Satan saved my life. Not that he is an actual deity but in a spiritual sense, as a concept and a literary figure he did.
The world can be a cold place full of hate, violence, intolerance, ignorance and greed. In order not to die on these heights of despair we need hope and love. Two things the Christian god cannot offer! There needs to be darkness so that there can be light. Lucifer, the bringer of light, symbolizes the hope in times of despair and not the evil lurkin beneath us.
He taught us that our sins are just part of our human existence and that we can strive to do better and stand strong instead of trembling in fear of god. He taught us that only through rebellion we can be our true selves and embrace who we really are. He taught us to seek knowledge and wisdom. He taught us to love ourselves and value no god higher than ourselves and our loved ones and fellow human beings.
I follow Satan because: • Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams. • Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit. • Satan represents man as just another animal who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all. • Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification. • Satan represents love instead of judgment and hatred.
One of the things I keep saying to theists (on this site in particular) is this; If God is so perfect, why, according to the "book of His word", does he resort to acts of violent, destructive. genocidal rage? That is supposed to be the [b]good [/b]guy? Satan, I guess, has a temper, but the rage that is written about in"holy" books is not the most attractive of attributes of this god thing....
@SW-User you believe what you want......i will never convince you otherwise. Worshipping isnt really my thing
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@gol979 That's alright It was never my intention to change your mind just wanted to make sure you do not portray my belief the wrong way for example as a "death cult"
I'm familiar with LaVey's work. I read The Satanic Bible in my teens. While it didn't answer my questions, it articulated my anger towards puritanical evangelicals. For that I'll ever be thankful.
There seems to be a lot in common with pagan beliefs. Is that fair to say or am I missing the point? Is Satan part of nature, itself? Sorry if I'm asking dumb questions.
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@jackieash Not dumb at all! There is an overlap with pagan beliefs. To me nature is sacred as well and I do believe that Satan is nature itself. I feel a close connection with him when I am off wandering in the woods.
i dunno if you ever read Anton Le Vey's sayanic bible but it's got a lot of eye opening takes on the Satan figure as well as being imo a much better book of morals than the bible was.
@SW-User Where did I say I believed in Satan? My comments related to the claim made in the bibble. It's no different from saying "According to the Harry Potter books, he and his friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". That, alone, doesn't mean I necessarily believe Harry Potter is a real person - although no one has managed to prove Hogwarts School doesn't exist.
@Graylight One point I'll make is that if a newer religion comes along and seems special in any way, it just isn't. Like the older ones, you're only giving yourself an unnecessary set of rules to live by, which comes with various chores like lent, attending church, passover, etc. I guess that whenever you wear your beliefs, you probably want attention.
@SatanBurger It's my first time hearing of it. I guess there's exceptions to most rules. It could also be more of a philosophy than a religion. I guess it kind of depends on what they consider their higher power to be, and how important it is to honor it.
I remember reading about Satanism years ago and could never understand why people would be against it. Certainly sounds much better then Christianity. I am Norse Pagan and can see some similarities but that is the same with Christianity since Christianity has piggybacked off of Norse paganism in certain areas, so no surprise Satanism could have similarities also.
If you're into symbology and psychology/esoterica you might find alchemy interesting. It was known as the first version of psychology and contains elements of spirituality and self exploration. It was hidden from the churches around the world as they would have seen it as blasphemy so it was worded in the scientific terminology of the time. It also heavily inspired Carl Jung on his concept of the shadow and self actualisation.
EG. One of the stages of alchemy is represented by a green lion trying to eat the sun. It represents the Id/primal unrepressed shadow and the self destruction it brings. It is one of the stages of alchemy (self actualisation/shadow work) needed to realise ones potential for this and master that part of the self.
I'm halfway through the bible for the first time, & i very much suspect the only time (but I'll hold judgement until I'm done.) As people (if you'll allow) I'm finding that i dislike both God & Jesus immemsely. They're arrogant bullies & simply not my cup of tea. Any acts of what could be described as evil are Gods doing... I've always suspected that Satan was painted poorly for no good reason.
