I would like to immediately dispel the myths that Satanists worship the devil, sacrifice animals and the like. This is not true. Satanism LaVey founded on self-development, selfishness (in a reasonable way) and the love of freedom.
A little history of LaVey's Satanism
The basic idea of this philosophy was formulated by Anton LaVey in the 50s. The first community was called the "Order of the Trapezoid" and consisted of a narrow circle of friends and relatives of Anton. Later, in the 60s, the philosophy became a doctrine and was called "Satanism". LaVey used the image of Satan not as an object of worship, but as a symbol of freedom of thought, love for everything that surrounds a person. As Anton Szandor LaVey himself said:
Satan symbolizes love for everything earthly and the denial of the incorporeal, pale image of Christ on the cross.
In 1966, the Church of Satan was founded with a very modest social circle, in which LaVey practiced the theory of Satanism. The book "The Satanic Bible" was written in 1969, which attracted a lot of attention to the author. There were invitations to TV shows in the United States and rather scandalous attacks on the founder of the religion. Satanic belief grows andexists to this day.
Shortly about the main provisions of LaVey's Satanism
- Following instincts, not abstinence.
- Rewarding a person according to his merits instead of love and respect for the ungrateful.
- Do not turn the other cheek if hit on one, but revenge.
- Full existence instead of spiritual dreams and self-deception.
- Responsibility for actions taken and their consequences.
As you can see, LaVey's Satanism is based on man and his existence in society. Many in our time adhere to the principle "as you treat me, so I treat you", and most do not know that this philosophy has a name and is practiced at the level of official religion.
Anton LaVey's vision of Satanism
The Christian "mantra" is, "Treat your neighbor as you would like to be treated," which Anton LaVey did not share. He was convinced that it was unwise to waste his energy and time on everyone, but it was worth doing it only in relation to those who were worthy.
So there are a lot of hidden Lovers walking around the world to some extent. In society, the definition of “Satanist” is biased (due to ignorance), which is why Satanists are also called lavelists. They can be described as fundamental individualists, which fundamentally changes the outdated perception of the definition of "Satanist".
Commandments and rules
As in many other religions, Satanism in LaVey's book contains a set of commandments thatmust be adhered to in order not to "go astray." There are only 9 of them, so it doesn't really seem like a hidden connotation related to the "Devil numbers". There are also 11 rules for a Satanist to stay on Earth. Well, how about without sins? There are 9 of them, like the commandments. Let's look at LaVey's commandments of Satanism:
- Satan represents indulgence, not abstinence!
- Satan represents the essence of life instead of pipe spiritual dreams.
- Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deception!
- Satan represents mercy to those who deserve it, instead of love spent on flatterers!
- Satan represents vengeance, not turning the other cheek!
- Satan personifies responsibility to those responsible instead of participation in spiritual vampires.
- Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, often worse than those who walk on all fours; an animal that, due to its “divine, spiritual and intellectual development”, has become the most dangerous of all animals!
- Satan represents all so-called sins as they lead to physical, mental and emotional fulfillment!
- Satan has been the church's best friend of all time, supporting its business all these years!
More like a clarification of perception than a commandment. But they are not without meaning, guiding the levelist in determining his life path.
Rules of life
Let's consider 11 rules for being on Earth, whichmust adhere to the lovelist:
- Don't speak your mind or give advice unless asked to.
- Do not talk about your troubles to others unless you are sure that they want to listen to you.
- Be respectful and modest in someone else's house, or don't show up at all.
- If a guest in your house annoys you, treat him cruelly and ruthlessly.
- Don't attempt sexual intimacy unless you're getting a call.
- Do not take a thing that does not belong to you, unless it is a burden for its owner, and he does not ask to be released from this burden.
- Recognize the power of magic if it has been successfully used by you to achieve your goals. If you deny the power of magic after using it successfully, you will forfeit everything you have achieved.
- Don't complain about something that has nothing to do with you.
- Don't hurt little kids.
- Do not kill animals except for food and protection from their attacks.
- Being in neutral territory, don't interfere with anyone. If someone is bothering you, ask them to stop. If he doesn't stop, punish him.
