People shifting from Catholicism to Satanism is considered progress.
Quote:The Temple of Satan gains ground in Chile as faith in traditional religions wanes
Scholars, believers and residents consulted by The Associated Press note that Chile, where a long-lasting tradition of Catholicism has played a leading role in public discussions, is experiencing a crisis of faith, following revelations of multiple sexual abuse scandals within the Catholic church over the years.
“These types of organizations now feel that they have greater support to challenge what was virtually impossible before,” said Luis Bahamondes, a professor at the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Chile. And that’s because, “until very recently, the Catholic Church enjoyed an unprecedented power. It had an opinion on everything: politics, economics, geopolitics, sexuality and education.”
Despite its name, The Temple of Satan: Satanists and Luciferians of Chile does not embark on sacrifices nor asks its congregants to worship the devil. Among its 100 members are people who work as publicists, firefighters, police officers, lawyers and psychologists, who have found in the organization a way to defy moral norms, dogmas and religious impositions.
While they embrace the term Satanist, they don’t revere or believe in Satan. Instead, they worship rationality, individualism, pleasure and the mundane life.
Rather than gods, they praise humankind.
“You are the owner of your present and future, there is no God that makes decisions for you,” said Haborym, a spokesperson for the group, during a walk through tombs and mausoleums at the General Cemetery of Santiago. He notes that the figure of Satan is purely symbolic and their rituals are performed “to bring out the emotions and leave the intellect aside.”
https://apnews.com/article/chile-satan-t...ccab985a6e
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
