anybody else agree with Anton LaVey and his religion?

Question

what do you think about it?
i really think everything he says is right....

Answer 1

I read "The Satanic Bible" several times over the years (including LaVey's other books)and considered myself a follower of the "Left Hand Path" at some points in my life (in my 20's). I was even briefly a member of the Temple of Set at one point.

I have changed my viewpoint by looking at the whole picture, not just the Satanic Bible. I would encourage Satanists to do the same.

LaVey was ambiguous in his approach to Satan and Satisnism...sometimes calling him a "dark force in nature", but other times he seemed to indicate "the man downstairs" as he called him, was a personification. Even his former followers like Michael Aquino (who had his own spinoff) didn't really seem to know where LaVey stood on the issue.Perhaps Lavey was trying to placate both sides of the crowd; the ones who really believed in Satan, and the ones who didn't.

LaVey lied about his accomplishments in life (orchestra member, lion tamer, etc.), and in fact, was a high school dropout. Despite claims of being a millionaire, he filled for bankruptcy in the 1990's. He no longer owned the broken down house he lived in (which had once been the infamous "black house" when he died. During the 80's, his fazmily lived in poverty and relied on handouts from his family and from public assitance (i.e., welfare, foodstamps, etc.). His teeth rotted out, which happenes to a lot of poor people.

His wife Diane sued him citing physical abuse. He had beaten her all during their 23 year shack up (they were never legally married). LaVey also abused and his his pets. A guy that beats his wife and kicks his dogs...not much of a man in anyone's book!

While LaVey claimed he trid to "keep the nuts out of the church of Satan", he claimed severalt times to have held a "cannibal feast" for the Church. What do you call a cannibal???

LaVey also forced his female followers into prostitution as part of his "Satanic sex therapy", and kept their earning, beating them when they didn't bring back enough money. In other words...he was a pimp! Despite the claim of not hurting children, LaVey admitted to police that he had been a passive observer while his own grandson Stanton was molested, (confirmed by police records and Zeena LaVey).

Then there's the rituals from "The Satanic Rituals"
A human leg bone or arm bone is used in Homage to Tchort ritual (p.137)
Woman dressed as nun urinates before group into a bedpan in the Black Mass ritual (p.43)
Urine is then sprinkled like holy water (p.44)
Man climbs into coffin with nude woman (or nude man if he is gay) in Le Epais ritual (p.59).
Nude girl is used as an altar (Satanic Bible, Satanic Rituals)
A human skull is used in Die Elektrischen Vorspiele ritual (Satanic Rituals, p. 109)

Now, eventually, when faced with this data, one must conclude:LaVey could not Stanism work. LaVey, rather than being the "alien elite" was little more than part of the criminal class. He abused women, children, & animals. His magic didn't work, and died poor and bankrupt. He was even a cannibal on at least one occasion.

And before you say to youurself "..but he was Jayne Mansfield's lover, blah , blah, blah" or "...he had a degree in criminology, blah blah, blah," just CHECK AND SEE if he really did these things, or if he only LIED about it! You can make excuses for him all you want (so do followers of L.Ron Hubbard, Hitler, Sung Yun Moon, Etc.), but it doesn't change the fact he was a loser and a liar.

Did all this chage my viewpoint? It sure did! LaVey was a con artist, not a "junkyard philospher" nor "offbeat intellectual". The only thing he was, was very,very overrated!

Answer 2

Anton LaVey was a very charismatic guy and he made alot of good points when it came to understanding the very primal nature of man and our desires. He had a great money-making and attention-getting idea by taking all of these desires, encouraging us to indulge in all of them freely, and constructing a religion around it.

However, I don't think that complete indulgence or complete abstinence is the key to achieving happiness. I think "everything in moderation" is more the right way to go.

Answer 3

I do agree with Anton LaVey's philosophies, but I acknowledge that he was influenced by many other writers and occultists, ones I also enjoy. The greatest statement ever made on LaVeyan Satanism is NOT to worship Anton LaVey, but to worship yourself and your ideals. And Yellow Rat, it can be taken both literally and metaphorically. I myself take it as literal as it gets---a psychological tool. It is not required to practice Satanic ritual magic to be a LaVeyan Satanist, it is optional. So you can take it as a metaphor, or disregard it altogether.

Answer 4

Everything Anton LaVey sayed were lies.

Answer 5

Religiously I am a Satanist (CoS specifically).
Spiritually I am an Atheist.
Philosophically I am a Nihilist.
Ritually I am a Chaos Mage.

Answer 6

I'm with him on a lot of things, but the chapter on blow up dolls turned me off from it

Answer 7

Well his religion is as silly as all the others but his name is just too silly sounding.

Answer 8

I think he is great at spreading the devils ways.

Answer 9

I say to each it's own.