SATANISM
All scriptural references are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted

INTRODUCTION

The topic of Satanism may be a bit uncomfortable for some people, and it is understandable that some will take offense to our inclusion of it on this website. Though we apologize for any offense taken, we do not apologize for tackling this difficult subject. We feel that Satanism is a very serious threat to anyone's spirituality, and we must stand up for our Father, and His Son, The Holy Spirit.

To start with, one must discard one's notions of Satanism being full of blood drinking, sacrificing, Black Mass celebrating evildoers. Those practices are related to Devil worship, which is different from Satanism. The difference is that Devil worship is the actual worship of the evil spirit entity, whereas Satanism teaches that Satan is someone/something non-evil.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

In general, Satanists actually prefer life over death, because a living being is more useful than a dead one (unless one needs an animal for food). Also, most Satanists regard themselves as potentially being their own gods, therefore they don't see a point to making sacrifices to other gods, which is one of the reasons they don't sacrifice people or animals.

Satanism is a very persuasive, very deceptive system that can convince a person that the True God (Jehovah / Yahweh) is either evil or nonexistent, and Satan is either a beneficial entity or simply a beneficial concept. Anyone without a solid knowledge of Bible teachings can fall victim to this religious system because it persuasively twists Bible passages to make their teachings seem right, and for Christian teachings to seem wrong. Most of us would believe that only the weak minded could be so deceived. In reality, far too many of us could be deceived, and it is this recognized danger that compels us to write this particular essay.

FORMS OF SATANISM

There are various forms of Satanism. This essay will focus on the three primary forms of Satanism (LeVeyan, Luciferianism, and Religious Satanism) and show the errors in their perceived "goodness". Although there are various forms of Satanism -- and each form has its own variations -- there are still common threads that tie all these versions of Satanism together: They tend to teach ideas that seem "good" on the surface such as: Not harming children or animals, that Satan is actually a good entity or concept, and that one needs to continuously improve oneself and one's station in life, among other things.

Satanism creates a lure for people to be interested in learning more of the teachings. Most Satanists are indeed law abiding citizens, preferring to harm none. However, despite the shiny surface, their beliefs aren't as altruistic underneath. This is because Satanism is filled with concepts of ego-centric living, self-ambition and disbelief in the True God, Yahweh, leaving no room for the purity of true Godly love.

LeVeyan Satanism:
Founded by Anton Szandor LeVey in 1966, the leader of the Church of Satan and author of The Satanic Bible. LeVeyan Satanism does not believe in the existence of God, and does not believe Satan to be a living creature either. Instead, it is a very ego-centric belief system, teaching that the self is the most important entity in the universe, and that an individual is his or her own god. It teaches individuals to find their own path in life and break free from conformity. It encourages individual diversity and promotes chasing one's own ambitions and pleasures in life. LeVey also encouraged women to take advantage of their femininity in order to get whatever they wanted. They also re-tooled the "golden rule" (Matthew 7:12 - Do unto others what you would want them to do for you), saying instead "Do to others as they do to you." In other words, give kindness only to those who deserve it, dish out vengeance on those who deserve it, and to not "waste love" on ingrates. They also teach that one should not harm animals except for food or in self-defense, that one should not harm children, to not bother others (unless they bother you first), to not push sexual advances on the unwilling, to show respect to a host's abode, and to not give opinions or advice unless asked for it. They also teach that if a guest in your home annoys you, then you are to treat him badly, and to also badly treat those who persist in bothering you. The Church of Satan teaches that one should avoid certain destructive behaviours, listed in their "Nine Satanic Sins" list. The "Satanic Sins" are: Stupidity, Pretentiousness, Solipsism, Self-Deceit, Herd Conformity, Lack of Perspective, Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies, Counterproductive Pride, and Lack of Aesthetics.
Summing it all up, this is a belief system in which the Self is glorified, harm is directed towards those who cause harm, and individuality is key. Members are encouraged to chase their own ambitions and pleasures in life. These teachings promote an unforgiving and selfish lifestyle, which is against many Bible passages: Matthew 5:7, 5:42, 6:12-15, 16:26-27, 18:21-22, 19:21, Mark 11:25, Luke 6:36-38, 11:14, 12:29, 17:4, Romans 13:13, 14:19, 1 Corinthians 14:33, 2 Corinthians 2:7, Galatians 5:22, Ephesians 4:2-3, 1 Peter 3:11, James 3:17, etc.

