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A brief critique of "Fear and Satanism" on Obsidian Butterfly

by Diane Vera


Copyright © 2003 by Diane Vera. All rights reserved.



Below are brief comments on the articles Fear and Satanism and "An open letter to everyone I know" in on the Obsidian Butterfly site.

I've contacted the author via email. So far, she seems reasonable and willing to learn, and she has agreed to link to this critique.

In "Fear and Satanism":

Satanism is based on fear & control & utter selfishness. They have no love for anyone, including themselves.

The above is certainly not true of most Satanists.

Most forms of Satanism accept the full range of human emotions, tempered by reason. Most also believe in rational self-interest, which certainly does include having loving relationships.

To judge & hate someone who practices Satanism is, in a sense, giving them what they want.

There do exist people who call themselves Satanists mainly for shock value. But they should not be considered representative of Satanists in general, any more than attention-seeking "playgans" should be considered representative of Pagans in general.

Send them light if you can’t love them.

Unless people are actively bothering you, why send them energies that they may or may not appreciate? Why not just ignore them? Better yet would be to learn about a variety other religions and worldviews, including ones that you don't like.

How empty a life, to live in fear and by fear.

Satanists do not, as a general rule, live "in fear and by fear." Perhaps you've had the misfortune of meeting some Black Circle Boys, as I call them? If so, please understand that they are NOT representative of all or most Satanists.

I will not be afraid of these people.

Then hopefully you'll be willing to learn a bit about us? (I've contacted the author, and she does indeed seem willing to learn.)

For starters, I would suggest that you read Satan and "Evil" in Christianity (and Satanism). See also this collection of links to articles by academics, reporters, etc..

Satanists worship Satan

Satanists are of two major kinds, theistic and atheistic/symbolic. Theistic Satanists do indeed worship Satan. However, during most of the past several decades, the most visible public Satanists have been atheistic/symbolic Satanists, who regard Satan not as a literal entity but as a symbol of various desirable qualities such as independent thinking.

Satanists worship Satan who was created by the Christian Church who wanted something evil to counterbalance their god.

Actually, the concept of Satan is a bit older than the Christian church. A Christianlike concept of Satan/Azazel/Samael/Belial was held by some sects of Jews during the Second Temple era, influenced by Zoroastrianism, though it was subsequently rejected by nearly all Jews. (This concept differs from "ha-satan" of the Book of Job.)

Satanism is therefore based on Christianity, not Wicca or Druidism or any other branch of pagan religion.

Satanism does have obvious roots in Christianity, but is by no means based exclusively on Christianity. Most forms of Satanism are based on non-Christian (and non-Jewish) sources as well. For a sampling of Satanist theologies, see Who and what is Satan? Various Satanist reinterpretations.

Along these same lines, "An Open Letter to Everyone I Know" contains the following statement:

Satanism is a form of Christianity.

No, Satanism is not a form of Christianity. For more about these issues, see Is Satanism a "Christian heresy"? Is Satanism "Abrahamic"? and Is Satanism "Pagan"?.

For more about some of the ways that Pagans commonly misrepresent Satanism, see A Critique of Wiccan and Other Neo-Pagan Disclaimers About Satanism.

See also More about "Fear and Satanism" on Obsidian Butterfly.



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