Is it just me or is Laveyan Satanism an Empty Philosophy?

[Mindbender]

Look, I've read the Satanic Bible, and most of what it says makes total sense. But... it seems like there's really not much to it.

Like, it basically boils down to "fuck mainstream religions, be selfish and hedonistic".

The ideas in the Satanic Bible are pretty much what most non-religious people do anyway.


Another thing I've noticed is the satanic religion seems to attract douchebags. I've been on other satanic forums *cough*the600club*cough*, and most of the people there are trying desperately hard to seem like "bad-asses".


Am I wrong? Is there more to the religion than "Do what you would normally do if Christianity didn't exist" ?

I'd like to hear your thoughts.

[Desecrated]

I think the 11 satanic rules and the 9 satanic sins are the best description of the 20th century.
I also think they are extremely helpful and useful in my daily life. And I don't consider myself a satanist.

I think the satanic bible is one of the most important books written in human history and glancing over it as just empty philosophy is an insult to both the book and philosophy.

But yes. most satanists you meet are going to be assholes.
This is because of 3 things.

A) Most people who claim to be satanist are not member of COS
B) Most people on 600club and similar site has never been satanists
C) Most people on 600club and other sites have their panties in a bunch over this.

Peter Gilmore talks about this in his book, satanic scriptures.
A lot of people who are drawn to satanism are hardcore individuals, they are the kids who have always been outside of the rest and they are used to being the weirdest kid around. In fact they have accepted it and made it into part of their personality.
When they encounter real satanists for the first time, and realize that they are not the oddest people around, they don't know how to conduct themselves anymore-
One person visiting the church actually shat on the carpet and jumped out of a closed window.

The other type of person who have their panties in a bunch, are the ones who heard about the satanic bible or the church and though it would be some sort of real life necronomicon, where killing virgins, fucking goats and eating babies was everyday action.
When they instead are met with a rather normal book, some common sense and even worse; Some rules. They freak out, crying about satanism not being satanic, not being brutal or kült or evil enough.



The 600 club is exactly a place like that. Soooo many people who approach the church of satan thinking that they would be promoted to high priest in 2 weeks. Just because they where so cool and sooooooo satanic.
Only to find out that they are at the lowest pecking order or that the church isn't interested in them at all.
They don't have what it takes. The church are elitists, they are not going to hand out memberships just because you had black hair in highschool. Come back in 10 years when you actually have something to give to the church and it's members.

The other people on 600club are those that has been involved with the church briefly, but been disappointed and quit.
Arthur Waite talks about this in the preface to 'the pictorial key of tarot' as well. People think that they are allowed to lead the church just because they've been allowed to peak behind the alter once.

The only one who has a legit claim is Michael Aquino, who also, is one of the few reasons to be on the 600 club, since he can actually give an accurate history of the COS.

[Mindbender]

I think the satanic bible is one of the most important books written in human history

Sorry but that's the most ridiculous fucking thing I've heard this week.


It should be called The Obvious Bible or The Common Sense Bible. There's nothing revolutionary about telling people to be selfish and hedonistic. Like I said, most people already do this anyway.

Satanism is basically just atheism with added selfishness.


Most important book written in human history? Get off the grass mate, it doesn't even come close. Hell, the only reason anybody ever reads it is because it has "Satanic" in the name and that draws attention and curiosity - it doesn't even have anything to do with Satan, Anton Lavey just stole Christianity's devil and repurposed it as a symbol for his own religion.

[Ramscha]

Most important book written in human history? Get off the grass mate, it doesn't even come close. Hell, the only reason anybody ever reads it is because it has "Satanic" in the name and that draws attention and curiosity - it doesn't even have anything to do with Satan, Anton Lavey just stole Christianity's devil and repurposed it as a symbol for his own religion.

Eliphas Levi also stole the Figure of Baphomet, as did the GD with its "egyptian traditions". And nobody cares. So why making a fuss about using a symbol from another paradigm which is nowadays a general archetypus anyway?

[Mindbender]

Eliphas Levi also stole the Figure of Baphomet, as did the GD with its "egyptian traditions". And nobody cares. So why making a fuss about using a symbol from another paradigm which is nowadays a general archetypus anyway?

What? I don't even care that he stole it. That wasn't even the point of my post, just an afterthought.

My point was that calling the satanic bible the most important book in human history is a ridiculous overstatement.

[Ramscha]

Oh, well, then let me make a statement about that to:

I don't it is one of THE books in the world, there are too many books in the world which had an impact. But it definitely plays an important role as one of the milestones of modern development of society and the tides of conformity and nonconformity. Even if the person and the book seem ridicolous, the sign they set is an important one in the development of one generation away from its parental one in the west.

[Desecrated]

I think the satanic bible is one of the most important books written in human history

It should be called The Obvious Bible or The Common Sense Bible. There's nothing revolutionary about telling people to be selfish and hedonistic.

Please pick out 10 books written before 1960 that has sold over a million copies that does just that.

The satanic bible is not unique. I would even go so far to say that Anthon copied large parts from ayn rand.
But at that time in history.
a book that got that much attention and still does.
Even to the point that it clearly upsets people.
Even today-

Not to many of those books around.

[TheUsurper]

I would say "The Satanic Bible" is a great book for those who would like to do away with the last shards of Judeo-Christian morality. Even if a good portion of it is plagiarized, it can be, and has been a stepping stone for greater things with some people. Therefore, I would agree that it is a very important book. Not the greatest but important enough. I would also agree that the book's contents are more or less common sense but from the point of view of an ex-Christian, I would imagine that it does reestablish "the law of the jungle."

[oldspirit]

Its odd, and personally I find it hard to wrap my head around.
On the surface it seems exactly as you say in the tite, EMPTY. At the same time there is such emphasis placed on strict ritual and organization exactly like ceremonial magick that it is hard to believe there is not some being energy7 force they are not trying to impress. Then again they could always just be trying to impress themselves, i couldn't put something like nthat past them. Then there is also Anton Lavey himself talking about his experiences with satan and curses the whole jayne mansfield incident its all a lil whacky, but its my finding that Anton Lavey did not have an empty philosophy and did believe in a higher power or otherwordly power at least equal to him. He did not share this with his followers I think in an attempt to become his own Satan his own god in his own world. Anton Lavey was a ego-maniac.

[Desecrated]

Its odd, and personally I find it hard to wrap my head around.
On the surface it seems exactly as you say in the tite, EMPTY. At the same time there is such emphasis placed on strict ritual and organization exactly like ceremonial magick that it is hard to believe there is not some being energy7 force they are not trying to impress. Then again they could always just be trying to impress themselves, i couldn't put something like nthat past them. Then there is also Anton Lavey himself talking about his experiences with satan and curses the whole jayne mansfield incident its all a lil whacky, but its my finding that Anton Lavey did not have an empty philosophy and did believe in a higher power or otherwordly power at least equal to him. He did not share this with his followers I think in an attempt to become his own Satan his own god in his own world. Anton Lavey was a ego-maniac.

That is a very limited view of the world. Not everyone needs a higher power to work high magic.

Then when it comes to LaVey.
Nobody knows what he really believed.
If he thought he could cheat a 100 dollars of you by telling you he believed a higher power, he would have done it.
And if he could cheat me out of a 100 dollar by claiming to be an atheist he would have done that.

He loved to feed of peoples expectations and saw other people only as entertainment. He was also a compulsive liar and changed his believes depending on what people he surrounded himself with.