(May 14, 2019 at 7:09 pm)vulcanlogician Wrote:(May 14, 2019 at 6:55 pm)Belaqua Wrote: I remain skeptical that use of the Satanist label is overall a serious attempt at doing good, and not largely a desire to poke Christian neighbors in the eye for fun.
If somebody gets in your way and glares because you're a homosexual, or feminist, or hippie, or nonconformist... maybe poking them in the eye is an appropriate response.
Many Southern evangelicals/fundamentalists might categorize Augustine or even Aquinas as being influenced by Satan. These people are loud, Belequa. They are mistrustful of science and intellectualism. They don't read Paul's tirades about homosexualty as an emphasis of spiritual things over bodily things, either. They read it as an excuse to "keep gays in their place." And any government that allows homosexuals equal rights has obviously been corrupted by evil. It's pretty refreshing to see people getting loud at them-- because liberals don't really do that.
Context matters.
It depends on what we want.
If we want to make progress, overcome those people's prejudices, and improve society, calling ourselves exactly the thing they hate may not be the most effective means.
If the American Satanists, for whom Satan is a deracinated symbol of doing good, think that provoking and intentionally making people mad is effective, then I guess they should give it a try.
