The Satanism movement, established somewhere in the 1700s, accepts Satan and all his qualities as a guide or model for daily living. The Satanism movement associates Satan with values like pride, independence, individuality, knowledge, achievement, self-centredness and exploration of the unknown and forbidden realms. It regards nature as cruel; therefore, human beings must be cruel as well. Its twisted ideology revolves around materialism, atheism and social Darwinism.
Satanists often identify themselves via frightening make-up (as in case of some heavy metal rock bands) and attire. The media reports their bloody rites, slaughter of animals, torture of humans, rape and suicide. And they insist that their perverse way of life and thinking is a religion in itself.
One might think that Satanism is the creation of some psychologically unbalanced young people. On the contrary, evidence shows that it is the very philosophy of Satanism that makes them unbalanced. People brought up outside the morality of religion, especially the young, are an easy prey for this movement.
Another popular misconception about Satanists is that economic distress and poor familial relations force people to join this movement. The truth is there are two types of people who join the Satanist movement:
(1) those who knowingly choose to be misled and later mislead others to Satanism;
(2) some uneducated, ignorant and troubled individuals who are in the news or on talk shows craving for attention. They may want to clear a position for themselves in society, to make friends, to satisfy their obsessions, to forget their failures, etc.
Among Satanists there are different practices. Though Satanists are not united in one single organization, their basic beliefs are essentially the same.
History of Satanic Worship
According to Harun Yahya: “Satanists have long been associated with the Cabbalists, Rosicrucians, other secret, mystical orders of the Middle Ages.”
It was Aleister Crowly at the beginning of the twentieth century, who founded the concept of what was to become the Satanism movement. Crowly, known as ‘The Beast 666,’ gained popularity for his evil spells, liberal use of drugs and animal sacrifices. His philosophy was ‘Do what thou wilt.’
He wrote a book titled “The Book of Law” which he claimed was inspired by Satan. This perverse publication says that a person must follow his impulse, no matter what disaster of evil may ensue. For example, if someone feels like having some excitement, he shouldn’t restrain himself. If he believes he needs to kill someone, he should not let reason hold him back.
Modern, organized Satanism first appeared in California in the 1960s. Anton Szandor La Vey established the Church of Satan in 1960, despite many lawsuits from protestors. La Vey initially founded an anti-Christian group called ‘The Magic Circle.’ Later, he established the Church of Satan, which still has approximately 10,000 adherents throughout North America. He has also written publications promoting his satanic philosophy.
Humanism
“Satanism is a philosophy that leads its followers to divinize and to honour and worship their own selves and to think that attaining their own desires is their only goal in life. In this Satanism is much akin to the philosophy of humanism. Contrary to what most people think, humanism is not a philosophy of love, peace and brotherhood, but an anti-religious way of thinking that focuses on the concept of humanity of simply being human and nothing more as a person’s single goal.” (Harun Yahya)
Humanism is also an atheistic movement which advocates that man and the universe spontaneously came into existence and that there was no deliberate plan of creation behind them. Man is the most essential being and no entity is more important than him.
Since man lives on the Earth only once in a life-time, he should fulfill all his desires and obtain maximum benefits for himself. This also eliminates the concept of accountability, so it is easier to feed the self-ego and work in self-interest at literally any cost.
Atheism and Materialism
A great many Satanists are atheists who entirely reject the existance of Allah (swt) and the reality of angels and Jinn. They don’t even believe in Satan as an actual being. For them, he is merely a symbol of hostility toward any kind of organized religion.
The nineteenth century idea that this world is no more than an aggregation of material elements drove people to a spiritual void, where the concept of good and evil became blurred. People who earn more, spend more and exploit more find acceptance in society and are looked up to. Their self-interest is paramount. Only after they have served themselves they might think about others. Qualities like sacrifice, compassion and mercy are regarded as hindrances to success in a materialistic society.
A combination of atheism and materialism floats slogans like “nothing to answer to, other than the consequences of our actions” or “we worship ourselves.”
Social Darwinism
In the nineteenth century, an English economist, Thomas Malthus, presented solutions to population control. This theory greatly influenced Charles Darwin, who further presented the theory of evolution.
Satanism has direct relations with the concept of social Darwinism. According to La Vey, “the devil is a symbol of man’s carnal nature – his lust, greed, vengeance, but most of all, his ego.” So, according to Satanism, human evolution has produced a species of animal (humans) that must survive as other animals do.
Darwin’s theory of all life being a result of blind chance has been proven illogical and nonsensical. Scientifically it has been discredited and buried in the annals of history. However, Satanism thrives on the survival of the fittest just as in a jungle.
Fascism
The affinity Satanists felt for Darwinism led them to a natural alliance with fascism. According to fascism, the world is an arena of conflict between various races in the struggle for survival – hence, bloodshed, wars and inflicting pain on others is a sacred duty as well as a pleasure.
The nineteenth century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who called himself the Anti-Christ, published many hateful writings against true religions. His publications were against virtues and morality.
The Nazis were the most inspired group of people who adopted his principles. Today, it’s the neo-Nazis who follow Friedrich Nietzsche. Satanists openly admit their collaboration with fascist groups in Europe and America.
Communism
In the past century, more than 120 million people have lost their lives due to communism. This was nothing but a product of self-styled Satanist ideology. The founder of communism Karl Marx was known to be hostile to any kind of religious expression. He also indulged in virulent form of ceremonial Satanism. Michael Bakunin, the founder of anarchism (a radical version of communism), was also a Satanist. He created the ideology of anarchism to destroy state, religion, the family and social values. Satanists greatly admire two of communisms’ bloodiest dictators: Stalin and Mao.
Conclusion
Harun Yahya states: “Satanism has deep roots and rests on a dark philosophy. It has designs upon the future of the world, and its dark church with its thousands of members, together with its publications, make it one of the most dangerous organizations in the twenty-first century.”
Allah (swt) warns us about the one who responds to Satan’s call: “And among mankind is he who disputes concerning Allah, without knowledge, and follows every rebellious (disobedient to Allah) Shaitan (devil) (devoid of every kind of good). For him (the devil) it is decreed that whoever follows him, he will mislead him, and will drive him to the torment of the Fire.” (Al-Hajj 22:3-4)
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