Grandma enters the house. He holds a sprinkler and holy water in his hand. Johnny comes downstairs to greet her. Instead of giving him a hug, his grandmother pours holy water on him. Okay, you think, this is a bit strange... But yesterday, Grandma found the "Satan's Bible" in Johnny's room. Today she decided to show him what she thought about it. He plans to give his grandson weekly baths in holy water to drive out Satan. Do you think that Grandma sometimes reacts too exaggeratedly to the Satanic Bible?
Today we will see what is in this book and whether there is anything to worry about.
You know that one guy who brags about what he isn't? He tells how many important people he knows and what actions he has had with them. However, it quickly turns out that this guy makes everything up on the spot. It so happens that in the world of recognizable people, there was such a person. And his name was Anton Szandor LaVey.
“I'm a busy liar. For most of my adult life, I was called a charlatan and a fraud. Well, I guess that puts me closest to what the devil is.”
Grandma is a gipsy from Transylvania or a romance with Marilyn Monroe. These and other experiences… turned out to be bullshit. But on the foundations of false, made-up stories, LaVey built his position as a priest of the Church of Satan.
What exactly is Satanism and why is it worth following animal instincts? Finally, what does Satanic sex look like? More on this in today's blog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m3hHYtdegw [0:00 – 0:22]
LaVey is the founder and high priest of the Church of Satan. In his youth, among others, he was an organist and then a police photographer. At the age of 18, he became a magician's assistant. He was then studying occultism and learning hypnosis.
Look, LaVey was not only distinguished by his charismatic personality and the gift of persuasion. His appearance was also an element that made him stand out from the crowd. He was shaved bald, and also had an original beard and a large ring, which he believed was a magical amulet.
In late 1966, LaVey and his wife founded the Church of Satan for purely mundane reasons. Lectures on paranormal phenomena made it difficult to support his family, so Anton decided to establish the Church of Satan. LaVey's main work, showing the basics of Satanism, was the "Satan's Bible", consisting of 4 books written partly in English and partly in the Enochian language, also known as the occult language.
In this blog, we will analyze "The Satanic Bible" by Anton Szandor LaVey, one of the most famous Satanists in history, whose books are an important source of knowledge about Satanism.
However, before we proceed to the analysis of the "Satan's Bible", let's see what Satanism is according to LaVey. As we can read:
“The only way that Christianity will ever fully serve man is to convert to Satanism – and do it NOW. It became necessary for a NEW religion to come out of hiding, based on the natural instincts of man. She has already been given a name. "It sounds like Satanism ."
Satanism is therefore treated by the author as a response to the existence of Christianity, which focuses only on the spiritual aspect of humanity. LaVey completely disagrees with this view, arguing that people should pay more attention to their physical and mundane needs, putting themselves first. The author notes that in Christianity there is no place for hedonism, one forgets about oneself, and human life is treated as a transitional state.
We often associate Satan himself as a fallen angel. LaVey characterizes Satan as:
"the dark, hidden force of nature responsible for the course of earthly affairs, a force that neither science nor religion can explain, the spirit of progress, the inspirer of all great movements that have contributed to the development of civilization and the progress of humanity, the spirit of rebellion leading to freedom and the embodiment of all heresies that lead to liberation.
Semantically (meaning in terms of meaning) the word "Satan means "adversary", "opposition" or "accuser " (...) Satan embodies opposition to all religions that aim to frustrate man and condemn him for his natural instincts. According to the author, the label of evil was assigned to him only because Satan expresses the corporeal and earthly aspects of our lives.
Most Satanists do not imagine Satan in the "traditional" way that culture portrays him. Most of them believe that it does not have cloven hooves or horns. After all, there are also various ideas about God, shaped by man, and perhaps these ideas have nothing to do with reality. Satan, in the eyes of Satanists, is not a dangerous figure with horns. In a broader sense, it represents the powers of darkness.
Of course, in the common understanding, Satan is also a symbol of human vices or forbidden things. It can also symbolize the animal side of man and the lack of moral inhibitions.
Nine statements cited by LaVey in "The Satanic Bible" are important for understanding the concept of Satanism. Here are a few of them:
“Satan represents gratification of lust instead of temperance.”
“Satan represents revenge instead of turning the other cheek!”
