Satanism

 

The article "A Study of Satanism" is a comprehensive explanation of modern satanism but somewhat longish. For me, these are the central parts:

 

"Satanism is a lifestyle that supports being yourself, instead of being who society expects you to be. Although Satanism is often thought poorly of by other faiths, it has its own sound reasoning and qualities that appeal to some people and repel others, as all religions do.

The general stereotype awarded to Satanism is the image created by the Christian church centuries ago. During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church, in an attempt to eliminate all opposing religions, labeled all non-Christian faiths as Devil-worshippers. This created a widespread notion of people who promised their soul to the Devil in exchange for demonic magical powers, dedicating their lives to evil actions in his name (Robinson). That image has remained even centuries later, leading to the persecution and murder of millions, possibly billions, of pagans and other non-Christian persons throughout the years.

To the average Modern Satanist, Satan is a symbol, and nothing more. He symbolizes indulgence, wisdom, kindness and respect to those deserving of it, vengeance, responsibility, and the so-called “sins” as outlined by the Christian Church, including pride, greed, gluttony, wrath, envy, lust, and sloth. In Satanism, those are viewed as healthy needs that lead to physical, mental, and emotional health and satisfaction (Modernsatanism.com). For Satanists, such things are only a sin when a person becomes consumed by that desire. Indulgence is encouraged; compulsion and addictions are considered weak and disgraceful.

One of the key beliefs of Modern Satanism is that you, and you alone, are responsible for yourself, your actions, and their consequences. Rather than Satan being their god, a Satanist is his or her own god. They believe in taking care of yourself rather than letting a god look after you. They promote pride and dignity; YOU worked hard to earn your place, so YOU should get the credit (Modernsatanism.com). Satanists have a sort of elitist mindset – another key belief is that one should constantly work towards bettering themselves. Confidence and self-esteem are essential to this lifestyle. Often Satanists prefer to practice solo rather than in groups, theorizing that something so intensely personal should be kept more private. They encourage individuality and creativity above all else, followed closely by respect. All people should be given general politeness, but those who earn it are given true respect.

Satanists, despite assumptions, have morals and do in fact greatly value life. The Satanic Rules are, for the most part, centered on respect. Satanists greatly value manners, but also individuality and honesty, not only to others, but also to oneself. The Nine Satanic Sins are based around all three of these concepts as well.

The first cardinal sin of Satanism is Stupidity. To their mind ignorance can be forgiven, but blindly following orders and teachings is absolutely unacceptable. The next is Pretentiousness. Those who are undeserving of praise or attention should receive none, and should never expect to receive it just because. Solipsism is also a sin; you should never expect other to treat you as you treat them. You will surely be disappointed, so it is unwise to expect mutual respect. Self-deceit, or allowing oneself to conform to other’s expectations, is also considered a Cardinal Sin the same way Stupidity is. In relation to both Stupidity and Self-Deceit, Herd Conformity makes up the fifth Satanic sin. One should only ever follow group expectations if it will benefit them in some way, and should never let themselves get drawn in unwittingly. One should “choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of many” (LaVey). Lack of Perspective is despised as well; forgetting how much you can impact society and history because of whom and what you are can lead to some very big mistakes. One should always give credit where it is due, because Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies is the Seventh sin. Only paying attention to the new and ignoring the original “makes for a disposable society,” and makes creation pointless, since it will later be replaced (LaVey). While Pride is a sin according to both Satanists and Christians, Satanists are much more specific. They consider general pride valuable. However, if you make a mistake, then you should not let pride keep you from admitting it and moving on. Thus, Counter-Productive Pride becomes the eighth sin. Lastly is the sin of a Lack of Aesthetics. Satanists promote taking pride in oneself and one’s work. Therefore, you should try to be tasteful and sensually pleasing in your creative endeavors (LaVey). These guidelines for the accepted and rejected ideals of Satanism show a deep focus on personal attentiveness, not allowing anyone else to dictate who you should be. The freedom of expression is a very basic requirement for this lifestyle to stay successful and be mentally and emotionally helpful to it’s followers.

Satanism is a lifestyle and religion that is very self-centered, focusing on improving yourself and becoming the best you can be rather than paying homage to an invisible divine character."