cause the upside down pentagram means devil worshiping
2006-12-13 23:54:54 · 15 answers · asked by hardrock_godsmack 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
No it does not mean devil worship!
http://www.angelfire.com/id/robpurvis/pentagram.html
http://altreligion.about.com/library/weekly/aa100102a.htm
http://www.livingstonemusic.net/pentacle.htm
http://www.ecauldron.com/pentagram.php
2006-12-13 23:58:28 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well, this is a long and sordid tale.
First, the upside-down pentagram meaning "devil worship" is promoted by Hollywood. That's where the association of the pent with two points up with Satanism is affirmed in modern society. That's because Hollywood isn't making documentaries about Wicca or Paganism or Satanism, nor do they do reasearch on the symbolism they use in movies they make for entertainment. I should know, my hubby works in the industry, and he's tried to educate some of the props people.
Hollywood, of course, got it's imagery from the long-held but completely false idea that witches have something to do with the "devil". This arose in the middle ages, when people believed that anything bad that happened was caused by the "devil", and that humans were the agents of that "devil". People then didn't understand about disease vectors and infection and so on, and tended to see everything in terms of reward from "God" for good behavior (a healthy child, a good crop, financial success, etc.) and everything bad that happened (crop failure, infant deaths, etc.) as the "devil" in operation.
Of course, earlier people thought that when crops failed or someone died unexpectedly that the people involved directly were being punished for bad behavior. But the uptight and upright members of Puritanical societies couldn't imagine that THEY had done anything wrong, so there must be an ill-wisher working WITH the "devil' to do them harm. It's the old story of not being responsible for ones own actions, and not understanding how things work.
Now, for the pentagram itself.
In some Traditions of the Craft, it means that the person wearing it has mastered a particular level of initiation. This has nothing whatsoever to do with "Satan", as Witches don't believe in any such being.
Unfortunately, some folks who decided that living selfishly was "cool" and wanted to protest against Christianity bought into the Hollywood vision, so they have adopted the two-points-up pentagram as a symbol.
But since Satanism is just upside-down Christianity, the upside-down cross ought to be their symbol.
I don't personally know any actual Satanists, only the goth/rebellion types, so I don't know what symbol is used by ACTUAL Satanists. Maybe there are some here who can give us that information.
And if they don't have a separate symbol, I certainly wish that they would GET a symbol that has no relation to the pentagram, because I'm thoroughly tired of people continuing to think that there is some sort of connection between Witchcraft and Satanism.
2006-12-14 02:53:42 · answer #2 · answered by Praise Singer 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, I don't believe that. I own a pentagram pendant (right side up), and I truly feel it represents the Pagan ideals of nature. I'm even considering getting an inverted pentagram pendant as well. (No, I don't believe that either has anything to do with Devil worship. Christian nonsense.)
2006-12-14 00:32:24 · answer #3 · answered by Daemon 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, it most certainly does not. The upturned pentagram is a symbol of the earth, and the circle around the five arms of it symbolizes the unity of the five elements.
That's why it is a commonly used symbol in magick. The upturned pentagram is a very powerful symbol, but of course, you can use the power for good or for bad. It's up to you.
2006-12-14 00:05:04 · answer #4 · answered by Ymmo the Heathen 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
The pentagram is associated with devil worship because of its connection with Wicca and Pagan beliefs. In truth, the pentragram is a symbolic representation of Man contained within the Universe (the link below demonstrates this using Da Vinci's drawing of man to illustrate the point) but because Christianity was threatened by Paganism's religious hold, it 'demonized' its practitioners by labeling them as devil worshippers. It also helped that Pagans 'worshipped' god as being horned, symbolic of his sympathetic connection to the animals which pre-historic man hunted and from whom he was derived, which conviently fit with Christian archetypes of Satan or devil.
As Christianity established itself, those wishing to 'rebel' against its authority, without actually abandoning its traditions entirely, abrogated the Pentragram but turned it upside down. This was because it was inverting the traditions of Christianity, and where Christanity worshipped Jesus (and God) over the Devil, they worshipped the Devil over Jesus (and God).
As to what the pentragram actually represents, that all depends on who you talk to. That's because the cultural significance of it is largely dependant upon whom you speak to. Pagans don't consider it that way, yet many Christians do. Sometimes, the question of what something means very much depends upon whom is in power, for the power to delineate meaning is often how groups define themselves.
2006-12-14 00:16:55 · answer #5 · answered by Khnopff71 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Pentagrams with two points of the star facing upwards encircling a goats face is still considered a satanic symbol while the regular "pentacle" (a circle with one point facing upwards) is not each point stands for earth, air, fire, water and spirit... it is a symbol of the five points of man encompassed in the earth.
2006-12-14 00:05:50 · answer #6 · answered by Amanda 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Foolish people will accuse anything of being what *they* want it to be rather than it being what the inventors meant it to be.
Diamond in the Rough is ignorant since he spouts information
either because he doesn't know and thinks he does or he wants to put down other religions to make his own religion look better.
He is an abomination to his own religion.
2006-12-14 00:14:47 · answer #7 · answered by a1tommyL 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you do know that the pentagram was an early Christian symbol for the cross too
search it on google
2006-12-14 00:16:56 · answer #8 · answered by town_cl0wn 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
no the upside down pentagram has nothing to do with devil worship its the symbol of second degree witch and its symbolizes that you avhe put all else before you please do not spout out lies
2006-12-13 23:57:38 · answer #9 · answered by lucifer 3 · 4⤊ 1⤋
It is what you want it to be. Many people use it as a ward against evil spirits. Some use it in Satanic Practices. I've even seen it used in the Karbhala. Oh yeah Ozzy uses it in his concerts.
2006-12-13 23:57:27 · answer #10 · answered by Darktania 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