LaVeyan Satanism
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LaVeyan Satanism is a religion based upon the philosophy of Anton LaVey as outlined in The Satanic Bible and other works. It has an extremely egoistic bent, viewing the self as the most important entity in the universe; this stance of positively-viewed selfishness stands in contrast to the doctrines of most other religions.
Philosophically, it could be described as heavily influenced by the writings of Aleister Crowley, Niccolò Machiavelli, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ayn Rand, Ragnar Redbeard, Sigmund Freud and a few others; "Satan" is appropriated as a positive symbol of this worldview, and is not considered to exist in a literal fashion.
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History
The seeds for LaVeyan Satanism were planted in the 1950s, when LaVey and several others formed a group known as the Order of the Trapezoid; the group worked with a combination of magick and LaVey's hedonistic, egoistic philosophy. Seeking to change the world with his ideas, LaVey later decided that only a religion, and not a mere philosophy, would be sufficient to do so; with this in mind, he founded the Church of Satan in 1966. Three years later, in 1969, LaVey wrote and published the Satanic Bible, drawing heavily upon Redbeard's 1890's virulent satire, Might is Right.
Organizations
There are two primary organizations based upon this type of Satanism, which tend to be at odds with each other despite their shared basis: the Church of Satan, founded by LaVey and now administered by Peter H. Gilmore, and the First Satanic Church, administered by LaVey's daughter Karla. These are not the only organizations based upon LeVeyan Satanism; furthermore, there are many individual LaVeyan Satanists who do not affiliate with any religious organization.
The LaVeyan organizations do not have (nor do they seek) the tax-exempt status normally granted to religious organizations in the United States. The religion as a whole does, however, enjoy the same legal protection afforded any other religion in the United States by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
Philosophy
Fundamental Individualism
Satanism is often mistaken as being a religion that encourages cruelty and irresponsible behaviour, but LaVey's brand is very different. Central is the idea inherited from Nietzsche that an individual must enforce his own meaning on life and rise above the perceived conformity of the masses. The Satanist is seen as equivalent to Nietzsche's Ubermensch; LaVey claimed "Satanists are born, not made" and that "[Satanists] have a disease called independence that needs to be recognised just like alcoholism." There is a libertarian element here; diversity is encouraged, everyone is expected to discover their own sexuality, chart their own personality, and decide their own ambitions in life. In this stress on individuality, Satanism is considered a "Left-Hand Path" religion.
Man's role vis-à-vis Nature
There is also a belief in the necessity for cultivating man's carnal nature and its appetites. Nature is viewed not as a wilderness to be tamed, such as is found in many aspects of Christian thought, but as a volatile force reflected in the deepest part of man's soul. Modern man is seen as cut off from nature, and, therefore, from life itself. Indeed, one of the fundamental tenets of Lavey's Satanic worldview is that "Life is the great indulgence." This comes more from Aleister Crowley's idea of "Do What thou Wilt" than Nietzsche's self-controlled ethics. Guilt is rejected as the labor of weak, petty minds. Animals and children are celebrated in Satanism as embodiments of pure instinct and indulgence. Contrary to perceptions of ritually sanctioned animal sacrifice, LaVey adamantly denounced such practices and did not advocate the implementation of them into the Satanic rite.
Sexual Satanism
The "seven deadly sins" of Christianity are recognized as leading to "forbidden" pleasure and psychological satisfaction and are thus encouraged. Similarly, total abstinence from sensorium pleasures is discouraged as a form of indirect masochism. Many Satanists distinguish between this form of masochism and the type that informs certain sexual relationships based upon premises of power and submission. States of weakness, servitude and submission have their place in Modern Satanism, provided they are intentionally provoked in the pursuance of pleasure. There are many points in common between sadomasochists and Satanists. Both view the body as a vehicle for transhuman experiences beyond the reach of contemporary interpretions of morality. Both see pain as useful for their ends. Both feel that man makes his own gods and is fully capable of assuming that role for his Self.
Satanic Social Planning
In addition to these ideas runs a sometimes polemic misanthropy coupled with pronounced elitism. Human beings are viewed by many Satanists as utterly contemptible. Anton LaVey advocated a type of natural stratification into castes, where the (Satanic) elite could be protected from "interference from apologists for incompetence". He denounced democracy, the welfare state, and feminism as systems that viewed mass uniformity amongst races, sexes and varying intelligences as virtuous. LaVey encouraged women to exploit their "femininity" to gain power and pleasure, rather than what he saw as the feminist mentality of "hating your femininity". He published The Compleat Witch (later republished under the title, The Satanic Witch in 1971 in a climate of much feminist agitation.
Satanism and Self-Transformation
Adherents to "life-denying" religions are often regarded as self-abnegating in their devotion to their own servility. LaVey's Satanic creed viewed religion as promoting an impersonal relationship with what the churches referred to as "God". Satanism was presented as a opportunity to self-identify with one's own concept of God. Great attention was paid to details gleaned from Noir films like White Heat and The Big Sleep in creating one's ideal Self from deliberately invoked forms.
