Satanist leads prayer at city council meeting

[Father Heathen]

Do you expect them to respect Christianity and your views ?

Despite their history of trampling the rights and freedoms of others, conservative Christians in the U.S. feel entitled to their respect and reverence.

 

[Aštra’el]

Given your political allegiances, I'm not so sure that you're in a position to gatekeep the LHP.

My allegiance is to myself and my own True Will. My loyalty is to my gods, to my country, and to the few people I consider “family”.

I have no allegiance to any political party, and I will share my thoughts regardless of who has a problem with it and perceives it as “gatekeeping”.

 

[Aštra’el]

Not "evil" enough for you?

“Evil” is a meaningless word to me.

 

[Viker]

“Evil” is a meaningless word to me.

Good.

(I hope irony has meaning for you.)

 

[Estro Felino]

There is a great anthropologist in Italy, professor Cecilia Gatto Trocchi who studied Satanism and other religions all life long.
She said that the people who convert to these religions are strangely atheists, on the average.
Which is the strangest thing ever, if you think about it.
Because if you think forces of good don't exist, neither do the forces of evil.

God is considered the epitome of the forces of good. If He doesn't exist, neither does His opponent.


By the way...the video is interesting, anthropologically speaking. A person in Eyes Wide Shut attire that performs a ritual.

 

[Viker]

There is a great anthropologist in Italy, professor Cecilia Gatto Trocchi who studied Satanism and other religions all life long.
She said that the people who convert to these religions are strangely atheists, on the average.
Which is the strangest thing ever, if you think about it.
Because if you think forces of good don't exist, neither do the forces of evil.

God is considered the epitome of the forces of good. If He doesn't exist, neither does His opponent.


By the way...the video is interesting, anthropologically speaking. A person in Eyes Wide Shut attire that performs a ritual.
I have very negative opinions about Kubrick, by the way.

Most modern Satanists see Satan as a valid symbol and not an actual entity. So, the modern Satanist will likely conclude that neither Satan nor God actually exist. Also, they do not embrace concepts like traditional "good" and "evil".

 

[lewisnotmiller]

As you can see, the third paragraph says that in order to be recognized as religions, they need to sign an agreement with the Italian State.
But it is very difficult the Italian State signs, unless the religion in question demonstrates that its purpose and principles are conductive of the common good, that are in harmony with the principles of honesty, freedom, tolerance, and social cooperation.
That is, the followers of religion need to prove they propagandize their creed in order to spread positive values of union, cooperation, good customs.
Read the article 19 about good customs.

I read it. It sounds more like a way to limit religious freedom to those religions approved by the state than a way to enforce the spread of positive values...
I would assume Satanic groups are largely cultural associations in Italy rather than religions because of this, despite their creeds.

But thanks for the additional context and info, I appreciate it.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

There is a great anthropologist in Italy, professor Cecilia Gatto Trocchi who studied Satanism and other religions all life long.
She said that the people who convert to these religions are strangely atheists, on the average.
Which is the strangest thing ever, if you think about it.
Because if you think forces of good don't exist, neither do the forces of evil.

God is considered the epitome of the forces of good. If He doesn't exist, neither does His opponent.


By the way...the video is interesting, anthropologically speaking. A person in Eyes Wide Shut attire that performs a ritual.
I have very negative opinions about Kubrick, by the way.

I've explained this to you before, though. Many Satanists don't believe in a literal Satan (or God).
It's symbolism.

 

[Estro Felino]

I read it. It sounds more like a way to limit religious freedom to those religions approved by the state than a way to enforce the spread of positive values...
I would assume Satanic groups are largely cultural associations in Italy rather than religions because of this, despite their creeds.

But thanks for the additional context and info, I appreciate it.

Exactly, they are cultural associations.
For example Buddhism or Hinduism have demonstrated their purpose is to improve society, so they have been recognized by the State.

 

[Estro Felino]

Most modern Satanists see Satan as a valid symbol and not an actual entity. So, the modern Satanist will likely conclude that neither Satan nor God actually exist. Also, they do not embrace concepts like traditional "good" and "evil".

Which are juridical concepts in Roman law systems.
"Common good", for example.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Exactly, they are cultural associations.
For example Buddhism or Hinduism have demonstrated their purpose is to improve society, so they have been recognized by the State.

I assume this is best demonstrated by having enough constituents that denying them is politically risky, and not saying anything openly negative about the Catholic Church...

Or am I too cynical?

 

[questfortruth]

This was from a few years ago, so some of you may have seen this already, but what are your thoughts?

The humankind is not ready for spiritual warfare.

 

[Estro Felino]

I assume this is best demonstrated by having enough constituents that denying them is politically risky, and not saying anything openly negative about the Catholic Church...

Or am I too cynical?

No, you're absolutely sensible
I say negative things about the Vatican 24/7, there is the rumor (more and more widespread) that the Vatican is a Satanists' den (and I mean those Satanists who worship Satan as deity).

They demonstrate it by believing in the common good, in solidarity, social cooperation etc...

 

[Shadow Wolf]

If nobody explains me what this religion is about in detail, I will always rely on what Satanism means according to Christianity. So it's not my fault if the followers of this religions either hide or won't reveal details.

It's your fault, and entirely your fault and only your fault, for not looking stuff up and making assumptions. The details aren't hidden, they are revealed, you just passed on looking anything up.
Why not make assumptions based on Judaism? It's just as sound, accurate, and wise to make.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

You’ve made a good point!
I mean, doesn’t everyone know Satan is the Archenemy of the God of the Bible?

Doesn't everybody know the Christians reinvented him and bastardized the character so much that there is no devil in Judaism and he went from being a loyal and obedient angel of god (with no freewill to act on his own) to the enemy of god?

 

[Estro Felino]

It's your fault, and entirely your fault and only your fault, for not looking stuff up and making assumptions. The details aren't hidden, they are revealed, you just passed on looking anything up.
Why not make assumptions based on Judaism? It's just as sound, accurate, and wise to make.

Because it's not a monolithic concept.
There are countless denominations.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

@Estro Felino is not ‘burying her head in the sand’! She simply has standards that she’s sticking to.
(I applaud her for it.)
What are your standards? Anything goes, eh?

Estro did insert that head deeply into the sand by refusing to check into anything and instead gave a very uninformed and baseless opinion.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Because it's not a monolithic concept.
There aren't countless denominations.

The Temple of Satan is the Temple of Satan. There aren't "countless" denominations of it. There aren't more than a few types of Satanists.
The "countless denominations" is the territory of Christians.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Freedom of religion is not limitless in the United States.
If there is a religion (I am not speaking of this one of the video, at all) whose purpose is to target certain citizens and to harm them, that religion cannot be tolerated.
And I am speaking of American jurisprudence.

That's exactly what Conservative American Evangelicals are out to do. Not the Satanic Temple.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

For the Christians who think ignorance is a virtue.
About Us

There are Seven
FUNDAMENTAL TENETS

• I One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
  
  
• II The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
  
  
• III One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
  
  
• IV The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one's own.
  

• V Beliefs should conform to one's best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one's beliefs.
  
  
• VI People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one's best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.
  
  
• VII Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.