govern point

Satanism is not easily defined, just like Wicca there are multiple kinds and it is personal. How Satanism is defined depends on what “division” of Satanism you are referring to and how they view Satan.  In contrast to other religions, Satanists themselves disagree on their very fundamental principles.  Unlike, other religions which may differ in opinion or conviction about interpretation of certain passages, Satanists in different sects argue whether there even is a Satan and whether they are worshiping him or themselves.

Ultimately, Satanism is a religion and a philosophy based on man as he really is: a carnal being free from the fiction that is spirituality and one who champions total responsibility, pragmatism, and the here-and-now.

Satanism has been referred to as an “unreligion” in the sense that it does not subscribe to the notion of some being who must be worshiped, its most common misconception.  Others may even say that Satanism is challenging popular notions of how ‘religion’ is defined, not content with the dictates of Judeo-Christian realities.

The varying views on Satan aside, much like other religions Satanism has faith in a construct which Satan embodies. Satan may or may not be a real, living entity, conscious or a physical thing that can be interacted with. It is a symbol, something ethereal, something that basically doesn’t exist except as an emotional attachment and personal dream. Just like Buddhists do not worship Buddha, Satanists hold up Satan as an ultimate principal rather than an object of literal worship. Satan inspires and provokes people, like all many religions the ultimate point is self-help, doing good and finding meaning. God believers have a different opinion on what Satan is, but their opinion is a result of their own personal choices and religion.

Satanists use the symbol of Satan as a representative of various philosophical ideas, social instincts, intellectual ideals and theological statements. Here is an introduction to all of these aspects of Satan. The best way to get an understanding of Satan is to read The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey and “The Satanic Scriptures” by Peter Gilmore.  Below are the 9 Satanic Statements:

1. Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence!
2. Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams!
3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit!
4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates!
5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek!
6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires!
7. Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours, who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all!
8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!
9. Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years!

Satanism is also held by its followers to not be like Devil Worship. Satanism and devil worship are two distinctly different philosophies. Devil worship is the worship of an external deity, the Devil, and can easily be seen and be labeled the polar opposite of Christianity

• Is evolution a religion?
• Do mutations prove evolution?
• So just where is this missing link?
• Just how long was that first day?

The questions about are the type that evolutionist ask and attempt to answer/reconcile with their religious beliefs.   Is the Earth old or Young?   The lines are being clearly drawn on this one, almost as crisp at the line between evolution and creationism in general.

So let’s just baseline that Creation is the belief that God creative earth – end of question.  The open items are just details around the length of time in Genesis.  The young earth creation perspective is the result of a literal interpretation of the description of creation – all of it was done in 6 days. According this biblical approach the the Universe and the Earth is more or 6000 years old.  This is the core component of young age or progressive creationism.

Old World creationist essentially believe in a time gap between verses.  Most folks interpret Genesis 1:1 as the first creation, which included the creation of the heavens, the earth, plants and animals, and even a race of humans. Under this approach, billions of years could have elapsed.

The other major theological delta between young and old-earth folks is the global flood of Noah. The Bible states there was a devastating global flood.  The geological column and sedimentary principles indicate this actually happened over time and so gradually that the animals would have survived anyhow.

What is Passover?

Passover is a religious ceremony instituted by the God of the Bible to memorialize the time when He delivered the descendants of Abraham out of slavery in Egypt. Read about it in Chapter 12 of Exodus, the second book of the Bible.  Yup Passover comes from the Bible, first mentioned in the book of Exodus. As God pronounced to the people of Israel enslaved in Egypt that he would free them, he said he would “Smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.” However, he instructed the Israelites to put a sign of lamb’s blood on their door posts: “and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

Of all the Jewish holidays, Pesach is the one most commonly observed, even by otherwise non-observant Jews. Pesach is another word for passover.  The 2 key commandments associated with the holiday are: eating matzah, or unleavened bread; and the prohibition of eating any foods containing leavening during the holiday. In ancient times there was a third: the offering of a lamb in the evening on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Nisan and the eating that night of the Passover sacrifice. The commandments have since combined into a special Passover feast called the seder, celebrated on the first two evenings of the holiday. Other customs associated with Passover include eating bitter herbs and other foods at the seder celebration.

What is a Seder?

The Hebrew term seder means “order”. It is an in-house liturgy – a set sequence of actions performed and passages recited in a religious ceremony. It has become customary to refer to the overall ceremony as a Seder.  The word Seder is a Hebrew word that literally means “order.”  It is most commonly used to refer to the Passover Seder, a Jewish holiday ritual. Passover Seder takes place on the 15th or 15th and 16th days of Nisan on the Jewish calendar.

What is Haggadah?

Haggadah means “the telling” in Hebrew. A haggadah is a script that contains the words to be spoken and that describes the actions to be taken at a Passover Seder and the order.

Related articles:

• Thanksgiving: A Festival with Hebrew Roots
• Biblical diet ‘not very healthy’
• The Grapes of Wrath and Biblical Allusions

Need a list on the books of the bible? Here it is.

Old Testament

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalm
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

New Testament

Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation

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