Hopefully, they will then rename the highway the “highway to hell”.
Also, seriously, I thought Satanists were all about individualism not social responsibility? At least if you follow the works of Anton LaVey. From what I’ve read about LaVey, he embraced positions such as Rand’s objectivist theories and mixed it up with Golden Dawn/Crowley high magick. Are these cats more break away from LaVey orthodoxy? Do you step around individualism by arguing that a group acting outside of government coercion is okay? But then they are specifically looking to be involved in a public works project, which was one of the largest such projects in history…
Am I over thinking this? Probably so. I’ll just say “hail satan” and leave it at that.
Proof that cleanliness is not necessarily next to godliness.
There’s a bunch of different kinds of Satanism; the only real common thread among people who call themselves Satanists is “PAY ATTENTION TO ME”. This bunch, amusingly, appears to be an atheist/agnostic group.
I believe all Satanists are atheists - they put themselves in direct contradiction to Christanity, hence to theism itself. Otherwise they’d be Pagans, no? Pagans don’t worship Satan because they don’t believe in satan, as they see him/it as a Christian construct specifically meant to discredit the last vestiges of paganism in Europe. Satanism just use him/it as a symbol to piss off Christians, so you have a point with the whole “pay attention to me” thing.
I thought the connective had more to do with their ideas about the individual as set down by LaVey - he is afterall the founder of the belief system. It would make sense to have splinter groups, like in any religion, but there has to be a connective that holds them together and it seems that might be it. But then again, I’m not scholar of satanism…
Not necessarily. Aleister Crowley claimed to have been divinely inspired, specifically by the Egyptian god Horus, and his Thelema religion recognizes several deities. Theistic Satanists literally worship Satan, although they vary between wannabe-evil death-metal types and folks who see Satan as more of a positive figure slandered by Christianity. Many LaVeyan Satanists don’t believe in any god but themselves, which may or may not equate to atheism/agnosticism, depending on the person; and then, as you say, some LaVeyans and others are entirely atheistic and use “Satan” as a metaphor for principles they value.
It’s an awfully varied group, and I’m no authority on it. A lot of them are perfectly nice people who try to do good in the world. I’ve just got to laugh at their choice of metaphor; it’s about as look-at-me as an animal-rights group calling themselves “Hitlerists” because Hitler was a vegetarian and liked dogs.
…to promote its message of civic pride and social responsibility.
So one might say they’re paving it with good intentions?
On a side note, I’ve always liked LaVey’s Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth, which are mostly decent advice phrased in completely hilarious ways:
- Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
- Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them.
- When in another’s lair, show them respect or else do not go there.
- If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat them cruelly and without mercy.
- Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
- Do not take that which does not belong to you, unless it is a burden to the other person and they cry out to be relieved.
- 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.
- Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
- Do not harm young children.
- Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
- When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.
Since when do belief in a deity make someone an atheist?
Hm… Makes sense… I’ve only really had an interactions with the LaVeyan variety.
The point is at least some don’t believe in a deity… Hence, they are atheists. Also, in theory Buddhists are atheists, although that’s varied too.
“Mating signal”… what the hell is that?
[quote=“Mindysan33, post:12, topic:5643, full:true”]
“Mating signal”… what the hell is that?
[/quote]I’m imagining something like the Bat Signal, but with an erection.
Being a Satanist myself, I can confirm that, yes, the provocation is definitely part of the fun 
It’s also an excellent filter for who I should bother to have a conversation with. Generally people who dismiss me / go into hysterics because I’m a Satanist aren’t really worth talking to. Also the look on Jehovah’s witnesses’ faces. You have no idea how profoundly hilarious it is.
(Also, I’d like to point out that, contrary to Hitler, Satan doesn’t actually exist and wasn’t responsible for the rise of a political force that ended in the deaths of millions of people.)
It’s a secret handshake thing. Or dickshake, really.
It seems quite silly to name a deityless belief system from a character in the christian pantheon.
It was adopted as a means of pissing off Christians. They specifically picked imagery that worked to contradict Christian teachings. If you think it’s stupid, you don’t have to follow that belief system… just like you don’t have to go to a church, synagogue, mosque, sacred grove, temple, or any other sacred or even profane space if you don’t want. It’s a (okay, not really entirely free, but at least we sometimes have some sort of free assocation) free country…
Since we do have someone in this thread who follows this belief system, maybe you should ask her about the adoption of Satan as a symbol. These are just my rather limited understandings of the beliefs from people I knew years ago.
I think what bothers me about this the most is that they’re on Indiegogo. Raise your own god-damn money.
Ok, good points. I still find it retarded in a childish “I am evil muahaha” way but that do of course only say something about me.
What? Come again? Theism is exclusive to Christianity? Now that’s rich!
