FAQ
Feel free to use the "Table of Contents" sidebar to hastily navigate the page.
More questions to be added and answered in the future.
What? Why Satanism?
Why not? Every religion and set of beliefs has its roots in something, even if borne out of a reaction to another religion. We as Satanists often come from a Christian background, having been fed to us a dogma we did not find ourselves belonging to (often due to being LGBTQIA2S+, a person of color, a skeptic, or simply not agreeing with the Theology).
We believe in the development of the Self; some of us through working with what we believe to be Deities, Spirits, Demons, etc., while some of us don't believe in any God or form of spirituality at all. We are a diverse group of people who seek knowledge through experience, without the constraints of a dogma holding us back from experimentation.
Do you all believe Satan is evil?
Define "evil". For some of us, such a term doesn't exist by any objective measure. For others, "evil" may simply mean what does not work to the benefit of people. To some, it would mean that evil is anything that goes against Christianity (for better or for worse).
Some genuinely believe that Satan is as described in the New Testament; a being of pure chaos Hellbent on the subjugation and destruction of humanity on Earth. Some believe in Azazil/Azazel as the Djinn that refused to prostrate to Adam. Some see him as HaSatan/Samael who works under HaShem and is not evil. Some see Satan as an umbrella term applied to many spirits, a mere title more than anything else. Some see Satan as simply a Pagan, Pre-Christian God and/or Spirit - examples being Faunus/Pan or Ba'al Haddad. Some see Satan as Lucifer, who is fighting for our spiritual freedom and helps liberate us from oppression. some Satanists will say they don't believe in Satan at all, and merely view him as a metaphor for freedom and enlightenment.
Our views as Satanists vary drastically, and are dependent upon who you're asking. None of these viewpoints are objectively superior to one another, however that does not mean that Satanists don't also ostracize those whose views may put their own interests in harm's way.
But what about the evil cults?
What about the Inquisition? The Crusades? What about the Israelites taking over Canaan? What about the collapse of the Phoenicians at Tyre and Carthage? What about -
Let me stop right there. Before you think to yourself, "Those aren't true Christians!" or "Those people were heathens, they were using religion to push their agenda! They aren't true advocates of their faith!", consider the fact that you're pulling a No True Scotsman Fallacy.
That being said, there are groups that have committed crimes that have also called themselves Satanists. Joy of Satan, the Misanthropic Luciferian Order, the Order of the Nine Angles, and the Beasts of Satan are all examples. They have tortured and killed people all in the name of Satan.
They are Satanists. However, they're no Satanists I wish to interact with. They're no Satanists that LaVeyans wish to interact with. They're no Satanists that a majority of the practitioners wish to interact with. These groups can very well do their own thing; but the natural response to what they do is retaliation. They should know the consequences to their actions.
This might be virtue signaling, but I think those kinds of Satanists are Antisemitic scumbags. But that's just an opinion!
Do you sacrifice babies? Eat human flesh? KILL PEOPLE???
Do you think if I did, I would be writing a website about it?
Cut us some slack! I won't deny that there are Satanists who have murdered people (I just listed them earlier), I don't identify with those practices. A lot of us don't!
We can pick what practices that we as Satanists want to use. We're not beholden to some dogma that other people happen to abide by. This isn't Christianity - a lot of us believe that Satan lets us do as we please so long as we know the consequences, because he isn't our dictator. Certainly not my dictator.
Do you hate Christians?
Well, no. I certainly don't; and while many Satanists come from an Abrahamic background (a majority being from Christianity), animosity towards Christians is not always held amongst Satanists.
But some do, and you'll hear me say that "some do, some don't" a lot. Reminder that this is a religion that benefits the lone practitioner the best, in that they are free to develop their beliefs and feelings as they wish so long as they understand what they're doing and how people will react.
If a Satanist were to throw stones at you, it would be apt for another Satanist to tell you to "throw stones back." Why wouldn't you protect yourself? If your religion is The One True Religion, then act like it is. Don't wuss out just because there's a Satanist nearby. Most of us won't stop you unless you're getting in our way. Sincerely, unlike the horror stories, most of us don't bite.
Will this site say the name of the Tetra? What about names like Ahriman?
No. On my homepage I stated that this website will be open to people of all faiths - this means terms such as the Tetra, or Ahriman, will either be censored or properly applied.
It would be hypocritical of me to not account for the ways in which other religions operate, especially in an environment where information is being openly shared.
However, there will be books and sites linked that may not have those same restrictions. I cannot control or moderate other sites, though I will mention if a site or book mentions these names without restriction(s) for the sake of clarity and honesty.
Will there be mentions of the Kabbalah, Jewish Mysticism, etc.?
Yes. I understand that this question is brought up in fear of cultural appropriation, and thus the argument can be made that sharing information relating to the Judaism should remain closed.
My counterpoint to that, to which people will wish to cancel me over, is that the same argument can be made to pushback against cultural appropriation. If people are to know that Kabbalah, Lilith, and other figures/ideas stem from Judaism, and they wish to avoid appropriating from Judaism, then they will have knowledge to know what to avoid.
I simply do not see the issue with the argument that more knowledge leads to more empathy, and some of those who have empathy will exercise it in a way that may draw them away from appropriation and misinformation.
