LaVeyan Satanism

[Pelvic Sorcery]

ITT: What are your thoughts on LaVeyan Satanism?

Here is a thread to discuss the teachings of Anton LaVey and his works. Since I've joined Gaia, I've yet to meet another user who has actually read The Satanic Bible, so I am hoping this thread will produce some creative discussion on the subject, namely from individuals who have done background research.

For those of you who haven't read The Satanic Bible, a few of the basics are as follows:

First and foremost, LaVeyan Satanism is the original official Satanic church registered in America. It is an atheistic philosophy created in the 60's which focuses on humans as just another animal. The name Satanism serves in part to gain media attention, but primarily to represent all that Satan stood for; carnal desires. Most of it's teachings, based on Epicurean philosophy, are simply about being happy. The Satanic belief system is founded around the idea that death is absolute, so you have to make the most out of the time you have on earth. For this reason, Satanism also focuses on "rational self-interest," which is a name for what most rational people do every day. Rational self interest is the attitude that everything we do in life is to improve life.
Instead of the devil worshiping it accredited towards, LaVeyan Satanism is about self worship, in the sense that you are the most important aspect of your own life. Satanists do not believe in the Devil or demons or any of that s**t. Many of the church's beliefs can be summed up in the 9 Satanic Statements, The 9 Satanic Sins, and The 11 Satanic Rules of the Earth. If you have any further questions, feel free to PM me. Though, I would strongly reccomend reading works such as The Satanic Bible by Anton Lavey, The Devil's Notebook by Anton Lavey, and The Satanic Scriptures by Peter H. Gilmour.
Oh, and any mentions of 'magic' you come across while reading about Satanism are simply esoteric. In Satanism, any form of manipulating the thoughts and decisions of other or yourself is referred to as magic. This goes for any mentions of witchcraft, ritualism, vampirism, etc.. Bear in mind, much of the wording used in Satanism serves a purpose of misleading those who are victim to assumption and herd mentality.

[Jaaten Syric]

Pour vous

[Pelvic Sorcery]

imbadspankme

My only issue here is the word original, because theistic satanism predates LaVeyan satanism. The two are distinctly different things, and each fascinating in their own right.

You're right. I think Official would be a better word.

[Pelvic Sorcery]

Jaaten Syric

Pour vous

Oh neat-o.
I guess I shoulda explored further than pg 2 before posting this. lol

[Aporeia]

LaVey portrays a rather childish and antagonistic view of the left hand path, lacking much introspection beyond "eat, drink, and limit the merriment of others you don't like." People seem to flock to it because of antithetical symbolism and what is more or less advertisement to rebellious teens. I suppose in trying to pull loud children from even louder children, you become the loudest child of them all.

That makes you a paragon, I guess.

[washu_2004]

Devtar

imbadspankme

My only issue here is the word original, because theistic satanism predates LaVeyan satanism. The two are distinctly different things, and each fascinating in their own right.

You're right. I think Official would be a better word.

Official according to who? Is there some standards board for religions somewhere that decides what official Satanism is? And are there official branchs of Christianity or Buddhism as well?

[Pelvic Sorcery]

washu_2004

Devtar

imbadspankme

My only issue here is the word original, because theistic satanism predates LaVeyan satanism. The two are distinctly different things, and each fascinating in their own right.

You're right. I think Official would be a better word.

Official according to who? Is there some standards board for religions somewhere that decides what official Satanism is? And are there official branchs of Christianity or Buddhism as well?

The first organized church in the U.S..

[washu_2004]

Devtar

washu_2004

Devtar

imbadspankme

My only issue here is the word original, because theistic satanism predates LaVeyan satanism. The two are distinctly different things, and each fascinating in their own right.

You're right. I think Official would be a better word.

Official according to who? Is there some standards board for religions somewhere that decides what official Satanism is? And are there official branchs of Christianity or Buddhism as well?

The first organized church in the U.S..

So Roman Catholic is the official brand of Christianity then.
Being first doesn't make something official.

[Pelvic Sorcery]

washu_2004

Devtar

washu_2004

Devtar

imbadspankme

My only issue here is the word original, because theistic satanism predates LaVeyan satanism. The two are distinctly different things, and each fascinating in their own right.

You're right. I think Official would be a better word.

Official according to who? Is there some standards board for religions somewhere that decides what official Satanism is? And are there official branchs of Christianity or Buddhism as well?

The first organized church in the U.S..

So Roman Catholic is the official brand of Christianity then.
Being first doesn't make something official.

Golly you're hard to please. lol
Regardless, now that I know another proper LaVeyan Satanism thread exists, I was hoping to let this one die out.

[1aphy]

I agree for the most part. I think that 'do what thou wilt' is a pretty sound axiom. I mean, if you accept 'i think therefore i am', and that each human has an individual liberty, then what's stopping a person from exercising that? Only the exercise of another human's liberty with the means of stopping you. So yes, I would say that 'do what thou wilt' can be accepted as true, since people will do as they will because we have free will. Ethics don't really come into play, since if a person is ethical, or in other words has a conscience and isn't a sociopath, they'll excercise their own free will to follow their ethical code, so they are still doing as they will.

I think that the philosophy (it seems more like a philosophy than a religion to me, anyway) is pretty sound. I personally like the aesthetic too and the symbolism. Isn't the baphomet also a symbol of knowledge, or forbidden knowledge anyway? It seems kind of like a fitting symbol for science, philosophy and all that shiz.

[Shrek-Seme]

Oh man... if only the bastards in my 11th grade class could read this... They believe that LaVey Satanism is strictly worshiping Satan and that they don't worship themselves as gods... Do you know how hammered I got about that from peers? To clarify this:

LaVey Satanism is not about worshiping Satan right? It's about you, yourself... being your own god. Right?

[Pelvic Sorcery]

Haraaaa

Oh man... if only the bastards in my 11th grade class could read this... They believe that LaVey Satanism is strictly worshiping Satan and that they don't worship themselves as gods... Do you know how hammered I got about that from peers? To clarify this:

LaVey Satanism is not about worshiping Satan right? It's about you, yourself... being your own god. Right?

More or less, yeah.

[Requiem ex Inferni]

There are aspects of LaVeyan Satanism I agree with, such as the Nine Statements and the Nine Sins, but ultimately it is a religion, and I'm opposed to religion in general (personal spirituality shouldn't need rules written by someone else as a form of control). The fact that it's name was intentionally chosen as a middle finger to another religion, and that nearly every LaVeyan Satanist I've talked to has been fairly pretentious (one was a Juggalo who refused to believe that actual Satan worship wasn't part of the religion), has left me with a less-than-favorable impression of the religion.

[Pelvic Sorcery]

Requiem ex Inferni

There are aspects of LaVeyan Satanism I agree with, such as the Nine Statements and the Nine Sins, but ultimately it is a religion, and I'm opposed to religion in general (personal spirituality shouldn't need rules written by someone else as a form of control). The fact that it's name was intentionally chosen as a middle finger to another religion, and that nearly every LaVeyan Satanist I've talked to has been fairly pretentious (one was a Juggalo who refused to believe that actual Satan worship wasn't part of the religion), has left me with a less-than-favorable impression of the religion.

It's not entirely a middle finger towards Christianity, though the Satanic belief system is very anti-Christian. This is namely because of the subjugation Christianity in specific has imposed on so many people. In Hebrew, Satan means "the accuser." It kinda ties in with the whole 'goat's head raised in defiance' aspect of the religion. Furthermore, the character Satan from the bible embodies the carnal characteristics of humans, which Satanism stands strongly for.