“Satan represents all so-called sins because they lead to mental, mental and emotional satisfaction!”
The nine propositions of Satanism are built on the principle of contrast - do this instead of this, i.e. take revenge instead of forgiving, or satisfy your own desires instead of suppressing them. And all this is contrary to the Christian attitude. But one of the most interesting claims is: "Satan is the best friend the church has ever had because he has kept it busy all these years" - LaVey says it bluntly - if there were no Satan, there would be no church and the clergy would have nothing to do. The author also asks why "the allegorical figure (Satan) most responsible for the success of spiritual religions is presented in the least merciful way possible."
Let's look at the next fragment regarding the demonization of the figure of Satan in the Catholic Church :
“Satan can undoubtedly be called the best friend the Church has ever had, because he has kept her busy all these years. For too long the false doctrine of Hell and the Devil has allowed the Catholic and Protestant Churches to flourish. Without the devil, at whom they always pointed the finger, the religious leaders of righteousness would have nothing to frighten their followers with."
How does the author think society is set against Satan? Through such phrases as: "Satan leads into temptation", "Satan is the prince of evil", and "Satan is malicious, cruel and brutal." These are just some of them.
Anton Szandor LaVey characterizes faith itself in this way:
“No faith can be accepted on the authority of a “divine” nature. Religions need to be verified. No moral dogma can be taken for granted (...) Moral codes have no inherent sanctity, they are like wooden statues from years ago that are products of human hands, and what man has created, man can destroy!”
This fragment shows that, according to the author, man is the most important being. As Lavey says - "I am my own saviour", so we as humans should not be guided by a moral code, because it is only a human invention that cannot be taken for granted.
Just as the moral code according to LaVey is a thing of the past, animal nature, according to the author, has always accompanied people. Man is a predatory animal, guided by instinct. According to LaVey, it will be difficult for people to survive if they do not cultivate their animal nature and primal instincts. This is also related to the understanding of love. Instead of the term "love", the author proposes "passion and desire", thanks to which it is possible to maintain the continuity of the human species.
“Isn't the 'love' described in faded books simply a euphemism for sexual activity?” – LaVey asks. We can therefore say that this reflection is downplaying deeper feelings and seeing only the bodily aspect of relationships, which is supposed to give pleasure. Satanism encourages its followers to indulge in lust and satisfy their own desires.
The issue of feelings is similar to the understanding of issues such as violence. Here we should also be guided by our natural, animal instinct.
“You must hate your enemies with all your heart and if someone slaps you on the cheek, SMACK it on theirs! Beat him on the head because self-defence is the highest law!” – says LaVey. Here we have an obvious analogy to the words known from the Gospel: "Do not resist the wicked; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other also .”
The author calls for violence in cases that we consider just and orders us to retaliate with the same things that happened to us from other people. He says: “Return blow for blow, contempt for contempt, curse for curse (…) Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, always four times, a hundred times! Become a Terror to your opponent and if he gets in your way, he will have the extra wisdom to reconsider his move”
The Satanic Bible presents an interesting contrast to basic Christian attitudes. In the spirit of Christianity, we are taught that God loves everyone, regardless of their life situation and approach to life. The weak, humble and needy are put first. The Satanic Bible presents a completely opposite view. As we can read:
“Blessed be the strong, for theirs will be the earth; cursed be the weak, for they will inherit the yoke!
Blessed be mighty, for others will honour them - cursed be the lowly, for they will be erased from memory!
Blessed be bold, for they will become masters of the world - cursed be the virtuous, humble, for they will be trampled under cloven hooves!
We can therefore think that in Satanism, strong, self-confident, and even cunning individuals come first. There is no place here for humility, weakness or timidity because these are features typically attributed to Christianity.
What about the concept of death in Satanism?
Death in Christianity is considered a spiritual awakening. According to the author, this concept may look attractive to a person dissatisfied with life who sees a new beginning in death. However, for all those who have enjoyed life and used its amenities, the prospect of death is not very optimistic and can even be terrifying.
Christianity has its own figure of a martyr - a man who seeks perfection throughout his life, and according to LaVey, this is tantamount to conscious self-destruction.
