Understanding Satan

on May 22, 2008

Animesh Das

SatanismSatan. A lanky yet strong individual with twisted eyes, long, matted hair wearing a majestic red and black suit. The ram horns and the thick, black goatee complete the intimidating yet handsome look. The Prince of Darkness, the Lord of Anger, the Enticer, Ruler of Hell and a complete anti-thesis of anything Christian.

So, what is it about Satan, and specifically Satanism that nullifies Christianity? Why is it that the religion of Satanism continues to be marred with intolerance? A simple answer is; people haven’t understood what it truly is. The word ‘Satanism’ is largely used with a snarly, derogatory attitude but with no clear understanding.

There are Satanic organizations, like the Church of Satan, founded by Anton LaVey, on the principles of individualism, self-indulgence and an ‘eye-for-eye’ mentality. Satanists are just like any other religious group, unrelated to any other faith, and whose members feel free to satisfy their urges albeit responsibly, exhibit kindness to their friends, and attack their enemies. They generally regard themselves as Atheists, Agnostics, or Deists.

They do not worship nor believe in the Devil or a Christian notion of Satan. The word ‘Satan’ comes from the Hebrew word for ‘adversary’ and originated from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally applied to an angel. Church of Satan adherents view themselves as truth-seekers, adversaries and skeptics of the religious world.

Then there are the Theistic Satanists (or literally, Devil Worshippers) who worship the Christian concept of Satan as an actual deity. They are perhaps the ones most targeted by evangelistic Christians. Devil Worshippers believe that there are only two powerful supernatural forces in the world i.e. God and Satan.

A few conservative Christians believe that if one does not worship their God, they must be worshiping Satan. They view all other religions to be forms of Satanism. This would include established world religions; from Buddhism to Zoroastrianism, and may even include liberal and some mainline Christians. Satanists would then make up in excess of 90% of the world’s population i.e. anyone who is not a conservative Christian. The term ‘Satanism’ becomes almost meaningless with this definition. And inevitably creates massive confusion in the minds of the public.

SatanTherein lies the problem. It’s the word. Thanks to the Christian Church, Satanism has been reduced to an imaginary and evil religion. The Church taught that witches worshipped Satan, ritually killed children, boiled their victims to make magical implements, sold their soul to the Devil, broke crucifixes, conducted black masses, created hail storms to damage crops, caused diseases in farm animals and humans etc. The idea caught on well, even with serial killers and rapists often claiming to be Satanist in order to justify horrendous activities.

It happens in music too. Heavy metal as a genre fits Satanism because of its guttural and powerful wall of sound, which most consider noise. However, most musicians in this vein use it as a tool to gain notoriety, capture free publicity and boost record sales. Few bands are actually formed by sincere Satanists.

It is important to realize that the Satan of his believers has few, if any, characteristics similar to the Islamic or Christian concept of the Devil. The Satanists’ concept of Satan is pre-Christian and derived from the pagan image of power, virility, sexuality and sensuality. To them, Satan is a force of nature and not a living quasi-deity. Their Satan has nothing to do with Hell, demons, pitchforks, sadistic torture, demonic possession and other nefarious deeds.

Simply put, Satanism is a way of life. A belief. Living one’s life the way one could imagine the Devil living his life. Making your own rules, choosing what to do with your life and doing what you please. The essence of Satanism is to think on your own. Not being an idiot, randomly attacking people. One of the laws is responsibility to the responsible. Walk down the street and bother no one. If somebody stands in your way, tell them to move. If they don’t move, destroy them. How easy is that to understand?

If only the world could appreciate the meaning of Live and Let Live.

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