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SATANISM; THE TERROR OF THE DEVIL Satanism is a perverted ideology that makes violence and savagery a ritual in its creed. Satanists, who describe themselves as such, make deeds of inhumanity and brutality into acts of worship. When the word Satanism is mentioned most people think merely of its widespread psychological influence on young people, and regard it as a kind of insignificant mystical movement. Also, due to the influence of the media, they may think of Satanists as performing strange rituals, much unlike what ordinary and well-balanced people would otherwise do. It is true that Satanists are part of a culture of violence and perform strange and horrible rites, yet, what most people fail to see is that Satanism is a materialist and atheist ideology that supports violence and which dates back to the 1800s. Furthermore, the ideology has a large number of followers throughout the world.
The fundamental principle of Satanism is that it rejects all religious values, takes the Devil as its deity, and claims that hell is a kind of salvation. According to the belief of Satanism, people have no responsibilities, apart from that of following their own desires. If his desires lead a person to anger, hatred, revenge, deceit, theft, the harming others or even murder, then that is acceptable. The basic logic that Satanism relies on, in support of that belief, is the claim that the avoidance of evil is a kind of insincerity. In other words, this perverted belief maintains that if his desires impel someone to kill another, and if he acts according to that impulse, then he has behaved sincerely. Virtues such as love, tolerance, patience and forgiveness, which are highly esteemed by most people, and are elements of the true morality, are loathed by Satanists. This deviant ideology maintains that there should be no restrictions on evil and such feelings as hatred, anger and vengeance. Article 5 of The Satanic Bible, widely regarded as the fundamental textbook of Satanism, states, instead of the biblical principle that says "To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also." that "Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek." Elsewhere in that same book appears the commandment: Hate your enemies with a whole heart, and if a man smite you on one cheek, SMASH him on the other!31 It is obvious that according to such thinking it will be impossible to prevent any kind wickedness. Such an atmosphere will inevitably lead to chaos and strife. It is impossible to speak of order, peace, stability, security, forgiveness or tolerance in any society in which people do not listen to the voice of their consciences, and are thus unable to distinguish between good and bad, and to use their will and judgment to act for good. In an environment of that sort, anyone who feels anger towards somebody else will be unable to restrain that anger and behave with moderation, and will inevitably seek his revenge. Alternatively, instead of being patient in times of need and poverty, and attempting to address those needs in a sensible manner, these people will resort to theft and other sorts of crime. Satanism is their justification for doing so.
The kind of society proposed by the ideology of Satanism recognizes no rules and no bounds. Its aim is the free expression of selfish desires and evil. In his book The Satanic Bible, Anton LaVey, regarded as the founder of modern Satanism, recommends to his followers that they live by and promote wickedness as they so please. In an interview, LaVey even said: "I feel laws are, obviously, made to be broken ... I see nothing wrong with robbing somebody on the street.32 Satanism's refusal to recognize any bounds does not stop there, of course. People would not only harm themselves and those around them, but would direct their hostility and anger at all. That refusal to recognize any limits, moreover, leads to the regard of violence as an intrinsic part of life. According to Satanism, violence is a fact of nature, and thus inescapable. Therefore, this distorted view maintains that it is perfectly permissible for people to resort to violence. Since any attempt to prevent or minimize violence is a violation of what is natural, any attempt to do so is futile, and it is therefore illogical to do so. As we have seen, Satanism holds utterly perverse beliefs, which encourage people to be aggressive, to commit murder, and even mass slaughter. In America in particular, academics have established that Satanism lies at the root of national terror, and that serious steps need to be taken in order to deal with it. One of these academics is Carl Roschke, a professor at Denver University, who has stressed the importance of the subject in the words, "We're really dealing with the way satanic ideology has become a basis for domestic terrorism."33 Roschke says that the most important step in the war to be waged against Satanism is to make it clear that its followers are not just "harmless wackoes," but that when their crimes are examined, one can understand just how harmful someone claiming to be a Satanist can be. 34 There is no doubt that the most important fight against a movement of this sort must be ideological. That being the case, we must establish which ideologies Satanism is founded on.
