Thank you Shell B! I believe the title of Satanism in the official Church of Satan was both more of a reference to the older idea of Set and the beliefs of Celtic religions, but not a supposed deity, rather the notion of that part of ourselves, and a deliberate 'F U' to Christianity.
Also, rather than take some similar philosophy, I adopted Satanism for a few reasons:
1) Their rules are amazing compared to the pretentious ideals of Christianity. For example, 'Treat others as they treat you.'
2) One of their cardinal sins is stupidity, that kind of goes with #1.
3) The shock value of the name leads to some interesting reactions.
4) They acknowledge humans as animals, and believe, as I already did, that the seven deadly sins are actually good. (Although I would rate sloth as only good under very narrow circumstances.)
5) The celebrations of the official Church of Satan are basically about taking pagan holidays like Walpurgisnacht, and turning them into intentionally scary (to Christians/Most Americans) rituals and parties that deliberately mock bible-based religion.
6) It completely mirrors the non-theistic cult I was planning on starting. lol
Of course, it's equally important to note that you'll still find psychos saying they love the devil and drinking blood and things like that, but they're devil worshippers who actually believe in a deity. Satanism is actually not related to the devil at all.
Also, rather than take some similar philosophy, I adopted Satanism for a few reasons:
1) Their rules are amazing compared to the pretentious ideals of Christianity. For example, 'Treat others as they treat you.'
2) One of their cardinal sins is stupidity, that kind of goes with #1.
3) The shock value of the name leads to some interesting reactions.
4) They acknowledge humans as animals, and believe, as I already did, that the seven deadly sins are actually good. (Although I would rate sloth as only good under very narrow circumstances.)
5) The celebrations of the official Church of Satan are basically about taking pagan holidays like Walpurgisnacht, and turning them into intentionally scary (to Christians/Most Americans) rituals and parties that deliberately mock bible-based religion.
6) It completely mirrors the non-theistic cult I was planning on starting. lol
Of course, it's equally important to note that you'll still find psychos saying they love the devil and drinking blood and things like that, but they're devil worshippers who actually believe in a deity. Satanism is actually not related to the devil at all.
