Church of Satan

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The seal of Baphomet is the seal of the Church of Satan

The Church of Satan (CoS) was founded on April 30, 1966 by Anton Szandor LaVey in San Francisco . The Church of Satan represents that Satanism that was codified in 1968 by LaVey's " Satanic Bible ". Its headquarters are now in New York City , in the Hell's Kitchen district in Manhattan , where the two reigning high priests Peter Howard Gilmore and his wife Peggy Nadramia live.

structure

The Church of Satan is organized centrally. Its leadership, the "Order of the Trapezoid", consists of the two high priests, one man and one woman each, and the decision-making body of the "Council of Nine". Memberships in the CoS can be passive or active. Active members can get involved as media representatives, so-called "agents".

There was also the opportunity to join a grotto. "Grottoes" were local interest groups for the Church of Satan. Some grottos appeared in public and have their own websites , while others preferred to operate in secret. The head of a grotto was only authorized to speak on behalf of his grotto, not on behalf of the Church of Satan. The individual grottoes had no compelling connection other than the common commitment to Satanism, as it was codified by LaVey. However, due to the digital age, these grottos have become increasingly irrelevant and are now being gradually dissolved.

There was a schism in the Church of Satan in 1975 : Under the direction of the Church of Satan Magister Michael Aquino, some members of the Church of Satan split off to found their own organization, the Temple of Set (ToS).

worldview

The Church of Satan takes an atheist position that there is no all-powerful, benevolent Creator God. The figure of Satan is interpreted as an archetype with which the individual Satanist can identify.

The members practice ritual magic , which is not understood as invoking supernatural beings, but as a therapy-like psychodrama to influence the emotions of those involved so that their wish-fulfillment is promoted. According to the Church of Satan, however, this magic always moves within the framework of the laws of nature and does not represent any supernatural forces. According to the American religious scholar Hugh Urban, religious rituals are combined with burlesque religious parody in the Church of Satan .

ethics

A quotation from LaVey taken from the Satanic Bible clarifies the position of the Church of Satan (all others also from the Satanic Bible):

“On Saturday evenings I saw men staring after half-naked girls at the carnival, and on Sunday mornings I saw the same men in the pew with their wives and children asking God to forgive them and deliver them from their carnal sins. And next Saturday evening they would be back at the carnival or other places of enjoyment. It was then that I realized that the Christian Church is based on hypocrisy and that man's carnal nature will emerge. "

According to LaVey, man is not on a higher level than the animal, and the repressing or denial of any urges is unnatural and false. So one should concentrate on this world and lead a life entirely dedicated to the gain of pleasure: "I break away from all conventions that do not lead to my earthly success and happiness" ( I renounce all conventions that do not give me success and satisfaction promise in this world ). Since humans are seen as an equal part of nature, animals are highly valued at LaVey - they embody the true Satanist for him, as they live purely according to their instincts, while humans have become the most malicious of all animals through spiritual and intellectual development: " man ..., because of his' divine spiritual and intellectual development ', has become the most vicious animal of all! ” ( “ Man… became the most vicious animal of all through his' divine, spiritual and intellectual development ” ). While many other religions and especially Christianity have unconditional charity as a goal, Satanism sees LaVey's actual or apparently self-inflicted help in need as a waste: “Death to the weakling, wealth to the strong!” ( “Death to the Weak, wealth for the strong! " ).

Because of this, one can see hedonism and a type of social Darwinism as the core of LaVey's Satanism.

The Church of Satan is contrary to most of the world's religions . An important difference is e.g. B. that the Church of Satan does not want to win over all people, but only a small minority. According to this organizational guideline initiated by Gilmore, the Church of Satan sees itself as an "alien elite" and particularly wants to address outsiders and unusual people. The status of a member within the Church, according to the Church of Satan, is dependent on the member's success in the world outside the Church.

On the website of the Church of Satan you can read the "guidelines" and "forms of behavior" and some information about the Church of Satan. Some excerpts:

The nine satanic principles
  1. Satan means sensual pleasure instead of abstinence
  2. Satan means life force instead of pipe dreams
  3. Satan means unadulterated wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deception
  4. Satan means kindness to those who deserve it, rather than wasting love on the ungrateful
  5. Satan means vengeance instead of turning the other cheek
  6. Satan means responsibility for those in charge rather than caring for psychic vampires
  7. Satan means that man is just one animal among other animals, sometimes better, but often worse than the four-legged friends, since he has become the most vicious of all animals due to his "divine, spiritual and intellectual development"
  8. Satan means all so-called sins, because they all lead to physical, spiritual or emotional fulfillment
  9. Satan is the best friend the Church has ever had because he has kept it alive all these years
The nine satanic sins
  1. stupidity
  2. Presumption
  3. Solipsism
  4. Self-deception
  5. Belonging to the herd
  6. Lack of perspective
  7. Forgetfulness about previous principles
  8. Counterproductive pride
  9. Lack of aesthetics
The eleven satanic rules of the earth
  1. Do not give your opinion or advice unless asked.
  2. Don't tell others about your concerns unless you are sure they want to hear them.
  3. If you are on someone else's premises, show them respect or don't go there.
  4. If a guest harasses you on your premises, treat them cruelly and without mercy.
  5. Do not attempt sexual advances unless you receive a signal to do so.
  6. Do not take anything that is not yours unless it is a burden on the other person and they are crying out to be released from it.
  7. Respect the power of magic when you have successfully used it to grant your desires. If you deny the power of magic after successfully calling it, you will lose everything you have.
  8. Don't complain about anything that you don't have to expose yourself to.
  9. Don't hurt young children.
  10. Don't kill non-human animals until you are attacked or in need of food.
  11. When you're out in the open, don't bother anyone. If someone is harassing you, ask them to stop. If he doesn't stop doing it, destroy him.

