An Attempt to Rebuild Atheistic Satanism
Someone more involved in the religion and groups can make a much better fix than this. As much as I owe my introduction to reveling in the dark to this group's showiness, the entire doctrine was only impressive when I was 13. Now, having found more personally meaningful and substantial ways to touch the dark, it only comes off as immature and reactionary. Armed with more knowledge of rhetoric, scrupulousness, and social awareness, its origins and leaders' ties to unsavory politics becomes disturbingly clear.
If I were to create another branch of atheistic satanism, I would rework the stupid original 9 Satanic Statements and 9 Satanic Sins and 11 Satanic Rules until they’re actually a workable framework instead of just vague statements that have all the intellectual and mystical depth of a nose booger. (And are no longer thinly-veiled fascist and separatist sentiments)
The Statements
As they appeared in the original 1969 "The Satanic Bible" by Anton LaVey:
- Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence!
- Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams!
- Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit!
- Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates!
- Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek!
- Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires!
- 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!
- Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!
- Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years!
Expound more on materialism and hedonism, on getting rid of the guilt that many Christians carry when they seek out pleasurable activities solely for the sake of pleasure. Or heck, just outright get rid of that weird dichotomy. The only purpose a dichotomy serves is to learn that it does not exist.. Nothing can be cleanly sorted out into two groups. Labels of A vs Not A are as useful as a toothpick against appendicitis. The material builds the spiritual and the spiritual is within the material.
Questioning and skepticism as virtues. Nuances instead of absolutes. To wield authority is to receive defiance. Question unreasonable requests, but do so with logic and grace, for even defiance and skepticism can be unreasonable.
Do no harm but take no shit. Be kind, be civil, but do not expect extravagant generosity nor be compelled to give it.
To forgive is not to forget, and forgiveness is earned the same way trust broken must be earned back. It is not for anyone to demand.
Nothing is inherently, ontologically ‘evil’ or 'bad’. It is the use, misuse, and disuse that determines its effect on others and on the world.
The Rules
By Anton LaVey, 1967
- Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
- Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them.
- When in another’s lair, show him respect or else do not go there.
- If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy.
- Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
- 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.
- 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.
- Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
- Do not harm little children.
- Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
- When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.
Rework all that’s structured as “don’t do this” into “do this” (eg “walk slowly” instead of “don’t run”) - I find it incredibly ironic that a religion named for a big adversary entity has a lot of restrictive rules. Which says something about the amount of thought and care put into this.
(1), (2), and (8) can be condensed into: “Wisdom before speech.”
(2), (5), and (6) are just: “Consent before interaction.”
(3), (4), and (11) cannot be saved, but a non-fashy version of the sentiment could be “Set your boundaries and enforce them. Recognize others' and respect them.”
(7) is just a very round-about way to call out hypocrisy in religious/spiritual/philosophical/social matters.
(9) and (10) are poorly phrased and just sound like an attempt to enforce personal ethics to others, but something like “Reserve violence for survival” should encompass both.
- Wisdom before speech.
- Consent before interaction.
- Set boundaries and enforce them.
- Recognize others' boundaries and respect them.
- Acknowledge the power of what you have successfully used.
- Reserve violence for survival.
(And thus the eleven has been halved.)
(Would be neat to get all of them to six, for the 666.)
The Sins
Rework to give some of them actual solid definitions instead of just something you have to vibe out lmao. To be fair, some of these are pretty solid by themselves, like (3)-(8), and just need more so they could become easier to practice.
By Anton Lavey
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
(1) “Unthinking compliance and submission” - there should be a snappier word for this but I can’t be arsed to Google it.
(2) is odd because (9) is the same sin but alright. Roughly, it could “Posturing without substance”.
(7) contradicts the entire ethos of the religion.
A Replacement
The irony of having "sins" in a religion named for another's biggest adversarial figure is not lost on me. It may just be better to throw away the concept altogether, and instead replace it with a less punitive, less "can't move on from Christianity" one.
If Satan rules the material world and transgression, then a more material name for the concept should apply. Being also the snake in the Garden of Eden, a serpentine metaphor may be suitable. Venom, or poison: the destroyer and protector, the healer and the killer. A tool, weapon with two edges. "Virtues" the satanist must aspire towards that can easily become destructive when, not given the fear and seriousness they are owed.
- Devotion, commitment, loyalty
- Pride, ego, individuality, sense of self
- Materialism, hedonism, indulgence
- Wit, cunning, Machiavellianism
- Awareness: internal, external, societal, complete
- Transgression but not foolishness and not cruelty, acceptance of the dark and fearsome
Misc.
As it is, even reworked, these are just a random collection of ideals with no singular thread uniting them, which imho makes it a very weak framework for a religion. It really needs something to bring it all together and tie it with the idea of 'satan’.
So far the connecting threads are: materialism, hedonism, non-conformity, adversary, and addition (compared to restrictive and subtractive doctrines).
In short, some sort of constructive transgression, which is not a new concept for anyone in darker occult spaces.