1. Stupidity—
“The top of the list for Satanic Sins. The Cardinal Sin of Satanism. It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a power that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid. “
This sounds like a great Cardinal Sin for Satanism, yet with LaVeys definition we see he is defining ‘stupidity’ as ‘herd conformity’. I looked into stupidity, even watching four documentaries on it, in an attempt to say it stands as I want it to. All I can find on ‘stupid’ is we have no way of knowing what it is until we see it and it mostly ends up being “anyone that thinks differently than me”, thereby making everyone stupid to everyone else. A better sin in this case is ‘willful ignorance’ - in an age where the Internet is in almost every home and literacy is at an all-time high not looking into things or doing a little research is not only sinful but reprehensible.
2. Pretentiousness--
“Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn’t applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone’s made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not. “
3. Solipsism--
“Can be very dangerous for Satanists. Projecting your reactions, responses and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won’t. Instead, Satanists must strive to apply the dictum of “Do unto others as they do unto you.” It’s work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point.
. Self-deceit—It’s in the “Nine Satanic Statements” but deserves to be repeated here. Another cardinal sin. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it’s fun, and with awareness. But then, it’s not self-deceit! “
It's in the nine Satanic statements, what more needs to be said? It is a statement, not a sin.
4. Herd Conformity--
“That’s obvious from a Satanic stance. It’s all right to conform to a person’s wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many.
. Lack of Perspective--
Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain for a Satanist. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints—know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world. “
Perspective is one thing we cannot have if we are to live in a world such as the one we live in. As individuals, in the grand scheme of things we are not only unimportant but for the most part totally replaceable. Only to a few we are more than just another lump of carbon, and the few that see us as more can replace us within days at the most. So we isolate ourselves in little worlds of our own whereby we become important. Pentagonal revisionism now put forth shows what perspective really does for someone, as the ideal of artificial virtual worlds for the individual are ridiculous and it is completely overlooked that this would be the end of humanity in a desperate attempt to escape the world where you are nothing of any importance.
5. Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies--
“Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it’s something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society. “
We must also remember to update past orthodoxies. Nothing must be set in stone. As the world changes, we must change with it. “LaVeyian” Satanism is only Laveyian because the “Church” of Satan has refused to update with the times and are still flogging the same dead horse. So, as we must remember the orthodoxies of the past we must also update our own lest we become the servants of them.
6. Counterproductive Pride--
“That first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you’ve painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I’m sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it.”
7. Lack of Aesthetics--
“This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It’s not what’s supposed to be pleasing—it’s what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one’s own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied. “
Added:
8. Hypocrisy-
All R.H.P. Religions are hypocritical in word and deed. A Satanist must be able to understand that what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
9. Dogma-
Things that cannot be questioned are usually unquestionable because they will not stand up to questioning. Dogma has allowed people to enter and keep positions of power and trust they have no business in. The child molesting priest is allowed to get away with it due to dogmatic doctrine in the Catholic Church. You cannot question if the priest did it (as we all know he did), he is a “man of god” and therefore not capable of such a dastardly deed.
10.Basement dwelling-
Satanist all respect survival of the fittest this applies to ideals as well as humans and other animals. The very notion that one can sit in his/her mother’s basement with a tinfoil hat on and be fit to survive anything is preposterous at best. Interaction with the herd is required to prove fitness for survival. Just sitting around and typing on the Internet about how great you are as a Satanist then running off to the Christian churches on Sunday and sometimes Wednesday shows what cowardice is. Hiding who you (say you) are shows shame and remorse. If you call yourself a Satanist, be proud. Stand up and be counted.
“The top of the list for Satanic Sins. The Cardinal Sin of Satanism. It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a power that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid. “
This sounds like a great Cardinal Sin for Satanism, yet with LaVeys definition we see he is defining ‘stupidity’ as ‘herd conformity’. I looked into stupidity, even watching four documentaries on it, in an attempt to say it stands as I want it to. All I can find on ‘stupid’ is we have no way of knowing what it is until we see it and it mostly ends up being “anyone that thinks differently than me”, thereby making everyone stupid to everyone else. A better sin in this case is ‘willful ignorance’ - in an age where the Internet is in almost every home and literacy is at an all-time high not looking into things or doing a little research is not only sinful but reprehensible.
2. Pretentiousness--
“Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn’t applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone’s made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not. “
3. Solipsism--
“Can be very dangerous for Satanists. Projecting your reactions, responses and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won’t. Instead, Satanists must strive to apply the dictum of “Do unto others as they do unto you.” It’s work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point.
. Self-deceit—It’s in the “Nine Satanic Statements” but deserves to be repeated here. Another cardinal sin. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it’s fun, and with awareness. But then, it’s not self-deceit! “
It's in the nine Satanic statements, what more needs to be said? It is a statement, not a sin.
4. Herd Conformity--
“That’s obvious from a Satanic stance. It’s all right to conform to a person’s wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many.
. Lack of Perspective--
Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain for a Satanist. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints—know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world. “
Perspective is one thing we cannot have if we are to live in a world such as the one we live in. As individuals, in the grand scheme of things we are not only unimportant but for the most part totally replaceable. Only to a few we are more than just another lump of carbon, and the few that see us as more can replace us within days at the most. So we isolate ourselves in little worlds of our own whereby we become important. Pentagonal revisionism now put forth shows what perspective really does for someone, as the ideal of artificial virtual worlds for the individual are ridiculous and it is completely overlooked that this would be the end of humanity in a desperate attempt to escape the world where you are nothing of any importance.
5. Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies--
“Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it’s something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society. “
We must also remember to update past orthodoxies. Nothing must be set in stone. As the world changes, we must change with it. “LaVeyian” Satanism is only Laveyian because the “Church” of Satan has refused to update with the times and are still flogging the same dead horse. So, as we must remember the orthodoxies of the past we must also update our own lest we become the servants of them.
6. Counterproductive Pride--
“That first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you’ve painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I’m sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it.”
7. Lack of Aesthetics--
“This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It’s not what’s supposed to be pleasing—it’s what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one’s own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied. “
Added:
8. Hypocrisy-
All R.H.P. Religions are hypocritical in word and deed. A Satanist must be able to understand that what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
9. Dogma-
Things that cannot be questioned are usually unquestionable because they will not stand up to questioning. Dogma has allowed people to enter and keep positions of power and trust they have no business in. The child molesting priest is allowed to get away with it due to dogmatic doctrine in the Catholic Church. You cannot question if the priest did it (as we all know he did), he is a “man of god” and therefore not capable of such a dastardly deed.
10.Basement dwelling-
Satanist all respect survival of the fittest this applies to ideals as well as humans and other animals. The very notion that one can sit in his/her mother’s basement with a tinfoil hat on and be fit to survive anything is preposterous at best. Interaction with the herd is required to prove fitness for survival. Just sitting around and typing on the Internet about how great you are as a Satanist then running off to the Christian churches on Sunday and sometimes Wednesday shows what cowardice is. Hiding who you (say you) are shows shame and remorse. If you call yourself a Satanist, be proud. Stand up and be counted.