Sociopolitical viewpoints

The political statements of the Church of Satan are contradicting: on the one hand the Church of Satan is completely apolitical, on the other hand it wants to promote a strict performance society.

She is apolitical in her text Church of Satan Policy on Politics , where it says:

“Our members span an amazing political spectrum, which includes but is not limited to: Libertarians, Liberals, Conservatives, Republicans, Democrats, Reform Party members, Independents, Capitalists, Socialists, Communists, Stalinists, Leninists, Trotskyites, Maoists, Zionists, Monarchists , Fascists, Anarchists, and just about anything else you could possibly imagine. [...] The Church of Satan does not have an “official” political position. [...] The Church of Satan is not going to demand that members conform to any particular political point of view, nor should our members expect the Church to assist them in forcing others to assent to their own positions. [...] The emotional drive to “change the world” is a common stage of early adult development typically beginning around age 16 and lasting until around age 24. Usually, individuals who become aware as to how the world actually functions — rather than being lost in a fantasy wherein they will be some sort of savior figure — come to realize that idealism (such as changing the world) is less important than the principle of getting what you want for yourself. That latter position should be an obvious development particularly for Satanists since we don't hide our understanding that Satanists tend to be lone wolves and not herd animals. Because Satanism is intended to respect reality as it is (and not as anyone thinks it “should” be), it usually does not take long for a truly aware Satanist to set aside politics in favor of direct, personal efforts for selfish goals. ”

“Our members span an astonishing political spectrum, including but not limited to: Libertarians , Liberals , Conservatives , Republicans , Democrats , Reform Party members , Independents , Capitalists , Socialists , Communists , Stalinists , Leninists , Trotskyists , Maoists , Zionists , monarchists , fascists , anarchists , and just about anything else you can think of. [...] The Church of Satan has no 'official' political position. [...] The Church of Satan will not require members to conform to any particular belief, nor should our members require the Church of Satan to assist them in forcing others to agree to their own positions. […] The emotional drive to 'change the world' is a general stage of early adult development that typically begins at around 16 and continues through to around 24. Individuals who realize how the world really works - instead of being lost in a fantasy in which they would be some sort of savior figure - usually realize that idealism (like changing the world) is less important than the principle of getting, what you want yourself. This latter position should be an obvious development specifically for Satanists, as we do not hide our understanding that Satanists tend to be solitary wolves and not herd animals. Because Satanism intends to respect reality for what it is (and not as anyone thinks it 'should be'), it usually doesn't take long for a truly conscious Satanist to move political positions in favor of direct, personal endeavors for selfish ends to leave aside. "

- Church of Satan : Church of Satan Policy on Politics

On the other hand, the Church of Satan wants to change the world and also names clear political goals. Gilmore says: “The principle of survival of the strong should be advocated at all levels of society, from individuals who can stand or fall to nations who face the consequences of inability to direct their fate. "

The Church of Satan advocates a five-point program, Pentagonal Revisionism :

  1. Layering - The one point to which all others are ultimately connected. There can be no more myth of the “equality” of all - that translates to “mediocrity” and supports the weak at the expense of the strong. The river must be able to find its own way without interference from defenders of incompetence. Nobody should be protected from the consequences of their own stupidity.
  2. Strict taxation of all churches - If the churches were taxed on their income and possessions, they would dissolve overnight on their obsolescence and the government deficit would be cleared up just as quickly. The productive, the creative and the resourceful are to be subsidized. But as long as the useless and the incompetent are paid, they should be properly taxed.
  3. No tolerance for the religious to be secularized and incorporated into state laws - in order to reintroduce the “ Lex Talionis ”, it may be necessary to completely remove the existing legal system based on Judeo-Christian ideals, in which the victim or the defender become criminals to be thrown overboard. An amnesty should be considered for anyone who is in jail because of their perceived "influence" over an actual criminal. Everyone is influenced by what he or she does. Identifying scapegoats has become a way of life, a means of survival for the incompetent. As an extension of the cowardly Judeo-Christian evasion, namely to blame the devil for all the blame, criminals can expect leniency, even praise, because they blame a comfortable villain. If one follows the satanic commandment of "responsibility for those who are responsible", everyone in a satanic society must take responsibility for their actions - for better or for worse.
  4. Development and production of artificial human partners - the forbidden industry. An economic “gift from heaven” that gives everyone “power” over someone else. Polite, refined, technically feasible slavery. And the most profitable industry since television and personal computers.
  5. The possibility for everyone to live in a closed environment that they choose, with binding standards in aesthetics and rules - privately operated and controlled worlds as an alternative to the homogenized and multilingual. The freedom to go to an isolated island where you feel comfortable personally. An opportunity to feel, see, and hear what pleases you most, without interference from those who would spoil or distract that option.