According to Satanism, heroism and martyrdom are stupidity or even masochism. Sacrificing yourself for some deeper idea, e.g. political or religious, has nothing to do with common sense. Life on earth should be like a party. As the author of "The Satanic Bible" writes:
“For a person who is content with his earthly existence, life is like a party, and no one wants to miss a good party. For the same reason, someone who enjoys earthly life will not be willing to exchange it for the promise of an afterlife about which nothing is known.
Now let's move on to the issue that may be bothering many of you in the context of Satanism. Namely - what's it like with sex? Satanism, contrary to popular stereotypes, does not encourage participation in orgies or extramarital affairs. You may be surprised by the fact that each manifestation of sexual behaviour must be, above all, VOLUNTARY and consensual, and must not cause harm to the other person. So what about the sado-maso fetish? In such a case, we have people on both sides who voluntarily agree to it and realize the consequences of their actions. So there is no abuse or uncontrolled harm here.
“If both parties involved are mature and adult, they consciously accept full responsibility for their actions and willingly engage in that form of sexual expression,” LaVey says.
There have always been many rumours about "free love", which has been considered a source of much controversy. Typically, people believe that sexual activities are an important, if not the most important, element of Satanism. They then imagine orgies, sado-maso scenes and other, equally socially controversial things. In fact, to be a follower of Satanism, you do not have to practice such sexual activities at all. As the Satanic Bible shows us:
“In fact, opportunists who have little interest in Satanism beyond its sexual aspects are undoubtedly disappointed. Satanism supports sexual freedom, but only in the true sense of the word. "Free love, in the Satanist's view, means exactly the following: freedom is either remaining faithful to one person or satisfying one's sexual desires with as many people as one really needs."
So, as you can see, Satanism does not encourage orgies or extramarital affairs if it is not consistent with one's worldview. Each person must therefore make their own decision about what suits them best in sex and what their preferences are. Significantly, LaVey also writes that:
“Satanism tolerates all types of sexual behaviour that properly satisfy your individual desires - you can be heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or even asexual if you so choose. "Satanism also sanctions any fetish or deviation that will enrich your sex life" as long as it involves people who want to do so.
This element of informed and voluntary consent is very important here.
It is also worth emphasizing that the author believes that each of us has some form of fetishism, but not all of us want to admit it. Many people are unaware of the prevalence of fetishes in society and are ashamed of their true desires. “Even asexuals are deviants – because of their asexuality,” LaVey writes. Therefore, we should be much more concerned about the natural lack of desire than about the diversity and diversification of our sexual life.
To sum up, Satanism encourages us to practice any sexual activity we deem right, but on one condition. You cannot harm others with your actions. Therefore, acts such as sexual abuse are unacceptable.
Another stereotypical element of Satanism is undoubtedly the black masses. As Anton Szandor LaVey points out, black masses have nothing to do with reality, they are only a literary invention, a certain idea of what Satanic rituals look like.
What is the typical image of a black mass? Necessarily a priest is wearing a habit, a large altar and a naked woman. Also drinking human blood, an inverted cross and a pentagram. The author shows us that such an idea is only a fantasy, and reality looks different. In "Satan's Bible" he writes that it is only church propaganda intended to sow fear among people. As we can read:
“Stories about Satanists stealing unbaptized children to use during masses were not only an effective propaganda tool but also constituted a permanent source of income for the Church in the form of baptism fees. No Christian mother, upon hearing of these diabolical kidnappings, could refrain from having her child duly baptized, and very hastily. ”
The black mass is therefore not a magical ceremony, but a parody of religious rites observed in the Roman Catholic Church or, more generally, a satire on any religious rites. As the author of "The Satanic Bible" states:
“The rites in all recognized religions are in fact parodies of ancient rites performed by worshipers of the earth and the flesh (…) Even if a Satanist were to spend every night celebrating a black mass, this would be no more a parody than a pious frequenter of the church. ”
We have already said a lot about the figure of Satan, the animal nature of man, and the sexual aspect. Now let's take a look at what LaVey thinks about the other people who have crossed his path.
In the book, LaVey describes a specific group of people whom he calls psychic vampires. You may have heard this term before because sometimes we talk about energy vampires in the context of people who make us feel worse and have the impression that our level of life energy decreases. Psychic vampires work just like that. As LaVey writes:
“You can meet this type of person on almost every street. They serve no useful purpose in our lives and are neither love objects nor true friends. Moreover, we feel responsible towards the psychic vampire without realizing why this is so.