Luciferianism:
This is the worship of Lucifer as a god. Lucifer is mentioned in the King James Version once at Isaiah 14:12, (see also: Darby, KJV21, NKJV)and his name literally means "bright star" or "morning star". It is the name of Satan before he rebelled against God. Therefore, Luciferianism is the worship of the spirit entity, Satan. Those who follow Luciferianism believe Satan is a spirit of knowledge, light, and magic, much like the name suggests. It is interesting to note the Freemasons regard Lucifer as a "light bearer", thus tying themselves in with Luciferianism (Their book: Morals and Dogma, page 321). Luciferians believe that Lucifer/Satan is not an evil entity. They seek to elevate themselves to godlike status by living a life of goodness, seeking knowledge through magic, and opening themselves to Lucifer's mind to become one with that mind. There isn't a standard dogma in Luciferianism, therefore beliefs vary from group to group. Some believe Lucifer to be the god of the universe, some believe him to be one god among many gods, and some actually believe him to be a principle instead of a god. The Children of the Black Rose believe Lucifer to be all the universe, neither good nor bad, neither male nor female. According to some Luciferians, nothing comes before the Self and its progression into a newly manifested Self. It is considered to be a religion of liberation.
Summing it all up: The basic doctrine of Luciferians is that the Self comes first. They seek to be one with Lucifer's mind, with Lucifer being either an entity or principle of goodness. It is a promotion of selfishness and ego, and the intention of becoming a god like Lucifer. Again, these teachings grate against sound biblical guidance: Matthew 6:33, Matthew 22:37, Luke 17:33, Romans 8:7, Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 10:24, 2 Corinthians 11:14, Colossians 3:1, Philippians 2:3

Religious Satanism:
Depending on the group, these believe Satan to either be an actual god, or a principle. The Satan they follow is not the evil Satan known in Christianity. It is a pre-Christian Satan stemming from the pagan image of power, sexuality, sensuality, and vitality. Their Satan is a force of nature. Their Satan has nothing to do with hell or evil. This form of Satanism also has many variations of belief, and is therefore varies in its doctrine as well. Those who believe Satan to be a god believe him to be the original creator of the universe and a being of light. Some actually believe that Yahweh is the evil one trying to infringe on Satan's right to universal sovereignty. Many Religious Satanists have a twisted view of biblical passages, making the Bible seem as though it is evil. This is probably because the Bible warns that Satan will make himself look like an angel of light to mislead people (2 Corinthians 11:14-15), something they do not like to agree with.
This form of Satanism tends to worship Satan as a force of goodness, either as an entity or a concept, denying Yahweh and the Messiah. Not only is it bad to exchange Satan for Yahweh, but one will lose one's entire salvation when denying the Messiah: Matthew 10:33, John 8:44, Romans 1:25, 2 Timothy 2:12, 1 John 2:22, 2 John 1:7

Satanism in any form attempts to elevate humans to god level and promotes selfish endeavor, which is essentially what the whole hullabaloo was about in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-5 ...“God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”..."). Although some think achieving god-status would be a good thing, in reality it is an attempt to usurp the True God's rightful position as sovereign of the universe. Because Yahweh made all things, we actually belong to Him. (Psalms 24:1)

THE DANGERS

Satanism is especially dangerous for people who are new Christians with only the rudimentary knowledge of the Bible. Their lack of solid Bible education makes them vulnerable to the twisting of Scripture common to Satanists. This is not a surprise, since the Bible shows that the real Satan adroitly twists Scriptures in order to draw people away from God. The most famous example of this is when he tried to tempt Jesus by twisting Scriptures at Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus, however, was able to demolish Satan's attempts because he had solid knowledge of Scripture.

WORLD WIDE INFLUENCES

Interestingly, we can see the influence of Satanism throughout world in ways that don't seem to be directly linked to Satanism. Religion is a big one, with many of them promoting the concept of achieving self god-like status.

Aside from religion, there are other manifestations of Satanism's influence in the world: The loveless ambition of tyrannical dictators, the selfish ambition of drug cartels and organized crime groups, the self-centered lifestyle of many celebrities...we could go on and on! The same selfishness and ego-centric ambition that is promoted in Satanism also causes war, inflation, poverty, and other diseases of society. None of these would exist if, instead of the Satanic laws of self ambition and self glorification, we'd live according to the True God''s laws of love and generosity. Think about this: Which would make the world a better place:
a) The way that Christ taught: Every person seeking the welfare of others, promoting charitable works, being forgiving, and helping one another.
Or...
b) The way that Satanism teaches: Every person seeking one's own ambition, seeking one's own pleasure, and disrespecting those who have hurt one in some way.

As you can see, the world we currently live in tends to be like choice "b". It is obvious that, even though many do not claim Satanism as their religion, the influence of Satanism has saturated the world. This is why Satan is referred to as the god of this world (John 14:30, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:2, 1 John 5:19). This is also why the Bible states that if we are to follow Yahweh and Christ, we will be no part of the world (John 15:19, James 4:4, 1 John 2:15). Being a part of this world will slide us into the selfishness and "me-ism" that Satanism enjoys.

CONCLUSION

Satanism may seem like an enlightened path to many people; however, the reality is that it is a subtle way to draw humanity away from the love of God. If we take care to keep others' well-being in mind in everything we do, we can avoid slipping into the influence of Satanism that surrounds us every day. It takes very little effort to successfully keep others' well-being in mind, as even little things can make a difference: Give money to the poor, give a half hour's time to your kids after work, let someone in ahead of you at the supermarket checkout line, do a good deed, etc. Everything you do, no matter how small, can keep you one more step away from the influence of Satanism, and one step closer to the Love of Yahweh.

May our God and Father bless you in all your efforts.