Darwinism is the Ideological Basis of Satanism One of the most common ways Satanists use to describe themselves, in their books, magazines and publications, as well as their websites, is to regard man as a "kind of developed animal," and to maintain that "only the fittest can survive." This is the most important piece of evidence to corroborate that Darwinism lies at the very root of the Satanists' beliefs. In fact, many Satanists do not hesitate to admit the fact. In A Description of Satanism, a Satanist writer describes the ideology in these terms:
…First of all, Humans are social animals... all people and animals share a common source in mere biology. Satanism is the belief that Humans are nothing more than higher animals-we have no special place in creation other than being lucky to have evolved and survived…35 Another Satanist publication, The Church of Satan, describes how they believe that human beings are a kind of developed animal: Since Satanism stands for acceptance of Man as an animal, there have often been creators in many past cultures who embraced this insight and explored it in the context of their society, thus we seek out these artistic philosophical expressions and see them to be the roots of our current awareness.36 It is clear from the preceding that Satanism regards Darwin's theory, that human beings evolved from animals, as the source of its own ideological "awareness." The introduction to an interview with Anton LaVey, carried in the music journal MF Magazine, describes the relationship between Satanism and Darwinism: In the late 1960s, Anton LaVey brought forth an easily understandable doctrine of social Darwinism, and strong positive thinking (magic) to the growing mass of individuals sick of both hippieism and the stagnant morals of Christianity.37
Magister Peter H. Gilmore, a priest of the Church of Satan, describes this perverted religion in the following terms: … Let us instead look at contemporary Satanism for what it really is: a brutal religion of elitism and social Darwinism that seeks to re-establish the reign of the able over the idiotic, of swift justice over injustice, and for a wholesale rejection of egalitarianism as a myth that has crippled the advancement of the human species for the last two thousand years.38 Of course, the idea of justice, as set out above, has absolutely no resemblance to the notion of justice as we know it should be, that is, established on the principle of equality. The above version is a Satanist idea of justice, and as will be seen from what follows, it is a version that endows anyone who regards himself as superior to others to usurp all such powers and rights. The way Satanism shares so many parallels with Social Darwinism, which regards Western society as superior to others, has led to cooperation between it and a number of other racist and chauvinistic movements, especially fascism. One can find many individuals who believed in Satanism among the ranks of Hitler's National Socialists and Mussolini's Blackshirts. Anton LaVey makes this reference to that collaboration:
It's an unholy alliance. Many different types of such people have made contact with us in the past. The anti-Christian strength of National Socialist Germany is part of the appeal to Satanists-the drama, the lighting, the choreography with which they moved millions of people.39 Darwinism is the primary ground shared between these tendencies and Satanism. Social Darwinism, which lies at the heart of all these deviant ideologies, is defended by Satanists as follows: The principle of the survival of the strong is advocated on all levels of society, from allowing an individual to stand or fall, to even letting those nations that cannot handle themselves take the consequences of this inability… There would be a concomitant reduction in the world's population as the weak are allowed to experience the consequences of social Darwinism. Thus has nature always acted to cleanse and strengthen her children… We embrace reality and do not try to transform it into some utopia that is contrary to the very fabric of existence.40 Another expression of the Satanists' attachment to Social Darwinism is their fierce support for the theory of eugenics, itself the product of fascism. The theory of eugenics maintained that the sick and the crippled ought to be eliminated from society, and the number of healthy individuals increased through breeding. The theory was most prominently implemented in Nazi Germany. According to the theory of eugenics, in the same way that healthy animal