The Satanic Golden Rule
Lex talionis, or the law of "tooth and claw" informed much of LaVey's Satanic formulation. "Do unto others as they do unto you" supplanted the Christian directive to "do unto others as you would have them to do unto you", so that you are only to give compassion and sympathy to those who deserve it. It is a reactive rule, compared with the Christian proactive rule; further it is a rule that all LaVeyan Satanists seems to live by. By the rule, love, compassion, and sympathy are not to be wasted upon ingrates; these are to be given only to those who deserve them. LaVey felt that intelligent and strong people spent too much time caring for "psychic vampires" — weak individuals who always demanded attention and care, yet would never give any back. He taught that Satanists should strive to remove themselves as much as possible from such people in order to live in accordance to their instincts and individual wills.
As time has gone on, the magic and anti-Christian elements of Satanism have become less and less prevalent compared to the misanthropic element.
God In Satanism
Satanism does not condone or condemn any god of choice. It has been said that man tends to choose his gods and not the other way around. It is encouraged to choose the god, or lack thereof, that works best for the satanist themselves.
The Nine Satanic Statements
1. Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence!
2. Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams!
3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit!
4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates!
5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek!
6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires!
7. Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours, who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all!
8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!
9. Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years!
The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth
1. Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
2. Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them.
3. When in another’s lair, show him respect or else do not go there.
4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy.
5. Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
6. Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved.
7. Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained.
8. Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
9. Do not harm little children.
10. Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
11. When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.
The Nine Satanic Sins
1. Stupidity—The top of the list for Satanic Sins. The Cardinal Sin of Satanism. It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid.
2. Pretentiousness—Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn’t applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone’s made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not.
3. Solipsism—Can be very dangerous for Satanists. Projecting your reactions, responses and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won’t. Instead, Satanists must strive to apply the dictum of “Do unto others as they do unto you.” It’s work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point.
4. Self-deceit—It’s in the “Nine Satanic Statements” but deserves to be repeated here. Another cardinal sin. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it’s fun, and with awareness. But then, it’s not self-deceit!
5. Herd Conformity—That’s obvious from a Satanic stance. It’s all right to conform to a person’s wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many.
6. Lack of Perspective—Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain for a Satanist. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints—know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world.
7. Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies—Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it’s something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society.
8. Counterproductive Pride—That first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you’ve painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I’m sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it.
9. Lack of Aesthetics—This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It’s not what’s supposed to be pleasing—it’s what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one’s own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied.
The Black Mass
The "Black Mass", a symbolic inversion of Catholicism, is often attributed to LaVeyan Satanism; this "mass" is merely an elaborate prank played on occasion by various Satanists for the media. Various theatrical elements are intentionally incorporated into the performance in order to elicit labels of blasphemy from Christians. It is not, and never has been, an act of serious worship by LaVeyan Satanists.
The first Black Mass performed by the Church of Satan took place in 1968.
Black Masses are not normally performed by Satanists (except on rare occasions for their entertainment or publicity value).
Criticisms
Some critics believe that despite the encouragement for individuality within Satanism, most of the members seem to conform to a certain stereotype. Another criticism lies with the initiation process for the Church of Satan, which includes nothing more than a $200 membership fee. (This charge is inaccurate if leveled at Satanism as a whole, as this is merely the membership charge for a particular organization — i.e., you don't have to be a card-carrying member of the Church of Satan to be a Satanist.)
It is not made certain to the general public whether Satanism's main enemy is Christianity, or the traditional targets of the political right; criminals, welfare recipients, feminists, et cetera.
The Church has expressed contradictory views that while criminals should be dealt with harshly for their lack of moral fiber, Christians are condemned for being "guilt-ridden" and "weak" in their display of morality. LaVey, on numerous occasions, made broad allegations against Christianity for being responsible for most of the world's problems.
Satanism has an ethical code in its 9 statements (listed in the Satanic Bible) and 11 rules, yet it does not try to convince the reader why the Satanic moral code is superior to and should be chosen over any other.
Its 11 "Rules of the Earth", composed in 1967, were omitted from the Satanic Bible for what LaVey saw as their brutal realism; the eleventh urges the Satanist: "When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him." Satanists do not advocate murder, however; this is often seen as urging the use of ritual magic to destroy an enemy, and they actively discourage criminal activity. Such ritual magic is also viewed as a form of catharsis. It is clear, though, that they view the lives of animals as having more intrinsic worth than that of many humans.
A number of Satanists are involved in the military and law enforcement, and many are prepared to kill in self-defense, in the case of a serious threat to their own life or that of their loved ones. However, responsibility for ones actions, in particular towards the law, is stressed here.
"Love of life" is said to be the general theme of the Satanist as opposed to the abstinence or hatred of Christianity, yet within Satanic literature there frequently appears pessimistic statements about the angst of life; intelligent people are portrayed as suffering from their awareness.