Satanism
®
The Church of Satan (CoS):
Practices & rules of behavior
Sponsored link.
CoS practices:
 | Seasonal days of celebration:
 | The most important of all Satanic holidays is the birthday of the individual Satanist. Of lesser importance
are:
|
| LeVey did refer to "Satanic revels" in his book "The
Satanic Bible." However, he was referring to the seasonal days of
celebration that various cultures observed between the solstices and
equinoxes. These were Halloween (the Fall climax) and Walpurgisnacht
(the Spring climax).
|
| There is a widespread but mistaken belief among conservative Christians that the
term "Satanic Revels" refer to long, drawn-out
celebrations held five to six weeks after each equinox and solstice.
They are alleged to involve orgiastic sex and blood rituals of some
type. Some suggest that they include kidnapping, forced confinement,
sacrifice and dismemberment of human victims. All such activity is unsubstantiated rumor. The myth of Satanic
revels may have originated in Modest Mussorgsky's composition "St.
John's Night on the Bare Mountain" (popularly called "Night on
Bald Mountain"). It involves "nocturnal revels, led by the demon
Chernobog (often depicted as a black goat)." This was
popularized by Walt Disney in his 1940 movie Fantasia.
1
|
| Many Christian anti-Satanic hate literature lists
other seasonal days of
celebration. However, they appear to have been pulled out of thin air by the
authors. They have no connection with reality.
|
|
| Rituals and ceremonies: Some Satanists practice their religion
free of ritual. They simply follow a lifestyle involving the Satanic
statements and rules, while avoiding the Satanic sins. Others do engage in
rituals, frequently involving the following concepts:
| Names used include Satan, Lucifer, Belial and Leviathan.
|
| Ceremonies are pageants, which are used to celebrate a person or element of faith.
|
| Magic rituals consist of three types:
- Lust ritual: sex magic which can include masturbation,
- Compassion ritual to achieve healing or happiness, and
- Destruction ritual (may include sticking pins in a doll; drawing a picture or writing a
description of the victim's death; delivering a soliloquy, etc.). Destruction rituals are
best performed by a group. If a person targeted by a destruction ritual is not deserving
of it, the ritual will not harm them.
|
| Male Satanists sometimes wear full length black robes, with or without a hood.
But this practice varies across North America.
|
| Young women generally wear sexually suggestive clothing; older women wear all black.
|
| Many Satanists from different traditions wear amulets carrying the symbol of
the Sigil of Baphomet. This is "a star which contains a goat's
head, and surrounding which appear two concentric circles. Between
these circles appear five Hebraic characters."
2 The star is an inverted pentagram. Although there have been many
similar symbols involving the head of a goat and an inverted pentagram in a circle, this particular
configuration is a registered trade mark of the Church of Satan since 1983. 3 It was
first used on 1967-SEP-01; filed on 1981-DEC-14, and registered on 1983-MAY-3 as
U.S. Registration # 1236878. It was canceled on 2004-FEB-07.
Registration for a second version was filed on 2004-FEB-18. 2
|
| The A.S. LaVey's book The Satanic Bible
shows a symbol located over the Nine Satanic Statements. It
is an infinity sign (a figure 8 on its side). A Roman cross is
placed at the center of the figure with a second, longer cross piece added.
This is not a Satanic symbol; it is an ancient alchemical symbol
for brimstone.
|
| Many authors, almost all conservative
Christians, have described alleged Satanic rituals in which religious Satanists recite the
Lord's Prayer backwards, or desecrate and use the host and wine that they have stolen from
a cathedral. This is pure fiction that can be traced back to books written during the late
Middle Ages and Renaissance periods.
|
| When the Satanic Bible was written (1969), a nude woman was customarily used as an
altar, since Satanism is regarded as a religion of the flesh, not of the spirit. She
reclined on an altar that was trapezoidal in shape, about 1 m high (39") and 2 m long
(79") and placed
against the West wall of the room. Her head pointed South. A live altar is now rarely
used in the CoS.
|
| One white candle is placed to the right of the altar; it symbolizes the belief of
Satanists in the hypocrisy of "White Magicians" and Wiccans
because of the latter's insistence on avoiding doing harm to others.
|
| At least one black candle,
representing the Powers of Darkness, is placed to the left of the altar. These
powers are sources of energy which are currently unknown and hidden. Additional black
candles are oriented as needed to provide sufficient illumination.
|
| The language used during magical ritual is Enochian, whose words variously sounds
similar to Arabic, Hebrew or Latin. It was revealed to Dr. John Dee, court astrologer and
metaphysician to Queen Elizabeth I, through his helper Edward Kelley. Kelley said that he
was in contact with the Angels described in the Apocryphal book of Enoch.
|
|
| Satanic ritual tools: A simple Satanic ritual can be performed with a
single candle and a Baphomet. However, more elaborate rituals may include
the following:
| A bell which is rung nine times at the beginning and end of the ritual; the Satanic priest
rotates counter-clockwise as he rings the bell
|
| A chalice, ideally made of silver; it may not be formed of gold because that is a
metal that Satanists associate with Christianity.
Wiccan, and other Neopagan religions. In fact, Wiccans
and other Neopagans use chalices made of various
metals, including silver, and other materials.
|
| Other ritual tools include a gong, sword, elixir (usually wine), phallus, and parchment.
They and the chalice and bell are placed on a small table near the altar. |
|
Sponsored link:
Rules of behavior:
| Prayer is useless; it distracts people from useful activity.
|
| Ritual killing (of humans or animals) violates Satanic principles. Blood drawn from a
victim is useless. Victims are killed symbolically, not actually.
|
| Members enjoy indulgence instead of abstinence. They practice with joy all the seven deadly Christian
sins (greed, pride, envy, anger, gluttony, lust and sloth)
|
| If a man smites you on one cheek, smash him on the other.
|
| Do unto others as they do onto you. This is the CoS' modified version of an
Ethic of Reciprocity.
|
| Engage in sexual activity:
| Freely, in accordance with your needs, which may be best
realized either through monogamy, or by having sex with many others.
|
| Through heterosexuality,
homosexuality or bisexuality; using sexual fetishes as you wish.
|
| By yourself or with one
or more consenting adults.
|
| The ideal is a monogamous relationship based on compatibility and
commitment.
|
|
| Suicide is actively discouraged.
|
| The Satanist needs no elaborate, detailed list of rules of behavior.
|
| Membership in the CoS is limited to adults of legal age, unless a
teenager obtains the written permission and attendance of their parent
or legal guardian.
|
References used:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- "Night on Bald Mountain, Wikipedia, as of 2005-NOV-07, at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/
- "Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval (TARR)," United States Patent and Trademark Office, at:
http://tarr.uspto.gov/
- Peter H. Gilmore "The History of the Use of the Sigil of Baphomet in the Church of Satan," at:
http://devilman16661.fortunecity.com/
Copyright © 1997 to 2009 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2009-OCT-27
Author: B.A. Robinson
Links checked: 2009-OCT-27
Sponsored link
|
Page Translator: