Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved.
I remember the first time Reagan ran for office and the various morning news shows all did pieces on whether a divorced man could possibly win the White House. Pundits at the time were all discussing, with real concern, whether the Christian Right, and it's PAC arm, the Moral Majority, would lend their support to this particular sinner. Can you imagine? Nowadays most of us don't blink at divorce, but those who do, those who most support the idea of marriage as a sacrament, as a contract authorized by God himself, are the very people who have elected a man who is on trophy wife #3. I have previously written extensively on how horrible, deplorable (yes, I said it,) people are actually more in keeping with that repugnant book The Holy Bible than those decent, caring individuals who seem to believe that Christianity upholds virtues like love and kindness. It is my considered opinion that Biblical Christianity is best demonstrated by the hatred displayed by the Westboro Baptist Church (blog below) and the various freaks who proudly treat their female members like dogshit, gays like abominations, and all non-Christians as victims to be harmed in God's holy name. Like it or not that is what the sick-o book says, and like it or not the Old Testament is still part of it and like it or not Jesus himself validates the Old Testament amidst his sugaring it down in order to spread the word. If the damn thing had no meaning why is it still attached? The Holy Bible is chock full of sexism, racism, religious bigotry, child abuse, sex abuse.....and what a shock, Christians determined that Trump was a metric shit ton better than that thing that bled from you know where!
Why? It cannot be about sins accomplished, because Donald Trump damn near jumped up and down proclaiming his violations of Judeo-Christian rules! Three marriages and a gazillion attempts and other forms of what the Bible considers adultery and sodomy. Please note, much like Hillary's husband and Hillary herself, I don't give a flying rat's ass what grown ups do with their genitalia provided they keep them away from children and minors, so Trump being a dog doesn't mean a thing to me, but.....haven't the rest of us endured decades of Christian repression, shame, guilt, and legislative attempts to control every aspect of adult sexuality? Aren't Christians whining about sexual sin constantly and determining who is and isn't a decent human based on where their junk has been and what it has been doing? As far as we know, although Bill is a slut and a half, Hillary has been utterly virtuous as a wife, In fact her whole stand by your man shit, in the face of indisputable evidence is the preferred Christian response to infidelity, but Trump is a more Christian worthy candidate? Obviously not on the marital/sexual fidelity score.
Most Christians try to sell their appalling religion on the premise of loving they neighbor and the various aspects of who is blessed based on the Sermon on the Mount and other kindnesses allegedly supported by Jesus. Whenever one of the Westboro-esque churches are caught saying something deemed extreme, good people who cannot let go of faith or their upbringing, or simply the need to think there is something after death, all demand the rest of us to believe that their Holy Bible doesn't support hatred or sexism, slavery, etc...They refuse to accept their religion is every inch as horrifying as Islam, or any of the Jesus Cults they denigrate like red-headed stepchildren instead of very real blood siblings. Christians, regardless of stripe, refuse to accept the inherent hatred in their faith.
They have determine that "REAL" Christianity is about love.
Given the contradiction between the Holy Bible and the desire of the majority to believe they are "good" it is no wonder that Trump, no doubt unknowingly, utilized Satanic dogma to win this election. So, what is it that Trump stole from the masses thereby relieving them of their burden? And how did he do it?
Before I answer perhaps I should note there are any number of Satanists and other people who voted for Donald Trump because they believe that a business motif may be a better way to run America.
I disagree with the principle in general, and Trump in particular. I do not want to view people as a commodity to barter with the world. If I did want America to be run like a corporation I would want a business person who was utterly transparent about their taxes, had not had multiple bouts in bankruptcy court, and had dedicated their business to America. I buy American cars. I buy American clothes. I buy American dog treats. I support America with my dollars and I would want the person who wants to run America like a business to have experience running an American exclusive business and was way bigger in the export than import areas. Yet there are many decent arguments that disagree with my premise as to why Trump is the wrong businessman. Individual Satanists have individual issues that may push them in Trumps direction (2nd Amendment, Anti-Welfare, anger at Benghazi) but they are not the majority American Christians making $72,000 or less a year and who are under-educated and are responsible for actually electing Trump in.
