Haley+P’s+2015+OpEd+Article

Satanism. Woah woah, put down your crosses and holy water. It’s cool. Atheistic Satanism is actually a very logical and interesting ideology. You are probably going to assume that I am an Atheistic Satanist, but I am not. I am actually agonistic, but that is beside the point. Now I am specifically talking about Atheistic Satanism because Theistic Satanism is a totally different thing, which is more like the traditional worshipping Satan and sacrificing things to him type of religion/ideology. Why am I talking about this? Well I simply want to educate all of you who are more than likely ignorant on this subject, and it's fine if you are. So to begin with, Atheistic Satanism is also known as LaVeyan Satanism, which was founded on April 30th, 1966 by Anton Szandor LaVey. He is also the author of The Satanic Bible. There is no better way to explain this ideology than using the Church of Satan website's words "...we are the first above-ground organization in history openly dedicated to the acceptance of Man’s true nature—that of a carnal beast, living in a cosmos that is indifferent to our existence. To us, Satan is the symbol that best suits the nature of we who are carnal by birth—people who feel no battles raging between our thoughts and feelings, we who do not embrace the concept of a soul imprisoned in a body. He represents pride, liberty, and individualism—qualities often defined as Evil by those who worship external deities, who feel there is a war between their minds and emotions." Basically, Satan is just a representation of who they are; seen in a much more positive light. Although they are atheists, they see themselves almost as their own gods. "Man—using his brain—invented all the Gods, doing so because many of our species cannot accept or control their personal egos, feeling compelled to conjure up one or a multiplicity of characters who can act without hindrance or guilt upon whims and desires. All Gods are thus externalized forms, magnified projections of the true nature of their creators, personifying aspects of the universe or personal temperaments which many of their followers find to be troubling. Worshipping any God is thus worshipping by proxy those who invented that God. Since the Satanist understands that all Gods are fiction, instead of bending a knee in worship to—or seeking friendship or unity with—such mythical entities, he places himself at the center of his own subjective universe as his own highest value," (churchofsatan.com). So overall, since they do not believe in any form of deities they thus do not place any of them higher than themselves. I feel as though it is important to explain where LaVeyan Satanists stand on the use of drugs. They do not condone drug use, especially if it is illegal. Now if the drug is legal is a bit different, but not by much. "If a substance is legal, a Satanist may or may not choose to indulge in it. “Indulgence, NOT compulsion” is your guide. Since survival is the highest law, the Satanist will not ruin or poison his or her body, even if it is legal to do so. This is an important distinction. Self-destructive, suicidal hedonism—via whatever means—is ultimately un-Satanic as it threatens the very thing a Satanist holds most dear: his own life. **There is no mystical “Scoreboard in the Sky” dictating whether such an act is Wrong or Right; it simply IS, and dead brain cells, blackened lungs and non-functional livers are not a matter of opinion**," (churchofsatan). Now no ideology would be complete without statements/rules/sins. LaVeyan Satanism has their own statements called The Nine Satanic Statements, which state: 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! (The statements in bold are the ones I heavily agree with.) This ideology also has what they call The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth, which state: 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.** (Consent) 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.** (The ones in bold are ones I either heavily agree with, are ones that are kinda funny, or both. Have fun figuring that out.) And lastly, they have what is called The Nine Satanic 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.   Congratulations! Now you know about one form, also the most popular form, of Satanism! Give yourself a pat on the back.