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By Vexen Crabtree 2001-Aug-19
http://www.dpjs.co.uk/criticism/vexen.html
Vexen's site:
http://www.vexen.co.uk
Vexen Crabtree is the author and designer of The Description, Philosophies
and Justification of Satanism, www.dpjs.co.uk.
This is Vexen's summary of the weakest, or least acceptible points
of modern Lavey Satanism, including theological and sociological
concerns. The latter half of the essay contains some counter arguments
and propsed directions that he sees as being remedies.
1. Theology & Superficiality
One of the weakest points of modern Satanism, also one of strongest
points, is a general over-emphasis on materialism and a lack of
dogma. The actualy theology present in Satanism is quite low once
you get beyond a few statements such as the infamous Satanic Bible
passage:
"There is no heaven of glory bright, and no hell where sinners
roast. Here and now is our day of torment! Here and now is our
day of joy! Here and now is our opportunity! Choose ye this day,
this hour, for no redeemer liveth!"
[ Satanic Bible: The Book of Satan IV:2 ]
The theology that does exist, for example the Four
Crown Princes of Hell, the Infernal Names, Self
Worship: These are to a large extent more of a matter of linguistics
and terminology than real theological statements. Even the Demonology
is allegorical post-modern, counterculture sociology.
So there is potential for committed scholars to shun Satanism,
because of the lack of material to study. There is something lacking
in Self-Worship... something a bit too self-help. It doesn't lend
itself to serious or technical attention.
In Empiress' essay Why
I am not a Satanist, her second point against Satanism,
she covers this non-aspect of Satanism:
Related to Satanism being reactionary, Satanism is "philosophy
light" and "rhetoric heavy." Anton LaVey's greatest skill was
that of a rhetorician. Satanism, if one scratches much beyond
the surface, proves to be intellectually shallow. There's just
not a lot to it. My gut reaction to the SB was, "It's Dale Carnegie's
How to Win Friends and Influence People with an 'evil' twist and
a large dose of Friederich Nietzsche thrown in. Satanism gets
people motivated, excited, and impassioned.like all good rhetoric.
But in the end, it's not intellectually satisfying as a philosophy
in its own right.
2. Anton Lavey: Women!
The Church of Satan and the beliefs of Satanism do not lend themselves
to considering that a person can ever be perfect or infallible.
All knowledge and wisdom is taken with a pinch of salt and doubt.
I am not about to say that Anton Lavey was anything other than an
excellent freethinker, a top class carnival psychologist/sociologist,
or perhaps even the best philosopher since Nietszsche.
But included in LaVey's works are personal opinions, jokes, fun,
entertainment, and then more personal opinions. He found it hard
to write long without involving his own interests, past or bias.
And these show through in his approach and writings about women.
Anton Lavey's upbringing in the 40's and 50's lent themselves to
an older, more traditional view of women. Although a freethinker
who shattered and lived far beyond that cumbersome social taboos
and limitations of his time, Anton appears to have shed little of
the 50's slightly misogynistic attitude.
He broke through in some areas, some as Women pro-power, and beliefs
that Women should be no less cunning or manipulative than any man,
but couldn't seem to seperate his tastes from his work. So
some of his writing on Women makes me cringe a little. The Satanic
Witch contains radical and unheard-of advice, which was 20 years
ahead of it's time, some of the underlying assumptions have become
dated. I think he wasn't entirely "in touch" with Women.
No offence to those that actually agree with his many wise words...
if we all agreed
with each other we wouldn't be Satanists!
3. Confrontational
Once again I quote Empiress,
a paragraph from her "Satan is an Unworthy Symbol":
When Satanism was developed in the 1950's and 1960's in "Christian
America," calling it Satanism had more power and punch because
people's image of Satan was more heterogeneous, ridiculous, and
stereotypical. Post the 1960's hippie movement however, people
are more clued in to what Satanists are saying and the title no
longer carries the same impact on people (with the possible exception
of Christian fundamentalists). That which is based on shock eventually
becomes mundane. The Black Mass, for example, has become expected
and uninteresting.no longer the subject of newspaper articles
or "scandal." Once again we see that Satanism, by being a purely
reactionary philosophy, is dependent on the weaknesses of other
systems of thought, or, in the case of the name, on the ridiculous
stereotypes people hold of Satan.
And here is where I hold sympathies for Satanists. When "Satan"
no longer shocks, one of the most "interesting" aspects of Satanism
is lost. Satanism actually needs to grow into larger boots! I
think if Anton LaVey were alive today he'd realize his short sightedness.
Satanism needs to have the flexibility to change with the times.
As our world grows more and more secular, Satanists will be left
holding yet one more tired, reactionary philosophy.