LaVey himself summed up his church's ideology: it was "simply the philosophy of Ayn Rand , plus rituals and ceremonies." The books by Ayn Rand are not very familiar to the followers of the Church of Satan, unlike the works of Crowley or Friedrich Nietzsche .

Prominent members

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Peter H. Gilmore: Satanism: The Feared Religion. Retrieved February 1, 2010 .
  2. ^ Hugh Urban: New Age, Neopagan, and New Religious Movements. Alternative Spirituality in Contemporary America . University of California Press, Berkeley 2015, ISBN 978-0-520-96212-5 , p. 179 (accessed from De Gruyter Online).
  3. ^ Anton Szandor LaVey: The Nine Satanic Statements. In: The Satanic Bible. 1969, accessed February 1, 2010 .
  4. ^ Anton Szandor LaVey: The Nine Satanic Statements. 1987, accessed February 1, 2010 .
  5. ^ Anton Szandor LaVey: The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth. 1967, accessed February 1, 2010 .
  6. ^ Church of Satan Policy on Politics. Church of Satan, accessed February 1, 2010 .
  7. ↑ Anton LaVey: PENTAGONAL Revisionism: A FIVE-POINT PROGRAM. 1988, accessed February 1, 2010 .
  8. ↑ "just Ayn Rand's philosophy with ceremony and ritual added", quoted. by James R. Lewis: Who Serves Satan? An demographic and Ideological Profile . In: Marburg Journal of Religion 6, H. 2 (2001), p. 18.
  9. ^ Zeena Schreck , Nikolas Schreck : Anton LaVey: Legend and Reality. February 2, 2008, accessed February 17, 2010 .
  10. ↑ Stephanie Nolasco: Marilyn Manson: Overrated, Underrated, Or Just Freakin 'Weird? July 18, 2008, accessed February 17, 2010 .
  11. ^ Marilyn Manson: Biography: Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010 ; accessed on February 17, 2010 (English).
  12. ↑ Chris Harris: Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba: 'Satanism's Fun'. May 26, 2005, accessed February 17, 2010 .
  13. ^ Natalie Goldberg: The Agony and the Irony of Matt Skiba. July 31, 2008, accessed February 17, 2010 .
  14. ↑ Marc Almond. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 28, 2009 ; accessed on February 1, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.churchofsatan.com
  15. ↑ Boyd Rice Interview from Bizarre. Archived from the original on October 4, 2007 ; accessed on February 1, 2010 (English).
  16. ↑ Max Dax: Marc Almond: "I had to say things like 'Heil Satan!'" - News Culture - WELT ONLINE. In: The world. July 22, 2007, accessed February 1, 2010 .
  17. ^ Nate Denver: King Diamond. Retrieved February 17, 2010 .
  18. ↑ Shane and Amy Bugbee: The Doctor is In ... 1999, accessed February 17, 2010 .
  19. ^ The Electric Hellfire Club on MySpace. Retrieved February 1, 2010 .
  20. ↑ "The Black Pimp Speaks". 2003, archived from the original on September 28, 2007 ; accessed on February 1, 2010 (English).
  21. ↑ My Dinner With Bob Larson. Retrieved February 1, 2010 .
  22. ↑ Silke Ecks, Frank Cebulla: Interview with Michael Moynihan. Musician, writer, publisher and co-author of the book "Lords of Chaos". (No longer available online.) The Golem, archived from the original on May 18, 2011 ; Retrieved June 11, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.golem-net.de
  23. ^ Anne Richter: "Marc Almond is also a Satanist" - Queer.de. February 12, 2008, accessed February 1, 2010 .
  24. ↑ Oliver Lippert: Oliver Fehn: "Hochstapelei, nepotism and lack of humor". (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on July 14, 2011 ; Retrieved July 27, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / pagewizz.com
  25. ↑ News XXXIX AS (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on May 9, 2012 ; accessed on February 17, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.churchofsatan.com
  26. ^ Kai Mathias Stalhammar: Vincent Crowley / Acheron. Retrieved February 17, 2010 .
  27. ↑ "Anyone who misunderstands me is stupid" - Interview by Britta Helm with Nathan Gray in VISIONS - Music from Passion , issue 01/16, p. 37.