Satanism

[Light the Human]

I didn't put this in the religion section because I don't practice Satanism as a religion. I believe being a Satanist means being true to yourself at any cost, having faith in your imagination and what you believe, doing everything you can to improve the quality of your life, kicking butt and taking names! I don't believe in the Judeo-Christian God at all, and I find it strange that anyone would genuinely believe in him. I've never believed in such a thing my whole life long. I've always had faith in myself and my imagination, in my own mind and conscience.

[IAmNemo]

Satanism is the rejection of the world affected by Christianity and therefore a rejection of the world around themselves, including themselves, and most particularly other people though rejection of conventions.
It is therefore not the true expression of self but the rejection of it, among other things.

[Light the Human]

I've been reading the Satanic Bible, some parts make sense but too much of it has to do with selfishness and rituals, I don't like that part.

[Khalli]

Originally Posted by Light the Human

I didn't put this in the religion section because I don't practice Satanism as a religion. I believe being a Satanist means being true to yourself at any cost, having faith in your imagination and what you believe, doing everything you can to improve the quality of your life, kicking butt and taking names! I don't believe in the Judeo-Christian God at all, and I find it strange that anyone would genuinely believe in him. I've never believed in such a thing my whole life long. I've always had faith in myself and my imagination, in my own mind and conscience.

LOL!

That is a label I do not agree with.
Being true to one self, having faith in your beliefs and your gifts/abilities is the furthest thing from being a satanist.

Plus, if you are a satanist don't you have to believe in satan which would mean you also believe in the Judeo-Christian God who supposedly created him.

Originally Posted by IAmNemo

Satanism is the rejection of the world affected by Christianity and therefore a rejection of the world around themselves, including themselves, and most particularly other people though rejection of conventions.
It is therefore not the true expression of self but the rejection of it, among other things.

would it be fair to say they are nihilists?

[Justme1981]

Well, since you are a Satanists I've always wanted to know what is the draw? I mean isn't it a logical conclusion that if there is a Satan there is a God? You can't affirm one highly significant part of the Bible without affirming other aspects of it. I say reject the whole thing; I don't believe in Satan. If you want to be authentic, your true self pursue that goal on it's own; don't jump from one identity to the opposite identity withing the same system and call yourself free.

[Shivani Devi]

According to fundamentalist religion, anybody who doesn't practice it is a Satanist by default.

I have always thought that 'Satanists' were just a backlash rebound religion to Christianity anyway, but if you believe in yourself, that's the best thing you can do....as long as you can let others believe in themselves as well.

In the end, it just becomes a label, like all the other posters have said...I called myself one for a while and really went into it, but there wasn't anything really substantial there for me either.

I wish you all the best for whatever you pursue.

Originally Posted by khallianen

LOL!

That is a label I do not agree with.
Being true to one self, having faith in your beliefs and your gifts/abilities is the furthest thing from being a satanist.

Plus, if you are a satanist don't you have to believe in satan which would mean you also believe in the Judeo-Christian God who supposedly created him.

I suppose that any -ist suggests that one is trying to be true to oneself, having faith in their beliefs etc that stem from their -ism. Which doesn't mean only -ists qualify. Many professionals fall into that class.

Good point to remind people that the Judeo God created Satan....although I suspect it was the early Jewish high-priesthood who came up with the concept. Certainly Shaitan was the entity in Jewish mysticism guarding the "hole" through to the Abyss, sump of the universe. I've never been quite convinced that Shaitan = Satan. Through the 16th century Enochian "magic", Choronzon was named as the dweller in the Abyss .... so it's a little confusing!

....

[DavidMcCann]

Satanism can mean two things.

Early Satanists, like the (in)famous Anton LaVey (creator of the Church of Satan and the Santanic Bible) were atheists. They used Satan as a symbol of their beliefs: individualism, Social Darwinism, rejection of Christianity, etc. They were fans of Ayn Rand and Friedrich Nietzche. Most also practiced magic of the Crowley variety. These beliefs are still around and often called Symbolic Satanism or LaVeyan Satanism.

Later on, Theistic Satanism developed. This regards Satan as a convenient label for a divinity who encourages humans to develop their abilities, to seek independence, and to think for themselves. They certainly don't believe that he was created by the Christian god! Theistic Satanism is really just another branch of Neopaganism; as a Hellenic Pagan, I actually find it more comprehensible than Wicca.
http://theisticsatanism.com/varieties/FAQ-TS.html

[IAmNemo]

Originally Posted by confusionsay

would it be fair to say they are nihilists?

They are not existential nihilists, but in many ways they are the opposite of that. They are hedonists and celebrate the physical world, in some cases to the extreme.

But they are metaphysical nihilists. They believe that absolutely nothing of a spiritual nature exists. Which includes Satan. Satanists don't actually believe in Satan or the Christian God. It's merely a label applied to their beliefs to denote they are in opposition to Christianity.
In philosophical terms they are the negation of Christianity. Everything philosophy that Christianity believes in they believe in the negation of that. Hedonism is for example the negation of Christian self-sacrifice.