I grew up in a Christian house, well, Catholic to be precise. My mother was a non-practicing Catholic and was determined to raise me based on Christian principles. I never quite got how someone could tell me how to live my life based on these principles if they themselves didn't practice them. Nevertheless, like the good little son I was, I listened to my mother and tried my hardest to live my life the way she wanted me to. It wasn't until the age of 12 when I entered high school did I realise that this lifestyle, this religion was not for me. As a common victim of bullying and abuse in high school, I felt as though my upbringing didn't quite prepare me for what was to come. Over the years, as I became further and further from my peers, I began to find solace in underground lifestyles; heavy metal, the occult and the teachings of Anton Lavey (who I will get into detail later on). By the age of 15 I began to reject the teachings of most religions, dismissing them as "spiritual pipe dreams", I couldn't quite get my head around why the mjaority of people in this world are okay with dedicating their lives to a deity which may not even exist.
I was 18 when I made this choice. I had found the spritual belief system that identified with myself greater than any other religion could.
"So what are you actually?"
I currently identify myself as a "Laveyan" Satanist, a seperate entity religion to most Judeo-Christian beliefs. Being a Satanist, many people believe I worship Satan, which is furthest from the truth. As a Laveyan Satanist, I do NOT believe in the typical Judeo-Christian manifesation of Satan; the fallen angel, the lord of the layers of hell, Lucifer, etc. Instead, I believe in Satan for what he is represented as; an opponent of god, the ideas of all that empower humans to pursue their carnal desires. In a broad sense, I am an athiest, because I reject the existence of any supernatural deity governing my soul in this world, but if one were to look closer into the finer points of Laveyan Satanism, one will find a wide assortment of spiritual ritual and ceremony dedicated to our faith, which would define me as "An Athiest with a spirtual attunement to worlds outside our own", but that's too long to pronounce, so I prefer to be called a Laveyan Satanist.I will not go into huge detail about Satanism in this article, but for all those interested, I will post a link to the Church of Satan's website, where the points raised here can be expanded upon in detail greater than I could ever attempt.
"So you're a devil worshipper?"
So what do people think of me when I say I'm a Satanist? Well I'm sure if you received that answer your first reaction would be "So does that mean you're a devil worshipper?". Well, no, not me personally. Like previously stated, Laveyan Satanism uses the IDEA of Satan to revolve our lives around, not the devil himself. It is also worth mentioning that given Laveyan Satanism's broad aspects on life on this planet, many Satanists choose to affiliate themselves with demons, the occult and other Luciferianist activity, which the Church of Satan will neither condemn nor condone."So if Satanists are essentially athiests, how do you follow your lives on this religion?"
Simply, the way most religions do, via text. The Satanic Bible is our holy text, relative to Christianity's Holy Bible, Islam's Quran and Judaism's Torah, it outlines in great detail, the way our faith is structured and the way of life we as Satanists are expected to live."So what do Satanists follow?"
Laveyan Satanism is centered around 3 focus points; "The 9 Satanic Statements" "The 9 Satanic Sins" and "The 11 Satanic Rules of Earth"The 9 Satanic Statements (taken from The Curch of Satan's official website)
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 responsiblity 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 vocious 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 9 Satanic Sins (taken from The Church of Satan's official website)
1. Stupidity
2. Pretentiousness
3. Solipism
4. Self-deceit
5. Herd Conformity
6. Lack of perspective
7. Forgetfulness of past Orthodoxies
8. Counter-productive pride
9. Lack of Aethestics
The 11 Satanic Rules of Earth (taken from The Church of Satan's official website)
"How are you treated in society when people found out you are a Satanist?"
I generally get mixed opinions, but it's generally one of three outcomes.Outcome 1: The person, being either completely ignorant of the world, or just incredibly stupid, tend to back away from me, with very little contact to follow. I blame this on the lack of education given to people these days on the relgions of the world and the fear of "Satan" that many churches instill into the hearts of their followers. I personally garner this response the most. People that fall under this category are the ones that prompted me to write this article to begin with.
Outcome 2: The people I come into contact with after my annoucement of my Satanic beliefs, show little to no change in their opnion of me. In today's day and age, human beings are becoming more and more tolarent to the different opinions and viewpoints of the rest of the world. And especially where I live, there are literally dozens of cultures living within kilometres of each other. If the world's population could just be more like these exemplary human beings, then perhaps religions like mine can find a place in this world without the un-educated, biased public scrutiny.
Outcome 3: They're enthralled! I've only got this response a few times, but it is by far my favourite. Not only are my words making sense when I explain my religion to someone, but there are others in the world who share my point of view and want to further their understanding of Laveyan Satanism. And for those who fall under this category, I hope everything I've explained briefly in this article is enough to really make you further your journey on discovering where you belong in this world. Friend or foe, Satanist or not...I applaud people like you, for it is people like you that make me proud to be who I am.
So there you have it! I'm not a devil-worshipping, child-sacrificing blood drinker, I'm not a church-burning maniac and I'm certainly not a gothic wizard who sits in his basement all day playing with hex dolls waiting for night-time so I can "feast on the flesh of the living'.
But rather, I'm a follower of logic, a student of common-sense, I live in the now, I live for myself, I create the world around me and most of all...I am my own god. And when I die, may my corpse decompose and provide sustinance for all the beautiful living creatures on earth. And neither heaven, nor hell, shall be my destination at the end of the road, but an endless path of the unknown, where only death can prove it's existence.
I am a Laveyan Satanist.
The Church of Satan's official website: http://www.churchofsatan.com/index.php
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