Traditional satanism

From The Book of THoTH (Leaves of Wisdom)

Religious Satanism (sometimes referred to as Traditional Satanism or Theistic Satanism) is the form of Satanism whose followers believe Satan is a force (or energy) in nature. Contrary to popular belief most forms of Satanism understand Satan as a symbol and not as an actual entity and therefore Religious Satanism is very rare. Its more common counterpart is called Philosophical or LaVeyan Satanism.

Unlike Satanists affiliated with the Church of Satan who are largely atheistic or agnostic, theistic Satanists experience a "dark" divinity or powerful entity behind the forces of darkness, knowledge, animal energy and freedom in their lives. He (or She) is sometimes perceived as the Muse and the Bestower of knowledge (Gnosis). Theistic Satanists may place a great emphasis on the Serpent in the Biblical tale of Genesis, whom they perceive to be one of the many emanations or incarnations of Lucifer or Satan. According to such teachings, Satan blessed mankind with the "forbidden" fruit of knowledge of good and evil. From this perspective, knowing good is a good thing, but knowing evil is even better, for someone who knows and recognizes evil is better-armed and equipped to fight evil. It is for this reason that Theistic Satanists perceive Satan not as a Force of evil but rather a Force of good.

Although sometimes called "Traditional" Satanism, there is no indication that Religious Satanism exited before the foundation of LaVeyan Satanism. Some beliefs might have resembled Religious Satanism but the term "Satanism" was not used to describe them. Although it is historically more accurate to call LaVeyan Satanism, "Traditional" Satanism, beliefs about Satan as an actual deity are usually referred to as Traditional.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Types of Religious Satanism 2.1 Setian Satanism 2.2 Sat/Tan Satanism 2.3 Devil Worship 3 See also 4 External links

Overview

Religious Satanism is often similar in outlook and attitude to Philosophical Satanism, though it is generally a prerequisite that the Satanist accept a theological and metaphysical canon involving one or more God(s) who are either Satan in the strictest, Biblical sense, or specially created to identify with or represent the practitioner. A Satan represented in the latter group may be entirely of the practitioner's mind, or may be an adoption from another (usually pre-Christian) religion.

Depending on the Satanists in question, this God (or Gods) may be any in a variety of deities, sometimes taken from ancient faiths; with common ones being Set of Egyptian theology, any number of ancient Mesopotamian Gods or Goddesses, sometimes Gods of Greek or Roman mythology (Mars, for instance). Others claim a largely original God, although it is usually said by those Satanists that their deity is in fact very old, perhaps from ancient pre-history and often being the first God worshipped by humans (though such claims are unverifiable at best).

Others worship a stricter interpretation of Satan: that of the fallen angel featured in the Christian Bible, though unlike many who see him as being evil as defined by the Christian Church, they instead believe him to be correct in his rebellion against God. All these faiths hold in common, however, with each other and with Philosophical Satanists, that man, and specifically the self are the highest priorities. This view is often supported by Satanists' view of the god, who is seen to encourage individuality and freedom of thought, and the quest to raise one's self up through means such as magick and similar to Nietzschean Will to Power.

One example of this would be the Biblical Satan, such as the Serpent in Genesis encouraging mankind to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, saying "Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.", with the clear implication, coinciding with the beliefs of all Satanists, that mankind should know what is better for itself than any God which would forbid knowledge and self-government. Because of the common position that their faiths are in fact very old, or the oldest, Religious Satanists sometimes refer to themselves as "Traditional Satanists" and Philosophical Satanists as "Contemporary Satanists".

Types of Religious Satanism

Setian Satanism

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