DEVIL WORSHIP
Lions and Satans and Christs, Oh My!
By Geifodd ap Pwyll

Copyright © 2006 Geifodd ap Pwyll.

None of the gods we humans worship are really cosmic gods; they are just spirits who form relationships with people. Some of these spirits are friendly to humans, while some of them are unfriendly. There is not a one-to-one correspondence between these spirits and the names we use for them; different spirits can answer to the same name, and some of them may even pretend to be each other for whatever reason (e.g., in order to create further conflict between human followers). It is evident that not all of the spirits like each other; in fact, many would seem to be outright opposed to each other.

In trying to understand the spirits that we individually have relationships with, we have to use whatever terms are most meaningful for us as individuals. And in our attempts to determine whether somebody else is following the same spirit we do or not, we have to remember that "By their fruits ye shall know them."

The spirit I have felt in touch with my entire life is a dark spirit; I have always felt closest to Him during the nighttime hours and the autumn and winter seasons. Even before I realized He was there and before I could put a name to Him, I subconsciously knew that something was there.

It wasn't until I met my first Bible-thumping Christian that I began to recognize the presence of this spirit for what it is. When this Christian explained to me the nature of the particular spirit he had his relationship with, I knew right then and there that his spirit represented many of the things which I am against. I told him, "If this is what your god is like, then I'd rather worship the Devil." And I was joking at the time, but later I would realize that in the deepest part of myself, I was actually serious. The spirit that I feel in tune with is against everything that the fanatical Christian spirit wants. Therefore, it makes sense for me to call this spirit Satan, since that is what fanatical Christians call the chief spirit who is against theirs.

Later, I would discover that this spirit of mine also likes to be called Set, even though I don't think it is identical to the ancient Egyptian spirit that was called by that name. It also likes to be called Azazel. I believe this spirit enjoys being called by a wide variety of names, all of them relating to darkness and the unknown.

However, in recent years I have come across some people who claim to worship Satan, but who disagree completely with the things that my spirit would seem to stand for. In fact, some of these people actually agree with many of the things that the spirit of fanatical Christianity stands for. It is as if they actually follow the spirit of fanatical Christianity, but they call it "Satan" instead of "God." And for all intents and purposes, this spirit seems more than happy to play the part of "Satan" for them. It is evident that the spirit I follow is not the only spirit who can answer to the name "Satan," even though I may feel that I have better reason to call my spirit Satan than these other people do.

Perhaps the most significant way in which I can tell these people follow a different spirit is that, rather than opposing religious fanaticism outright, they mimic it. These Satanists proclaim that the Al-Jilwah, a religious text written by the Yezidi Kurds (which is only the introduction to a larger text known as the Mishaf Resh), is the "Word of Satan" to which all Satanists must adhere. They say that anyone who does not accept the Al-Jilwah as such are not really Satanists. Anyone or anything which counters or disagrees with the Al-Jilwah is treated as a spiritual threat.

They also claim that intellectualism is an obstacle to understanding Satan, rather than a useful tool for understanding Him (of which He approves). Instead of viewing Satan as an anarchic spirit of heresy and liberty, they preach that He is an authoritarian ruler who demands strict obedience and conformity of belief. What's more, they believe that Satan requires blood sacrifices to be made in His honor.

And although they are quick to voice an uncompromising hatred for any and all persons who claim to follow the god of the Bible, they actually do nothing to combat Christian fanaticism in real-world terms. In fact, it can be said that they contribute to Christian fanaticism, by giving the fanatical Christians precisely what they want: a group of Satanists who regularly kill animals in their rituals.

I believe that people who have relationships with spirits will be moved and "animated" to think and behave in certain ways which are consistent with the wills of those spirits. And judging from the way that these Satanists feel moved and "animated" to think and behave, the spirit they follow (if they have indeed contacted one at all) is completely different from the one that I follow.

The spirit I know as Satan encourages me to refrain from viewing any and all so-called "channeled texts" as being statements of absolute truth. He encourages me to not feel threatened by people who think differently from myself. He fills me with a passion for the pursuit of intellectual power and independence, rather than for rejecting such as an "obstacle." He strikes me as a Trickster spirit who likes to inspire "spiritual lawlessness" rather than "spiritual authoritarianism." He encourages me to befriend those Christians, Muslims and Jews who are not subject to religious fanaticism. He has not once ever demanded that I kill an animal or make any kind of blood sacrifice for Him; in fact, I get the idea from Him that He would not be too happy with me if I did.

