[from http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/5666/~ TEXTS-SatVsDevilworship-en.html ] Satanism vs Devilworshipping by Blanche Barton _________________________________________________________________ "The idea behind starting the Church of Satan was not to gain millions of dependent souls who needed activities and organized weekly meetings to keep them involved. LaVey started an organization for non-joiners, the alienated few who felt disenfranchised because of their independence and pridefully adopted Satan, the original rebel, as their patron. LaVey wanted to make Christianity, which he sees as fostering stupidity and dull complacency, obsolete!" The Church of Satan and it's members are Satanist, not devil-worshipers, there is a difference! "We don't worship Satan, we worship ourselves using the metaphorical representation of the qualities of Satan. Satan is the name used by Judeo-Christians for that force of individuality and pride within us. But the force itself has been called by many names. We embrace Christian myths of Satan and Lucifer, along with Satanic renderings in Greek, Roman, Islamic, Sumerian, Syrian, Phrygian, Egyptian, Chinese, or Hindu mythologies, to name but a few. We are not limited to one deity, but encompass all the expressions of the accuser or the one who asvocates free thought and rational alternatives by whatever name he is called in a particular time and land. It so happens that we are living in a culture that is predominantly Judeo-Christian, so we emphasize Satan. If we were living in Roman times, the central figure perhaps the title of our religion, would be different. But the name would be expressing and communicating the same thing. It's all in the context." Blanche Barton, "Secret Life Of A Satanist" _________________________________________________________________ (c) Millenio. EOF