Satanism: A Frequently Misunderstood Philosophy

Throughout the course of my writings in this lense, I hope I will be able to inform my readers and also attempt to keep them comfortable. I know from my own past experiences in regards to my previous opinions of Satanism, as well as seeing first-hand other individual's perspective of Satanism; that it takes alot of courage in a way to dare to study a "taboo" belief system such as this. Before we embark on the journey of understanding the philosophy of Satanism, I would like to make it clear that any comments or concerns about my lense can be directed towards me (and specifically this lense) via the comments box.

I hope you enjoy and learn something from this lense!

This is a great documentary on the history of the devil. I learned alot that surprised me, actually, from watching it. I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.guba.com/watch/3000087824

Throughout the course of this lense my main goal is to be able to inform the public about Satanism in many ways. In my writings I would like to be able to expose myths and truths, symbolism, and general beliefs about Satanism. To start, I would like to write about the most infamous "Satanic symbol": The Pentagram.

A pentagram is a five-point star, simply put. The "Satanic" pentagram is this basic shape inverted in a way so that it appears to be upside-down. What is most interesting about the pentagram (not specifically the upside down pentagram) is that it has been used by many religions, including: Christianity, Judaism, Wicca.

Medieval Christians generally saw the five points as a representation of the five wounds of Christ (two in the hands, two in the feet, and lastly one from the spear to the side).

Besides its usage as a religious symbol, it also has a history of potential creation by the Babylonians to be used a way of finding "direction" similar to a compass. The probable orientations: forward, backward, left, right, and above.

Why should the Satanic pentagram not be feared?

The pentagram, in its most basic form, is meerly a symbol. Often associations with the symbol causes fear. However, these associations are found in many symbols. For example, the Nazi Swastika was originally a Jewish symbol. The German Nazis stole the symbol, and used it against the very group that once associated with it! It was not just the symbol that caused fear, but what the Nazis were doing behind the cloak of that symbol. Christianity has the symbol of the cross. To some people, the cross is viewed in a similar way: repression, religion, forcing beliefs on another.

Ultimately, the question to ask is: are these symbols by themselves wrong? Are symbols a good representation of a group? Should groups come under one universal symbol?

I will leave it up to you to determine, however I am still here to inform specifically about the Satanic pentagram.

In such a way that a cross represents Christianity, the pentagram is a symbol of Satanism. Now, what is in the symbol of the upside down star?

Generally, the inversion of the star typically represents rebellion and anti-religion. Some representations of the pentagram include the image of the goat-headed Baphomet in the star itself, surrounded by two circles, and frequently consists of Hewbrew letters spelling out "LEVIATHAN" (which is a word typically associated with the "great-beast": Satan).

While I have explained what the pentagram is, I still can understand the fear people have in regards to it. I have seen it spray painted on walls where gangs collect. In similar fashion to the Nazis, some groups have the tendency to steal symbols and pervert them; which inadvertantly creates fear. However, every individual needs to analyze the usage of the symbol and determine whether it is the symbol that is "evil" or the actions of those using it. If the latter is your ultimate opinion, I would ask you to consider all of the individuals following the belief of Satanism.

Satanism is such a diverse belief system that there very well may be horrible individuals following it, but likewise there are also some great people too! This could be stretched out to all belief systems and religions. There are horrible Muslims, but there are also some great ones too!

I feel it is important that I make some sort of effort to comment on the misconception that heavy metal and Satan are walking hand in hand. While it is blatantly obvious that Satanism has been fused into many lifestyles of heavy metal lovers, to say that heavy metal is of Satan is ludicris.

The first problem with this stereotype is the fact that many people are not acknowledging that Satan is meerly a symbol in the work of many bands. There are very few bands that come to my mind who actually express theological Satanic beliefs (classic black metal band Mayhem comes to my mind).

The second problem is that music is a means of expression, in all aspects: religious and non-religious. My biggest qualm with the "hate" of Satanic music (and moreover, heavy metal as a genre) is how easily accepted genres of music such as Christian rock, Worship music, and such are. Why is it okay to listen to bands sing about Jesus Christ and God, yet not symbolically (or theologically, for all I care) Satan? It seems to me that religion is really dictating what is "okay" to listen to, but in such a way that is downright ignorant of other viewpoints.

I know that some metal bands push it a little far with their anti-religious sentiments, however when one considers how much damage religion has causes (consider the Crusades, for example), it is fairly understandable to see why these people are in a rage.

In a future module I will expound further into this topic because it is very important to address.

The image seen to the right is that of Gaahl of black metal band Gorgoroth. One interesting aspect of Satanism is the usage of theatrics to get across a message. Black metal (a discussion in and of itself) artists have the tendency to dress up in very dark, atmospheric costumes and apply "corpse paint" to their bodies to give the appearance of the death. Except for a few individuals, this is purely an act to which many people gather around (especially angsty teens). Some will certainly not agree with it, but it is interesting to understand why bands do this (especially Satanically speaking).

As states in my lense introduction, I believe Satanism, fundamentally is a "belief system" and not a religion (as many people tend to believe). The fact is, I was mildly false and overgeneralized.

Theistic Satanism is a religion. The follower of this sect of Satanism follow Satan as if he is a deity worthy of worship.

Why do I find this pointless, and likewise many Satanists? Logically speaking by following and worshipping Satan as more than a symbol, individuals are blatantly acknowledging the existance of a God (typically, the God of Christianity); refuting him, and following his opponent. It is rather pointless, and appears to more similar to a political statement than anything serious.

In almost every other way, besides the outright belief in a real Satan; theist Satanists and atheist Satanist are very similar. However, the very fundamental belief of who Satan really is separates this group of people.