Empiress perhaps hit on a point here without feldging it out fully.
The Alien Elite is a Satanic concept inspired by Friedrich Nietszche's
"Superman" principal. That there are born natural leaders,
and these people can appear at any point in any culture. A reason
d'etre is to try and develop yourself to transcend your own
culture to reach a state of Alien Elite. But this can be done without
Satanism... to those who it is natural. Satanism as a religion has
potential to defeat itself in modern society.
As religion becomes more of a fringe, as philosophy, materialism
and Quantum-Physics inspired mysticism become the only acceptable
forms of faith in society, religion is becoming viewed as both out
of date and irrelevent to modern ideas. The modern secular movement
is not conerned with religion to such as extent that in barely pays
in any attention, not enough to even oppose it. Satanism is founded
on the hypocrisy and ridiculous assumptions of other religions,
like the alien elite are only elite as long there exists a mass
of sheep who remain on the right hand path. Without lesser religions,
Satanism looses it's rebellion.
There is a real risk that in modern society, Satanism can lose
it's edge. Superceded by the carnal materialism that in the beginning
founded it!
The Black Solstice's Unholy War
Remedies. Faith.
1 & 3 . Theology & Superficiality - Victory through dogma
and allegorical symbolism even when no godly enemies survive.
The presence of spiritual dogma, or theology, is the weakest point
of Buddhism. Buddhism which is otherwise a very practical, inspring
and self-help religion is hindered by it's belief in reincarnation,
in mystical karma and other elements. Satanism, I believe, is right
to refrain from making such sweeping assumptions.
Self Worship is enough, and is as far as you can go before you
start making things up about what is real and what is not.
The future does not look good for personified gods, whether they
wear red capes or halos. Can Satanism survive without lesser religions
to use as strawmen?
Satanism has potential to survive where other religions falter;
for science and secularism is no threat to it's philosophies or
lifestyle. Anton LaVey, as I pointed out in agreement with Empress
in point one, has a deeper understanding of Human Nature than to
allow Satanism simply to fall by the wayside in the face of an uncaring
secular advance.
With the lack of religion there is a void. People need dogma; they
need to be told what is what. Even the natural born individualists
needs to have a reprieve from eternal alienation. People can't survive
in a healthy state without habits, releases from thought. Plain
and simple, people need games. They need sport, games, computers,
hobbies. Something they just "do". In the adsence of religion,
there is a certain void. A need for devotion to the unknown, and
a generic faith in "everything" still exists.
Satanism will continue to fill that void in people's little hearts.
It allows one to make strong, dominant, dogmatic statements. They
are feel good. Self help with an evil twist! It allows faith in
yourself; but not in a mere atheist Human Potential way but in a
dogmatic, aggressive and cathartic religion that fulfills people's
needs without attacking the ego. Satanism retains imagery and power
and lots of things that the new mundane society lack. Our Patron
Saint has always moved with the times!
2. Anton Lavey: Women
I personally feel the best way to look at this is this: If you
do not agree with Anton Lavey's views on women, then just accept
that that's the way it was in his time. He was ahead of his time,
but didn't quite hit the nail on the head the way the ninetees view
of women has. Anton LaVey's, like everyone, has opinions. Feel free
to disagree, as long as you at least think about it!
Things to please the scholars
Compared to Judaism, Christianity and Paganism, Satanism has
a quite shallow view of theology and gods. There is not much to
study, no versus to learn off by heart, no sprawling astrological
charts of orders of angels to drool over. So what does that scholarly
Satanist study?
There are many things. More than initially beats the eye. The
Satanic Bible is stuffed with references, mostly unexplained and
unhighlighted, to schools of thought and philosophies.
There is Demonology, the histories of the (literally) hundreds
of pro-Satan groups throughout history, all the ways in which
they interacted. Looking at famous Satanists is revealing... such
an ecclectic bunch of people! Surprise after surprise! It's a
sociologists' nightmare and a never-ending puzzle of characters
and clubs! Satanic history is very rich.
The philosophies of the left hand path, materialism, objectivism
can all be studied. The deeper you look, the more it all comes
together. There is no lack of links or shocks.
The more I research, the more the Satanic Bible makes sense.
When I first read the Satanic Bible, portions of it appeared to
be barely coherent. Odd words... strange ways of phrasing things.
References and words I didn't understand. Age of ice... age of
fire... the Demons in North, South, East and West... the Enochian
calls. But with time it makes more sense. If Anton Lavey explained
what he was talking about thoroughly, the Satanic Bible would
be ten times it's present size. But that is not his job! It is
our job to continue the research. And again and again it comes
back to the Satanic Bible! |
