do is they want to be Satanists! The only fly in the ointment would be if the congregation actually read The Satanic Bible. If that happened then even the weak, even the stupid, our church boy for instance, would realize that Satanists do none of the things we are accused of. They will know that they are being lied to from those they most count on for truth.
Of course most Christians would hate the book anyway. Those who feel comfortable with Christianity are highly unlikely to be the types of people who demand complete self-awareness and self-responsibility. They like their omnipotent jealous God who can't decide from testament to testament what he wants, and they want their devil--horns and all, to blame all their problems on.
So, it is strange that the ministers are fearful of The Satanic Bible. Satanists do not convert or recruit so it seems all the Christians have to worry about is their flock discovering they have been lied to from the altar, and really, that should shock no one at this point.
Mr. Duke, again, your ignorance of Satanic philosophy makes your statements moot. Satanists do not accept concepts like moral and cultural relativism! You are defining us as the things you don’t like--as if you were sitting at dinner and saying “I don’t like peas, so peas must be Satanic.” Would twenty minutes of your time to do a little research have hurt you that much? Have you so little faith in those who's faith you share that without a boogieman religion, replete with soul selling, dead babies and blood soaked rituals, you fear our religious text will adversely effect them?
As for the case in question: Christians are commanded by their god to forgive these monsters. New Agey folks might want to understand and find some psychological explanation. A Satanist would want these criminals destroyed. Swiftly and without mercy!
I also agree with you that it is horrible that people will ignore the religious overtones of the crime. The difference is, however, you blame my kind, and I blame yours.
The kind of “Satanism” these animals practiced? Not in my bible--not taught at my church….this is what people learn sitting in Christian pews. This is what good Christian parents drag their kids to Hell Houses’ on Halloween to see. YOUR kind, your pastors, your leaders--they have taught their children that this behavior is Satanic, and in doing so have created the very monsters they fear.
But let us not be so philosophically sloppy. Now, I am not going to address the matter of whether or not the Devil actually exists, and while I think those who claim Satanism does not really prescribe such barbaric rituals have taken rationalization to a new level, I will not belabor that. Instead, I will start with some simple facts.
Fact: If I had never read the Christian/Holy Bible you could, rightly, say that I have no comprehension of Christianity.
Fact: If you have never read The Satanic Bible I can, rightfully, say you have no comprehension of Satanism.
There is no need for rationalization, Mr. Duke.
I would assume you would allow one definition of a Christian is one who follows the tenets as written in the Holy Bible.
We get the same right. A Satanist is someone who follows the religion of Satanism as put forth in The Satanic Bible.
Our Bible clearly prohibits the actions we are discussing here. There are no exceptions. Unlike you we are not told to spare the rod and spoil the child, we are told to NEVER harm children and animals. We are forbidden from breaking the law, and unlike Christians who simply move pedophile priests and tax evading pastors from one church/diocese/area to another, we actually excommunicate members who are convicted of crimes against persons. We ARE NOT morally relativistic.
The “barbaric rituals” are all forms of Christian heresy. To worship your devil, you have to believe in your god. We don’t.
One is that this kind of savagery was ubiquitous throughout the world for most of man's history. Cannibalism and human sacrifice, attended by rituals not to be outdone by the most fertile horror writer's mind, were the norm. Oh, these acts were not usually committed in the explicit name of Satan; it might have been in that of the Aztecs' feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl or one of 10,000 other names in 10,000 other places. What they had in common was not the name adorning their bloody altars but that which they either did not know or denied: Jesus Christ.
Modern Satanists don't give a flying rat's ass about what was or wasn't the norm for other religions. We have no need to validate ourselves by claiming ancient origins or any barbaric evolution. It really is very simple: When you dismiss all possibilities of gods, there is no one that needs appeasement, sacrifice, homage, or subjugation to.
Jesus is just another method by which the emotionally needy alleviate their personal responsibility. As long as there is a God to thank, and a DEVIL to blame, most folks will happily give up their personal power in return for some mythical post-death vacation.
