Rites of Autonomy: An Examination of the Rituals of the Church of Satan By
Cimminnee Holt
This work examines the rituals of the Church of Satan from an academic perspective using ritual and performance theories.
Posts mit dem Label Church of Satan werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Posts mit dem Label Church of Satan werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Freitag, 7. Juni 2013
Rites of Autonomy: An Examination of the Rituals of the Church of Satan
Rites of Autonomy: An Examination of the Rituals of the Church of Satan By
Cimminnee Holt
This work examines the rituals of the Church of Satan from an academic perspective using ritual and performance theories.
Mittwoch, 5. Juni 2013
Devil’s Advocate
Courtesy of Penthouse Magazine, coverage of the Church of Satan by adult mags is always amusing because they place primary emphasis on the sexual elements of the CoS to the exclusion of other features equally interesting. While Satanists are invariably open-minded regarding fetishes and sexual proclivities, the CoS is not a "sex club." I'm monomaniacal by nature, for example; the idea of having more than one partner is enough to short-circuit my brain. I tend to throw all of my sexual-obsession onto one poor woman at a time. Woe to the lightweight that can't handle it!
All that aside, this was a really good article including interviews with a lot of people I have tremendous respect for and consider my friends. Nice work Penthouse!
JDS
http://cosmodromium.blogspot.de/
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Devil’s AdvocateSeptember 14th, 2009 By Penthouse Magazine
Tags: Features
A look inside the real Church of Satan—where sin is a sacrament and all manner of sexual activity is sanctified.By Bob Johnson
Illustration by Coop
Naked nuns, a feast of wine and meats, and a giant, cockshaped water dispenser set the stage as black-clad celebrants begin a litany canonizing rogues, debauchers, whore mongers, and straight-up libertines. This is how the world’s most notorious religion parties. Deep within the cold, damp caves of West Wycombe, England, the Church of Satan gathered on April 30, 2008 (Walpurgisnacht, a pagan holiday) in an invitation only conclave to honor the church’s inspirational forebearers—members of the seventeenth-century Hellfire Club, a secret society devoted to the goddess Venus, the pleasures of the flesh, and, some say, Satan himself.
Decked out in finery from top hats to flowing gowns, the church members appeared to be dressed up for the opera rather than a Satanic ritual designed to evoke the spirits of Sir
Francis Dashwood, the Hellfire Club’s founder, and his brotherhood of black-hearted devils, which included the fourth Earl of Sandwich and, allegedly, Benjamin Franklin. But once inside the actual caves of the original Hellfire orgies, a ritual and lavish feast virtually stopped time as the guests were transported back to a place where the sins of the flesh were embraced as sacraments.
Religious gatherings that are steeped in history and elaborate prep aration, with handmade ritual accessories and music designed to stimulate the congregants, may conjure thoughts of the Catholic Church’s High Masses more than Satanists. But misconceptions abound about the Church of Satan, founded by Anton Szandor LaVey in 1966. More than 40 years later, today’s real Church of Satan is alive and well across the entire world. After LaVey’s death in 1997, his longtime companion Magistra Blanche Barton, High Priest ess and mother of his only son, Satan Xerxes Carnacki LaVey, led the church until 2001, when the church’s current leader, High Priest and Magus Peter H. Gilmore, was appointed.
He lives in a cozy Manhat tan railroad apartment, void of any outside light as the only win dows are blocked by a ceremonial Satanic altar. It’s a bit eerie, hung with some original Gilmore artwork and full of rare books, ritual items, state-of-the-art computer gear, and archival Church of Satan materials, but not as foreboding as one would expect. It’s also heavily stocked with Godzilla collectibles and features an ever-present big, black Chow dog named Bella.
The setting fits the dashing, avuncular devil, who is extremely articulate and to the point when it comes to preaching the gospel of Satan and the history of his church. But let’s get one thing straight: Members of founder LaVey’s Church of Satan do not believe in or worship an anthropomorphic devil or evil demons. In fact, they don’t embrace anything spiritual at all. The religion is based on earthly pleasure and Darwinian survival of the fittest. Gilmore makes it clear that the criticism of the church, especially the ideas most people have about modern Satanism —which may have come from notorious criminal cases of murder or sexual abuse—are totally unfounded, insulting, and often contrary to the truth. Even numerous FBI reports debunk rumors of criminal Satanic activity. Gilmore says the “S” word automatically petrifies people who, in most cases, are ignorant about Satanism. The truth is, members of the church span the world and are successful artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, sculptors, writers, law enforcement professionals, and even PTA members.
But many Satanists aren’t that squeaky clean. In The Satanic Scriptures (Scapegoat Publishing), a long-awaited follow-up book to LaVey’s The Satanic Bible, Gilmore lays out the marching orders for Satanism in the twenty-first century. Along with its core doctrines of social stratification, survival of the fittest, and exercising the power of one’s will (with magic), sex and all of its temptations play a major role in the church, to the delight of its members and prospective initiates. But Gilmore refutes that most people become members because of sexual freedom, viewing their religion’s stance on sex simply as a natural part of their makeup. He maintains that Satanists take “sex in stride” as naturally as eating or being creative. Of course, voluptuous nude women acting as altars during ceremonies is a benefit not found in any other organized religion.
“Satanism is based on human nature, affirming the inborn character of the carnal types of humans,” Gilmore says. “Prior to the founding of the Church of Satan, there was no form of religion that ad dressed this portion of our species. Carnal people have no need to seek acceptance from some higher power, whether it be a deity or a dictator. We aren’t spiritual at all, and see all mysticism as childish superstition. We who embrace our fleshly nature revel in the joys of the body and the mind. Fine food, exemplary sex, excellent literature, exciting music—we are gourmets in the buffet that is life. We don’t deny ourselves pleasures, but we also don’t overdo them. The primary point is to indulge in what pleases us, but not to allow such pursuits to become compulsions that control us. Satanists are not addicts, are not sex maniacs, are not gluttons—we find balance in healthful pursuit of all that we enjoy. It is all about getting the most out of our lives. Carnal people don’t just pursue happiness—they have it.”
It appears that a good deal of this Satanic happiness stems from a conscious denial of feeling guilt about pleasure, and a sense of worldly confidence. Members of the church identify themselves as “the alien elite,” a congregation with no physical church and virtually no binding rules except to please yourself and not harm anyone else (unless they harm you). It has survived the past four decades because of this belief and exemplary actions of its leaders, who are, frankly, smart. They aren’t “occultniks,” but rather achievers in the world. To become a member, a person must at the very least show that he or she grasps the philosophy and is sane. And no one gets promoted in the hierarchy of the church (the ascending ranks are warlock/witch, priest/priestess, magister/magistra, and maga/magus) unless they prove that they’ve accomplished something worthwhile in their chosen field. Being an artist is okay, being able to sell your work is better, and being a household name should be the goal. There’s no room for an egalitarian “everyone’s equal” mental i ty in this church. Some people are just okay, while others are superior, Satanists believe. It’s tough but real, and the members like it that way.
