Tag Archives: dark magic

9 – Satanism: Sinister or Selfish?

Very few things seem as antithetical to basic humanity than being in league with the Devil. We’re so used to the idea of a benevolent monotheistic God in our conception of modern religion (How many times have you heard the expression, God is Love?) that the idea of wanting to glorify His opponent seems insane. We’d like to think that we’re capable of understanding people’s motivations and their processes. Why would someone ever knowingly do something evil? Not just selfish or misguided or dumb, put purely evil? Like a Satanist. It doesn’t make sense that people would worship the Devil, does it?

That’s because they don’t. Members of the Church of Satan don’t worship the Devil, they worship themselves. The Devil is the opposite of the all-loving altruistic Christian God, so they use him as a symbol. Satanists certainly don’t believe in altruism, they believe in the self, doing whatever you want to get what you want. They use the Devil to reject God, but in a world where atheism is more and more accepted and often encouraged by our scientific community, and atheists are well-represented politically, is the Church of Satan interesting or even controversial anymore?

After all, how scary can a group be if one of their members was Liberace? In this conversation, we discuss the founding of the Church of Satan in the United States by Anton LaVey, the Satanic Bible and Black Mass, and selfishness as a virtue. There are several celebrities who have flirted with Satanism, including  Jayne Mansfield, Kenneth Anger, Sammy Davis Jr., King Diamond, and Marilyn Manson. We also get into myths about Satanism and the difference between Satanism and modern Atheism.

Links on Satanism

Official Church of Satan website – Yes, evil has its own .COM!

The Western Front, “Debunking the Myths of Satanism”

Revolver, “Famous Members of the Church of Satan”

Featured Song: The Sun King

Eternal and breathtaking,
given by divine right,
I am the state in all her glory,
And I’m the essence of this life.
The center of the universe,
I stand divine, I stand alone.
Love me like no one else,
I stand divine, I stand alone.
God-given, beatified,
I am the source, I am the seed.
Blessed by heaven to satisfy,
all your hopes and all your needs.
Perpetual engine, of the ascension.
a jealous tyrant of your affection,
I am the fulcrum, you are the lever,
I am the spark that goes on forever.
The center of the universe,
I stand divine, I stand alone.
Love me like no one else,
I stand divine, I stand alone.
I am your brother.
I am your mother,
I am your lover.
I am the only thing you need.
Near or far,
you’re part of me.
Wherever you are,
you’re still inside of me.
Perpetual engine, of the ascension.
a jealous tyrant of your affection,
I am the fulcrum, you are the lever,
I am the spark that goes on forever.
The center of the universe,
I stand divine, I stand alone.
Love me like no one else,
I stand divine, I stand alone.