stock is bred by mating healthy species, by this way a race of humans also be improved. Those elements obstructing such improvement (the sick, crippled, mentally handicapped etc.) need to be eradicated. When this line of thinking was adopted in Nazi Germany, tens of thousands of people with genetic and mental diseases were slaughtered ruthlessly. Satanism is also in favor of the same terrible mercilessness. Their own publications reveal their view on eugenics: Satanists also seek to enhance the laws of nature by concentrating on fostering the practice of eugenics… It is the practice of encouraging people of talent and ability to reproduce, to enrich the gene pool from which our species can grow. This was commonly practiced throughout the world… Until the genetic code is cracked and we can choose the character of our offspring at will, Satanists seek to mate the best with the best. 41
The Perverse Rites of Satanism
Black masses, and the terrible things that are conducted during them, is what most often comes to peoples' minds whenever Satanism is mentioned. Yet, many people believe that it is make-believe only portrayed in films, and that nothing of the sort actually takes place in real life. However, the terrible scenes we are used to watching in films are really parts and aspects of Satanist masses and rituals. The real purpose behind these rituals is to make contact with the Devil and learn his so-called teachings. In order to see just how important these devilish rites are in Satanism, a brief look at their own books and websites is more than sufficient. The common feature of these publications is the way they devote considerable space to gloomy subjects and insist on the importance of the black mass. In a well-known Satanist website, which carries various Satanist messages for the under-18s, these so-called masses are emphasized as being one of the fundamental elements of Satanism, and that young people who cannot attend group ceremonies should nevertheless hold such services on their own. The details of the services these young people are instructed to hold are then given: Don't be disturbed or frightened or think you're crazy when you feel contacted by the Dark Ones… Approach the Dark Masters with the proper degree of respect and decorum-that's what rituals are for, to establish a relationship… You don't need everything mentioned in Dr. LaVey's books to do an effective ritual. Maybe you don't have the money to obtain, or the private space to store, items such as swords, chalices, black robes, gongs and elaborate altars. Here is a powerful ritual you can perform… Light the candle and set it before you… As you gaze at the flame, say in your mind or out loud, "I am ready, oh, Dark Lord. I feel your strength within me and wish to honor you in my life. I am one of the Devil's Own. Hail Satan!"… This is a simple way of conjuring Satan into your life. 42 
One can recognize such perversion, immorality and savagery in any society that takes Satan as its guide. For Satanists, these things are inspired by the Devil himself, and must be adhered to. Satanists, who do adhere to them, fall into forms of sexual perversions, torture humans as well as animals, and even perform such disgusting things as the drinking of the blood of the creatures or people they kill. In many countries of the world, young people who describe themselves as Satanists hold drug-parties at which all kinds of immorality and perversion take place, and which frequently end in the killing of one of their number in the Devil's name. The way Satanists attach such importance to the shedding of blood at their rituals is a small-scale example of the plan Satan has for mankind. Satan hates mankind, and wants to inflict as much suffering on it as possible. It is therefore his aim to fill the world with bloodshed. The ideologies of the Antichrist we discussed earlier, such as fascism, racism and communism, all serve his purpose. All the wars, massacres, killings, and acts of terrorism, linked to these and similar atheistic ideologies, are all "Satanic masses" aimed at satisfying the Devil's lust for blood. Those who openly describe themselves as Satanists carry out the shedding of blood as an act of worship. Those who incite terror and anarchy in the world are actually performing the same rite, in a more secret but with far wider ramifications. In short, the Devil, and the system of the Antichrist established by him for the world are using those they have managed to take in and are trying to turn the world into a brutal battleground.
