One thing that surprises me is how many Wiccans complain of persecution, discrimination, and misunderstandings of Wicca, then turn around and in an attempt to defend their own religion, ignorantly discriminate against Satanism and accuse them of the absurdities they are being accused of. It�s easy to pass the ball and put heap on someone else if it means you profit in some way or gain a better image, isn�t it? We go on about people making wrongful assumptions about our religion, but how many of us have taken the time to educate ourselves on the truth of what it is we are being accused of? We are accused of being devil-worshipers and Satanists. In reality, some of us are no better than our accusers because while we do point out that Wicca and Satanism are far from being one in the same, we still allow those stereotypes and false allegations to sit on the Satanists. It�s plain ignorance and hypocrisy. Out of curiosity of what all the hype was about, and why I was being compared to the likes of Satanists, a few years ago I did some research. Before beginning this research, and since, I have met and known quite a few Satanists, and have yet to come across any knowledgeable person who seriously worships Satan in the Christian sense or the devil. I don�t claim to be an expert on Satanism, but anyone who is willing to do a bit of research is sure to find out these basic things: 1. Satanists do not worship the devil. 2. Satanists do not harm, molest or kill babies, children or animals. So this throws many of you for a loop. The statement that Satanists do not worship the devil seems outrageous since the religion is called Satanism. But the thing that needs to be understood is that Satanists do not only not worship the devil, but believe in no such entity. Satan is a symbol. To answer to or worship anything �above� one�s self would actually be un-Satanic. Perhaps these quotes will help you to understand: �Satan...merely represents a force of nature�the powers of darkness which have been named just that because no religion has taken these forces out of darkness.� �...this many faceted key to the unknown�which the Satanist chooses to call �Satan�.� Satanists could probably be better described as atheists. They do not look up to, answer to or worship anything above, higher or more powerful than themselves. More appropriately, they do these things of themselves. To better explain this, let me share with you this next part. In an article I read, at the end, the writer expressed the following:�Are you a believer in the God �Satan� or are you a Satanist, a God in your own right?� Never mind the direction at �you,� but look at what he asks at the end, �a God in your own right.� Satanists see Satan as a symbol of certain things, and they are an embodiment of those things, a living symbol, and thus, worship themselves, not a devil figure as many would have you believe. Satanists hold the belief that we are all Gods. I could go on, but really, these things are easy to find out on your own, taking hardly any effort to at least gain a surface understanding of. Honestly, I do not understand why the wrongful allegations and misunderstandings continue when the truth is so easy to get a hold of. I suppose it is simply our choice to remain ignorant - a stupid choice, I think. Of the experiences I have had with Satanists, I have found them to be rather intelligent, powerful and respectable people. One does not have to agree with what you are researching to understand it. There is much in the Satanist religion I do not agree with, just as I did indeed find much I did agree with. Whether or not you agree with something is not an excuse to remain ignorant of it and continue the spreading of false information. Educate yourself. Think for yourself. If you wish to enlighten yourself further on this topic, here are some great websites that I personally found extremely helpful. Satanism: Description, Philosophies and Justification of Satanism Church of Satan |
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