Happy Boxing Day! How do I sum up what I learned by reading this text? I guess I’m conflicted. The second half of the Satanic Bible definitely surprised me. It ended up being a decent ritual handbook. The first half reminded me of that-one-guy from high school that was always-mad-at-something and definitely had good ideas you need to hear about. You know that guy. He was angry. He delighted in his anger. He wanted you to be angry. The hope for such a person is that they ended up working through their anger. Anton LaVey did not.
As a member of what’s considered a “New Religious Movement,” I have that in common with LaVeyan Satanism. That’s where our similarities end. I learned a lot about what exactly this religious movement believes and holds dear. It’s really quite simple: The individual above all.
However, despite that being an expressed sentiment, I don’t think that’s quite true. Satanists gather together, they enact rituals, they join in community, and surely have friendships and bonds. Where the individualism comes in play is in the protection of the self and the pursuit of pleasure. When you’re as vehemently atheistic as LaVeyan Satanism, of course you want to pursue pleasure. I cannot fault anyone for this. We live in a society that is still dominated by American Puritan ideals. They are unhealthy, controlling, dangerous, and life-denying. The other end of the spectrum is Satanism. I choose the middle ground. I choose to live in right relationship with others and to realize that part of living a healthy and full life is in tempering some of my passions while also giving in to other passions.
Take that for what you will. I’m not a Satanist. The imagery, the anger, the value of retribution, and this overall ethos of “let’s stick it to ’em” don’t resonate. I know this will inspire some conversations with people I know that practice this path. I have no desire to align myself closer to such a religion/philosophy, but I would like to understand the anger. We live in an angry world and, really, we don’t need anymore religions fostering that. Satanism should choose joy and let go of the anger. Thankfully for LaVeyans, I’m not their High Priest.
What’s next for me after this? It’s time for a break. I don’t know how long, but my work as a congregational minister is starting to roar back into existence after the worst of this pandemic. I want to re-engage my Zen practice. I want to take a breather. I’ll probably return with some work with the Buddhist sutras, koan collections, or other Eastern religious traditions for a spell. Or maybe not. We’ll see where my interests take me. Thanks for reading!
This post is part of a larger series where I read the entirety of the Satanic Bible in 5 days. Take a look at the original post for more info, as well as links to other reflections on this journey.