I assure you, Mr. Duke, these criminals had heard all about Jesus Christ. They had heard all about god, a crucifixion, and martyrdom, and all the fun stuff you guys get off on. The one thing they obviously DID NOT hear about is genuine Satanism and what a Satanic view of this criminal behavior would reveal:
"YOU ALONE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF. THERE WILL BE NO GOD TO SAVE YOU, AND NO DEVIL TO BLAME. YOUR LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT, AND IF YOU HURT OTHERS AND BREAK THE LAW, YOU WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES ALONE AND WITHOUT MERCY, " because , Mr. Duke, that is what a Satanic priest would say.
If you think this will be straightforward evangelization, think again. I will spend no more time trying to convince that Jesus is God than I will trying to prove that the Devil was the first to reject Him. Instead, I will mention another fact of history: Christian civilization put an end to the aforementioned savagery. I will also mention a perception of mine, one that I am certain is correct and will be borne out over time: as we deviate from our Christian foundation, as we reject the Christian virtues, as Christianity continues to be demonized and demons trivialized, we regress to these dark norms of the past.
Wow! Christianity put an end to savagery? Tell that to the victims of the Crusades and the Inquisition. Tell that to the children of Andrea Yates. Tell that to the Catholics who still can't get by without drinking some blood and eating some body every Sunday.
Christianity is an excellent method to control large groups of stupid people. For that we Satanists are truly grateful, as we continue to ignore it on the whole. I mean if Christians would just mind their own business and keep their noses out of other adult's bedrooms we'd have no problem with them. They serve a purpose.
As for reverting back religiously, you are the people creating devil worshipers, how about you take some responsibility and stop?
There is yet another fact: we have seen brutal Satanic rituals in our nation, and such things have never been done in the name of much-maligned Christianity.
Liar!
How do you Christians do it? How do you just bare faced lie and rationalize it?
Please read the 1992 Lanning Report by the FBI. Addendums are also available and substantiate the original findings. Please read the crime statistics. Please read the breakdown of religious affiliations among long term inmates in prison. PLEASE demonstrate some honor, and show some respect for your own god by not lying to harm your neighbor!
What you keep ignoring, on purpose, is that every act of alleged satanic abuse is CHRISTIAN!
Since honesty isn't your forte', and evidently research is not something you feel inclined to do, let's try logic:
Ritual abuse and sacrifice serves the point of proving loyalty and devotion to a powerful external entity/deity, correct? It is used to give something to said deity in return for something else, right?
Well, if you do not believe in any external deities, if you are an atheist who uses the archetype of Satan as a metaphor only, what use would there be for sacrifice?
Easy. There would not be. Without gods sacrifice doesn't exist.
Conversely: You have been taught your whole life that there is bad and good. God is good, the devil is bad. You are taught that these are literal beings, watching every move and powerful over humans. They are cosmic scorekeepers, tallying up good and bad points to determine what happens to you after you die.
In the churches, on websites, you are fed a steady diet glamorizing a mysterious religion that your parents and pastors call "Satanism." All the interesting stuff in the Holy Bible, all the orgies and drugs and power everyone aligns with Satanism---wow........and if you are a malcontent who has become convinced that you'll never get to Heaven anyway, why not join sides with the bad, but interesting, guy?
Of course if you simply pick up The Satanic Bible all your conclusions are shattered. You discover a religion where you, not God, have to take responsibility for your own life. You discover that if it is illegal you cannot do it and still be a Satanist. You discover, despite all you were told about on Geraldo and in church, that Satanism demands study, not worship. What a bummer!
Yet there is an irrefutable correlation here, one strong enough to indicate causation: Virtually everyone who commits such acts renounces the Christian faith. A good example of this is one of the Russian teen perpetrators, a boy who was once a church-goer but got "fed up" with God and found that "things improved" when he started worshipping Satan.
They had to have it to renounce it!
They learned it from you, not us.
If they learned from us it never would have happened.
Your religion, with its fairy tales of omnipotence and magical/divine intervention is what makes this craziness possible.