Satanism is an Ideology That Has Already Been Defeated We need to bear in mind the Satanists' own views when considering the threat posed by it. When Satanists are asked how many of them there are, they claim to have large numbers of followers, because there are many people who actually live by the tenets of Satanism without being aware of the fact. In a way, that is actually the case. Many people, consciously or unconsciously, share the views of the Satanists. That is because, refusing to listen to the voice of one's conscience, or to live by proper morality, therefore following one's own desires, is the same as obeying the commands of the Devil. When one considers all the destruction caused by Satanists up to the present day, it is quite clear in what a terrible state a society consisting of such people is going to end up to be. The claim that man is a species of animal, on which Satanism is founded, is utter nonsense. Mankind did not come into being as the result of blind chance. The Creator of mankind, and of the order and splendor of the entire universe, is the infinitely powerful, superior and All-Wise God, who has no weaknesses of any kind. He created man with the ability to think and reason, to distinguish between right and wrong, and also with a responsibility towards his Creator. Just as each individual's ego direct him towards evil, so his conscience protects him from it, and commands him to turn away from it. It is man's duty to listen to the voice of his conscience, not to his ego and adopt the kind of morality that is pleasing to God. That morality will not only allow the individual concerned, and the society in which he lives, to enjoy a peaceful and secure existence, but will also, by the will of God, lead to the sublimest reward in the hereafter. One important fact that must not be lost sight of is that the life Satan offers, which he dresses up to appear so very attractive, is mere deception. Satan may make all kinds of promises about the possibilities of the life of this world, and may try to turn people away form the true path, yet, it must not be forgotten that the road he beckons man to follow will only lead to ultimate destruction for those who take it. That is because Satan and his followers have already been defeated. As God explains in a verse: … What they call on is an arrogant Satan whom God has cursed. He said, "I will take a certain fixed proportion of Your servants. I will lead them astray and fill them with false hopes. I will command them and they will cut off cattle's ears. I will command them and they will change God's creation." Anyone who takes the Devil as his protector in place of God has clearly lost everything. (Qur'an, 4: 117-119)
DEVIANT SECTS OFFER OTHER FORMS OF VIOLENCE
We have already discussed in earlier chapters the existence in a number of countries of the world, and especially the United States, of superstitious cults that adhere to deviant belief-systems, and how such groups engage in acts of terror. These mystical groups destroy the order of society, encourage nations towards violence, and lead to killings and even suicides. Some of the best-known of these are: David Koresh and his followers who committed mass suicide, the Heaven's Gate cult who did the same, and the Aum Shinrikyo cult who harmed hundreds of people by releasing poison gas into the Japanese underground transit system. In addition to these, however, every day in America are attacks perpetrated by unknown groups as well as mass suicide. The worst mass suicide so far was that of "The People's Temple" cult. Established at the end of the 1970s, under the leadership of Jim Jones, this cult lived isolated from the rest of the world in a forest area in Southern America. Following a number of complaints, in 1978, US Congressman Leo Ryan visited the Jonestown area on a fact-finding mission. As Ryan was leaving Jonestown, 18 temple members who wanted to leave the cult tried to accompany him, at which point violence erupted. Cult members opened fire on those who attempted to leave it. Congressman Ryan, three journalists, and one of the departing members were killed. Eleven people were injured. A few hours after that incident, the leader of the cult ordered their members to commit mass suicide by drinking potassium cyanide. Children died first; babies were killed by poison squirted into their mouths with a syringe. Then more than 900 people, children included, poisoned themselves.43
By the 1990s, however, the group that attracted the most attention through mass death was the cult of David Koresh. When security units wished to inspect a farm in Texas on February 28, 1993, cult members opened fire on them. A siege that would last 51 days then ensued. When one member of the security forces tried to get into the farm on the 51st day, smoke suddenly began rising. The security forces announced that David Koresh had set fire to the farm, and that booby traps installed in various parts of it had turned the place into an inferno, in which some 90 people burned to death. Deviant cults again hit the headlines in 1997, when some 40 people wearing black T-shirts and sports-shoes committed mass suicide in the north of San Diego. Aged between 26 and 72, they had killed themselves out of a belief that the Hale-Bopp comet, which was then passing by the earth, would carry them to a higher level of evolution. This is how their ideas were expressed on their website:
The joy is that our Older Member in the Evolutionary Level above human has made it clear to us that Hale-Bopp's approach is the "marker" we've been waiting for. … Our 22 years of classroom here on planet Earth is finally coming to conclusion "graduation" from the Human Evolutionary Level. We are happily prepared to leave "this world" and go with Ti's crew. (Ti refers to Bonnie Lu Trusdale a cofounder of the cult who died of cancer in 1985)44 These accounts may seem to have very little to do with the lives of most people who are reading this book. Yet, nobody should be deceived by that fact as we have only considered three examples in detail. A large number of deviant cults and organizations are influencing young people in many countries of the world. The fact that some people regard these movements as being far removed from themselves does not mean that they are not causing terrible harm to individuals and to society as a whole. On the contrary, they reveal the different forms the strife of the Antichrist can take and how widespread it actually is.