This no-bullshit, no-poseur posture is what sets real Satanists apart from myriad other occult groups and individuals who follow the “left-hand path.” Their magic and rituals are often selfdesigned to strengthen their will and are practical means to becoming superior human beings. By embracing the “S” word, they frighten most people, but when you dig deep, they walk the walk and aren’t that scary at all. The church may be made up primarily of upstanding citizens, but what often initially seduces prospective members is that it’s the only church on the planet that recognizes and celebrates man’s carnal nature and indulgence as the true reason for existence, openly defying what’s seen as the hypocrisy of other organized faiths.
A high-ranking Satanic couple, Magister Robert Lang and Magistra Dee, embrace this carnality. They live in a large house in rural Canada that’s topped with a witch weather vane and features a below-ground ritual chamber whose flagstone floor is soon to be fitted with a giant four foot Germanic rune, a power symbol that stimulates Lang’s penchant for the BDSM fetishes he enjoys. He’s the de facto Church of Satan Beau Brummell, often dres sed to the nines 1940s style, a re fined look that’s popular with many members. He had his first ECI—Erotic Crystallization Inertia, an epiphany during which one first discovers a fetish —from erotic bondage photos in, yes, Penthouse magazine.
The couple is open and guilt-free regarding sexuality, and it’s obvious that they think about it a lot. “Where [German sexologist] Dr. Iwan Bloch defined sexology from a literary, medical, and scholarly aspect, the Church of Satan brought those thoughts to life,” says Magistra Dee. “We not only deem it okay to have sexual fetishes, but see them as a natural part of the human animal. We understand that suppressing these aspects of ourselves can be more damaging than accepting them and putting them into play in a safe, healthy environment.”
High Priest Gilmore’s take on fetishes is that they help to elevate lovemaking beyond just simple “vanilla” encounters. He says, “Common are shoe and foot fetishes, but other forms of clothing can be the focal point, as can bodily or other smells, foods, certain erotic toys, or really just about anything that one could make a part of sex play. Naturally, Satanism embraces the discovery of our fetishes and their use toward enhancing eroticism. They are what make us unique individuals, and our philoso phy is always based on individual individualist thinking, whether it be in the kitchen, ritual chamber, or bedroom.”
When asked if ritual plays into their sexual habits, Dee explains that ritual brings a practical awareness to a need or problem: “Let’s say Robert has not been as sexually attentive as I would prefer. I set aside time to perform a sexual-need ritual involving meditation on the situation, masturbation…and a set conclusion of how I want the problem resolved. When the ritual is over, I have made myself intently aware, thought of solutions, and created a positive outlook instead of drudging around bitching about it. Needless to say, the nights will get hotter than expected—even in the dead of winter!”
Sex, fetishes, and Satanism have commingled since the church’s founding. Lang points out that while most people and movements in the sixties and seventies were simply knocking on the doors for the free love of heterosexuals, the Church of Satan was kicking down the doors and breaking new boundaries in sexual acceptance and religious toler ance on all levels. “We were the first organizational church to accept homo sexual men and women into our priesthood,” Lang says. “We were per forming gay marriages long before the hoopla of today. We were congratulating folks for their fetishes internationally and in public view rather than condemning these people. We broke down the barriers for a whole host of alternative religions to crawl out from under the thumbscrews of Christianity. We opened the flood gates to a new era where people could shake off those shackles of Puritanism.”
And any Puritan would surely be turning over in his grave if he knew of this Satanic couple nestled in a tastefully done Addams Family–like mansion in a traditional rural English village with thatched cottages, apple orchards, and church bells. Priest Steven and Priestess Fifi Roberts label themselves “happy, fearless sinners with healthy sexual appetites, with a preference for dark aesthetics and a deep interest in magic.” Naturally, Satanism was their only choice when it came to religion. “Before we met, we were both nonspiritual pragmatists who just hadn’t dis covered that the title ‘Satanist’ de fined our viewpoint perfectly,” says Steven. “We certainly couldn’t relate to any of the mainstream religions that say, ‘Be ignorant, penniless, celibate, and guilty, and you’ll be rewarded when you are dead.’ The so-called New Age alternatives are similarly dreadful: superstitious balderdash that both hypnotizes ugly, hairy, mediocre women into believing that they are ‘goddesses’ and further emasculates the type of ineffectual, unemployable, feeble-minded men who couldn’t get laid in the first place.”
The lusty couple (he is a professional movie-music composer and she is a talented artist, both drop dead gorgeous) met at a full moon party—a Witch’s Sabbath. During the feasting and drinking, Steven gave Fifi an “innocent” foot massage that led to a night of passion. Eight months later they were married. “I am convinced that feet are a woman’s most important erogenous zone. All the women I know love having their feet massaged,” Steven says. Fifi agrees and says with a wink that the couple is happily monogamous.
Bryan Moore and Heather Saenz, a San Diego couple with careers in toy design and the medical field, are staunchly family-oriented and active in the local PTA. They would be the central characters in an “American Satanist” movie, were it ever created. The stunning brunette and her dapper man, typically dressed in a 1940s-style bespoke suit and wide brimmed fedora, don’t broadcast their guiltless lifestyle. While they don’t normally invite fellow Satanists into their sex lives out of respect for individual relationships, they are open to third members—young women impressed with their Satanic standing and intrigued by its dark, fetishistic world. And any would-be initiate would not be disappointed. Moore says they both perform rituals and use scenarios and fetishes that range from the sensual to downright rough, “enjoying their sexual potential to the fullest.”
Moore says, “While we both feel that our personal sexuality is not defined by Satanism, Satanism can indeed enhance it. And we happily oblige those young women whenever possible. Very rarely do we maintain relationships with them afterward, as emotions can become volatile, and they have a habit of falling in love with one of us.”
Coupled or not, sex and Satanism still share the same bed. Stephanie Crabe, a Manhattan designer and photographer, would be pegged as more of a sexy retro chick on the streets of New York than a hard-core Satanic witch. Disarming as this Satanic priestess’s vintage appearance may be, her diabolic wiles can’t be underestimated.
Crabe is articulate about pragmatic Satanic sexual philosophy, noting that it’s the only dogma that doesn’t espouse “a bunch of higher-power nonsense and fairy-tale concepts about God.” As she puts it, “More and more people understand that most of what is depicted about Satanism by the media and other religious groups is BS. People are seeing that the very obvious trappings of the philosophy are for fun and that underneath it is something extremely powerful that holds water and totally makes sense.” This New Yorker openly uses her “magical powers” of seduction to get what she wants: “If I’m perfumed and appealing, I can expect some doors to be held open, some packages carried out to my car, and some bar tabs paid in full! It makes me sad to think of how so many women screwed up some of the good things about being a woman during the sixties and seventies.”
