from atheist to satanist...
Updated: Sep 20, 2020
atheist
/ˈeɪθɪɪst/
noun
a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods.
from greek "a"=without "theos"=god
later "athéisme" in French (my mother tongue)
here is thee logo:
and a the wikipédia article on Atheism
I have to admit, for a fun note, that to me, the Atheist logo looks a lot like the Star Fleet logo in Star Trek, and it is a bit hilarious ...
A part from being an obvious nerd in sci-fi let me tell you why I do not identify as an atheist anymore.
For the longest time, I would just say i was an atheist. Technically, I do not have a God, nor do I believe in one. I was lucky enough to not be raised by parents who believed in any given deity I was never baptized and I can only recall of two friends in my entire childhood and teenagehood/young adult life who prayed before a meal or went to church regularly.
Then during my teenage years I would say agnostic:
Agnostic /aɡˈnɒstɪk/
noun
a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God.
Cause yeah? what the fuck did I know? at least I, a thirteen years old girl, had the humility to recognize I didn't know if there was a God. I would say "oh yeah you can believe, I respect that, but I like to believe what I see you know".
In "Hail Satan?"( documentary by Penny Lane),talking about why he became a satanist, Stu de Haan , a pretty famous member and Lawyer of the Satanic Temple said something along the lines of "why define yourself by what you are not and not instead define yourself by what you are?" Atheism was not only boring and flavorless to me, but also lazy....being neutral, staying out of "gods business" was also anything but brave or noble... I didn't yet took it upon myself to reflect and work on defining myself and my beliefs.
here is couple different appreciation:
I believe in a deity/deities: I am a theist , a believer ( a christian, a muslim, a jew...etc)
I do not believe in a Deity am without God: I am an atheist
I do not know if there is a God: I am agnostic
I refute that God even exists: I am a non-theist
I do love myself some Odin, Thor, Loki, Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, Poseidon, Gaya, ...etc Kinda Gods. One of my favorite books is "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. That doesn't make me a believer though. I recognize Gods as a necessary construct for humans to try and accept the world they live in, find hope, give themselves a reason to act better...
I personally do not pray, I wish, I focus on what I want to happen and I might add a ritual in the mix yes, but without attaching it any hocus pocus, supernatural or superstition.
I recently conducted a destruction (by fire) ritual on a reproduction of my marriage certificate and other documents from my "union" to detach myself from that hurtful chapter of my life. I removed the significance carried by my wedding ring through a cleansing ritual through the five elements... and when I buried my ring, I buried this part of my life, it was done....i felt it, it was over.
Rituals, rites, are not necessarily related to a God. It is directly related to the person going through it. Many people have rituals, they might not consider that it is related to a religion, but it is definitely related to their belief system and their lifestyle. Do you do yoga?Do you like your espresso after your meal/is your morning coffee is a necessity or your day hasn't started? Do you have a morning, night skin care ritual/routine? Why? do you believe it will make you life better....be it chakra/spine, digestion, skin condition or else?
Humans are creatures of habit, we have rituals, things we like to do that makes us appreciate our life. Birthdays, harvest fests in the spring, Music festival in the summer, fall celebrations of halloween or the one annual pumpkin spice latte you still don't know why you buy every year, the third wednesday pizza and movie with the bestie, first friday art gallery exhibitions...
It doesn't need to be related to the birth of Jesus to be a rite. It doesn't need to be related to God to be a religion!
Hell! have you heard of veganism, crossfit, yoga, tiki, disney fandom, cosplay?
The dedication, the annual gathering/ pilgrimage, the daily practice... I am sorry but those are Religions.
religion /rɪˈlɪdʒ(ə)n/
noun
[...]
a pursuit or interest followed with great devotion.
*mosaic in which each piece is unique yet bound together by the same cement.
*leather pieces bound together with stitches of the same string of thread, by hard work, devotion and skills to created amazing tools and products.
*a bundle of very different sticks tied together by a humble and loose rope.
*pages of the same book, all different and bringing their own addition to the story and yet bound together under the same cover.
It is a perversion to think that Religion means deity/ God...
what makes a religion is the fact that a community of like minded folks get binded together, rallied, united; even remotely/ virtually; by the same "thing". The thing being a lifestyle, a passion, a hobby, a system of belief . You do not have to practice as a group, you can do it on your own without anyone knowing and still be a practitioner (it doesn't work if you are a drummer, don't lie to yourself, we hear you).
Religion doesn't necessarily mean biggotery though. Not everyone need to be a purist, a fanatic a biggott to be a "valid" member of a religion or identify as christian, cosplayer, yogi, satanist...
I identify as a satanist from the Satanic Temple in particular because the chore value of Satanism agree with me, I like the origin of Satanism in opposition to unfair arbitrary rules, the justifications of its surge and its existence. as Stu previously cited also said "it's called satanism because there' s simply nothing else to call it"The modern approach that the Temple offers is in total adequation with my personal views and therefore it wasn't hard to "sign up" for being an ally.
Before someone screams "it's a cult!"
....guess what honey, so is Harry Potter, Spice girls or Justin Bieber fandom.
in Latin "cultus" = worship ...do/did you have any poster on your bedroom walls?
I hate to break it to you but Islam, Buddhism or Christianity >cult
Sure thing Satanism worships Satan but in my case, Satan is the little part of me that stand up for what is right regardless of if it is mainstream acceptable or not, as long as it is right and just... Satan is the one claiming that being a girl and being strong, smart opinionated and curvy is not to be frowned upon. I have the right to be that! Satan is the one saying "you do you boo". He s not a red horned male figure torturing people in an underground dungeon where it is way too hot ...
- Jean-François Kahn. "En fait, toute religion est une secte qui a réussi. On donne d'ailleurs le nom de secte à toute église non officielle qui concurrence les églises officielles."
"It's a sect!" you say?
sect /sɛkt/
noun
a group of people with somewhat different religious beliefs (typically regarded as heretical) from those of a larger group to which they belong
DEROGATORY a group that has separated from an established Church; a nonconformist Church. "two of the older sects—the Congregationalists and the Baptists—were able to increase their membership dramatically"
a philosophical or political group, especially one regarded as extreme or dangerous.
It is all a matter of point of view, and sure, why not, I'll take it ...
To me, Satanism is only considered dangerous because it offers an alternative, equally just as valid option. And yes playing with fire is dangerous, but we wouldn't be here if no one tried to transgress a rule or two, mix a bunch of things together and make a discovery...
Vaccines are the mark of the Beast, at one point electricity was an heresy! Women gaining knowledge and becoming teachers, doctors, midwives, understanding how to seduce and manipulate ...witches!
I have to say though, never would i ever have suspected I was going to become an active member, part of the amazing community that i very fortunately found in TST.
I wish every single human being to find their "THING", their SatanFam, their community and support system. I wish everyone to prosper, bloom, grow, learn, better like i do where I am.