For every Christian you create, you are one bad day away from creating another devil worshiper. Thanks to Christians there are ten times the amount of "devil-worshipers" than there are law abiding Satanists....and yet
you know us. You may think you don't, but you, Mr. Duke know at least a few card-carrying Church of Satan members, who agree with your politics, who support your freedom and who are forced to remain quiet while you blame them for that which your own kind has created.
"Devil worshippers believe in putting themselves first and their core values include pride, indulgence, ambition and meeting sexual desires."
While genuine Satanists accept all the 7 deadly sins because they lead to human gratification, and they believe in self-responsibility which requires putting themselves first, none of the things you mention here are likely to cause criminal behavior. In fact, Historically they also lead toward technological advances in order to create more free time to indulge in all the beauty and joy life has to offer.Devil worshipers, on the other hand, want to do whatever it takes to piss off God. Christians tell them what makes God angry, and in order to get brownie points from their imaginary devil, they do them. Again, it is the Christians who create this scenario.
Does this not sound an awful lot like the modern secularist creed? What set sends the messages, "If it feels, good, do it [indulgence, sex]," "Put yourself first [e.g., abortion]," and has peddled pride in the guise of self-esteem training, Christians or their adversaries?
I guess if I peddled a god who wanted me miserable, feeling good would be a bad thing, but this truly demonstrates why Christians are creating these appalling devil worshipers. They feed people a steady diet of self-hatred and tell them to ignore their natural and normal human needs and then are surprised when folks root for the guy in their stories who gets around that. 'go figure.
Oh, and Mr. Duke, the Church of Satan's founder was pro-life, as are a large portion of our membership.
You really have no idea who we really are, do you?
Yet critics may say that secularism does not explicitly prescribe these things in just the way Devil worshippers might say that Satanism does not explicitly prescribe what we associate with it. I will just smirk and say that I will not argue that here, as there is a larger point to be made...............It is said that evil is the absence of good just as darkness is the absence of light. Thus, what do you think man's nature is in the absence of good? (Interestingly, it is precisely what it is absent Christianity.) Forget Jean-Jacques Rousseau's naive musings about how children, when left to their own devices, will evolve into angels; the truth is that, unless a powerful brake is placed on will and appetite, they devolve into demons. Philosophers may argue about whether our nature is naturally bad or supernaturally fallen, whether the remedy is psychology or grace, but about the practical nature of that nature there is little dispute. And it rears its ugly head, unless someone — or something — can cage the beast.
That borders on nuts. For thousands of years prior to Christianity men somehow figured out that killing each other, stealing, lying---all those negatives weren't conducive to productive lives. Without one bad Jewish book, all by themselves, people realized that life was better when people weren't killing each needlessly, that stealing sucked, and that it was easier to get a job done if you weren't in constant drama with your neighbor.
The idea that Christianity is the great model of civilized behavior is absurd. The Holy Bible is genocidal, racist, woman hating, and does one thing right: It allows stupid people, those who have no inherent brakes, the opportunity to learn that which anyone with a brain already knows instinctively.
Yes, man is an animal, but a social one. As a result there are inherent behaviors that have evolved as a norm. Your silly book did not begin or end anything. There is nothing new under the sun---everything is an adaptation, or a response to something that existed previously.
Are you saying that if it weren't for Christianity we'd all be cannibals?
Again, right here you are telling people that the reverse of Christianity is slavery, sacrifice, and cannibalism. If I were mad at God, if i wanted to rebel---YOU just gave me the tools! You are teaching devil worship, calling it Satanism, and refusing to fix what you broke.
Why did we long ago identify "Seven Deadly Sins"? It was not because it made for good Shakespearean plays or Bible stories, but because man naturally exhibits lust, greed, sloth, gluttony, envy, wrath, and pride. So saying that a philosophy does not teach these things (and some do) is simply akin to stating that it does not prescribe a given frailty of man's nature; it is like saying that an administered medicine did not cause the disease, it just did not cure it. Perhaps the major reason why we formulate our philosophies is to mitigate man's flaws, to improve his condition. Thus, if a given one does not serve that end, it is at worst harmful, at best useless.....This is why, of all the criticisms of Christianity, perhaps the silliest is that it is unrealistic. What it asserts about God's nature can always be argued, for it is hard to prove the divine, but what it teaches about man's nature is so perfect it seems divinely inspired. Thus, while some may scoff at the mystical and metaphysical and claim the faith is mythological, note that it is, above all, practical.
