I hope you dont mind, I think Im going to post on the subject.
First, Id like to say that we really shouldn't freepost a subject because it makes us uncomfortable or because we disagree...thats the purpose of a forum; to properly diagnose and discuss the issues we care about. This is an off-beat subject, something that we dont like to talk about in society which makes it even moreso of a taboo and a great subject to dissect.
Let me "simplify the rhyme" and "amplify the noise".
Satanism is sociologically a counter-culture rather than a subculture, though in the more broader sense it is individualistic, meaning that it pertains moreso to the person than to the group. On a whole I understand what he's saying about humanity being self-serving...I wish I could remember the exact place the scriptures say, for God, that "I give you Life and Death; Choose life." (in so many words).
Its all an extension of knowledge... Before Descartes, life was "I Am, therefore I Think" because of presupposition of God and the church and the king running things, monotheism did reign, giving people a standard and guidline to go by (would they have known better without?). Yet, when the theory "I Think, therefore I Am" came about, it left people like THIS:
Circle your choice please: God No God
It allowed people to choose because the theology says that all we KNOW is that we are alive because we have a consciousness. Everything after that is a supposition, even God, therefore the choice for either of the above. Satanism itself derives from living on the No God principles, not so much about worshipping the devil as it is living in a singularity.
For us church folk, however, we know a few Truths, because of faith. We know that the Devil is a very singular kind of person - he has always come to One person (Eve, Jesus, etc.,) to tempt them in saying that they needed no one else but themselves to live, as Thunderstrucks analysis of Satanism shows (ex: "If you eat of the fruit, you will be like God" - supposing that you wouldnt need God to live after you ate the fruit [of Knowledge....makes you think]).
Man thats long winded, but my last part to say is....is there anything wrong with living for the whole? Living for humanity and doing the World good? We may seem self serving, but it is our faith that makes the church (the group, corporately meaning) and thus the true believers are not Satanic.
The rest of the world....ehh....not so much.
Awesome post. That is true of the Satanist culture compared to Christianity. I was comparing the inverse of Satanism versus Christian culture.
But you are spot on in your analyzation, awesome rebuttal.
