Are satanists atheists? All? Some?

Question

I'm sorry for being ignorant here.

Ok now that I apologized I'm wondering about Satanism. Is it just a form of atheism, or is it different? I know there's probably some different kinds.

Basic explanations would be nice. Nothing too hard to understand, lol

Answer 1

Satanists are, yes. self professed satan worshipers could not be considered such. Besides they are usually deluded, backward record playing, angsty dups anyhow...just dangerous dups.

Answer 2

Satanists may or may not be atheists. Some Satanists believe in the same theology as Christians, but just take the other side, worshiping a devil figure as god.

For others, satan is merely a symbol instead of an actual entity , and they merely embrace satanic values which emphasize the "here and now" of life and the power of human passions. .

Atheists do not believe there is a "judge in the sky" God (or a Satan, for that matter). This doesn't *necessariy* mean they're not spiritual (Buddhism can be considered an atheist religion), it just means they don't believe that an external "God" has anything to do with how one should live or how the "soul" -- if there is one -- might grow or evolve.

In the western world, atheism is more often associated with the rejection of ideas like God, the soul, an afterife, or any other supernatural and unprovable religious concept. This brand of atheism might better be referred to as Secular Humanism.

As a side note-- Satanism and Wicca (witchcraft) are not the same thing, either.

Answer 3

Satanism (which is certainly not the same thing as devil worship) is a non-theistic religion. So yes, Satanists are additionally "atheists" in that sense; there are no deities in Satanism. One could technically be a Satanist and deist, but this is rare.

People who say otherwise have obviously never bothered to research the subject. And that means researching the works of actual Satanists, not Christian evangelists or sensationalist talk show hosts like Geraldo.

Satanism as an actual religion did not exist before the formation of the Church of Satan in the 1960s. Before that, you had the occasional aristocrats who would indulge in a secret "Black Mass" for the sake of entertainment, and the occasional crazy person who styled himself after Christian propaganda ("Oh, it says that devil worshipers have to do this? Then I'll go do that too.") But again, no actual religion, complete with a philosophy and it's own dogma.

Satanists take Satan as a symbol and archetype (again, not a deity) for principles that the religion upholds, such as pride, lust, justice, critical thinking, fun, humor, etc. We treat ourselves as our own "gods", since we believe the human ego is what created the imaginary notion of deity in the first place.

There are no "different kinds" of Satanism. Devil worship, again, is not Satanism. And honestly, this isn't a case of two denominations bickering; the two are completely different on every fundamental level of belief. We were first and we got dibs on the name!

Answer 4

LaVeyan Satanists are atheists. They believe that there is no higher authority than themselves and view Satan as being purely symbolic ... representing knowledge, pleasure, and so on. If you ever hear the term "Church of Satan", it relates to LaVeyan Satanism. Google "The Nine Satanic Statements" for a very basic overview of philosophy.

There are theistic Satanists who worship Satan as a real deity, but believe that Satan exists outside of the picture painted of him in Christianity. Rituals and practice vary from person to person.

And then there are "Reverse Christians", who worship Satan as he is presented Biblically. This is the version of Satanism that can be probably best be categorized as a "phase", and not really as a religion.

Answer 5

LeVay Satanists are the majority of what you will find. They are atheists that follow a philosophy that uses Satan as a symbol. It is also meant to mock the religious. But they don't believe that he exists literally.

There are theistic Satanist and Lucifereian Satanists that actually do believe in Satan as a god. They are pretty rare.

Answer 6

Most modern Satanists practice Laveyan Satanism, which is an atheistic religion. (They view "Satan" as a symbolic representation of man's primal urges, not a real entity.) There are some Theistic Satanists out there who worship Satan (in various interpretations) as a god.

Answer 7

In order to be a satanist you have to have some belief in satan. Satan is a supernatural being from Christian mythology.
So in order to be a Satanist one has to acknowledge, at least to some degree, belief in Christianity.

Some Christians are Satanists.

Atheists don't believe in nonsense like Christ and Satan.

Answer 8

only the satanists who are symbolic like the LaVeyians are known to be Atheistic. But those who are traditional Theistic satanists we see Satan as a real Deity and God of this earth. So it is only some satanists who are atheist not all.

Answer 9

There is so-called “Theistic Satanism” in which the followers believe in a personification. Then there are the so-called “Atheist Satanists” which Satan is a symbol of defiance against hypocrisy. LaVey himself seemed cloudy on the whole issue according to former followers. Michael Aquino commented that at times LaVey seemed to speak of Satan as a “dark force of nature” and not a literal thing, and then there were other times he seemed to think Satan was a personification, even calling the devil “the man downstairs”.

Like all occultists, LaVey is very overrated. Despite the resume LaVey invented for himself, he was a high school dropout who didn’t have much of an interesting life. Hence, he lied about his achievements. He was never a lion tamer for any circus, nor a police photographer, nor did he ever meet Marylyn Monroe. Jane Mansfield merely used him for publicity and used to let friends listen in on their phone conversations when LaVey would cal her trying to make her his lover. One can picture all the ladies giggling on the other phone as Mansfield egged him on. He was also not cast as the devil in “Rosemary’s Baby”. He had no college degree, other than his “Doctor of Satanic Theology” he awarded himself. Print one out on your home computer, and you’ll have the same thing.

Satanic magic of any kind, theistic or other wise, simply does not work. Nor does it work as a "philosophy". LaVey told his followers they would have mastery over the earth… but LaVey himself failed to achieve it. He died bankrupt in a broken down old house he no longer owned, having sold it to a real estate developer. Dying in poverty hardly requires a “humanistic philosophy” (which Satanism actually isn’t) nor does it require Satanic “magic”. LaVey was however consistent with other occultists who also died in poverty, including Crowley, Mathers, Cagliostro, Kelly and Dee.

Both Theistic and Atheistic Satanists live out their lives vicariously through LaVey. When it comes right down to it, there is no difference… they both follow a fraud. It seems to attract people who are angry and often attracts criminal types. LaVey himself could be considered a criminal. His family admits he "pimped out" female followers and beat them when they didn't bring back enough money which LaVey called his 'Satanic Sex Therapy". He beat his wife, Diane, all throughout their marriage. He was the passive witness to the molestation of his grandson, according to his daughter Zeena. He admitted to a Satanic "cannibal feast" on at least one occasion.

Remember, a "junkyard philosopher" deals only in junk.

Answer 10

MOST Satanist are very much atheist. Think of Satanist as a philosphy more then a religion. I have two on my contacts. I'll let them answer it better lol

Answer 11

I true old fashioned Satanist couldn't be an atheist and believe in Satan.