@Sharon i was starting to wonder if I was nontrinitarian so i decided to read it, but the behaviour of they people (Or deities. Whatever) is beyond the pale.
Recognition that Satan is a fictional figure while still taking positive lessons from the story. I love this take. 😍
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I used to be really religious but as I got older I turned more to him because he makes more sense and so many people are killed based on the bible and religion is used as an excuse to do all sorts of horrible things to people , like some children have been beaten to death based on it for example or it being used to hate on people who are gay for example , that’s why I no longer follow it. I used to be really into it and I used to pray and I nearly went to an Christian university. Now I think satanic stuff makes more sense.
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@SW-User It saddens me how much power the bible has over people and how many suffered because of it. Homophobia, kids getting beaten by their parents or molested at church, people fear they end up in a terrible place after their death and feel constant guilt... the list goes on it's tragic. I hope you feel happier now that you no longer follow it.
The Satan of Christianity is a bastardization of something much older. Satan became a way of demonizing all things the Christian church didn't want the population indulging in. You see and are attracted to the things that existed before Christianity gave him the name Satan and turned him into the nemesis of their God.
i'm not religious, but i believe those entities people call god or satan or angels are all aliens from another place, with far superior technology that we cannot even begin to understand. There is no such thing as magic, it is all technology of some kind.
@SW-User and now we shall sing hymn no 47 'Splish Splash', Fonzie if you could do the honours and bang the juke box... [media=https://youtu.be/QSA-yHzkvP8]
• Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams. • Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit. • Satan represents man as just another animal who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all. • Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification. • Satan represents love instead of judgment and hatred.
None of this is original or particular to satanism. The Church of Satan was established 1966 by Anton LaVey during the well-studies Great Faith Crisis of the 1960's. It was a time when thousands of cults and communes sprang up and a number of churches were established, including the explosion of Scientology.
If your direct connection to something greater is through Satanism, go for it. But you could just as easily be pagan, wiccan, secular or Christian. That's how imperceptible the differences are.
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Your take on Satanism is beautiful and strongly reminiscent of William Blake. Do you belong to a particular Satanist group?
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@SW-User Thank you 🖤 No I don't belong to a group but definitely looking forward to meet more likeminded people.
@TheRascallyOne Any imaginary character is whatever you want it to be. The culture of the time might have its consensus, but you may still retain your own or share in any other ideas that abound, especially any so polarizing.
Ok. I am sensing a possible hostility to the Christian religion?
Do you have an awe of our world and the universe? Does it make you feel humble in relation to it?
Awe and a 'humbling before' is a more archaic understanding of the English word 'fear' - as translated from an original aramaic word which would have its own -hard to directly translate - resonance.
Can you define Satanism in a way that isn't antithecal to your understanding of Christianity? Because, what if your understanding is wrong? Wouldn't you prefer regardless to have a faith that isn't entwined so tightly with a religion you despise, that it is the perceived mirror image?
You are angry at the Christian message however 1. Your understanding could be wrong 2. The understanding of the people communicating the message could be wrong 3. Your understanding of the reason behind the message could be wrong
@SW-User have you read Phillip Pullman's golden compass trilogy?
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@SW-User No I haven't but I roughly know the story and I believe his take on Satan is quite ambivalent.
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@SW-User not so much ambivalent. Satan is the hero and God is the enemy. I think therefore, it might really be your cup of tea 😂
He also however wrote a non fiction work which conceptualised Jesus outside of the Christian religious context. And reanalyzed him as a social rebel.
His point was that in moving away from the religious aspects, a secular person could still gain a lot from the teachings of Jesus
Unlike the trilogy of fiction I haven't read it myself but the concept resonated.
For myself, I've had another turn on the circle back to a less angry interpretation of Christianity - the religion - by reacting less to people or passages I don't like and refocusing more on humility - which seems to be a key ingredient across an number of faiths as you get towards the more spiritual/mystic approach.
@jshm2 More like existentialism since I do believe in creating ones own meaning in life. In my case Satanism is part of my own meaning. That said I do have nihilistic thoughts at times.
