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Satansplain #072 – Myth of Satanic Denominations (“No, it’s not like Catholics vs. Protestants”, part 2)

Continuing from the previous episode, a look at whether various “Satanic” groups can really be called different denominations of Satanism, with a particular look at groups formed after 1966, especially in the age of the Internet. No, it’s still not analogous to Catholics arguing with Protestants.

00:00:00 – Intro
00:02:15 – Review of episode 71, and why the Catholics vs. Protestants is still a bad analogy
00:07:25 – Why I don’t say “LaVeyan”
00:09:15 – Summary of episode 72, and “de facto Satanists”
00:14:26 – Dictionary argument and “Satanism is just any religion about Satan, right?”
00:18:54 – Summary of After 1966 – Theistic LHP Religions
00:23:04 – The Deism-to-Atheism Conspiracy Theory
00:31:15 – Non-theistic Satanic groups and Cevin Soling’s tax shelter (a.k.a. The Satanic Temple)
00:37:49 – Even more pseudo-Satanic groups I’ve seen
00:41:11 – No, these groups haven’t “evolved” anything
00:45:33 – Eco Satanism example, and collective action
00:48:43 – Rising up / Ecumenicalism
00:51:23 – Other lame reasons, e.g. wanting to do crime
00:55:06 – Other excuses: missing the boat on parts of Satanism, conspiracy theories of “Theistic LaVeyans”
00:57:27 – The Internet and the ease of declaring your own denomination/org
01:00:30 – Closing Remarks

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Satansplain #071 – No, Dummy, It’s Not Like Catholics vs. Protestants (part 1)

Exploring the allegation of Satanism having different “denominations”, why this view is inaccurate, and what’s really going on with these so-called “types of Satanism”. Also, why “gatekeeping Satanism” is a wise and necessary thing.

00:00 – Intro
02:16 – The problem of misinformation
06:32 – Reminder: Non-theistic religions exist, and Satanism is a religion
08:10 – The arguments I hear (re: this episode’s title)
11:26 – The TL;DL Summary (No, these aren’t “denominations of Satanism”)
16:16 – Who is (or gets called) a “Satanist”?
23:12 – What makes a religious denomination? Example: Catholics vs. Protestants
26:31 – Why “It’s like Catholics vs. Protestants!” is a bad analogy
30:31 – The Duck Test (and why it doesn’t work here)
33:15 – Before 1966, continued
36:42 – 1966: The Church of Satan and taking up a pejorative with pride

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Satansplain #056 – Past Occultism, 7 Hermetic Principles, Creationism

Occultism of the past! The 7 Hermetic Principles! The cosmic questions of human origin! Hear why none of these things are really applicable to Satanism.

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Satansplain #026 – Unraveling the Freemasonry/Illuminati/Satanism Conflation

Freemasons, Illuminati, and Satanism, oh my! Why do so many idiots continue to conflate these three things? Bill digs deeper into the origins of these mix-ups in this follow-up episode to Satansplain #025.

00:00 – Intro
02:30 – Recap of Nigeria (episode #025) and continuation of “part 2”
04:01 – The “TL;DL” Summary
06:10 – The “Eyes Wide Shut” ceremony…
08:31 – …was not “a Satanic ritual”
10:20 – A closer look at “Eyes Wide Shut”
12:06 – The problem with the “Duck” test
13:54 – The Hurricane Katrina “Satanic Symbol” conspiracy theory
14:32 – Robes, robes, robes; theatrics, theatrics, theatrics
17:35 – To the holy rollers who are incapable of having an objective conversation on this topic
18:39 – Fraternal orders
20:56 – …which are not religions
27:13 – Origins of fraternal orders
31:19 – College fraternity experience and why jesus freaks hate fraternal organizations
35:05 – The element of secrecy
42:27 – Skull & Bones vs. (social) fraternities
45:05 – Conspiracy vs. conspiracy theory. Clique vs. secret “Satanic” cabal.
48:10 – The Illuminati
49:58 – “Da Joooos!”
55:19 – Leo Taxil and the origins of Satanic accusations against Freemasons
57:30 – Why the (superficial) similarity in symbols?