Better to give accurate information than to lie, or withhold it altogether only for the learner to get it somewhere else inaccurately.
Are Satanists Pagan?
I don't... think so? What makes this question hard to answer is that some Satanists do identify as Pagan and wish to refer to their Satanism as Pagan. This makes sense, in a way, given that there are Demons and Demonized Gods that come from Pagan faiths (ex. Ba'al Haddad being demonized into Bael/Beelzebub).
On another hand, Satanism is not Pagan, because it doesn't fit either into the definition of paganus (countryside; relating to people who worshipped Gods from the outskirts of the main cities) nor the colloquial definition of the worship of Gods (namely Semitic, Egyptian, and only certain European faiths) that predate Christianity's introduction into them.
Satanists are not barred from participating in Paganism, seeing as (most) Pagan faiths are open, or at least initiatory.
Setians are arguably Pagan as they worship the Egyptian God Set. Luciferians are arguably Pagan because some of them worship/work with the Roman God Lucifer. Diabolists probably aren't Pagan by way of working under a Christian framework, but that does not mean they can't be Pagan if they work under other frameworks and/or work with other Gods.
Keep an open mind - this isn't a test. We can do as we please.
You said some Demons are Gods. Why don't you just worship those Gods? Why not just become Pagan?
Well, we do. Just in our own way. Why don't we just trace every God back to their earliest origin and worship them in their "base" form? Why worship Zeus when we can worship Ba'al? Why worship Lucifer when we can worship Phosphoros? What do we say about Ishtar, Aphrodite, Inanna, Astaroth? Are these not all the same Goddess, or are you to say they're different?
Does it matter?
There's different cultures and contexts in which we engage with these Gods and Spirits. It isn't fair to assume one is any better than the other just because it's older, nor is it accurate. Let us work with them under our context, and you yours.
Don't you think this all sounds a little bullshit?
Yeah, so does the idea of a guy dying, coming back to life three days later, then flying up into the sky just to wangle himself to a small group of people in the middle of freaking nowhere. Your point?
Religion is a construct, spirituality a translation. It's all made up, the same way everything else we so desperately rely on in our day to day is made up. But the point isn't that - it's what it means to us.
Satan could have been called any other name, with any other story, with anything else. It isn't just "Satan" we're here for - we're here for freedom, self-expression, enlightenment, and the ability to choose to believe as we please.
Even if it's all bullshit, I'd rather this be my bullshit than the idea that people are disgusting sinners who deserve nothing more than the void God defecates into, or that we're disillusioned to some sort of "true self" beyond our world, or what ever else we've come up with.
Humans are divine, and even if that isn't scientifically-backed, it's inexplicably true by way of our capacity to care as much as our capacity to hurt. That is my religion. That is what Satanism truly encompasses. It's our humanity that matters, and the ways we can cultivate it to become something more than anything our forefathers ever conceived.
I'm brand new, and I want to become a Satanist!
Congratulations on growing your horns! I'm so happy you're here. Welcome, take a seat, kick up your legs.
Where do I start?
You may start at Little Horns, where there will be books and practice recommendations to help you get started.
Take your time. Don't rush things. It will be okay; the only person you can disappoint the most is yourself.
How do people even practice Satanism?
There is not one way to practice Satanism. This question is very hard to answer due to the fact that, for every one of us, it's so different. But I will list below some practices that Satanists may take on.
Small list, I know. I didn't want to overwhelm you. The site will have more to it in time, allowing us to take complete, deep dives into different practices that Satanists may adopt.
How do I convert?
That's the neat part; you don't!
Just kidding!
Your options are endless, though I personally don't suggest going into a pact right away. Not because your soul will be damned if you do, or you'll suddenly burst into flames if you fail to get in that pastry you promised on time- but because promises are big commitments, pacts even bigger. It's like signing up for the lead role in a play, but failing the pact is like backing out once youre finally put on that stage the day of the show.
You will want to be comfortably within Satanism before you even entertain that idea, just to be sure the religion is right for you. For now, you're free to do other methods such as rituals, performing a reverse baptism, or simply denouncing your prior religion.
Or, you could just start calling yourself a Satanist, with no conversion ritual necessary! Conversion is free, unmoderated, and entirely customizable. However, if you would like a simple renunciation, Rev. Cain has provided one (from his book The Infernal Gospel called The Rite of Sulphur. This rite follows a Traditional Theistic Satanist flavor.
If you still want to go forth with a pact, however, go for it! Just be aware that you'd be making a big promise. As long as you know, you are free to go!
Can I syncretize Satanism with another religion?
Satanism does not object to syncretisms; in fact, many Theistic Satanists also practice another religion (ex. Heathenry, Hellenism, Canaanite Polytheism, even Christianity - yes, as a Christian!).
However, it is recommended that you research as much as possible before syncretizing. This means interacting with those of said faith and engaging in their beliefs (even converting) before syncretizing. If you must keep your practices separate, do so.
Ask yourself questions on why you're syncretiing. Is there a Folk Devil in your faith? Do you have reasoning to believe that a Demon of interest has Pagan roots? Do you believe in the open-ended nature of Spirits, Gods, Demons, etc.? These are questions to keep in mind as you're researching your syncretism. And always be respectful and quote who you're referencing from. It will give your syncretism credibility!
Are there any groups or communities I can join?
A few, yes!