Ok : )
Here's my take on LaVeyan Satanism:
Firstly, it is very important to explain what the word Satanism means in this case: 'satan' is a Hebrew word meaning "The challenger, to oppose", and as such it is used in the Bible to -describe- The Devil, it is NOT his name; he is satan to God, he is the challenger of God, he is the opposition of God, etc.
In our case, it can mean many things, but primarily (or at least in my case) it means that we (I) oppose restrictions to freedom, challenge the status quo (not oppose it, just challenge it to see if it's justified), etc. Satan is the same word used in ENTIRELY different contexts between the Bible and Satanism, there is NO connection aside from the use of the same Hebrew word. (It's like a Homonym... Some people can't understand the simple concept of one word with two different meanings, lol)
The symbol for it is the Baphomet (also known as 'The Sigil of Baphomet'), it's my avatar picture. It symbolises many things, but LaVey gave his own take on it, with words to this effect: "The two points facing up represent both an attack and a defence against the supernatural, the two points facing out to the sides represent a firm grounding on which to base yourself, and the single point facing down means to always be true to yourself; be who you are." The pentagram has a goat's head inside it (thus why it's called a Baphomet), and is surrounded by two circles with the word "Leviathan" written between them.
The beliefs of Satanists in this case can be based quite easily off "The Satanic Bible", a book written by LaVey, though he wrote that 'after' he had formed his version of Satanism.
Although there are other beliefs, the main ones have been summarised into 9 Statements, 11 rules, and 9 sins. None of these appear in list form in the Satanic Bible, so when taken out of context like this they sound a bit strange. (The Satanic Bible is written in a very strange way, a lot of it is metaphorical and symbolic of other meanings, etc... You have to read it to really understand I think {though even then you might not... not many people 'get' Satanism, lol})
Statements:
1. Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence!
2. Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams!
3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit!
4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates!
5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek!
6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires!
7. Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours, who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all!
8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!
9. Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years!
Rules:
1. Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
2. Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them.
3. When in another’s lair, show him respect or else do not go there.
4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy.
5. Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
6. 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.
7. Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained.
8. Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
9. Do not harm little children.
10. Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
11. When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.
Sins:
1. Stupidity—The top of the list for Satanic Sins. The Cardinal Sin of Satanism. It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid.
2. Pretentiousness—Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn’t applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone’s made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not.
3. Solipsism—Can be very dangerous for Satanists. Projecting your reactions, responses and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won’t. Instead, Satanists must strive to apply the dictum of “Do unto others as they do unto you.” It’s work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point.
4. Self-deceit—It’s in the “Nine Satanic Statements” but deserves to be repeated here. Another cardinal sin. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it’s fun, and with awareness. But then, it’s not self-deceit!
5. Herd Conformity—That’s obvious from a Satanic stance. It’s all right to conform to a person’s wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many.
6. Lack of Perspective—Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain for a Satanist. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints—know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world.
7. Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies—Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it’s something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society.
8. Counterproductive Pride—That first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you’ve painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I’m sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it.
9. Lack of Aesthetics—This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It’s not what’s supposed to be pleasing—it’s what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one’s own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied.
*****
Right, they are all directly copied from The Satanic Bible, and the Official LaVeyan Satanism website (The Church of Satan), with commentary on the Sins done by LaVey I think...
Now I should explain a few of the stranger ones : D
Statement 9: This is LaVey's retaliation against the commonly held belief that Satanism is Devil Worship; we don't worship the Devil, yet it is because of people like us that the Church maintained power through the Middle Ages, etc using scaremongering.
Rule 5: Um... It just means don't sexually harass people; as I said everything's worded strangely in the book : D
Rule 11: It doesn't literally mean 'destroy', it means in a sense... Destroy their 'reason' or 'will' to attack you unprovoked and unceasingly. Of course in an extreme situation where your life is very much threatened, it would have to mean destroy physically.
They're the only ones I think need more explanation, but I'd be happy to explain any other ones if you want : )
... What else is there... *thinks*
I can't think of much else to explain (though again, I'm more than happy to answer any specific questions you have about anything I've said, or anything you still don't understand about LaVeyan Satanism : )
Basically to summarise:
- You are the greatest power in your own life
- You are responsible for your actions
- Don't harm other people unless necessary
- Happiness is the highest ideal
--> This doesn't mean to be selfish enough to harm others, it means to seek happiness by whatever means as long as that search doesn't infringe upon the same rights of other people.
- WE DON'T WORSHIP THE BIBLICAL DEVIL! We don't even believe that he/she/it exists for crying out loud! : D How on Earth 'can' we worship him/her/it?
Hope this helps : ) (Sorry for it being so long, but you asked me to explain an entire belief system, hehe)
Comments
That is extremely interesting. Thank you.
by Koz - Passion Perseverance Patience on July 30th, 2007
Nice! Very!
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I wanted to blow the prejudice about Satanism out of the water and I knew you were the guy to do it!
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I am going to emphasize your summation because many people are not going to read it all:
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Basically to summarise:
- You are the greatest power in your own life
- You are responsible for your actions
- Don't harm other people unless necessary
- Happiness is the highest ideal
--> This doesn't mean to be selfish enough to harm others, it means to seek happiness by whatever means as long as that search doesn't infringe upon the same rights of other people.
- WE DON'T WORSHIP THE BIBLICAL DEVIL! We don't even believe that he/she/it exists for crying out loud! : D How on Earth 'can' we worship him/her/it?
by Arisztid on July 30th, 2007
Glad I could help!
And thanks ; ) It's a bit frustrating that some people simply can't accept that we 'don't' worship the Devil... It's like they -really- want someone they can bash and scream at : / lol
by Twhupfold on July 30th, 2007
That is why I wanted this question in here. Maybe it shall dispel some stereotypes.
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I am operating on a major insomnia cycle but I think I am going to give answering it a whirl in abit too.
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Just my takes on LaVeyan Satanism... not anything as elaborate as yours.
by Arisztid on July 30th, 2007
very enlightening...
i do have several questions though.
the first is, what do you mean by Lesser and Greater Magic ?
is that a metaphor for something or do you mean actual magic ?
you didn't really go into that, and it seemed pretty important.
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the second, which may be answered by the first:
is satanism a religion, or is it simply a philosophy ?
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other than describing how one should act, is there any description of the supernatural ?
by Sympho de Proggy on August 16th, 2009
Well I have some respect for Laveyan Satanism, although I myself am a Theistic Satanist. The word "Satan" means "true god" or "almighty creator" in sanskrit. Sanskrit came long before Hebrew. This is the cherry atop the several-ton ice cream cone of evidences pointing toward one thing- Satanism came before Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
If this sort of thing peaks your interest, I wouldn't deny yourself a little research into ancient paganism and it's relations to Satan. The head of the Theistic Satanic belief system lies in the teachings of the JOS.
TheIndigoNation on Youtube has some very informative videos on the subject as well.
If you don't care for this idea, oh well.
www.JoyofSatan.org
by ThatOneSatanicFellow on August 15th, 2011