Random Things You Never Knew About Satanism (20 items)

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  (#1) Baphomet Comes from Mohammed

  Baphomet is a major figure in modern Satanism, a demon with a goat's head, nude female torso, and cloven animal legs. The goat is closely associated with Satanism in the same way sheep figure prominently in Christianity–the goat is an individual, sheep flock.

  The first reference to Baphomet occured in 1098 CE, and subsequent medieval references to Baphomet all come from the Middle East, where knights were on the Crusades. It's widely accepted Baphomet is a derivation of Mahomet, an old French word for the Prophet Mohammed. Thus Baphomet, an enemy of Christianity through association with Satanism, arose from Mohammed, an enemy of Christianity at the time of the Christian attack on the Holy Lands.
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  (#2) Satan Was a Feminist

  Some people, including Stockholm University professor Per Faxneld, see Satan as the original feminist and liberator of women. It was, after all, Satan who encouraged Eve to eat the fruit of knowledge in the garden of Eden, thereby freeing herself from slavery to God. Throughout history, Satan has been associated with women who fight patriarchy, oppression, and traditional gender roles while seeking equality, sexual liberation, and autonomy.
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  (#3) Luciferians Idolize Lucifer but Aren't Satanists

  Satanists see Lucifer as the ideal individual, but not everyone with that point of view is a Satanist. If that sounds a little confusing, it is. There's a philosophy known as Luciferianism that focuses on the rejection of accepted ways of existence in favor of individual enlightenment.Those who follow this philosophy don't see Lucifer and Satan as one and the same.
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  (#4) There Are Two Major Types of Satanism

  Satanism is kind of like Buddism – while some Buddhists believe Buddha is a god, others see him as a mortal man with great ideas. The same is true of Satanism. Theistic Satanists believe in Satan as a deity, and worship him. Atheistic Satanists see Satanism as a philosophical school of thought, and try to practice the moral and ethical teachings of that philosophy.  
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  (#5) Satanism Doesn't Advocate Violence

  Contrary to popular belief, Satanism doesn't advocate violence. In fact, by and large, regardless of the branch, Satanism teaches individuals to focus on the self and allow others to be as they are. This belief ties into the foundational Satanist notion that Satan rejected God in order to live free from his tyranny (you can see this literally or metaphorically); everyone who isn't infringing upon the freedoms of other should be free to do as she wishes.

  There's one exception to the rule–revenge. To quote The Satanic Bible, “When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.”
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  (#6) Lucifer Is Closely Connected to Prometheus

  Prometheus, a figure from Greek mythology, stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind. He was severely punished for this act, which is seen as a metaphor for giving humans knowledge that would allow them to exist without the gods—they could now “see in the dark.” Lucifer's rejection of God in the Christian tradition is seen as a similar act of defiance and empowerment.
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  (#7) Satanism Blew Up in the Second World as the Berlin Wall Came Down

  In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the former Soviet states had their own little Satanic moment. Countries like Lithuania and the staunchly Catholic Poland were hit with a rash of supposedly Satanic crimes, and news reports and public hysteria believed tens of thousands of people were practicing devil worship.

  In Poland, murdered corpses were turning up near upside down crosses and Satanic messages. Reports indicate the criminal and antisocial behavior was not actually the work of organized religious Satanism, but disaffected youth suffering from extreme economic depression. They used Satan as a means of defying Catholicism, the country's main oppressive authority.  
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  (#8) Satanism Is Alive and Well in the American Heartland

  In 2003, Mike Grace, a normal guy from Michigan with a nine-to-five job, started the Reform Church of Satanism with the goal of creating a community of socially mindful Satanists. Happily married with three children, Mike says of Satanism, “It's self-responsibility, not just hedonism. You should enjoy yourself but never at the expense of others.”
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  (#9) Satanism Advocates Freedom of Religion and Separation of Church and State

  When Oklahoma put a statue of the 10 Commandments outside its federal courthouse, the Satanic Temple, a religious organization that exists to combat the hegemony of Christianity by promoting other options and taking advantage of religious-based loopholes and freedom of speech laws, commissioned an enormous statue of Satanic figure Baphomet sitting on a throne, flanked by children, to sit alongside the commandments. Alas, the piece was rejected by Oklahoma and resides in Detroit, though the state also took down the 10 Commandments in the wake of the controversy.   

  In 2017, the Satanic Temple commissioned a Satanic Veterans Memorial to stand alongside a similarly themed Christian memorial in a so-called "free speech zone" located in a park in Belle Plaine, Minnesota. Eventually, plans for both memorials were scrapped due to the controversy created by the Satanic one. 
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  (#10) The Catholic Church Invented Satanism

  In the 15th century, the Catholic Church presented a startling claim to the European public—underground groups throughout Christendom were worshiping Satan, attempting to undermine the Church and, even more ominous, the fabric of society. Such Satanists never actually existed.

