Vasilisa Jade
Formerly Saint Tigeress
I just finished reading The Satanic Bible and I must say, it was a much better read than what I expected. I started to read the pdf a few months ago and the connotation I got was that of an outraged 13 year old ticked off at his parents for forcing their christian ideals upon him, resulting in vacuous ranting. I still think their was a little bit of immaturity in there, but overall I would recommend the book to everyone of any faith. It makes you think, and that is what I look for in a book. Here are some of the quotes I noted and/or that I wanted to chat about:
Hate your enemies with a whole heart, and if a man smite you on one cheek, SMASH him on the other!; smite him hip and thigh, for self-preservation is the highest law!"
-page 33 (7)
I wanted to note this because this ideal is what gave me that first impression I spoke of. The origin of Anton Laveys thoughts most definitely come from a place of anger. This book was inspired by anger and outrage. That is not necessarily a bad thing. I do think it might have something to do with Laveys original ideas becoming warped into these different sects of "psuedosatanism" though. A lot of people only hear what they want to hear and practice lots of pick-n-mixism in the wrong places. This would be the wrong place to pick, and I think that is what happens. People just focus on the violence. The other bad thing about this statement is that it has a blind sense of wrath to it. No ones personal sovereignty is perfect, so no one should deal out wrath rashly as this book encourages. Lavey I believe had more faith in people than what he realized, speaking from an assumption of unblemished personal sovereignty like this.
"Since mans natural instincts lead him to sin, all men are sinners; and all sinners go to hell. If everyone goes to hell, you will meet all your friends there. Heaven must be populated with some rather strange creatures..."
-page 47
That was just funny. That made me laugh out loud. There were quite a few instances of cut and dry humor in the book, which made me appreciate his simple, logical ideas.
"When a puppy reaches maturity is becomes a dog; when ice melts it's called water; when twelve months have been used up we get a new calendar with the proper chronological name; when "magic" becomes scientific fact we refer to it as medicine, astronomy, etc.When one name is no longer appropriate for a given thing it is only logical to change it to a new one which better fits the subject."
-page 49
Do you agree? Is that which is underlined true?
"Anyone who pretends to be interested in magic or the occult for reasons other than gaining personal power are the worst kinds of hypocrite."
-page 51
Agree? I know I agree with that. Another perfect example of the cut and dry ideas I liked.
"Satanism is the only religion known to man that accepts man as he is, and promotes the rationale of turning a bad thing into a good thing rather than bending over backwards to eliminate the bad thing."
-page 53
Do you agree? Does it really turn the bad things into good things? Or is that just another form of self delusion that Lavey tries so hard to avoid? I think it is accepting the bad things as being bad and natural that allows a person to progress, not necessarily trying to turn the bad into good. Maybe I am reading into it too much. I know he is speaking from the way christians view the bad and good...
Clarification?
"Satan has certainly been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years. The false doctrine of Hell and the Devil has allowed the Protestant and Catholic Churches to flourish for too long. Without the devil to point thier fingers at, religionists of the right hand path would have nothing with which to threaten thier followers."
-page 55
Is Satan the best friend the church never had? LOL. He is certainly as integral a figure as Jesus Himself. In some churches almost more so. Would the church be able to stay in business if the Satan figure were removed? What would happen?
Some clarification on Laveys interpretation and origin of Satan:
"The semantic meaning of Satan is the "adversary" or "opposition" or the "accuser." The very word "devil" comes from the indian "devi" which means "god." Satan represents opposition to all religions which serve to frustrate and condem man for his natural instincts. He has been given an evil role simply because he represents the carnal, earthly, and mundane aspects of life.
Satan, the chief devil of the Western world, was originally an angel whose duty it was to report human delinquencies to God. It wasn't until the fourtenth century that he began to be depicted as an evil deity who was part man and part animal, with goat-like horns and hooves. Before Christianity gave him the names of Satan, Lucifer, etc. the carnal side of mans nature was goverend by the god which was then called Dionysus, or Pan, depicted as a satyr or faun, by the Greeks. Pan was originally the "good guy," and symbolized fertility and fecundity.
Whenever a nation comes under a new form of government, the heroes of the past become the villains of the present. So it is with religion. The earliest christians believed the Pagan deities were devils, and to employ them was to use "black magic." Miraculous heavenly events they termed "white magic"; this was the sole distinction between the two. The old gods did not die, they fell into Hell and became devils.
"The performance of Satanic rituals does not embrace the calling forth of demons; this practice is followed only by those who are in fear of the very forces they conjure."
-page 56
All so interesting. I love how detailed he gets into spotting the guilty conscience and signs of not being severed from old ideas.
"If you have to fear God, why not be "Satan fearing" and at least have the fun that being God fearing denies you?"
-page 61
Mwahahaha! Another quote that was just great. Such a smartass. lol.
On a serious note though. I don't think any deity worthy of being followed or taught through actually desires worship or fear. Do satanists agree?
The explanation of the origin of the idea of Hell:
"The Teutonic Goddess of the Dead and daughter of Loki was named Hel, a pagan god of torture and punishment. Another "L" was added when the books of the Old Testament were formulated. The prophets who wrote the Bible did nto know know the word "Hell;" they used the Hebrew "Sheol" and the Greek Hades, which meant the grave; also the Greek Tartaros, which was the abode of fallen angels, the underworld (inside the earth), and the Gehenna, which was the valley near Jeruselum where Moloch reigned and garbage was dumnped and burned. It is from this that the Christian chirch has evolved the idea of "fire and brimstone" in Hell."
