When the word Satanism is mentioned most people think merely of its widespread psychological influence on young people, and regard it as a kind of insignificant mystical movement. Also, due to the influence of the media, they may think of Satanists as performing strange rituals, much unlike what ordinary and well-balanced people would otherwise do. It is true that Satanists are part of a culture of violence and perform strange and horrible rites, yet, what most people fail to see is that Satanism is a materialist and atheist ideology that supports violence and which dates back to the 1800s. Furthermore, the ideology has a large number of followers throughout the world.
Virtues such as love, tolerance, patience and forgiveness, which are highly esteemed by most people, and are elements of the true morality, are loathed by Satanists. This deviant ideology maintains that there should be no restrictions on evil and such feelings as hatred, anger and vengeance. Article 5 of The Satanic Bible, widely regarded as the fundamental textbook of Satanism, states, instead of the biblical principle that says "To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also." that "Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek." Elsewhere in that same book appears the commandment:
Hate your enemies with a whole heart, and if a man smite you on one cheek, SMASH him on the other!31
It is obvious that according to such thinking it will be impossible to prevent any kind wickedness. Such an atmosphere will inevitably lead to chaos and strife. It is impossible to speak of order, peace, stability, security, forgiveness or tolerance in any society in which people do not listen to the voice of their consciences, and are thus unable to distinguish between good and bad, and to use their will and judgment to act for good. In an environment of that sort, anyone who feels anger towards somebody else will be unable to restrain that anger and behave with moderation, and will inevitably seek his revenge. Alternatively, instead of being patient in times of need and poverty, and attempting to address those needs in a sensible manner, these people will resort to theft and other sorts of crime. Satanism is their justification for doing so.
Anton LaVey (right) and the Satanic Bible (left). |
Satanism's refusal to recognize any bounds does not stop there, of course. People would not only harm themselves and those around them, but would direct their hostility and anger at all. That refusal to recognize any limits, moreover, leads to the regard of violence as an intrinsic part of life. According to Satanism, violence is a fact of nature, and thus inescapable. Therefore, this distorted view maintains that it is perfectly permissible for people to resort to violence. Since any attempt to prevent or minimize violence is a violation of what is natural, any attempt to do so is futile, and it is therefore illogical to do so.
As we have seen, Satanism holds utterly perverse beliefs, which encourage people to be aggressive, to commit murder, and even mass slaughter. In America in particular, academics have established that Satanism lies at the root of national terror, and that serious steps need to be taken in order to deal with it. One of these academics is Carl Roschke, a professor at Denver University, who has stressed the importance of the subject in the words, "We're really dealing with the way satanic ideology has become a basis for domestic terrorism."33 Roschke says that the most important step in the war to be waged against Satanism is to make it clear that its followers are not just "harmless wackoes," but that when their crimes are examined, one can understand just how harmful someone claiming to be a Satanist can be. 34
There is no doubt that the most important fight against a movement of this sort must be ideological. That being the case, we must establish which ideologies Satanism is founded on.
Darwinism is the Ideological Basis of Satanism
One of the most common ways Satanists use to describe themselves, in their books, magazines and publications, as well as their websites, is to regard man as a "kind of developed animal," and to maintain that "only the fittest can survive." This is the most important piece of evidence to corroborate that Darwinism lies at the very root of the Satanists' beliefs. In fact, many Satanists do not hesitate to admit the fact. In A Description of Satanism, a Satanist writer describes the ideology in these terms: The Secret Life of a Satanist is the biography of Anton LaVey. |
Another Satanist publication, The Church of Satan, describes how they believe that human beings are a kind of developed animal:
Since Satanism stands for acceptance of Man as an animal, there have often been creators in many past cultures who embraced this insight and explored it in the context of their society, thus we seek out these artistic philosophical expressions and see them to be the roots of our current awareness.36
It is clear from the preceding that Satanism regards Darwin's theory, that human beings evolved from animals, as the source of its own ideological "awareness." The introduction to an interview with Anton LaVey, carried in the music journal MF Magazine, describes the relationship between Satanism and Darwinism:
In the late 1960s, Anton LaVey brought forth an easily understandable doctrine of social Darwinism, and strong positive thinking (magic) to the growing mass of individuals sick of both hippieism and the stagnant morals of Christianity.37
Satan Speaks and The Devil's Notebook by Anton LaVey reveal the Satanists' deviant beliefs. |
… Let us instead look at contemporary Satanism for what it really is: a brutal religion of elitism and social Darwinism that seeks to re-establish the reign of the able over the idiotic, of swift justice over injustice, and for a wholesale rejection of egalitarianism as a myth that has crippled the advancement of the human species for the last two thousand years.38
Of course, the idea of justice, as set out above, has absolutely no resemblance to the notion of justice as we know it should be, that is, established on the principle of equality. The above version is a Satanist idea of justice, and as will be seen from what follows, it is a version that endows anyone who regards himself as superior to others to usurp all such powers and rights.