I suppose there is a degree of practicality, again, in reminding stupid people about natural law, but in no way does that negate the dangerousness of Christianity. Aside from creating devil worshipers, their other big trick is making people believe that their lives do not matter, and that it is what happens after you die that counts. By pretending that a person's current existence is merely a dress reherasal for the afterlife, Christians completely eradicate a vested interest in life itself.
A Satanist knows there is but one life. A Satanist loves this life with all their being because it is rare and unique---the only life they'll ever have. The Satanist does not regulate his behavior with fairy tales about Heaven and Hell, he regulates his behavior with a full, pragmatic knowledge of the here and now.
In other words, a typical psychologist — a person secular to the core — may dismiss talk of Jesus forgiving sins and performing miracles. Yet, if he truly understood his craft and Christianity, he would at least have to cede that the faith is a brilliant cure for our "disease." Not only did Christianity define man's characteristic faults with scientific precision, it then prescribed the remedy of holy virtues. Lust was countered with chastity, gluttony with temperance, greed with charity, sloth with diligence, wrath with patience, envy with kindness, and pride with humility. We may now consider these virtues self-evident and take them for granted in the same way that Rousseau was so immersed in Christendom that he could take civilization for granted and assume that children naturally became moral. But, for example, pride was not always considered a grave flaw, or, in the least, man did not always have a perfect yardstick of humility that could reveal even its most subtle, deceptive or universally accepted and admired forms. Why, for much of history, the man to pattern yourself after did not ride a mule and wash others' feet but was a bloodthirsty warrior with an ego whose proportions matched his lust for power. It was "What would Alexander the Great do?" I suppose. Certainly, it was his example the young Julius Caesar lamented not living up to.
Faith is the disease.Faith is the excuse.
Satanists do not have faith or belief, but Christians and devil worshipers do. Again, because you teach people to believe in the imaginary, in that which can't be seen, you begin the process of creating your own enemies. Only those indoctrinated in Christian mythos are capable of translating that blind faith, that subjugated worship, into the vile and dangerous heresy you have the nerve to call "Satanism."
Let us consider another aspect of Christianity as cure. Many high-profile atheists, such as Christopher Hitchens — who was recently parading about the country peddling his irreligious book — argue against the faith with a point they seem to think is somewhat deep and clever. They say that an atheist is actually more virtuous than a believer because when he acts rightly, it is not because he fears eternal punishment but simply because it is the "right" thing to do. Thus, the atheist's is the higher, more evolved motivation.
Let us consider the Satanist! We know we are more "virtuous" not because of either the Christian or atheist's reasoning, but because WE DO understand the human animal and what is required for that animal to have the least stress and negative experiences because we have no desire to waste one moment of this one, singular life. To ensure our freedom, to have each day resonate with joy requires civility, decency, love and honesty. We need no commandments and we don't want a good-guy badge from the masses. Our life matters.
Yet, if these critics ever determined to "know thy enemy" and bothered to study the theology of what they condemn, they would not feel so clever. Long before psychology was born (interestingly, the word "psychology" means "study of the soul" {from "psyche," Greek for "soul"}) and Erik Erikson taught about the stage of "psycho-social development" in which a person only understands that something is wrong if he is punished for it, Church fathers understood that people existed in different stages of moral development. Sure, it is ideal when people do the right thing simply for the sake of it, but what of the many who do not? Does a good psychologist ignore this swath of humanity, this widespread phenomenon of man?
Well, at least we agree that for the stupid Christianity serves a purpose. Sadly, for the stupid AND the broken it creates devil worshipers.
Thus did the Church talk of love and fear of God and promulgate the teaching of perfect versus imperfect contrition. Perfect contrition is ideal; it is when one is sorry for a misdeed because he loves God and violated His laws (in secular terms, loves what is right and violated it). Imperfect contrition is when one is sorry simply because he fears punishment.