In October 2007, Crabe published her first book of photographs, Motel Bizarre! (Scapegoat Publishing), a series depicting sexy and unusual situations that take place in anonymous motel rooms. “I see these motel rooms as very Satanic little ritual chambers where people go just to enact whatever (often sloppy) instincts or desires they have. I cele brate the sleazy, sexy, and weird in my book; it’s full of odd characters, humor, and thrills!” Crabe explains.
Having an affinity for a particular time and place, no matter how odd or out of date, and creating this environment is also a Satanic basic that can disturb secular civilians. Crabe accomplishes this “time travel” through her photography and appearance, as does her man, Magister Christopher Mealie. To see the couple together, you’d think you stepped into a Raymond Chandler private-eye novel. Mealie, also an author, created a retro-pinup-photography book entitled SexCats (Goliath Books), chock-full of stark, amateurish nudes. He says he finds the cross between glamour, sensuality, and tragedy in his pictures a reflection of an integral part of Satanism.
Crabe and Mealie aren’t the only church members to use Satanic sexual energy to achieve more than personal pleasure. Because members are so aligned with the power of sex, they have no qualms about using it to build their careers, consciously wielding it as the catalyst for success in the business world. This fits their emphasis on real-world achievement. And taking the devil’s name provides a rock-star marketing hook that allows a number of its members to earn a damn(ed) good living.
One of the flock’s better-known professionals, a fine artist, illustrator, and photographer known simply as “Coop,” is famous for his signature devil-girl illustrations and paintings. Coop is a prime example of one of the church’s elite who has successfully taken the LaVey ethos to the max, marrying carnality to his creations. His volup tuous, iconic devil girl (who some believe was inspired by his beautiful, business-savvy wife, Ruth) graces numerous products, from T-shirts to hot-rod paraphernalia, and is the cornerstone of a highly successful cottage industry (CoopStuff.com). “Ruth fits the bill. I think I conjured her up with the art instead of the other way around,” Coop says.
Coop grew up in Oklahoma in the shadow of Oral Roberts University, and doesn’t flaunt the fact that he’s a Satanist. Nor does he deny it. He says that he feels he never consciously chose Satanism, but that Satanism chose him after he visited LaVey at his infamous San Francisco Black House, which has been leveled and replaced since LaVey’s death. He says LaVey helped him crystallize his thoughts, especially his creativity.
The church philosophy has also helped him understand the power of ritual. Although some members perform formal rituals—the kind with altars, candles, gongs, and sometimes nude celebrants—Coop’s idea of ritual, although in line with Satanic thought, runs counter to what most think of as magic. “All of my creative acts have become ritualized over the years—magic is all about the creation of something from nothing, and that is a pretty good description of making art, too,” Coop says. “I have a dedicated ritual space: my studio. I have many specific steps and routines that I use to create, and at the end of the process, I have conjured up a piece of art from mundane materials like canvas and paint.”
Nowadays, Coop is conjuring up art from far less mundane objects—fleshand-blood women, including local porn-star pals Kimberly Kane, Ashley Blue, and plus-size star April Flores. “Most of my models are friends of mine. The fact that they work in porn is just another part of their lives. I do find that I feel more comfortable working with models who do porn. They are usually much more professional and easier to deal with than ‘regular’ models, and rarely object to whatever strange thing I might ask them to do in a photograph. After all, I’m pretty tame, compared to their day jobs.”
In true Satanic fashion, Ruth accepts Coop’s fascination with naked women. A self-professed shoe diva with a fetish for expensive high heels, she also indulges in rubber clothing and some bondage gear. She says that expressing oneself sexually is just one more facet of freedom: “Everyone considers Satanists to be sex maniacs, because we’re all about indulging fantasies and living lives where we answer only to ourselves, but the truth is, we only do what everyone should. If it’s interesting to me, I’m going to try it at least once.”
Sex in business also sells for Lex Frost, a Texas-based church magister and one of the organization’s first Internet entrepreneurs. A member of the church since he was 16, he’s run his businesses—including an online store for Satanic products, Satanic social-networking sites, and a candle company— for nearly ten years.
Frost agrees that the mix of Satanism and sex makes a powerful selling tool, saying, “I like to sponsor goth and burlesque shows and BDSM extravaganzas in which semi-nude performers act out horror-movie antics with a decidedly sexy twist.” Frost also took advantage of the bucks in blasphemy by shooting the “Zombie Lovers Last Supper,” in which he portrayed the Satanic equivalent of Da Vinci’s famous painting. According to Frost, the taboo shoot inspired some of the models to leave together and play after hours.
Satanic capitalism also thrives in, of all places, Fort Wayne, Indiana, commonly referred to as the country’s “City of Churches.” The city is home to Warlock Eric Vernor, aka Corvis Nocturnum, who could be considered a true Satanic renaissance man. The author of Embracing the Darkness: Understanding Dark Subcultures is also an artist, occult-shop proprietor, website owner, and publisher. He was guest speaker at a Purdue University Fort Wayne seminar on world religions. After a front-page article in the Living section of the Journal Gazette newspaper “outed” him and his pagan/activist wife Starr, they became local celebrities, often questioned about Satanism and asked to sign books on the streets.
They consider themselves polyamorous, having had other sexual partners in the underground community, and are active in the BDSM scene. But because they embrace the Satanic elitist attitude, they say they are very picky about who joins them. Like San Diego couple Moore and Saenz, Vernor says that it would be excellent to add to their family another female who is a sub missive and a Satanist, but admits, “It’s hard to get all of that in one person.”
Hard to find, yes, but it’s likely Vernor will find another female, as Satanism has attracted people for 40 years and will continue to attract the sexually curious. As Magister Mealie points out, “Satanists see the world as a carnival, with all of the glitz, showmanship, cons, lust, and earthy tawdriness found on the lot. Up front, there may be a tantalizing beauty mesmerizing the rubes, but in back there’s a geek committing the lowest acts just for a cheap bottle.” And that lust and earthy tawdriness, along with ritual, nude altars, and sex ual permissiveness, will always be a powerful temptation, just as the devil intended. It’s what makes the Church of Satan the most carnal religion on earth.
Tags: Features
A look inside the real Church of Satan—where sin is a sacrament and all manner of sexual activity is sanctified.By Bob Johnson
Illustration by Coop
Naked nuns, a feast of wine and meats, and a giant, cockshaped water dispenser set the stage as black-clad celebrants begin a litany canonizing rogues, debauchers, whore mongers, and straight-up libertines. This is how the world’s most notorious religion parties. Deep within the cold, damp caves of West Wycombe, England, the Church of Satan gathered on April 30, 2008 (Walpurgisnacht, a pagan holiday) in an invitation only conclave to honor the church’s inspirational forebearers—members of the seventeenth-century Hellfire Club, a secret society devoted to the goddess Venus, the pleasures of the flesh, and, some say, Satan himself.