Satanic Rule # 6 is about taking something from someone because it is unwanted by them. Donald Trump relieved the masses of their personal responsibility. By taking away the burden of being responsible for actually caring about individual people instead of lumping groups together, he allowed latent (and obviously not so latent) racism seem like patriotism.
Donald Trump relieved the men who are feeling displaced and unsure of their societal positions of their obligations to treat women, even sexy ones, with respect. He took away the need to think before speaking, because if you call it "locker room talk" it doesn't count.
Donald Trump saw that many middle and lower class Americans are desperately afraid of things they have never dealt with, and he relieved them of that fear by validating it with the wonderful power of hatred. Satanists know well the brilliant power of hate, but hate is as individual as love. Satanists dispute the notion of loving everyone because it makes love cheap and reduces its importance. Likewise hating a specific race or religion rather than an individual or a group who have done the individual Satanist harm reduces the power and meaning of hate. By throwing out various races and creeds as enemies of the week he stole his followers responsibility to learn and understand, and danced with them in mock battle demeaning those who had fought fairly and with honor genuine enemies.
Half of America was begging to be relieved of their responsibility to understand beyond catch phrases, They ignored the fact that the black man they disliked had actually improved this country from one of the worst recessions in history. If their individual life wasn't the perfection they saw on TV it must mean America is failing, not them individually! That half ignored the growth. Instead they concentrated on watchwords and fear. It would take work to understand the changes. It would take intellect to comprehend how our position in the world needs to adjust to maintain positive dominance. That same half wanted no part of that work.
So, they ignored their alleged Christian convictions and picked the man who could no more fit a camel through an eye of a needle than make it to Heaven. They picked the first president who isn't a church goer. They picked the man who violates their views on marriage and divorce (Matthew 5:But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.) They turned their once altruistic backs on loving their neighbor (BUILD A WALL! LOCK HER UP! SEND THEM BACK!) and forgot the kindness and charity that actually may be one of the few things that differentiates Christianity from the allegedly evil Islam. Without these principles, is their any Christianity?
They can no longer ask. Trump relieved them of the burden of asking those deeper questions. He relieved them of the responsibility of responsibility!!!! They begged for him to take it from them, they didn't want it anymore, and he obliged them.
I don't like him. I have no respect for him. I am even a bit afraid of him because I think he is genuinely stupid and arrogant and I hear Dr. LaVey's warning about counter-productive pride, as well as the Satanic sins of both pretentiousness and stupidity, but even more I envision the Black Pope watching Trump like a carny worker taking these rubes for all they are worth,,,and then another adage comes to mind, and fills me with the dread of certainty of this situation. Yes, Trump conned these Christians to take their overwhelming burdens from them BUT, as the saying goes, you cannot con an honest man.
Epilogue
I confess that there have been about three dozen essays, 200 rants, 80 tweets, and more nasty memes than I can count that I have written on the Trump topic since he became the Republican candidate. I confess that they now live in a small coffee can in my brain behind the 80's dance hits and the memories of little furry toy mice in costumes I collected as a child. I confess that I have not made them public because of the Church of Satan House Rule* and how that rule relates to many of my CoS friends and other members who supported Mr. Trump. Most importantly, I confess, I see the CoS position on politics, particularly as put forth by Magus Peter Gilmore, one of the most sensible positions put forth by an organized religion, ever:
“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.”
—Magus Peter H. Gilmore,
It seems however that my diligence in trying to keep my mouth, or keyboard, shut, has been misinterpreted to mean either that I support the Trump presidency, or that I have no opinion. Well, fuck. I always have an opinion. Sometimes though the adage to keep my mouth shut in order to prevent the removal of any doubt that I am a moron rings louder and truer than any opinion scratching to be let out. Thus was different, though. I watched in horror as friends began getting snarky with each other. I saw relationships built on connections like art, music, literature, shared experiences become fractured and weak. I wanted no part of that. Aside from a few mentions on Confessions of a Wicked Witch
I did my level best to maintain an almost Swiss position. I confess, I needed to communicate .
One last thing: There is not a single friend or CoS member who supported Trump who my opinion of has changed a single iota. If you were my friend and confidante before you are now. If I thought you were an asshole before, I still do, but due to our House Rule of Mutual Admiration, I'll never tell!