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Satansplain #053 – Let’s You And Him Fight!

“Let’s you and him fight!” cry the onlookers who’d like to see Satanists spar with Christians for their public entertainment. Let’s not. Also: the Satanic calendar year, the concept of I-Theism, and a surprising email from Nigeria.

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Satansplain #052 – Christmas Myths

With the Christmas season comes a lot of popular Christian myths. And they’re hardly limited to the holiday’s pagan origins. Also, answering some listener mail about fear of other people’s beliefs, and Satanic ritual protocol.

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Bill M. on The Devil’s Salon podcast

Recently I was a guest on The Devil’s Salon; a Satanic talk podcast for Satanic gentlemen. This was the Novemver 26, 2023 episode, titled “Comedy and Masculinity for the Satanic Gentleman with Magister Bill M.”. The show is available on a variety of platforms, including the links below.

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Satansplain #051 – Fine, Let’s Play the Dictionary Game

To those who would try to use the dictionary to discredit Satanism: Fine, let’s play the dictionary game. Also, Bill answers some questions about Satanic altars and selectively dealing with trolls on-line.

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Satansplain #049 – Satanic Ritual, Part 2

The topic of Satanic ritual continues in part 2, with answers to questions on the standard 13 Step ritual, the use of archetypes and ritual mudras, the psychodramatic mindset, and Satanic group rituals.

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Satansplain #048 – Satanic Ritual, part 1

Despite ritual being an integral part of Satanism, misconceptions still persist, even among some Satanists. Enjoy part 1 of a special two-episode exploring Satanic ritual. Happy Halloween!

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Anton LaVey was an atheist and Satanism is a non-theistic religion

Despite the claims of some illiterate devil worshipers, Anton LaVey was an atheist. Meaning, he did not believe deities to exist. That includes Satan as an actual deity. There are multiple, independent sources where he states this position. You can read many of these in the article “What, The Devil?” at https://www.churchofsatan.com/what-the-devil/ .

Here is an additional quote, from 1971, from his “Letters from the Devil” column: “The Satanist fully recognizes that Satan is nothing more than a symbolic entity representing man himself; his carnal and physical desires, his freedom from enshackling doctrines, and his intellectual capacity to reject those elements of man-made law which prevent him from engaging in life to the fullest. To suppose that Satan is a substitute for the Christian “God” is entirely erroneous. Man himself is the God; Satan is merely the symbolic representation of the WHOLE man and is given a place in Satanic ritual as a strengthening device to affirm one’s own convictions.”

The topic of atheism and non-theistic religions is also thoroughly covered in Satansplain #016:

Another tiresome claim is that LaVey claimed to believe in Satan in a 1974 Cloven Hoof newsletter. The letter in question was written by Michael Aquino, whose conflicting theistic beliefs led him to his exit from the Church of Satan. Anteater-worshiping Aquino of course spent the rest of his life trying to discredit LaVey and the Church of Satan. Read LaVey’s words from his essay Hoisted by His Own Patois.

Yet another lame argument is that Magistra Blanche Barton “confirmed” LaVey’s belief in a literal Satan in “The Barton Letter”. But rather than answering the question “Did Anton LaVey believe in Satan?”, she chose to answer a different question: “Did Anton LaVey believe in Satanism and the Church of Satan?” He certainly did.

Additionally, keep in mind that an atheist who personally eschews the term “atheist” for themselves is still an atheist. George Carlin for example didn’t like using the term for himself, even though he undoubtedly was an atheist. The same with Tom Lehrer. A lot more people who don’t believe in a deity, however, became more comfortable with using the term by the 2000s with the New Atheist movement.

In summary, people claiming to be “Theistic LaVeyan Satanists” seemingly can’t read, or at least lack the mental capacity to comprehend metaphors. Anybody claiming that Anton LaVey “really” believed in a literal Satan and that the Church of Satan’s position somehow changed later, is simply lying. Don’t take my word for it; look at the documented evidence instead of going by hearsay, anecdotes, or by poetic waxing misread by people who can barely type.

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Bill talks about Clive Barker’s “Nightbreed”

Recently I was a guest on the Reaper’s Underground podcast, this time to rant and rave about my favorite movie, Clive Barker’s “Nightbreed” (1990). I also talk about some of the Satanic significance of this film, read an excerpt from an essay written by Church of Satan High Priest Peter H. Gilmore from a rare reprint of the novel “Cabal”, show off my Nightbreed merchandise collection, and also read a bit from the original novel.

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Satansplain #047 – The Church of Satan is a legally-recognized religion

The Church of Satan has a long history of being a legally-recognized religious organization. From weddings, to funerals, to the armed forces, to court cases, we’ll look at some examples and what they mean. Also answering listener mail asking for Satanism’s take on astrology and also the Furry phenomenon.

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