Here is a very simple list of the rules of Satanism. LaVey believed that they would bring the desired result in the life of a Satanist.
Sins
What then is forbidden to Satanists, you ask? The list consists of 9 sins:
Stupidity
The scariest ofsins has become the stupidity of man in this religion. First of all, a Satanist must protect himself from associating with stupid people. Stupidity can be expressed both in a blind herd perception of any information received from the media, and if a person simply does not strive for self-development.
Pretentiousness
In a simple sense, this is posturing. The combination of stupidity and posturing is a fairly common phenomenon of our days. Many make themselves out to be "important" people even though they are nothing.
Solipsism
The difficulty lies in the fact that the Satanist does not get lost and is always on the alert. It must follow the definition of "Give back to the people what they have given you." It is very easy to take wishful thinking for the fact that everyone around is the same as the Satanist himself. As a result, being self-deceived, a Satanist can act according to the Christian canons "Do to your neighbor as you would like to be treated to you", which completely contradicts the religious principles of LaVey's Satanism.
Self-deception
Self-deception in Satanism is an equally important sin. Self-deception is only allowed for fun and must be conscious.
herd conformity
It is acceptable for a Satanist to "submit" to some will for his own benefit, rather than blindly go with the crowd, being led by no one knows who and why.
Lack of open-mindedness
In case of inability to make the most of everything that happens around, taking into account the history and assumptions of the future, the Satanist may be in an unfavorable position. opportunity to seethe environment, as it were, "from the outside" is the proper vision of a Satanist.
Ignorance of the experience of generations
Can be interpreted as breaking the eternal ring "Everything new is forgotten old". Having knowledge of the past, do not praise the false "creators" of this or that event/action.
Unproductive pride
Pride is good, if in moderation. When pride gives a positive result and works for a Satanist, it is welcome. If, for some reason, the way out of an unfavorable situation requires that the Satanist “hide” pride far away, which he did not do, then this is a sin. In general, what gives you a plus is good, what a minus is bad.
Lack of aesthetic beginning
The ability to perceive the natural beauty of the world without being biased, based on some imposed foundations of beauty. An opportunity to explain why you see beauty in this or that (being developed) rather than a blind agreement with the masses (being undeveloped).
All this is stated in LaVey's book of Satanism - "The Black Bible", which he wrote along with other books devoted to this religion. Quite famous are his works "The Devil's Notebook" and "Satanic Rituals".
Attitude towards other religions
In general, Satanists are antagonists, or atheists. They are more inclined to the fact that they themselves are some gods (no frills), not to be confused with narcissism. The Judeo-Christian concept of faith is not regarded as true by Satanists. They don't protest about religions other than their own,they simply do not consider it reasonable to waste time on a possible afterlife at the cost of self-flagellation during their lifetime. Lavelists are engaged in self-realization and self-development, without wasting time on unnecessary arguments about religions and other topics that do not concern self-improvement.
The Current Position of LaVey's Satanic Religion
Anton Sandor LaVey died on October 29, 1997 at the age of 67 due to pulmonary edema. The last minutes of his life he was in the city of San Francisco, in the hospital of St. Mary, where he got only because she was the closest. The funeral was secret and held according to satanic rites in a very, very narrow circle. His body was cremated but not buried. The ashes were left in order to be passed on to subsequent successors of the founder of Satanism.
Today the head of the satanic church is Peter Gilmour. He assumed the position in 2001 after Vincent Crowley officially relinquished his title as head of the Church of Satan. Now in many countries there are official churches of Satan, recognized by the state. In general, LaVey's Satanists do not pose any threat to society or the environment, but, like in any religion, there are believers and there are fanatics. This is more about the he alth of the mind than about religion itself.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that not everyone around is a Satanist who walks in black. Satanists are very successful people, given their precepts and principles. So don't be horrified by shouting "Satanists!!!" if you see a group of teenagers in black robes and flashy makeup.
There isa lot of subcultures and directions in which similar symbols and symbols are used. But if you do meet the true Satanist LaVey, then rest assured, you will remember this person.