-page 62
Hate your enemies with a whole heart, and if a man smite you on one cheek, SMASH him on the other!; smite him hip and thigh, for self-preservation is the highest law!"
-page 33 (7)
I wanted to note this because this ideal is what gave me that first impression I spoke of. The origin of Anton Laveys thoughts most definitely come from a place of anger. This book was inspired by anger and outrage. That is not necessarily a bad thing. I do think it might have something to do with Laveys original ideas becoming warped into these different sects of "psuedosatanism" though. A lot of people only hear what they want to hear and practice lots of pick-n-mixism in the wrong places. This would be the wrong place to pick, and I think that is what happens. People just focus on the violence. The other bad thing about this statement is that it has a blind sense of wrath to it. No ones personal sovereignty is perfect, so no one should deal out wrath rashly as this book encourages. Lavey I believe had more faith in people than what he realized, speaking from an assumption of unblemished personal sovereignty like this.
"Since mans natural instincts lead him to sin, all men are sinners; and all sinners go to hell. If everyone goes to hell, you will meet all your friends there. Heaven must be populated with some rather strange creatures..."
-page 47
That was just funny. That made me laugh out loud. There were quite a few instances of cut and dry humor in the book, which made me appreciate his simple, logical ideas.
"When a puppy reaches maturity is becomes a dog; when ice melts it's called water; when twelve months have been used up we get a new calendar with the proper chronological name; when "magic" becomes scientific fact we refer to it as medicine, astronomy, etc.When one name is no longer appropriate for a given thing it is only logical to change it to a new one which better fits the subject."
-page 49
Do you agree? Is that which is underlined true?
"Anyone who pretends to be interested in magic or the occult for reasons other than gaining personal power are the worst kinds of hypocrite."
-page 51
Agree? I know I agree with that. Another perfect example of the cut and dry ideas I liked.
"Satanism is the only religion known to man that accepts man as he is, and promotes the rationale of turning a bad thing into a good thing rather than bending over backwards to eliminate the bad thing."
-page 53
Do you agree? Does it really turn the bad things into good things? Or is that just another form of self delusion that Lavey tries so hard to avoid? I think it is accepting the bad things as being bad and natural that allows a person to progress, not necessarily trying to turn the bad into good. Maybe I am reading into it too much. I know he is speaking from the way christians view the bad and good...
Clarification?
"Satan has certainly been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years. The false doctrine of Hell and the Devil has allowed the Protestant and Catholic Churches to flourish for too long. Without the devil to point thier fingers at, religionists of the right hand path would have nothing with which to threaten thier followers."
-page 55
Is Satan the best friend the church never had? LOL. He is certainly as integral a figure as Jesus Himself. In some churches almost more so. Would the church be able to stay in business if the Satan figure were removed? What would happen?
Some clarification on Laveys interpretation and origin of Satan:
"The semantic meaning of Satan is the "adversary" or "opposition" or the "accuser." The very word "devil" comes from the indian "devi" which means "god." Satan represents opposition to all religions which serve to frustrate and condem man for his natural instincts. He has been given an evil role simply because he represents the carnal, earthly, and mundane aspects of life.
Satan, the chief devil of the Western world, was originally an angel whose duty it was to report human delinquencies to God. It wasn't until the fourtenth century that he began to be depicted as an evil deity who was part man and part animal, with goat-like horns and hooves. Before Christianity gave him the names of Satan, Lucifer, etc. the carnal side of mans nature was goverend by the god which was then called Dionysus, or Pan, depicted as a satyr or faun, by the Greeks. Pan was originally the "good guy," and symbolized fertility and fecundity.
Whenever a nation comes under a new form of government, the heroes of the past become the villains of the present. So it is with religion. The earliest christians believed the Pagan deities were devils, and to employ them was to use "black magic." Miraculous heavenly events they termed "white magic"; this was the sole distinction between the two. The old gods did not die, they fell into Hell and became devils.
"The performance of Satanic rituals does not embrace the calling forth of demons; this practice is followed only by those who are in fear of the very forces they conjure."
-page 56
All so interesting. I love how detailed he gets into spotting the guilty conscience and signs of not being severed from old ideas.
"If you have to fear God, why not be "Satan fearing" and at least have the fun that being God fearing denies you?"
-page 61
Mwahahaha! Another quote that was just great. Such a smartass. lol.
On a serious note though. I don't think any deity worthy of being followed or taught through actually desires worship or fear. Do satanists agree?
The explanation of the origin of the idea of Hell:
"The Teutonic Goddess of the Dead and daughter of Loki was named Hel, a pagan god of torture and punishment. Another "L" was added when the books of the Old Testament were formulated. The prophets who wrote the Bible did nto know know the word "Hell;" they used the Hebrew "Sheol" and the Greek Hades, which meant the grave; also the Greek Tartaros, which was the abode of fallen angels, the underworld (inside the earth), and the Gehenna, which was the valley near Jeruselum where Moloch reigned and garbage was dumnped and burned. It is from this that the Christian chirch has evolved the idea of "fire and brimstone" in Hell."
-page 62
