Arikay

Total: do you realized you have made yourself sound worse than a satanist?

I still find it ironic that if satanists are supposed to do the opposite of the norm then they should treat you nice since you treat them like crap. Turning, Guess who into the bad guy?

Jayjay

Uh, where exactly do the satanists say that they are supposed to do everything backwards? As far as I know, all they wanted was to do things opposite from christianity... that leads to, let's see, "do not love thy enemy like thy friend" and "do not do unto others as you'd like them do onto you" or something, right? Neither rule states that they should return crappy treatment with niceties.

Arikay

Well, He was the one who said they do the oposite. Im not saying its true though.

I believe they arent against those teachings. They are against the group of christianity.

Its also amazing how many christians break those two rules/ideas (the christian versions). So if you were against fundamentalist christians, then you would follow the real christian version of those two rules, as there are many fundamentalist christians Who do not do unto other as they would like to do unto them, and they do not love thy enemy like thy friend.

From what I understand, Satanists are against the christian organization.

Alludium Fozdex

How does hedonism "degrade mankind"?

Eudaimonist

I don't think they are idiots -- just stuck in a rebellious adolescent psychology.

And Communists.

(Just kidding. I have a friend who is a Communist, and I wouldn't say those things about him.)

I think the words "scum" and "vermin" are too strong to describe most Satanists, or most Christians for that matter.

ieyeasu

To the thread title:

No, because the current political structure doesn't allow power to Satanists. It does, however, allow scary powers to Christians, thus, in my eyes, making Christianity the much scarier religion.

Also, the word "Satanist" is bandied about quite a bit; but the reality is that many that society might consider Satanistic have nothing to do with the actual established church. Take a look, for example, at the Church of Set, Protestantism to LeVay's Catholocism.

As soon as our political structure allows Satanists power, I'll worry about them. Another's superstitions don't matter a wit to me until they start to affect me.

Arikay

Im not sure if you need to be too worried. The nature of rebelion against the majority that seems to be the basis of Satanism might mean that they could never trully come into power because they would then need to rebel against themselves.

Infidelettante

The Satanists fit squarely in the Judeo-Christian tradition. I say let them be, there are far worse things crawling around in there than Satanists.

If things keep going the way they are some of those things may gain the power to be very nasty. As in "We need more light, put the Satanists to the torch."

We must be careful who we condemn. Their help may be needed someday. Besides most of us here define our beliefs [or lack of them] by relationship to Christianity.

I am a Pagan. I like to think I'm returning to pre-christian religion. The Atheists by definition don't believe in- hold no beliefs about-find no evidence for the Theists Christian God. The Theists-well you know.

Non-atheistic non-theists. Pantheists [me, again]. Secular Theists. Spiritualistic Atheists. Scientific Pantheists [not me]. Theistic Polytheists. Monotheistic Panentheists. Satanists.

Terms. Not people. People can burn. Terms can't. It happened once. Ask the Witches. And the Jews. And the Gypsies.

JT

Melkor

LaVey Satanists don't worship "Satan" in the biblical sense.

They worship the self, not some actual deity or embodiment of the Christian opposite of good.

Satanists reject the idea of "God", and along with it, Christians and their philosophy of "turn the other cheek".

Aside from that, there isn't really much different about them.. At least not among the bona-fide Satanists I've met anyway.

In a way, you could call the LaVey variety of Satanists "Atheists with a bit more bitterness", since they don't actually believe in God or the Devil, or any other deities.

They do get a bit wacky with the supernatural rituals and ceremony, however, which is odd, considering their stance on other things. For atheists, they sure like a lot of hocus-pocus and other nonsense.

Other than that though, I don't see anything wrong with them. They don't hurt anyone, don't proselytize, and don't bother anyone as far as I know.

I guess based on that alone, I'd prefer their company to most "devout Christians" any day.

fragmentsofdreams

What about the ones that don't believe in Satan?