Decked out in finery from top hats to flowing gowns, the church members appeared to be dressed up for the opera rather than a Satanic ritual designed to evoke the spirits of Sir
Francis Dashwood, the Hellfire Club’s founder, and his brotherhood of black-hearted devils, which included the fourth Earl of Sandwich and, allegedly, Benjamin Franklin. But once inside the actual caves of the original Hellfire orgies, a ritual and lavish feast virtually stopped time as the guests were transported back to a place where the sins of the flesh were embraced as sacraments.
Religious gatherings that are steeped in history and elaborate prep aration, with handmade ritual accessories and music designed to stimulate the congregants, may conjure thoughts of the Catholic Church’s High Masses more than Satanists. But misconceptions abound about the Church of Satan, founded by Anton Szandor LaVey in 1966. More than 40 years later, today’s real Church of Satan is alive and well across the entire world. After LaVey’s death in 1997, his longtime companion Magistra Blanche Barton, High Priest ess and mother of his only son, Satan Xerxes Carnacki LaVey, led the church until 2001, when the church’s current leader, High Priest and Magus Peter H. Gilmore, was appointed.
He lives in a cozy Manhat tan railroad apartment, void of any outside light as the only win dows are blocked by a ceremonial Satanic altar. It’s a bit eerie, hung with some original Gilmore artwork and full of rare books, ritual items, state-of-the-art computer gear, and archival Church of Satan materials, but not as foreboding as one would expect. It’s also heavily stocked with Godzilla collectibles and features an ever-present big, black Chow dog named Bella.
The setting fits the dashing, avuncular devil, who is extremely articulate and to the point when it comes to preaching the gospel of Satan and the history of his church. But let’s get one thing straight: Members of founder LaVey’s Church of Satan do not believe in or worship an anthropomorphic devil or evil demons. In fact, they don’t embrace anything spiritual at all. The religion is based on earthly pleasure and Darwinian survival of the fittest. Gilmore makes it clear that the criticism of the church, especially the ideas most people have about modern Satanism —which may have come from notorious criminal cases of murder or sexual abuse—are totally unfounded, insulting, and often contrary to the truth. Even numerous FBI reports debunk rumors of criminal Satanic activity. Gilmore says the “S” word automatically petrifies people who, in most cases, are ignorant about Satanism. The truth is, members of the church span the world and are successful artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, sculptors, writers, law enforcement professionals, and even PTA members.
But many Satanists aren’t that squeaky clean. In The Satanic Scriptures (Scapegoat Publishing), a long-awaited follow-up book to LaVey’s The Satanic Bible, Gilmore lays out the marching orders for Satanism in the twenty-first century. Along with its core doctrines of social stratification, survival of the fittest, and exercising the power of one’s will (with magic), sex and all of its temptations play a major role in the church, to the delight of its members and prospective initiates. But Gilmore refutes that most people become members because of sexual freedom, viewing their religion’s stance on sex simply as a natural part of their makeup. He maintains that Satanists take “sex in stride” as naturally as eating or being creative. Of course, voluptuous nude women acting as altars during ceremonies is a benefit not found in any other organized religion.
“Satanism is based on human nature, affirming the inborn character of the carnal types of humans,” Gilmore says. “Prior to the founding of the Church of Satan, there was no form of religion that ad dressed this portion of our species. Carnal people have no need to seek acceptance from some higher power, whether it be a deity or a dictator. We aren’t spiritual at all, and see all mysticism as childish superstition. We who embrace our fleshly nature revel in the joys of the body and the mind. Fine food, exemplary sex, excellent literature, exciting music—we are gourmets in the buffet that is life. We don’t deny ourselves pleasures, but we also don’t overdo them. The primary point is to indulge in what pleases us, but not to allow such pursuits to become compulsions that control us. Satanists are not addicts, are not sex maniacs, are not gluttons—we find balance in healthful pursuit of all that we enjoy. It is all about getting the most out of our lives. Carnal people don’t just pursue happiness—they have it.”
It appears that a good deal of this Satanic happiness stems from a conscious denial of feeling guilt about pleasure, and a sense of worldly confidence. Members of the church identify themselves as “the alien elite,” a congregation with no physical church and virtually no binding rules except to please yourself and not harm anyone else (unless they harm you). It has survived the past four decades because of this belief and exemplary actions of its leaders, who are, frankly, smart. They aren’t “occultniks,” but rather achievers in the world. To become a member, a person must at the very least show that he or she grasps the philosophy and is sane. And no one gets promoted in the hierarchy of the church (the ascending ranks are warlock/witch, priest/priestess, magister/magistra, and maga/magus) unless they prove that they’ve accomplished something worthwhile in their chosen field. Being an artist is okay, being able to sell your work is better, and being a household name should be the goal. There’s no room for an egalitarian “everyone’s equal” mental i ty in this church. Some people are just okay, while others are superior, Satanists believe. It’s tough but real, and the members like it that way.
This no-bullshit, no-poseur posture is what sets real Satanists apart from myriad other occult groups and individuals who follow the “left-hand path.” Their magic and rituals are often selfdesigned to strengthen their will and are practical means to becoming superior human beings. By embracing the “S” word, they frighten most people, but when you dig deep, they walk the walk and aren’t that scary at all. The church may be made up primarily of upstanding citizens, but what often initially seduces prospective members is that it’s the only church on the planet that recognizes and celebrates man’s carnal nature and indulgence as the true reason for existence, openly defying what’s seen as the hypocrisy of other organized faiths.
A high-ranking Satanic couple, Magister Robert Lang and Magistra Dee, embrace this carnality. They live in a large house in rural Canada that’s topped with a witch weather vane and features a below-ground ritual chamber whose flagstone floor is soon to be fitted with a giant four foot Germanic rune, a power symbol that stimulates Lang’s penchant for the BDSM fetishes he enjoys. He’s the de facto Church of Satan Beau Brummell, often dres sed to the nines 1940s style, a re fined look that’s popular with many members. He had his first ECI—Erotic Crystallization Inertia, an epiphany during which one first discovers a fetish —from erotic bondage photos in, yes, Penthouse magazine.
The couple is open and guilt-free regarding sexuality, and it’s obvious that they think about it a lot. “Where [German sexologist] Dr. Iwan Bloch defined sexology from a literary, medical, and scholarly aspect, the Church of Satan brought those thoughts to life,” says Magistra Dee. “We not only deem it okay to have sexual fetishes, but see them as a natural part of the human animal. We understand that suppressing these aspects of ourselves can be more damaging than accepting them and putting them into play in a safe, healthy environment.”