The way Satanism shares so many parallels with Social Darwinism, which regards Western society as superior to others, has led to cooperation between it and a number of other racist and chauvinistic movements, especially fascism. One can find many individuals who believed in Satanism among the ranks of Hitler's National Socialists and Mussolini's Blackshirts. Anton LaVey makes this reference to that collaboration:
One of the primary criteria applied by the theory of eugenics was the measurement of peoples' skulls. According to such a totally unscientific claim, those with smaller skulls were backward and doomed to elimination. |
Darwinism is the primary ground shared between these tendencies and Satanism. Social Darwinism, which lies at the heart of all these deviant ideologies, is defended by Satanists as follows:
The principle of the survival of the strong is advocated on all levels of society, from allowing an individual to stand or fall, to even letting those nations that cannot handle themselves take the consequences of this inability… There would be a concomitant reduction in the world's population as the weak are allowed to experience the consequences of social Darwinism. Thus has nature always acted to cleanse and strengthen her children… We embrace reality and do not try to transform it into some utopia that is contrary to the very fabric of existence.40
Another expression of the Satanists' attachment to Social Darwinism is their fierce support for the theory of eugenics, itself the product of fascism. The theory of eugenics maintained that the sick and the crippled ought to be eliminated from society, and the number of healthy individuals increased through breeding. The theory was most prominently implemented in Nazi Germany. According to the theory of eugenics, in the same way that healthy animal stock is bred by mating healthy species, by this way a race of humans also be improved. Those elements obstructing such improvement (the sick, crippled, mentally handicapped etc.) need to be eradicated. When this line of thinking was adopted in Nazi Germany, tens of thousands of people with genetic and mental diseases were slaughtered ruthlessly.
Satanism is also in favor of the same terrible mercilessness. Their own publications reveal their view on eugenics:
Satanists also seek to enhance the laws of nature by concentrating on fostering the practice of eugenics… It is the practice of encouraging people of talent and ability to reproduce, to enrich the gene pool from which our species can grow. This was commonly practiced throughout the world… Until the genetic code is cracked and we can choose the character of our offspring at will, Satanists seek to mate the best with the best. 41
The Perverse Rites of Satanism
The Internet is one of the Satanists' most frequently used propaganda tools. Young people are attracted into a world of darkness on these sites, where they are indoctrinated into perversion and violence, and encouraged to obey the commands of Satan and participate in rites involving murder, torture and other forms of brutality. |
The real purpose behind these rituals is to make contact with the Devil and learn his so-called teachings. In order to see just how important these devilish rites are in Satanism, a brief look at their own books and websites is more than sufficient. The common feature of these publications is the way they devote considerable space to gloomy subjects and insist on the importance of the black mass. In a well-known Satanist website, which carries various Satanist messages for the under-18s, these so-called masses are emphasized as being one of the fundamental elements of Satanism, and that young people who cannot attend group ceremonies should nevertheless hold such services on their own. The details of the services these young people are instructed to hold are then given:
Don't be disturbed or frightened or think you're crazy when you feel contacted by the Dark Ones… Approach the Dark Masters with the proper degree of respect and decorum-that's what rituals are for, to establish a relationship… You don't need everything mentioned in Dr. LaVey's books to do an effective ritual. Maybe you don't have the money to obtain, or the private space to store, items such as swords, chalices, black robes, gongs and elaborate altars. Here is a powerful ritual you can perform… Light the candle and set it before you… As you gaze at the flame, say in your mind or out loud, "I am ready, oh, Dark Lord. I feel your strength within me and wish to honor you in my life. I am one of the Devil's Own. Hail Satan!"… This is a simple way of conjuring Satan into your life. 42
The way Satanists attach such importance to the shedding of blood at their rituals is a small-scale example of the plan Satan has for mankind. Satan hates mankind, and wants to inflict as much suffering on it as possible. It is therefore his aim to fill the world with bloodshed. The ideologies of the Antichrist we discussed earlier, such as fascism, racism and communism, all serve his purpose. All the wars, massacres, killings, and acts of terrorism, linked to these and similar atheistic ideologies, are all "Satanic masses" aimed at satisfying the Devil's lust for blood.
Those who openly describe themselves as Satanists carry out the shedding of blood as an act of worship. Those who incite terror and anarchy in the world are actually performing the same rite, in a more secret but with far wider ramifications. In short, the Devil, and the system of the Antichrist established by him for the world are using those they have managed to take in and are trying to turn the world into a brutal battleground.
Satanism is an Ideology That Has Already Been Defeated
We need to bear in mind the Satanists' own views when considering the threat posed by it. When Satanists are asked how many of them there are, they claim to have large numbers of followers, because there are many people who actually live by the tenets of Satanism without being aware of the fact. In a way, that is actually the case. Many people, consciously or unconsciously, share the views of the Satanists. That is because, refusing to listen to the voice of one's conscience, or to live by proper morality, therefore following one's own desires, is the same as obeying the commands of the Devil. When one considers all the destruction caused by Satanists up to the present day, it is quite clear in what a terrible state a society consisting of such people is going to end up to be. The claim that man is a species of animal, on which Satanism is founded, is utter nonsense. Mankind did not come into being as the result of blind chance. The Creator of mankind, and of the order and splendor of the entire universe, is the infinitely powerful, superior and All-Wise God, who has no weaknesses of any kind. He created man with the ability to think and reason, to distinguish between right and wrong, and also with a responsibility towards his Creator. Just as each individual's ego direct him towards evil, so his conscience protects him from it, and commands him to turn away from it. It is man's duty to listen to the voice of his conscience, not to his ego and adopt the kind of morality that is pleasing to God. That morality will not only allow the individual concerned, and the society in which he lives, to enjoy a peaceful and secure existence, but will also, by the will of God, lead to the sublimest reward in the hereafter.
One important fact that must not be lost sight of is that the life Satan offers, which he dresses up to appear so very attractive, is mere deception. Satan may make all kinds of promises about the possibilities of the life of this world, and may try to turn people away form the true path, yet, it must not be forgotten that the road he beckons man to follow will only lead to ultimate destruction for those who take it. That is because Satan and his followers have already been defeated. As God explains in a verse:
… What they call on is an arrogant Satan whom God has cursed. He said, "I will take a certain fixed proportion of Your servants. I will lead them astray and fill them with false hopes. I will command them and they will cut off cattle's ears. I will command them and they will change God's creation." Anyone who takes the Devil as his protector in place of God has clearly lost everything. (Qur'an, 4: 117-119)