SUNDAY CHAT SATANISM - The Origins According to the Wikipaedia (The free Encyclopedia) Satanism is a broad term referring to a group of Western religions comprising diverse ideological and philosophical beliefs. Their shared features include symbolic association with, or admiration for the character of Satan, and Prometheus, which are in their view, liberating figures. It was estimated that there were 50,000 Satanists in 1990. There may be as many as one hundred thousand in the world. Particularly after the European Enlightenment, some works, such as Paradise Lost, were taken up by Romantics and described as presenting the biblical Satan as an allegory representing a crisis of faith, individualism, free will, wisdom and enlightenment. Those works actually featuring Satan as a heroic character are fewer in number, but do exist. George Bernard Shaw, and Mark Twain (cf. Letters from the Earth) included such characterizations in their works long before religious Satanists took up the pen. From then on, Satan and Satanism started to gain a new meaning outside of Christianity. Eliphas Lévis Sabbatic goat (known as The Goat of Mendes or Baphomet) has become one of the most common symbols of Satanism. Although the public practice of Satanism began with the founding of The Church of Satan in 1966, historical precedents exist: a group called the Ophite Cultus Satanas was founded in Ohio by Herbert Arthur Sloane in 1948.[citation needed] Original Satanic practice, however, is intended to be independent. Satanist groups that appeared after the 1960s are widely diverse, but two major trends are theistic Satanism and atheistic Satanism. Theistic Satanists venerate Satan as a supernatural deity, viewing him not as omnipotent but rather as a patriarch. In contrast, atheistic Satanists regard Satan as merely a symbol of certain human traits. The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor La Vey: Called The Black Pope by many of his followers, Anton La Vey began the road to High Priesthood of the Church of Satan when he was only 16 years old. From that time in his life his path was clear. Finally on the last night of April 1966 Walpurgisnacht, the most important festival of the believers in Witchcraft-La Vey shaved his head in the tradition of ancient executioners and announced the formation of the Church of Satan. Despite criticism from other religious groups, there are signs that Satanistic beliefs have become more socially tolerated. Satanism is now allowed in the Royal Navy of the British Armed Forces, despite opposition from Christians and in 2005, the Supreme Court of the United States debated over protecting the religious rights of prison inmates after a lawsuit challenging the issue was filed to them. Contemporary Satanism is mainly an American phenomenon, the ideas spreading with the effects of globalization and the Internet. The Internet promotes awareness of other Satanists, and is also the main battleground for the definitions of Satanism today. Satanism started to reach Eastern Europe in the 1990s, in time with the fall of the Soviet Union, and most noticeably in Poland and Lithuania, predominantly Roman Catholic countries. Satanism developed in the context of the Christian faith, as an ideological backlash to certain tenets promoted in Christianity. The character of Satan revered by Satanists, therefore, is mainly regarded as the prototypical anti-Christian figure. There have been some Satanists, however, who have shown reverence for the similar, albeit differently-characterized Islamic concept of Satan (Arabic: شيطان Shayṭān), also known as Iblis (Arabic: إبليس ʾIblīs) although this is much more uncommon as Satanist philosophy has primarily flourished in the Occident, and has likely not reached any Muslim-majority countries Question is, as a true believer in Jehovah and his Son Jesus Christ... 1. Do u have a reason to be worried about Satanisim? 2. Is it true that this Satanism is responsible your bad luck, deaths from HIV/AIDS and other sicknesses in general, Poverty, miscarrieges, abnormal periods, barrenness, loss of employment etc? 3. Dont you think that Christianity have contributed so much to the spread of satanism more than satan himself just by blaming natural calamities on satanism? Personally I believe satanism exisits largely in the mind. If u believe that your sons envolvement in robberly is satanism so shall it be but if like me, u believe its got to do with his way of thinking then so shall it be. The solution for both is talking to the individual
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 11:59:39 +0000