In Defence of Satanism
by Molly Escontendre
To begin with, Satanism needs no defence. That's part of the point of
Satanism, strength without apology. However, the perspective of the Satanist
may well benefit from some explanation.
Too much misconception and attention is wasted on explaining what Satanism is
not. I will focus on what Satanism IS. 'The essence of Satanism has existed
throughout the history of humankind. There is more to it than membership with
The Church of Satan, The Temple of Set, or any other Satanic organisation.
Satanism is an attitude of being separate from the complacent masses. It is the
principle of rebellion against the herd mentality which is propagated by the
established Christian churches. It is a belief in the right to true freedom of
one's own mental processes.
Satanism is surprisingly anti-theistic. Rather than worshipping the embodiment
of the Christian adversary, it is reverence for the archetype of rebellion.
This archetype is called Satan by the Christians, but has been worshipped as
one of a pantheon of gods in other cultures which include the Egyptian Set, the
Eskimo Angakok4, the Babylonian serpent goddess Tiamat4 and many others.
Satanism is not restricted to worship of a single deity, but encompasses all
expressions of the accuser and of freedom of thought2.
Ironically, the Christians themselves equate Satan with Lucifer, the bearer of
light and personification of enlightenment1. To bring spiritual enlightenment
to mere humans was to be avoided according to the old god Yahweh. It was the
serpent in the Garden of Eden who enticed Eve to eat of the fruit of the tree
of knowledge of good and evil, in other words, who freed her from ignorance and
abject slavery to a god who commanded blind obedience and servitude, yet the
mythology paints the serpent as yet another personification of Satan, and calls
this act evil. Experience should tell us that the most destructive evil is born
of ignorance rather than of enlightenment.
Satanism reaches beyond the limited mythological representations of 'good
versus evil'. It is a Humanistic philosophy, a belief in the power of the self
and the absolute right to self development and progression, and to take steps
to improve one's material position. These steps may include hard work, personal
magic or overcoming obstacles in whatever way is most effective. If the
obstacle comes in the form of a person who attempts to limit or oppose the
Satanist's progress, the ethics of Satanism require that the obstacle is
overcome in an effective, but legal, manner. A Satanist will not hesitate to
crush an enemy who deliberately tries to cause harm to the Satanist or their
family, but it is always done within the parameters of legal activity. Of
course, there is no secular law restricting the use or parameters of magic.
Satanism as we know it today began with the formation of the Church of Satan in
1966. Prior to that, Satanic organizations existed secretly as did all occult
organizations, known by names like The Hellfire Club which counted most of the
founding fathers of America among its membership. With the formation of The
Church of Satan, headed by Anton LaVey, came an attitude of open strength. No
longer would the power of dark magic be hidden and denied by the apologists
among the occult community who were even then beginning to insist to the
Christian society that magicians and witches are all nice, mock-Christian
puppets interested in no power except that which heals the Earth. LaVey
believed that the irrepressible human spirit cried out for personal power and
self-indulgence2. Close examination of any one of us would prove him right.
Many modern Wiccans vehemently oppose any contact or association with Satanism
referring to it as "a Christian heresy". That much is true. Anton LaVey felt a
need for something which publicly opposed the stagnation of Christianity, and
thus the name of his church was chosen from their own mythology. What many of
the modem white-light Wiccans forget is that until 1966, the study of magic was
done in secret and by a select few. Materials and information were hard to
find. LaVey's church opened the way for an avalanche of literature and
publicity for the 'New Age', the age of magic available to the masses who could
now choose their beliefs rather than have them spoon fed to them by the
Christian churches. The Church of Satan, rather than promoting illegal acts and
atrocities, was a novelty for journalists and an opportunity to poke a bit of
fun at a far too complacent society.
In 1975, a small body of members led by Michael Aquino decided to break away
from the showmanship aspects of the Church of Satan to form a new Satanic
group, the Temple of Set5. The intent of this new organization was to make use
of the best of the principles of magic which had been learned during the
existence of the Church of Satan, but to approach it from what they believed to
be a more serious viewpoint. The Temple embraced the power of the adversary in
the form of the Egyptian god, Set, yet this symbol was also expanded to embody
the principle of the adversary in all of its forms. Many other Satanic
organizations have formed over the years which base their principles on LaVey's
original philosophies as described in The Satanic Bible. Many of them have
since failed as organizations often do. Other individuals have claimed
affiliations with Satanism for their own self-aggrandisement or as an excuse to
commit illegal acts, but these individuals are not true Satanists any more than
the perpetrators of child abuse in Christian daycare centres are typical
Christians. Any sick individual can steal the emblems of a religion and apply
them to their own perversities.
One of the tenets of Satanism is self-responsibility. Satanism abhors stupidity
and one of the core beliefs is that everyone must suffer the consequences of
their own actions. BY the same token, the Satanist is expected to accept those
consequences and learn from them. Satanism also supports Lex Talionis1, the Law
of Retaliation. Satanists believe in strict adherence to natural law. This is
of course the law of the jungle, that of self-preservation. "Do unto others as
they would do unto you". Much is made of this 'eat or be eaten' philosophy, yet
it is often forgotten that Satanists also believe in more 'positive' rules of
conduct. For example, the third Satanic Statement reads; "When in another's
lair, show him respect or else do not go there3."
One of the biggest differences between a modern white Wiccan and a Satanist is
their approach to ethics. For example, if a child were under serious threat,
many Wiccan parents would have to make justifications to themselves before
using darkside magic to protect the child. Some would refuse to use it at all,
fearing that some harm may come of it, and would approach the problem
completely on the mundane level. The Satanic parent, as well as employing all
that was available on the mundane level, would go straight for the most
powerful magic at their disposal, and to Hell with whether the perpetrator is
harmed as a result. He had it coming.
The ninth Satanic Statement reads; "Do not harm little children3". To fail to
protect one's own child, by whatever means were effective, would indeed be a
sin to a Satanist. Beneath the apparent defiance in the attitude of the
Satanist is a simple rule of self-preservation based on strength and the
natural law of the survival of the fittest. Rather than seeking to eat your
children, the Satanist seeks only to protect their own. Those who pose no
threat are entitled to basic human respect and have nothing to fear. The
Satanists among you are probably not even interested in you.
Deny them if you will, but as one well-known and respected Wicca initiate once
said to me, "inside every Wiccan is a little bit of Satanist". Strength without
Apology. Lex Talionis.
References:
1. LaVey, Anton The Satanic Bible W.H.Allen & Co., London, 1977.
2. Barton, Blanche The Church of Satan Hell's Kitchen Press
3. Introductory literature from The Church of Satan
4. Hawkins, Jaq Understanding Chaos Magic Capall Bann Publishing, Berkshire, 1996.
5. Private letters