[from http://members.aol.com/asmodeus/satan.htm ] Satan exists. It has become widely accepted that Satanists do not believe in or worship an entity known as Satan, however, as with most doctrines that are accepted by the majority, this simplistic rationale has validity only on an elementary level. The idea that Satanists are, in reality, mere atheists who utilize the "forces of darkness" to attain their ends, while indisputably utilitarian, leaves one to wonder why we take the Devil's name as our own. The answer to this query lies far deeper than the exploitation of Christian iconography for shock value. Satan most assuredly is not, except in the minds of some Christians, the anthropomorphic anti-deity He has come to be represented by. He does not have horns or cloven hooves, wield a trident, or preside over a fiery inferno in the depths beneath the surface of the earth. This conception of Satan, though exploited by Satanists when and how it serves our purposes throughout history, has no basis in truth and is as obsolete as the Christian conception of God. There is a force behind creation and evolution, a force which has guided mankind from his lowly beginnings to his present proud stature as the manipulator of his environment. A force that can be tapped into and utilized to further the competent and creative individual's goals through manipulation and black magic. This force is what we as Satanists recognize and revere for what it is, the manifestation of power, progress and evolution. Its presence is evident in human nature and the natural laws of the earth, for it is the very catalyst responsible for their existence. It is this all-consuming force that we call Satan. The human animal has developed over the aeons as the masterpiece of creation; to the point where he has the option of altering his environment to conform to his wishes rather than adapting to it in its original state. Through the utilization of this ability, mankind often creates scenarios detrimental both to his progress and that of the environment which he manipulates. One task of the Satanist is to counteract this human error and to achieve progress on both the environmental and human scales, so as to attain true evolution. The path to this evolution is inherent in human nature, and is decidedly anti-Christian. Through a study of this human (animal) nature, of the laws which govern our world, and of the course of our evolution, it can be seen quite plainly that the only true blasphemies against our creator's will are the doctrines espoused by Christian teaching. Satanism is a philosophy which strives to embody the principles of power, progress and evolution, and challenges us to find these qualities inherent in ourselves. We must be confident in the abilities bestowed upon us and take responsibility for our actions. To do otherwise is, to the Satanist, sacrilege. Just as Satanists are much more than dabbling atheists, neither can our objectives be defined as simple pleasure or even happiness; while hedonistic to a point, we represent much more than basic hedonism. Satanists are revolutionaries. We are a dynamic group of individuals whose goals, just as any one person's, are myriad and, more often than not, abstract. It can be said with certainty that evolution and progress are our primary goals; Pentagonal Revisionism outlines a concrete plan to achieve these objectives on a society-wide scale, as it strives to make our culture free from the hypocrisy inherent in Christianity and expedite mankind's adaption to his environment and his environment to his will. Through the practice of Lex Talionis, the law of the jungle, we follow the natural Satanic path of development. To the Satanist, life is the pursuit of power. As humans, as animals, we are ever reaching for self-fulfillment and a realization of all we can achieve. We are our own gods, we control our fate and take sole responsibility for our existence. It is through the utilization and magnification of the ego that we exercise this control and alter our perceptions so as to attain goals denied us through conventional means. Satanists achieve this perceptual alteration via the use of ritual to access mindsets not often taken; using our creative force enables us to more fully experience life, its pleasure and its pain. In this manner we enable ourselves to push our limits and expand our abilities by concentrating intense emotional energy and adrenaline. The methods through which we harness these forces are limited only by our imagination and physical, mental and emotional endurance. -------------------------------------------------------------- All written material copyright (c) 1997 DemonSword Grotto. All rights reserved. Asmodeus@aol.com EOF