Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash
Once, I was mistaken for Ned Flanders (the ultra-Christian), not in person, but in my writing. Ned and I are pals, actually!
Ned and I are in the same group because we aren’t allowed to expel anyone (I.e., those who aren’t cool enough) from the Jesus club. And that’s a good thing, in hindsight, because what if they wouldn’t accept me? But we’re not talking about that today.
We’re talking about Satanism!
In brief, Satanism to me:
- Sounds nice!
- Until you realize you got tricked into Satanism!
I’ll try to explain.
I began researching Satanism when my friend Ned Flanders said, “Gee, Lori! This group sounds cool!” He sent me some of the stuff he was learning, like these seven fundamental tenets of The Satanic Temple. Christianity has the same principles (Admittedly, “tenets” sound fancier than “principles” though)!
Let’s explore the similarities between the seven tenets of the Satanic Temple, and some key principles of Christianity.
Satanic tenet #1: One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
Christian principle: Amen! For example, the book we like best says the second most important command is to: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’
Satanic tenet #2: The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
Christian principle: Amen! Last year, this organization, International Justice Mission, convicted 1,244 traffickers and abusers in local courts, and is a Christian organization! Do Satanists have a similar organization?
Satanic tenet #3: One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
Christian principle: Amen! An unborn baby’s body is inviolable, subject to their own will alone!
Satanic tenet #4: The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one’s own.
Christian principle: Amen! Jesus was the king of being offensive to certain people! For example, he once said this a bunch of people! “You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded?” By the way, being called a snake was NOT a compliment back then! (In case you think it might be because you have a snake on your logo?)
Satanic tenet #5: Beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one’s beliefs.
Christian principle: Amen! There are many noteworthy Christian scientists including Francis Bacon (who invented the scientific method by the way), Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur, Francis Collins, and many, many others (including me!) Also, check out this this guy who talks a lot about science and Christianity! Also check out this post!
Satanic tenet #6: People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one’s best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.
Christian principle: Amen! For example, Jesus taught us to pray like this: Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Satanic tenet #7: Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.
Christian principle: Amen! We agree that the spirit of compassion, wisdom and justice SHOULD ALWAYS prevail over YOUR written or spoken word!
“Come and join our little club!” the tenants of Satanism suggest.
These seven tenets sound like Christianity or at least like something that regular people strive toward! (“Oh, and we also rip pages out of Bibles and have strange rituals including black mass and maiming ourselves with cigars, but that’s not a big deal!” they’ll mention later.)
So, I put my arm around my friend Ned Flanders and said, “If you want to be kind to others, go ahead and do that!” You don’t need to burn the book that is the pillar of our privileged culture in a weird ceremony or call yourself a Satanist to be kind and reasonable! (“Huh? What now?” said someone who just started reading this post).
What often happens instead is that you’ll get wrapped up in a whole lot more than you bargained for by joining this kind of a group – a group that seems great on the outside because it sounds a lot like the principles of Christianity, but is actually on the opposite team of truth.
Don’t fall for it, friend.
(Extricate the lies.)
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
Restoring Life 