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[KaguroDraven]

I must agree, many Satanists aren't 'pure evil!' like most people think, instead they view Lucifer as a more sympathetic person, cast out for being willing to speak up against what god did, etc.

[Shades]

Don't forget a lot of the rituals christians (in particular) call satanic are old pagan rituals. Much like many of the christain ones are too like easter and xmas, but that is another argument.

[Shade-o]

So no, it's not about bathing in the blood of goats and cursing your enemies. Or was that D&D?

[Jackrabbit]

Ah, yes, that makes sense. I have yet to meet a satanist so I don't really have any views on them.

Which isn't to say I'd suddenly have an opinion on all Satanists the moment I met one but I'm holding off from any sort of opinion until I do because I have nothing to work with here.

[ECrownofFire]

I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to say. Why does one not have to tolerate atheism as a religious person? I tolerate atheism just fine.

I'm not saying they shouldn't, or that a large number don't have tolerance. But the large outcry at that particular advert what mostly a complain that the advertisers were not being tolerant which seems very hypocritical, both in that they are not being tolerant of the freedom to express the atheist view point and that they where doing the same thing but with much more aggressive wording.

You stated you don't have a problem with it, which is what I would have expected from someone tolerant of other peoples views.

For the record I'm an atheist and I'm sure it's come across in the way I talk about it, and I tend to treat peoples religious view points as I would treat their political ones.

Edit: About the atheism says religion has no point comment, I'm not sure where you got that from. Atheism says there is no evidence of one or more supreme beings so why believe in fairies and santa. There is plenty of points to reglion though, it's a wonderful way to make money, to control people and in some cases to console people too.

I'm not really sure where I got that either, but most Atheists I know in real life say that there's no point in religion if god(s) and such don't exist. The general sense that I get from my friends is that "religion is false, so why bother with it at all?". And control has no question at all, but you can control people with almost anything. Religion in that case isn't really religion at all though.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Oh. I'll admit I don't know anything about it. I just assumed that since Satan is supposed to be the Evil then Satanism would be about doing evil. What's it really about?

There's Theistic Satanism and Atheistic Satanism. Theistic Satanism is sometimes gnostic in practice, the logic being that the Demiurge is a petty being that is trying to keep us all imprisoned, and as such any being that opposes it would have no other reason to do so other than being on humanity's side. In a sense, Satan is seen as freedom as opposed to Jehovah's oppression of mankind. Theistic Satanism is less about good and evil than it is submission or rebellion against an oppressive god-like being. There are a lot of minor things that various groups have added on to this basic idea from here on out, too many to list here. The animal sacrifice thing lasted longer for them than most religions, but has mostly died out in recent years.

Atheistic Satanism, or LaVeyan Satanism, is somthing I would just advise reading the article about.

For the record, I am neither of these, I just brought this up because you asked.

[Shades]

I'm not really sure where I got that either, but most Atheists I know in real life say that there's no point in religion if god(s) and such don't exist. The general sense that I get from my friends is that "religion is false, so why bother with it at all?". And control has no question at all, but you can control people with almost anything. Religion in that case isn't really religion at all though.

Well I can understand your friends saying that. If you can answer the question then that should be enough for you, as long as you don't blindly follow and you question that should be enough for your friends.

Out of interest; you said you believed in reincarnation but do you believe that to be chronological or not? So each life has to follow the others in some way, or that each could be at any point in a timeline? Slightly off topic I realise but of interest to me.

[Shade-o]

Looking like a supervillain does not help the "Satanists aren't evil" stance, though.



-updated

[Jackrabbit]

Holy crap, it looks like that was taken on-set.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

There is absolutely no way LaVey wasn't playing up the "evil look" on purpose. In fact, a lot of things about LaVeyan Satanism seem to exist only because it makes, in his words "white-light faiths", freak out.

[Jackrabbit]

Hah, you know, the 11 Satanistic whatevers do make sense from an objective viewpoint. They're not something I'd go for though, simply because I like to think myself a philanthropist.

[Shade-o]

4. If a guest in your home annoys you, treat them cruelly and without mercy.
...
11. When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them.

It's really all-or-nothing when it comes to dealing with other people.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Well, keep in mind that:

3. When in another’s home, show them respect or else do not go there.

So, rule 4 seems a bit more reasonable under that.

[Jackrabbit]

Yeah, I mean, I suppose it makes sense. Not in the context with how first world societies work though.

"Be polite but if they're not polite GO FUCKING NUTS."

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I don't think it quite means that. LaVey specifies that he doesn't condone criminal behavior The Satanic Bible, so I'd imagine that "destroy them" is figurative rather than literal.

I don't know about the rest of you, but if someone came into my home an acted like a jerk, then "treat them with cruelty" seems like a reasonable response (excepting extreme reaction, that is).