High Priest Gilmore’s take on fetishes is that they help to elevate lovemaking beyond just simple “vanilla” encounters. He says, “Common are shoe and foot fetishes, but other forms of clothing can be the focal point, as can bodily or other smells, foods, certain erotic toys, or really just about anything that one could make a part of sex play. Naturally, Satanism embraces the discovery of our fetishes and their use toward enhancing eroticism. They are what make us unique individuals, and our philoso phy is always based on individual individualist thinking, whether it be in the kitchen, ritual chamber, or bedroom.”
When asked if ritual plays into their sexual habits, Dee explains that ritual brings a practical awareness to a need or problem: “Let’s say Robert has not been as sexually attentive as I would prefer. I set aside time to perform a sexual-need ritual involving meditation on the situation, masturbation…and a set conclusion of how I want the problem resolved. When the ritual is over, I have made myself intently aware, thought of solutions, and created a positive outlook instead of drudging around bitching about it. Needless to say, the nights will get hotter than expected—even in the dead of winter!”
Sex, fetishes, and Satanism have commingled since the church’s founding. Lang points out that while most people and movements in the sixties and seventies were simply knocking on the doors for the free love of heterosexuals, the Church of Satan was kicking down the doors and breaking new boundaries in sexual acceptance and religious toler ance on all levels. “We were the first organizational church to accept homo sexual men and women into our priesthood,” Lang says. “We were per forming gay marriages long before the hoopla of today. We were congratulating folks for their fetishes internationally and in public view rather than condemning these people. We broke down the barriers for a whole host of alternative religions to crawl out from under the thumbscrews of Christianity. We opened the flood gates to a new era where people could shake off those shackles of Puritanism.”
And any Puritan would surely be turning over in his grave if he knew of this Satanic couple nestled in a tastefully done Addams Family–like mansion in a traditional rural English village with thatched cottages, apple orchards, and church bells. Priest Steven and Priestess Fifi Roberts label themselves “happy, fearless sinners with healthy sexual appetites, with a preference for dark aesthetics and a deep interest in magic.” Naturally, Satanism was their only choice when it came to religion. “Before we met, we were both nonspiritual pragmatists who just hadn’t dis covered that the title ‘Satanist’ de fined our viewpoint perfectly,” says Steven. “We certainly couldn’t relate to any of the mainstream religions that say, ‘Be ignorant, penniless, celibate, and guilty, and you’ll be rewarded when you are dead.’ The so-called New Age alternatives are similarly dreadful: superstitious balderdash that both hypnotizes ugly, hairy, mediocre women into believing that they are ‘goddesses’ and further emasculates the type of ineffectual, unemployable, feeble-minded men who couldn’t get laid in the first place.”
The lusty couple (he is a professional movie-music composer and she is a talented artist, both drop dead gorgeous) met at a full moon party—a Witch’s Sabbath. During the feasting and drinking, Steven gave Fifi an “innocent” foot massage that led to a night of passion. Eight months later they were married. “I am convinced that feet are a woman’s most important erogenous zone. All the women I know love having their feet massaged,” Steven says. Fifi agrees and says with a wink that the couple is happily monogamous.
Bryan Moore and Heather Saenz, a San Diego couple with careers in toy design and the medical field, are staunchly family-oriented and active in the local PTA. They would be the central characters in an “American Satanist” movie, were it ever created. The stunning brunette and her dapper man, typically dressed in a 1940s-style bespoke suit and wide brimmed fedora, don’t broadcast their guiltless lifestyle. While they don’t normally invite fellow Satanists into their sex lives out of respect for individual relationships, they are open to third members—young women impressed with their Satanic standing and intrigued by its dark, fetishistic world. And any would-be initiate would not be disappointed. Moore says they both perform rituals and use scenarios and fetishes that range from the sensual to downright rough, “enjoying their sexual potential to the fullest.”
Moore says, “While we both feel that our personal sexuality is not defined by Satanism, Satanism can indeed enhance it. And we happily oblige those young women whenever possible. Very rarely do we maintain relationships with them afterward, as emotions can become volatile, and they have a habit of falling in love with one of us.”
Coupled or not, sex and Satanism still share the same bed. Stephanie Crabe, a Manhattan designer and photographer, would be pegged as more of a sexy retro chick on the streets of New York than a hard-core Satanic witch. Disarming as this Satanic priestess’s vintage appearance may be, her diabolic wiles can’t be underestimated.
Crabe is articulate about pragmatic Satanic sexual philosophy, noting that it’s the only dogma that doesn’t espouse “a bunch of higher-power nonsense and fairy-tale concepts about God.” As she puts it, “More and more people understand that most of what is depicted about Satanism by the media and other religious groups is BS. People are seeing that the very obvious trappings of the philosophy are for fun and that underneath it is something extremely powerful that holds water and totally makes sense.” This New Yorker openly uses her “magical powers” of seduction to get what she wants: “If I’m perfumed and appealing, I can expect some doors to be held open, some packages carried out to my car, and some bar tabs paid in full! It makes me sad to think of how so many women screwed up some of the good things about being a woman during the sixties and seventies.”
In October 2007, Crabe published her first book of photographs, Motel Bizarre! (Scapegoat Publishing), a series depicting sexy and unusual situations that take place in anonymous motel rooms. “I see these motel rooms as very Satanic little ritual chambers where people go just to enact whatever (often sloppy) instincts or desires they have. I cele brate the sleazy, sexy, and weird in my book; it’s full of odd characters, humor, and thrills!” Crabe explains.
Having an affinity for a particular time and place, no matter how odd or out of date, and creating this environment is also a Satanic basic that can disturb secular civilians. Crabe accomplishes this “time travel” through her photography and appearance, as does her man, Magister Christopher Mealie. To see the couple together, you’d think you stepped into a Raymond Chandler private-eye novel. Mealie, also an author, created a retro-pinup-photography book entitled SexCats (Goliath Books), chock-full of stark, amateurish nudes. He says he finds the cross between glamour, sensuality, and tragedy in his pictures a reflection of an integral part of Satanism.
Crabe and Mealie aren’t the only church members to use Satanic sexual energy to achieve more than personal pleasure. Because members are so aligned with the power of sex, they have no qualms about using it to build their careers, consciously wielding it as the catalyst for success in the business world. This fits their emphasis on real-world achievement. And taking the devil’s name provides a rock-star marketing hook that allows a number of its members to earn a damn(ed) good living.
One of the flock’s better-known professionals, a fine artist, illustrator, and photographer known simply as “Coop,” is famous for his signature devil-girl illustrations and paintings. Coop is a prime example of one of the church’s elite who has successfully taken the LaVey ethos to the max, marrying carnality to his creations. His volup tuous, iconic devil girl (who some believe was inspired by his beautiful, business-savvy wife, Ruth) graces numerous products, from T-shirts to hot-rod paraphernalia, and is the cornerstone of a highly successful cottage industry (CoopStuff.com). “Ruth fits the bill. I think I conjured her up with the art instead of the other way around,” Coop says.