While being in the latter state is not ideal, having something to mitigate it certainly is. Thus, we can argue about whether Heaven and Hell exist, but can their value as the ultimate positive reinforcement and ultimate disincentive for the less morally evolved be disputed? I don't think so, and I suspect that Dr. Erikson, who grew closer to Christianity later in life, would have agreed.
Sadly, the Satanist cannot be so self-deceptive that Heaven or Hell hold any meaning. This is one of the obvious variations one sees when dealing with a Satanist vs. a Devil worhiper. The devil worshiper will believe in Heaven and Hell exactly how the Christian will. The only skew will be they have made themselves believe that they are aligned with the devil, and for them, Hell will be a rockin' place.
The Satanist laughs at the very notion of Hell, just as they do Heaven, confused by those who need to base their actions today on what might happen during decomposition.
Of course, as a man of faith, I am not merely a utilitarian with respect to Christianity. Yet its utility is striking. People argue about whether it is an expression of the divine or just an invention of man, but what is overlooked is that if it did not exist, we would have had to invent it. Or, at least, something virtually indistinguishable from it. That is, if we could.
Obviously they did.
But, here is my question regarding utility---what are you going to do to fix those you have broken?
Really, a fair hearing finds that Christianity fits fallen human nature not like a glove, nor like a straightjacket, but like a form-enhancing garment that minimizes faults and accentuates strengths. And, at the end of the day, its critics are motivated more by fear of Truth than love of it; they are attached to their misshapen forms and fear that the garment will somehow fall on their shoulders. Why, Christopher Hitchens himself has admitted that he does not want God to exist, that he dislikes the concept of an eternal rule maker. And comedian Bill Maher, another noted atheist, once said "The concept of Absolute Truth is scary." It sure is
Funny, that may be the atheist view, and while Satanists are atheistic, we find the lack of truth to be the scary. Said our founder "The truth never set anyone free, DOUBT did."
So, Mr. Duke, to sum.....
Christians believe in an omnipotent Higher Power called God.
Devil Worshiper believe in and are mad at a Higher Power called God.
Satanists believe in no gods at all.
Christians believe in a literal entity, the devil, whom they name Satan despite the original Hebrew translation of the word meaning adversary, accuser, opposer.
Devil Worshipers believe in a literal entity, the devil, whom they worship .
Satanists believe in no devils, demons, or other entities at all.
Christians support the notion of sacrifice as evidenced by their messiah sacrificing his life and blood to atone for mankind.
Devil worshipers support sacrifice because the Christian churches tell them that is what they have to do to make a pact with the devil.
Satanists deny all living sacrifices because there are no external deities to appease/impress/manipulate or seek favor from.
Christians lie about Satanists to keep themselves in business and to seem relevant and necessary.
Devil worshipers lie because they were taught by the Christian churches that is what they are supposed to do.
Satanists tell the truth and are accused of lying because Christians cannot bear the idea of people being moral, decent and kind and yet don't drop on their knees to worship some fairy tale.
See? The devil worshipers are much more close to you, than to us!
How about you stop complaining about them and find a way to fix what you and your kind broke?
“As has been said many times before, one’s politics are up to each individual member, and most of our members are political pragmatists. They support political candidates and movements whose goals reflect their own practical needs and desires. Our members span an amazing political spectrum, which includes but is not limited to: Libertarians, Liberals, Conservatives, Republicans, Democrats, Reform Party members, Independents, Capitalists, Socialists, Communists, Stalinists, Leninists, Trotskyites, Maoists, Zionists, Monarchists, Fascists, Anarchists, and just about anything else you could possibly imagine. It is up to each member to apply Satanism and determine what political means will reach his/her ends, and they are each solely responsible for this decision. Freedom and responsibility—must be a novel concept for those who aren’t Satanists. We take it in stride. Members who demand conformity from other members to their particular political fetish are welcomed to depart.”
—High Priest Peter H. Gilmore,from his essay “A Map for the Misdirected”