The Japanese Cult's Underground Attack The harm that such cults cause for the lives and property of their members is by no means the only threat they pose. The deviant ideas and lifestyles promoted by these cults also damage the very fabric of society. From time to time, some of them organize attacks directly aimed at the civilian population. One recent example of this was the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo, and its release of poison gas into a Tokyo metro station. The cult was also held responsible for a similar gas attack in Matsumoto near Tokyo, in which seven people died and 144 were injured. According to the teachings of the leader of the cult, Shoko Asahara, a person can only cleanse his soul by killing. World domination is only possible by implementing the violence that he teaches his followers. Acts that normal people would regard as cold-blooded, are for the members of the cult true examples of morality. The first target of the attacks, which began in 1994, were the judges who had filed charges against the cult and lived in accommodations provided by the Ministry of Justice . The first attack resulted in seven deaths. At the same time, the cult had begun the construction of a 70-ton capacity sarin gas production facility, on the orders of Asahara, who also instructed that 1,000 automatic rifles and a million bullets be manufactured. With the help of Russian experts hired by the cult, there were also efforts being made to construct a kind of nuclear weapon. Also within Asahara's sphere of activities were kidnappings and murder, especially of lawyers and public prosecutors opposed to the cult's activities.
The attack on the underground system resulted in a much more severe reaction against the cult. Thousands of commuters on their way to work were affected. Twelve people died and more than 5,000 received treatment in hospital, and the attack became a terrifying example of the threat such groups now pose to the public. As we have seen from the above examples, any kind of immorality is to be expected from groups that develop their own beliefs far removed from the morality of religion. The members of such organizations are wholly capable of any kind of deviance, from drug abuse to theft, and from kidnapping to torture, though they often only end up in bringing an end to their own lives. One must never forget that it should come as no surprise that people who do not believe in God, have no fear of Him, and refuse to recognize true morality, engage in such acts of violence. That is because, they do not believe they will have to account for their deeds, nor that they will receive their just due in the Hereafter. In addition, they would probably adopt entirely inappropriate or false beliefs on the subject of life after death, all in accordance with their desires. The only true path however, is that revealed by God to His servants. Anyone who knows of the religion of God, and lives by it, is moderate and well-balanced. Furthermore, in the Qur'an, God has commanded man to think and use his reason. It is thus impossible for true believers to get caught-up in any belief system without listening to their consciences and employing their powers of reasoning. The faithful act in accordance with the dictates of their conscience at every moment in their lives, and behave reasonably. That, in turn, protects them from all forms of immorality and perversion. True believers are those who stay firmly rooted on the path revealed by God. It is clear, however, that such cults and organizations have long since turned away from that path. There is no question that the acts of violence and terror we have been considering are not the only manifestations of terror in the world today. Very many terrorist organizations in a great many countries have for many years been spreading fear, terror, as well as leading to the deaths of many innocent people. These include the IRA, which for many years has been a major thorn in the side of the government of Great Britain; ETA in the Basque region of Spain, ASALA, the Armenian terrorist organization which for many years attacked Turkish diplomats serving abroad, and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Although they all have different ideological motives, all terrorist groups and people who support the use of violence, whether listed here or not, and whether they are aware of the fact or not, agree on one thing. That is, the rejection of religion. Whatever their ideology and world-view may be, the true reason why anyone turns to anarchy and violence is that they lack any beliefs and conscience to prevent them from doing so. |
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