Coop grew up in Oklahoma in the shadow of Oral Roberts University, and doesn’t flaunt the fact that he’s a Satanist. Nor does he deny it. He says that he feels he never consciously chose Satanism, but that Satanism chose him after he visited LaVey at his infamous San Francisco Black House, which has been leveled and replaced since LaVey’s death. He says LaVey helped him crystallize his thoughts, especially his creativity.
The church philosophy has also helped him understand the power of ritual. Although some members perform formal rituals—the kind with altars, candles, gongs, and sometimes nude celebrants—Coop’s idea of ritual, although in line with Satanic thought, runs counter to what most think of as magic. “All of my creative acts have become ritualized over the years—magic is all about the creation of something from nothing, and that is a pretty good description of making art, too,” Coop says. “I have a dedicated ritual space: my studio. I have many specific steps and routines that I use to create, and at the end of the process, I have conjured up a piece of art from mundane materials like canvas and paint.”
Nowadays, Coop is conjuring up art from far less mundane objects—fleshand-blood women, including local porn-star pals Kimberly Kane, Ashley Blue, and plus-size star April Flores. “Most of my models are friends of mine. The fact that they work in porn is just another part of their lives. I do find that I feel more comfortable working with models who do porn. They are usually much more professional and easier to deal with than ‘regular’ models, and rarely object to whatever strange thing I might ask them to do in a photograph. After all, I’m pretty tame, compared to their day jobs.”
In true Satanic fashion, Ruth accepts Coop’s fascination with naked women. A self-professed shoe diva with a fetish for expensive high heels, she also indulges in rubber clothing and some bondage gear. She says that expressing oneself sexually is just one more facet of freedom: “Everyone considers Satanists to be sex maniacs, because we’re all about indulging fantasies and living lives where we answer only to ourselves, but the truth is, we only do what everyone should. If it’s interesting to me, I’m going to try it at least once.”
Sex in business also sells for Lex Frost, a Texas-based church magister and one of the organization’s first Internet entrepreneurs. A member of the church since he was 16, he’s run his businesses—including an online store for Satanic products, Satanic social-networking sites, and a candle company— for nearly ten years.
Frost agrees that the mix of Satanism and sex makes a powerful selling tool, saying, “I like to sponsor goth and burlesque shows and BDSM extravaganzas in which semi-nude performers act out horror-movie antics with a decidedly sexy twist.” Frost also took advantage of the bucks in blasphemy by shooting the “Zombie Lovers Last Supper,” in which he portrayed the Satanic equivalent of Da Vinci’s famous painting. According to Frost, the taboo shoot inspired some of the models to leave together and play after hours.
Satanic capitalism also thrives in, of all places, Fort Wayne, Indiana, commonly referred to as the country’s “City of Churches.” The city is home to Warlock Eric Vernor, aka Corvis Nocturnum, who could be considered a true Satanic renaissance man. The author of Embracing the Darkness: Understanding Dark Subcultures is also an artist, occult-shop proprietor, website owner, and publisher. He was guest speaker at a Purdue University Fort Wayne seminar on world religions. After a front-page article in the Living section of the Journal Gazette newspaper “outed” him and his pagan/activist wife Starr, they became local celebrities, often questioned about Satanism and asked to sign books on the streets.
They consider themselves polyamorous, having had other sexual partners in the underground community, and are active in the BDSM scene. But because they embrace the Satanic elitist attitude, they say they are very picky about who joins them. Like San Diego couple Moore and Saenz, Vernor says that it would be excellent to add to their family another female who is a sub missive and a Satanist, but admits, “It’s hard to get all of that in one person.”
Hard to find, yes, but it’s likely Vernor will find another female, as Satanism has attracted people for 40 years and will continue to attract the sexually curious. As Magister Mealie points out, “Satanists see the world as a carnival, with all of the glitz, showmanship, cons, lust, and earthy tawdriness found on the lot. Up front, there may be a tantalizing beauty mesmerizing the rubes, but in back there’s a geek committing the lowest acts just for a cheap bottle.” And that lust and earthy tawdriness, along with ritual, nude altars, and sex ual permissiveness, will always be a powerful temptation, just as the devil intended. It’s what makes the Church of Satan the most carnal religion on earth.
Montag, 14. Juni 2010
Satanologie
Satanologie
Satanologie
- Satanologie
- Unter dem Begriff Satanismus werden mehrere geistige Strömungen zusammengefasst, die nicht unbedingt miteinander in Verbindung stehen. Der „traditionelle“ (theistische) Satanismus beinhaltet das Verehren von Gottheiten, während der sogenannte „moderne“ Satanismus einen atheistischen und rationalistischen Standpunkt vertritt. Der Begriff wurde nachweislich zum ersten Mal von Robert Southey als Schlagwort verwendet, welcher auf diese Weise seinen Gegner Lord Byron zu diskreditieren suchte. Lord Byrons Drama „Cain“ aus dem Jahr 1821 gilt als das erste satanistische Werk der Weltliteratur. Bereits im Jahr 1667 veröffentlichte John Milton die Dichtung „Paradise Lost“, in der erstmals in der Literaturgeschichte ein Satan beschrieben wird, der dem Menschen seine Potentiale bewusst machen soll, zu Wissen und Göttlichkeit zu gelangen. Später auftretende Erscheinungen des Satanismus sind ansatzweise die antichristlichen „Hellfire Clubs“ im Großbritannien des 18. Jahrhunderts.
Das wichtigste Motiv des religiösen Satanismus – die Vergöttlichung des Menschen („Deus est homo“) – findet ihren Ursprung in gnostischen Schlangenkulten der Antike (Ophiten). Sie schimmert durch 1 Mose 3, 5 mit „ihr werdet sein wie Gott und wissen, was gut und böse ist“.
Für die Zuordnung einer Strömung zum Satanismus gilt in der Regel das Kriterium, dass die Figur Satans mehr oder weniger im Mittelpunkt steht. Anton Szandor LaVey als Schöpfer der 1966 von ihm gegründeten Church of Satan machte Satanismus als Erster öffentlich zu einem eigenständigen achristlichen Religionssystem. Seine „Satanische Bibel“ 1968 wurde inhaltlich in großen Teilen bereits von dem sozialdarwinistischen Autor Ragnar Redbeard („Might is Right!“, 1896) und dem britischen Magier Aleister Crowley („Equinox“) vorweggenommen.