And perhaps most important of all, He inspires me to do everything I can to fight against religious fanaticism in all of its forms, especially among the people in my own religion. First by refusing to mimic it; and secondly, by endeavoring to speak out against those who preach it, and to provide as best an example for others as I can.

The fact that I am being moved to think and believe differently from these so-called "orthodox" Satanists (which I feel is a contradiction in terms!), indicates to me that the spirit I call Satan is most certainly distinct from the one which they follow. "By their fruits, ye shall know them." And just as I can tell that a person is not moved by the same spirit by which I am moved, I can also recognize when a person is being moved by the same spirit.

I feel that the Satan by which people such as myself are moved is much, much closer to being the "real" Satan than that of the "orthodox" Satanists. This is because Satan is traditionally regarded as the enemy by Christian and Islamic fundamentalists of nearly all kinds (whereas the more liberal Abrahamics typically do not even believe in Satan, and thus apparently do not experience Him as an enemy). Even from the Biblical perspective, Satan works to oppose what is perceived as being "the one true way." In my view, any Satanist who reinforces fanatical Christian views of "the one true way" is not truly being moved or "animated" by the spirit that these fanatics have traditionally called Satan.

Just as I am not moved by the same spirit by which my fanatical counterparts are, there are Christians in the world who do not seem to follow the same spirit that their fanatical counterparts follow. Such Christians seem to believe in some of the very same things I believe in, such as gay rights and freedom of religion. And they are not any less passionate about their relationship with the spirit they follow than I am about mine. Some of these Christians have suggested that they and myself are actually following the same spirit, and that I am just foolish for calling it Satan.

I find this to be false; I just know in my gut that the spirit I follow is not the same one that any Christian calls "Jesus." Spirits that answer to the name "Jesus" seem to be oriented chiefly with light, and even if they are associated with some of the same things as my spirit, they are nonetheless more focused on such things as forgiveness, redemption, and the idea of resurrection after death. The Jesus that some people follow would seem to be agreeable with my Satan in some respects (e.g., a belief in treating people right, and in being compassionate to others), but this does not mean they are identical.

The spirit I follow is much more oriented toward darkness. Although I may believe in such things as forgiveness and being good to people, these do not form the basis of my relationship with the Satan I know. Instead, individuality, carnality, and intellectual independence are the basic cornerstones of this relationship.

Some Christians may find these cornerstones to be agreeable with their own worldviews, but they are not actually considered to be cornerstones of their faith. Rather, these ideas take a level of secondary importance behind the Christian cornerstones of forgiveness, redemption and resurrection after death. Conversely, the ideas of forgiveness and goodness take a level of secondary importance to my own cornerstones, while I do not consider the idea of resurrection after death to possess any importance at all.

Another point is that the Satan I follow is a wild and anarchic spirit, while the Jesus that more progressive Christians follow would seem to be a much gentler and more restrained spirit, but who does enforce some rules. For instance, the spirit they call Jesus is believed to be the "one and only true god," and the only "god" that can grant people true spiritual happiness and fulfillment. In the Bible, the character of Jesus claims that he is "the way" and that those who do not know him will never find "the kingdom of heaven." This implies that the Jesus spirit is advertising himself to be worshiped by entire masses of people.

But in my experiences with the spirit I call Satan, I do not believe that He has ever wanted to be worshiped by entire masses of people. Rather, my Satan seems to be most at home with just a minority of worshipers. He seems to prefer remaining "behind the scenes" and elusive from the majority of humanity. He does not attempt to advertise Himself as the "one true god."

And whereas the spirit of progressive Christians is best associated with calm and orderly church services on bright Sunday mornings, the spirit I follow is best associated with wild and bacchanalian Witches' Sabbaths in dark, deserted areas. Even the "wild" church services of the more charismatic Christians do not hold a candle to the unrestrained frenzy of a good Satanic spiritual experience.

Therefore, I take any Christian's claim that I am "more suited" to following Jesus with a grain of salt. Their Christ is simply not the dionysian party animal that my Devil is, and I'm sorry, but if I'm going to worship a spirit as my god, it had better be a dionysian party animal spirit! And I sure don't see Jesus participating in any witches' orgies... (Dark Lord forbid!)

It would seem that not all Satanists are really following the same "Satan," and not all Christians are really following the same "Christ." Considering my pluralist view of the spirit world, and my belief that there is not a one-to-one correspondence between spirits and names, this only makes sense. It would appear to be completely impossible to know for sure who is following whom these days. But I feel that we must each use the names and titles that are most meaningful to us regarding the spirits by whom we feel moved, and that we can recognize others who follow the same spirits we do "by their fruits."

Devil Worship