  Despite this, and using a book on Satanists written by two priests as its guide, the Church began burning people as witches and devil worshipers. According to that book, entitled Malleus Maleficarum, Satanists were predominantly women, could stop cows from giving milk, rode through the air on broomsticks on their way to orgies in the forest, and ate infants.
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  (#11) Satan Is a Devil, Not the Devil

  Devils appear in pretty much every religion. You find them in Hinduism, pre-Judeo-Christian religions, monotheism, paganism. The devil with red skin, pointy goatee, and horns is just one of many figures established by organized religion to provide an antithesis to the philosophy of the system—a necessary counterweight. Satan is another one of these figures, from the Judeo-Christian lineage.

  The word Satan comes from Hebrew, and means “opposer” or “adversary”.
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  (#12) Satanists See Lucifer as a Symbolic Liberator

  Satanists see Lucifer, the historical Satan, as a hero who rejected God to live beyond the bounds of control. Lucifer is a metaphor for every person who chooses a path of freedom above assimilation or subjugation to a system like capitalism, democracy, or, most extreme, fascism. Satanism holds this belief in tandem with Gnosticism, an ancient religion.
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  (#13) The Pentagram Isn't Originally a Satanic Symbol

  The pentagram, a five-pointed star, is used prominently by the Church of Satan in its inverted form (upsidedown, and surrounded by a circle for good measure). The symbol was originally used in Judaism and Christianity with positive connotation. In the Jewish tradition, the symbol appeared on the ring of King Solomon of Israel.

  In Christianity, the symbol had many associations, and at one point was symbolic of Christ himself – each point on the star represented one of his points of crucifixion.
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  (#14) Satanism Is a Relatively New Religion

  Satanism has an image of being an ancient religion with origins dating back to the beginnings of Christianity. In fact, Satanism as an organized religion isn't even as old as The Beatles. While early forms of organized Satanism appeared in the 30s and 40s, the Church of Satan wasn't formed until April 30, 1966 (about six months before the above photo of The Beatles was taken).

  The idea of Satanism's ancient origins may come from classical literary works on Satan, such as Paradise Lost.
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  (#15) The Church of Satan Promotes Anti-Feminist Feminism

  The Church of Satan promotes self-empowerment as one of its highest values, and thus believes women who are drawn to Satan reject patriarchal control and seize power for themselves. The Church sees the feminist movement as weak, accusing it of being predicated on creating an environment of victimhood for women while seeking assistance in promoting equality from outside sources such as the government.

  The argument has logic to it, though also seems a bit confused, especially from an organization whose founder has been photographed, fully clothed, with naked women wearing animal masks.  
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  (#16) Most Satanic Bands Aren't Actually Satanists

  Satanism is commonly associated with heavy metal, but most of those bands aren't even remotely Satanic. Tom Araya, vocalist of Slayer, whose albums include God Hates Us All, Christ Illusion, and South of Heaven, is actually a Christian, who uses Satanic imagery in his music to play to the band's dark, aggressive image.

  Ozzy Osborne of Black Sabbath, the self-ordained Prince of Darkness, whose lyrics explore the occult, Satanism, and the works of Aleister Crowley, is a member of the Church of England. 
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  (#17) Satanism Inspires as Much as It Terrifies

  Extreme metal band Behemoth delve deep into the philosophy of Satan in their music. Says frontman Nergal, “Satan stands for everything that is dear to me. I’ve always been very fond of independence and autonomy and free thinking and freedom and intelligence. Satan has always been a very strong symbol of all those values, so for me it’s very natural to take his side.”

  Yet their dark, anti-Christian imagery got the band arrested, fined, and deported in Russia, and Nergal had to stand trial for blasphemy in his native Poland after ripping a Bible on stage.  
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  (#18) The Satanic Panic Wasn't About Satan

  In the 1980s, the US was gripped by a mass hysteria known as the Satanic Panic. The media and public blamed Satanism for all manner of supposedly ritualistic crimes, including murder and sexual abuse, sometimes involving children. Much of the hysteria was tied to a popular book, Michelle Remembers, a supposedly true first hand account of a young girl who was ritualistically abused by Satanists.

  At one point in the book, Michelle is directly confronted by Satan, only to be saved by Jesus and the Virgin Mary. The book has been dismissed as preposterous, while the Satanic Panic, in which no evidence of actual Satanic ritual abuse or crimes was uncovered, is now seen as akin to the McCarthy Witch Hunts. 
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  (#19) Those Church Burnings in Norway Had Nothing to Do with Satan

  They were about Christianity. The Black Metal scene of the 1990s was about many things, including the desire to embrace indigenous Nordic beliefs and reject imposed, imperial ideas such as Christianity. Burning churches was a way for disaffected youth to violently reject a religion imposed upon their culture. Black metal bands are generally more interested in Nordic paganism than Satanism, and used Satanic imagery to reject Christianity. 
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  (#20) Occultism and Satanism Are Not the Same Thing

  More often than not, the media and public imagination turn occultism and Satanism into the same thing. In fact, Satanism is just one of the countless things that fall under the banner of the occult. "Occultism" is something of a catch all, encompassing everything from the mysticism and magic of Aleister Crowley and his religion, Thelema, to Ouija boards, astrology, alchemy, and ancient peoples and beliefs such as Druids.

  By definition, occultism is nothing more than the study of the supernatural—basically anything that isn't science. 

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