Entgegen einer populären Auffassung wird Aleister Crowley, der sich von Satanismus distanzierte, von Religionswissenschaftlern wie Joachim Schmidt nicht als eigentlicher Satanist eingestuft. [1]Allerdings fand die thelemische Erklärung der Menschenrechte von Crowleys „Liber OZ“ in ihrer entmystifizierten Form gerade unter den Satanisten weite Verbreitung, die sich nicht auf die „Nine Satanic Statements“ der Church of Satan als ethische Grundlage beziehen. Von diesen Satanisten wird Crowley als Satanist betrachtet. Die Verbindung von Satanismus und Thelema wurde durch den britischen Schriftsteller Dennis Wheatley geprägt.
Für einen real existierenden Satanismus in Mittelalter und Frühneuzeit vor dem Hintergrund der zahlreichen Hexenverbrennungen dieser Epoche gibt es zum gegenwärtigen Zeitpunkt der Forschung keinerlei Anhaltspunkte.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Zur etymologischen Relevanz der Satansfigur
Der Begriff Satanismus bezieht sich etymologisch auf den Kulturraum der monotheistischen Religionen Judentum, Christentum und Islam. Allerdings geht die Idee einer dualistisch angelegten Welt, in der ein Kampf zwischen Gut und Böse ausgefochten wird, zurück auf ältere Religionen wie zum Beispiel den Zoroastrismus. Im Zentrum dieses Glaubens steht der Schöpfergott Ahura Mazdagegen Ahriman. Gnostische Strömungen übernahmen diesen Dualismus.
Judentum
„Satan“ (hebr. שטן) bedeutet „Anfeinder“, „Gegner“ und „Widersacher“. Seine Funktion im Buch Hiob gleicht der eines Staatsanwalts. Satan kann durchaus eine positive Rolle übernehmen. Seine theologisch untergeordnete Funktion wird dadurch sichtbar: Er handelt immer im Auftrag Gottes. Im Judentum ist Satan derjenige, der die Seite der Anklage am Richterstuhl Gottes vertritt (Sacharja 3). Diese Auffassung lebt weiter in der Person des Advocatus diaboli, der diese Funktion bei Verhandlungen am Stuhl Petri ausführt. Im Buch Ijob wird Satan als einer der Söhne Gottes bezeichnet, der in der Hierarchie der Engel so weit oben stand, dass er Zutritt zu Gottes Hofstaat hatte (Hiob 1,6ff). Eine polarisierende Deutung der Welt als ein Kampf Gut gegen Böse entstand später aus anderen religiösen Strömungen (persische und babylonische Religionen) in der jüdischen Kultur und war zunächst wenig bedeutsam. Theologisch relevant wurde sie mit dem aufkommenden Christentum. Satan wurde erst in späteren jüdischen Mythologien wie dem (im nach Otto Eissfeldt als auf vor 63 v. Chr. datiertem)[2] apokryphen Äthiopischen Buch Henoch als gefallener Engel beschrieben, der sich zusammen mit seinen Anhängern gegen Gottes Willen auflehnt und zur Strafe auf die Erde verbannt wurde (1. Henoch 52, 3; 53, 6).
Christentum
Der Begriff des Teufels im Neuen Testament ist ursprünglich griechisch Διάβολος, Diàbolos, „der Verleumder, Durcheinanderwerfer, Verwirrer“, was sich von Διά-βαλλειν, dia-balläin, „durcheinanderwerfen“ herleitet, seltener die griechische Umschrift des hebräischen Wortes „Satan“ mit Σατανας, Satanás. Das Wort personifiziert das Böse in seiner religiösen Funktion des Versuchers, wie es beispielhaft das Bild der Schlange im Paradies darstellt (1. Mose 3, 1–15). Im Christentum wird der Teufel als Gegner und Widersacher (hebräisch: „Satan“) des christlichenGottes angesehen. Während im Laufe der Jahrhunderte alle nichtchristlichen („heidnischen“) Religionen in Europa von den Christen verdrängt wurden, erhielt der Teufel eine Vielzahl von Beinamen und neuen Gesichtern, da man die alten Gottheiten zu Feinden Gottes erklärte: eine der bekannteren Darstellungen ist die des bocksbeinigen Hirtengottes Pan. Aus Sicht des Christentums ist Satanismus eine Ideologie, die sich weder mit dem christlichen Glauben vereinbaren, noch auf ihm aufbauen lässt. Als satanistische Kritik am christlichen Glauben bleibt der Satanismus auf halbem Weg stehen, wo der Begriff Satan einfach mit dem Gottes ersetzt wurde. Die als wesentlich betrachtete Abkehr der Satanisten von christlichen Dogmen, sozusagen als zur Schau getragene Antithese des christlichen Glaubens, erscheint im Gegensatz zumAtheismus als merkwürdig inkonsequent.
Gnosis
In gnostischen Strömungen wurde Satan mit dem römischen Gott Luzifer, dem „Lichtbringer“, gleichgesetzt.
Islam
Dem Islam ist die Vorstellung vom Schaitan (arab.: الشيطن) synonym Iblis als Widersacher Gottes oder eine Art Kräfte-Gegenpols fremd. Das Prinzip Gut gegen Böse als Gegenkräfte ist hier nicht anwendbar. Denn nur Allah ist der absolut Mächtige, Schaitan ist einzig Versucher der Menschen, dem Allah eine Frist gesetzt hat. Schaitan ist nicht allmächtig, doch gefährlich für die Menschen, solange sie wanken und sich Allah nicht vertrauensvoll zuwenden („Denn der Satan sucht Uneinigkeit unter ihnen zu stiften, und der Satan ist ja ein offenbarer Feind der Menschen.“ 17. Sure, Koran, Übers. Assmann). Folglich gibt es im Islam in der Regel in keiner Form Sekten oder Glaubensrichtungen, die sich mit Satan auseinandersetzen. Nach der siebten Sure wurde Satan aus Feuer, Adam aus Ton geschaffen. Die Sure weist Satane (Im Plural!) den Ungläubigen zu, welche die Ungläubigen beschützen und zu Irrtümern verführen sollen. Die über Satan verhängte Todesstrafe, weil er im Paradies Adam und Eva verführte, wurde ausgesetzt und findet nach islamischer Vorstellung erst beim jüngsten Gericht statt. Die symbolische Steinigung Satans nach der Rückkehr vom Berg Arafat in Mina (östlich Mekkas) ist eins der traditionellen Rituale der islamischen Pilgerfahrt.