Let's show this with a specific example. Imagine that there is a person you meet often even though you don't feel like seeing them? However, you are afraid to refuse a meeting because you will probably feel guilty about it... Another example is a situation in which you do someone a favour even though the person does not ask for it directly? These situations should be alarming. A psychic vampire has an influence on you and you don't even realize it. For example, he uses psychology backwards, saying: "Oh, I would feel stupid, I couldn't ask you for that." But you insist on doing this person a favour. You'd rather feel needed, at least for a moment, than feel guilty that you didn't help.
LaVey warns that you need to be very careful with such people. In fact, they do not want us to do well, but only want to take advantage of us. Writes:
“Many psychic vampires are crippled (or pretend to be) or are “mentally or emotionally disabled.” Others may feign ignorance or incompetence so that you will do something for them out of pity - or more often, out of irritation.
The author says directly that every organization, charitable foundation or municipal council has its psychic vampires. They must know manipulation techniques perfectly in order to achieve the goals of the selected unit. Such people are intended to persuade us to "open our hearts first, and then our wallets." Everything is, of course, under the guise of charity, but no one thinks about the fact that people encouraging people to support a given initiative are not selflessly devoted to this idea. Very often, they receive a generous payment for persuading others to engage in a chosen venture.
The author advises avoiding such people and developing the ability to refuse, instead of fulfilling all the requests of others.
Let us now look at LaVey's attitude towards selected principles prevailing in the Catholic Church. The author lists 7 deadly sins, which, according to him, were created only to instil a sense of guilt in their followers, and the church knows perfectly well that it is impossible not to commit these sins, because the prohibitions concern things that are necessary for us, as people, to live.
The seven deadly sins in the Catholic Church include greed, pride, envy, anger, immoderation in eating and drinking, impurity and laziness. The idea of Satanism is to indulge in each of these "sins" because it will lead us to contentment and life satisfaction.
“The Satanist knows that there is nothing wrong with being greedy because it only means that he wants more than he currently has (…) Eating immoderately is simply eating more than necessary to stay alive. When you overeat to the point of obesity, another sin - pride - will make you strive to look like you will regain your self-respect," we read in The Satanic Bible
According to the author, "Good is what you like, and evil is what you don't like ." LaVey prioritized satisfying natural, animal drives and giving up all limitations. “Satan means satisfaction instead of abstinence, Satan means a vibrant existence instead of spiritual dreaming (…) Satan means vengeance instead of turning the other cheek, Satan means responsibility to those responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires, (…) Satan means all so-called sins because they are lead to bodily, mental or emotional satisfaction. ” The conclusion of this fragment is simple - only sin will allow us to live life to the fullest and draw from it to the fullest. No limits will guarantee happiness and fulfilment.
There is no doubt that Satan is one of the canonical figures of the sacred world. This was also noticed by LaVey, who wrote "The Satanic Bible" - a book that contains a description of Satanism as a science, a philosophy of death, descriptions of rituals, and issues of magic and occultism. The presence of the figure of Satan and the image of his fight with God reveals many important aspects of human existence, thus showing that it is worth living differently than what Christian teaching shows. And you, dear viewers, what do you think about LaVey's concept of Satanism? Or maybe you have read "The Satanic Bible"?
Sources:
1. Anton LaVey interviewed by Joe Pyne 1966 or 1967 (online), access: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m3hHYtdegw , [access date: 10/02/2024].
2. Anton Szandor LaVey – Wikipedia (online), access: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Szandor_LaVey, [access date: February 10, 2024].
3. Kłos G., Anton LaVey: He was called the "black pope". Everything you know about him turned out to be nonsense (online), access: https://film.wp.pl/anton-lavey-okrzycznieto-go-czarnym-papiezem-wszystko-co-o-nim-wiecie-okazalo- sie-bujda-6409537501931649a , [access date: 10/02/2024].
4. Sołtysiak A., Good and evil according to Satanists, "The Peculiarity of Man" 2000, vol. 5.
5. La Vey A., The Satanic Bible , Wrocław 1996.
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