The beliefs, practices and rituals of the Church of Satan have few, if any, points of similarity with the Christian or Muslim concept of Satan. The CoS' Satan is pre-Christian, and derived from the Pagan image of power, virility, sexuality and sensuality. Satan is viewed as a force of nature, not a living quasi-deity. Their Satan has nothing to do with Hell, demons, pitchforks, sadistic torture, demonic possession, and profound evil. There are references in LaVey' writings to having conducted a few Black Masses for publicity purposes, in which the Roman Catholic Mass was ridiculed. But, it is unknown whether these references were satirical or reflected actual rituals. Assuming that the black masses were fictional, all of their rituals have no connection to those of Christianity or of any other religion.
Some of their beliefs and practices are:
They do not worship a living deity.
Major emphasis is placed on the power and authority of the individual Satanist, rather than on a god or goddess.
They believe that "no redeemer liveth" - that each person is their own redeemer, fully responsible for the direction of their own life.
"Satanism respects and exalts life. Children and animals are the purest expressions of that life force, and as such are held sacred and precious..." 2
The nine Satanic statements. These form the core of the Church of Satan beliefs. They were written by Anton LaVey.
In abridged form, they state that Satan represents:
Indulgence, not abstinence.
Vital existence, not spiritual pipe dreams.
Undefiled wisdom, not hypocritical self-deceit.
Kindness to those deserving of it, not love wasted on ingrates.
Vengeance, not turning the other cheek.
Responsibility to the responsible, instead of concern for psychic vampires.
Man as just another animal - the most vicious of all.
Gratification of all ones desires.
The best friend that the Christian Church has had as he has kept it in business for centuries.
The nine Satanic sins are: Stupidity, pretentiousness, solipsism, self-deceit, herd conformity, lack of perspective, forgetfulness of past orthodoxies, counterproductive pride, and lack of aesthetics. 7
The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth are: These are 11 rules of behavior written by Anton LaVey in 1967. 16 They include rules governing conversations, behavior towards guests, avoiding theft, acknowledging the power of magic, avoiding harm to children, refraining from killing animals, and behavior towards others.
Theology of the CoS:
People have created Gods in many forms; pick one that might be useful to you.
Heaven and Hell do not exist.
Satan is not closely related to the modern (post 1400 AD) concept of the Christian devil. Satanists view Satan as a pre-Christian life principle which represents the carnal, earthly, and mundane aspects of life.
Satan is not a being, a living entity; he is a force of nature.
Human life is held in sacred regard. Children in particular are not to be harmed.
"Satan...represents love, kindness and respect to those who deserve it."
Black Masses (parodies of the Roman Catholic religious service) are not normally performed by Satanists (except on rare occasions for their entertainment or publicity value).
Satanism question
. She didn't want to get off the pc last night as she was "researching my religion." Bleuurk.
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Originally Posted by hoobley
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Poor lass.
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