Satanismus in der Literatur
Anfänglich war Satanismus eine von England ausgehende literarische Strömung, die sich mit dem Bösen integrativ auseinandersetzte. Als Begründer gilt John Milton (1608–1674). Sein „Paradise Lost“ 1667 enthält den Satz „Lieber in der Hölle herrschen als im Himmel dienen“; engl.: “Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven”. Die bekanntesten Vertreter sind der englische Dichter William Blake (1757-1827) und die französischen Dichter Marquis Donatien Alfonse Francois de Sade(1740–1814) und Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867). Baudelaires manichäische Haltung zum Bösen mit seiner Ästhetik des Hässlichen findet 1857 Ausdruck im Gedichtband „Les Fleurs du Mal – Die Blumen des Bösen“. Marquis Donatien Alfonse Francois de Sades Hauptwerk dieser Richtung „Les 120 Journées de Sodome ou l'École du Libertinage“ wurde erst 1904 herausgeben, aber bereits im Jahr 1785 verfasst. Lord Byron (1788–1824) griff diese Ideen wieder in England mit „Childe Harold's Pilgrimage“ 1812 und „Der Korsar“ 1814 auf. E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776–1822) als Hauptvertreter der sogenannten Schwarzen Romantik in Deutschland ist Autor des 1815/16 herausgegebenen fantastischen Romans „Die Elixiere des Teufels“. 1865 erregte Giosuè Carducci (1835–1907), der spätere italienische Literatur-Nobelpreisträger von 1906, mit seiner „Inno a Satana“ (Hymne an Satan) Aufsehen.
Satanismus in der Musik
Der Satanismus ist das Hauptthema der Stilrichtung des Black Metal. Die Fans allerdings sind häufig keine Satanisten, sondern trennen klar zwischen der Musik und dem Alltag.
Satanismus als Philosophie und Religion
Satanistische Ideologien und Weltanschauungen
In den meisten „modernen“ satanistischen Ideologien stehen (im Gegensatz zum „traditionellen“ Satanismus) die Anbetung oder Anrufung des Teufels, Satans, Luzifers oder von Dämonen, sowie magische Praktiken nicht im Vordergrund, zentral ist stattdessen die Förderung der eigenen Göttlichkeit, die zum Beispiel im Ausleben der Sexualität zum Ausdruck gebracht wird; Satan wird zumeist als Symbol für den Widerstand gegen religiöse Dogmen verstanden. Der Mensch wird zum Maß der Dinge und ist sein eigener Gesetzgeber, was sich in weltanschaulichemSozialdarwinismus ausdrücken kann. Die Individualität steht im Vordergrund. Okkultismus und Satanismus sind in den meisten Fällen als getrennt zu betrachten. Während Religionen/Philosophien wie das Christentum, der Islam oder der Buddhismus dem „Pfad der rechten Hand“ zugeordnet werden, bezeichnen sich satanistische Gruppierungen als dem „Pfad zur linken Hand“ zugehörig. Man unterscheidet zwei Richtungen: Beim Pfad der rechten Hand werden religiöse Gebote befolgt mit Zielen wie Verschmelzung oder Einswerden. Der Pfad zur linken Hand widmet sich „Vergöttlichung“ oder Apotheose und betrachtet das Bewusstsein individueller Existenz als besonderes Geschenk und Chance für die Entwicklung des menschlichen Potenzials. Dennoch sind nicht alle Richtungen, die dem linkshändigen Pfad zugerechnet werden, als satanistisch zu verstehen (vgl. Tantra).
Satanismus in Subkulturen
Vielen Subkulturen wird nachgesagt, ihre Szenegänger würden dem Satanismus frönen, wobei man sich darunter unwissentlich meistens Jugendsatanismus vorstellt. Dies ist jedoch in den allermeisten Fällen vollkommen falsch. Die Gothic-Subkultur findet sich wohl am häufigsten mit diesem Vorurteil konfrontiert. Das Kokettieren der Goths mit satanischer und dunkler Ästhetik – Petruskreuze (das auf dem Kopf stehende Kreuz ist nicht zwangsläufig antichristlich), Pentagramme und andere okkulte Symbole als Schmuck, schwarze Gewänder, düstere Musik – wird als Ausdruck einer Geisteshaltung oder gar Bestätigung für kultische Aktivitäten überbewertet. Die Texte der Musik dieser Kultur geben hier mehr Aufschluss über eine introvertierte Gefühlswelt von Melancholie und Weltschmerz. Auch die Metal-Subkultur bedient sich stellenweise satanistischer Symbole. Mit welcher Häufigkeit und Ernsthaftigkeit, hängt ausgesprochen stark davon ab, in welcher Subszene des Metal man sich bewegt. In den meisten Subszenen werden, entgegen allen Vorurteilen, tatsächlich nur sehr selten satanistische Symbole verwendet, und entsprechendes Gedankengut ist gar nicht präsent. In der Subszene des Death Metal ist eine antichristliche bis satanische Symbolik vereinzelt vorzufinden, was in erster Linie jedoch mit dem Ziel einer künstlerisch inspirierten (manchmal auch kommerziell kalkulierten) Provokation geschieht. In der Black-Metal-Szene ist satanische Symbolik stärker vertreten, doch auch nordisch-heidnische Einflüsse lassen sich dort häufiger ausmachen.
Satanistische Organisationen
Referenzen
- ↑ Joachim Schmidt: Satanismus: Die Religion des Ego - Die First Church of Satan und der Temple of Set, 1995 in „Connection“
- ↑ Otto Eissfeldt The Old Testament, Oxford 1974, S. 619
Literatur
Primärliteratur
- Frater Eremor: Im Kraftstrom des Satan-Set – Der Pfad der dunklen Einweihung. Second Sight Books
- Frank Lerch: Ouroboros Files. Lübeck 2002, ISBN 3-89094-353-5
- Ragnar Redbeard, Anton Szandor LaVey (Vorwort): Might is Right. Die Philosophie der Macht, Edition Esoterick, Siegburg 2004, ISBN 3-936830-15-0
- Anton Szandor LaVey: Die Satanische Bibel u. Rituale. ISBN 3-935684-05-3
Sekundärliteratur
- Gavin Baddeley: Lucifer Rising. London 1999, ISBN 0-85965-280-7
- Stephen Flowers: Lords of the Left-Hand Path. Smithville, Texas 1997, ISBN 1-885972-08-3
- Andreas Huettl und P.-R. König: Satan – Jünger, Jäger und Justiz, 416 S., 65 Abb., Kreuzfeuer Verlag, 2006, [1], ISBN 3-937611-01-0
- A. Lecanu: Geschichte des Satans, 430 S., 1863, Reprintverlag Leipzig 2000
- Michael Moynihan, Didrik Soederlind: Lords of Chaos – Satanischer Metal – Der blutige Aufstieg aus dem Untergrund. ISBN 3-936878-00-5
- Elaine Pagels: Satans Ursprung, 386 S., Suhrkamp 1998.
- Joachim Schmidt: Satanismus – Mythos und Wirklichkeit. Marburg 2002, ISBN 3-927165-66-2,
Weblinks
- Berichte aus okkulten Organisationen – Phantasie oder Wirklichkeit
- Geht die Jugend zum Teufel? Jugendsatanismus – Mythos und Realität
- Jugendsatanismus – Zwischen Verharmlosung und Überbewertung
- Satanismus in Großbritannien
- Wiedererwachen germanischer Werte? Johannes Lohmann zu Satanismus und Black Metal
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