I know that most satanists dint believe the devil is an actual creature. I read that they refer to the devil as a symbol, but the article didn't say what he symbolized. So what does the devil represent in satanism?
if the devil is traditionally viewed as evil, then how did they get the idea that the devil represents good things?
not trying to offend, just curious :]
In Levayan Satanism, (the most popular variant) Satan represents free will. Satan represents freedom of choice to engage in any and all activities that do not harm others. It's a relatively simple philosophy, which is actually, for the most part, in accordance with DEMOCRACY. If you support democracy and freedom of choice, you're more-or-less a Levayan Satanist.
And because such freedoms are generally embraced as positive, Satan represents a positive, benevolent and non-judge mental "god" figure.
Edit: To answer your "additional details" question. . .
Satanists tend to view the Christian god figure as an evil entity due to the many horrific acts performed by said deity in the bible, such as the massacre of virtually all mankind in the great flood, etc. Satanists who actually believe in Satan as an actual being think him to be a freedom fighter who rebelled against the tyranny of Jehovah for just cause.
As for those who don't see Satan as a real being, they just embrace the philosophy of Anton Levay, which he called Satanism. Because Satan, according to the bible, represents such things as lust and ambition, (or greed, if you will) he clearly embodies all things natural to humans.
We all want to be successful, to have wealth and influence. We all enjoy sex and indulge in foods we enjoy, even when we don't necessarily need to for the sake of survival (which is considered gluttony). Since none of those things actually harm anyone, when exercised within reason, Satanism more-or-less translates to Humanism--the idea that humans should be free to follow their instincts and enjoy themselves without guilt.
Satan can represent a wide variety of things. Common things include: independence, success, pleasure, hedonism, materiality, and freedom (particularly from dogma and taboos).
Christianity considers Satan evil, but they also tend to associate him with a variety of things that Satanists embrace such as pleasure, sexuality and rebellion against what Satanists consider unjust authority (i.e. dogmatic religion)
Just on yer additional details, my facts may be hazy but basically the ''devil'' IE horned figure with hoof feet was a pagan god, alto of cultures seem to represent the spirit of ''manliness/supreme ruler'' with either a weapon or creature like appearances (egg Zeus, thunder, Thor-Hammer, Cuchullain-hurl/spear.....Anubis-horse head etc etc)
The stereotypical devil image came about when Christianity started talking down on the pagan religions claiming them to be worshiping evil spirits etc & thus they made the images of those pagan religions ''evil'' so as to ward off converts etc + redirect them towards Jesus (after all thousands of years ago these groups of people are saying an image of a f*ck ed up human is evil....believe in this loving passionate god who appeared as human, Pretty convincing)
Thus born was the devil, i hear but can't verify that his image was taken from various pagan religions such as Poseidon's trident & old Wicca horned gods etc.
So that's how he was seen as evil, i'd assume that satanists go back to the original images or that they see the devil as liberating who allows free-will not stuck in a pre-determined path by an unknown presence (god) that you as a human are the person to shape your future
Satanism is not a Christian invention
Satanism predates Christianity and all other religions
Satanism is not about spooks, goblins, vampires, Halloween monsters or other related entities
Satanism is not about "evil"
Satanism is not an invention of, or a "reaction" to Christianity
Satanism is not a creation of Anton LaVey
Satanism is not about death
True Satanism is about elevating and empowering humanity to reach equality with the Gods, which was our True Creator (Satan's) intention
"IN THE SECRET OF MY KNOWLEDGE THERE IS NO GOD BUT ME"
-SATAN
From "Peace Be Unto Him"
Due to centuries of misinformation, lies, and the systematic removal of knowledge, few people these days understand or even know what ?Satanism? really is all about.
Christianity has been at liberty to dictate without any opposition, what they CLAIM Satanism to be. In order to accomplish this, the truth had to be destroyed. The Catholic Church (the original Christian Church, from which all Christian sects have evolved), heinously tortured to death and mass-murdered millions of innocent men, women and children in what was known as "The Inquisition." Some children who were burnt to death in what were known as "witch houses" were as young as two years of age.?
Christians forever rant and rave concerning the "one world order" where all identities, cultures, personal privacy's, and liberties will be lost and humanity, after being systematically bar-coded, will be lumped into a one-world slave state. What they fail to see is how their own so-called "religion" and bible have always been and are the roots of and blueprint for this regime. Everything in the Judeo/Christian Bible has been stolen and corrupted from religions predating Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from hundreds to thousands of years. Through Judaism and its tool of Christianity, all of the original spiritual teachings from around the world, (which are CONCEPTS) have been stolen from, lumped together into the "one," and corrupted into Jewish archetypes and characters and fictitious places. This has given the Jewish people as a whole a false history, political power and "spiritual" authority to which they are not entitled.
The bible is a very powerful subliminal tool to control the masses. One can see this is a man-made work as there are endless contradictions. The bible has been systematically drummed into the minds of the populace from a very early age. A lie must always be enforced as opposed to the truth which can stand on its own. Because spiritual knowledge and occult power have been removed and kept in the hands of a "chosen" few, the unknowing populace has been helpless against it. The agenda here is to create a one-world slave state with the "chosen" few ruling at the top. The perpetrators of course blame Satan to create a necessary distraction, while they use occult power to accomplish their ends. They have a history of stealing from and blaming their enemies for everything they really are and do, while always holding themselves in the highest esteem and innocence.
The original religions now known as "Satanism" (by the way, "Satan" means "enemy" in Hebrew), were all based upon what is known as the "Magnum Opus" or Great Work. The one known as "Satan" is our True Creator God. He was prevented by the other Gods from finishing his work on humanity, that of the godhead. The godhead is physical and spiritual perfection. Now, if you continue to read on, I will prove this.
The serpent is seen everywhere in ancient relics and structures. The serpent was held sacred in all areas of the ancient world. Satan is the God Ea, aka ENKI, one of the first of the Nephilim to arrive on this planet and establish the first civilization. In Sumerian mythology, Enki's symbol was always the serpent.
The serpent represents the DNA, the life force and the kindling and has survived as the emblem of the American Medical Association and Veterinary medicine, where it is symbolic of life and healing. Only with the coming of Judeo/Christianity, has this sacred symbol been desecrated and blasphemed.
Nearly all of us are familiar with the term "fallen." This word has been used copiously by Christian clergy to refer to Satan and his Demons. In truth, "fallen" pertains to the kindling serpent (which has always been associated with our Creator God Satan), which has fallen in humanity as a whole and now lies dormant at the base of the spine. Because of this, humanity as a whole is on a very low level of spiritual understanding. Thoughtless abuses of children and animals, senseless wars, brutality and endless corruption are the results of the fallen serpent. The "Tree of Life" which was stolen from the ancient Pagan religions and found its way into the biblical book of Genesis, was seen in many parts of the ancient world in friezes upon walls of ancient temples and in some tombs.
in LaVeyan satanism (there are different types.) Satan represents the carnal nature of man. satanism never claimed that the devil represents good things, nor bad, good and evil are not a concept to LaVeyan satanism. what one person See's as just is evil to another and neither one is more fit to judge then the other, all that exist are actions which are beneficial to ones self, and actions which are harmful to one self. Satan, represents man as simply another living creature, the primary instinct of any living creature is self preservation...satanism simply chooses to acknowledge this rather then insisting man is in some way special.
In satanism, what does the devil represent?
