From: rtsumn01@ulkyvx.louisville.edu
Newsgroups: alt.satanism
Subject: Re: find lives revisited
Date: 9 Sep 92 16:16:46 GMT
Followup-To: alt.satanism
Organization: University of Louisville

In article <mkellehe-060992224513@lafmacconsultant.lafortune.lab.nd.edu>, j1moody@darwin.cc.nd.edu  writes: 
> Well, after playing the devil's advocate and getting a few of you big bad
> Satanists to tell why you really consider yourself as such, I have a few
> insights.

Ah. After dropping in with your arrogant assumptions and finding that we are
not such easy prey, you "have a few insights."

> You're not all the teenage punks playing with magic that I first
> envisioned.

That's right. When you jump to conclusions, you may find that you are jumping
into a bottomless pit.

> Actually, most of you sound more like followers of Ralph Waldo Emerson
> than Satan, with all this talk about being self-determined and free willed.

Not being familiar with Emerson, I can't really comment on this. But free will
is a common idea, occuring in xianity among other places; why do you attribute
it to one source?
 
> Yet, if you are so free willed, why would you put yourself in the bondage
> of your every sensual pleasure (one of the doctrines of Satanism).

First off, it sounds to me like you are referring to the doctrines of the
Church of Satan. Don't assume everyone follows CoS; I certainly don't.

Second, I am not enslaved to my every sensual pleasure; I take care of myself
physically and mentally. This means that I do not go out of the way to deprive
myself, but neither do I indulge my body if I feel something else, such as
studying, is more important. I think most people here, no matter what they
believe, would agree with me on this.

Finally, I personally don't believe in absolute free will. We are all slaves to
some degree--to our bodies, to our thought patterns, to the laws of physics. We
all have restrictions. My goal is to not be bound by artificial restrictions,
such as those imposed by xianity, that interfere with my well-being.

> And why would you label yourselves Satanists?

Because I believe in a supernormal entity that can be somewhat described by the
term "Satan" and revere it as a source of wisdom and power. Why else?

> Is it that you are so 
> caught up with an irrational hatred of religion as it was handed down to
> you that to be free means to spite what you claim restricted you?

No. If I had an irrational hatred of religion, I would not have one. As for the
religion that was handed down to me, I was raised by agnostic/atheistic parents
and haven't been to church since I was five. I don't care for the established
religions, in fact I have a strong hatred of them, but I have good reasons, and
I do not follow my chosen path out of spite.

Now, I have a few personal remarks.

You, human, are flamebait. You are commiting a gross abuse of this system in
your manner of posting. If you are truly interested in discussing the facts
then you should ask your questions in a civilized manner, rather than attacking
those whom you disagree with. I don't know how manly other newsgroups you may
have done this on, but I know that the treatment you got on alt.atheism is the
one you truly deserve. Do you really expect people everywhere to treat you like
a mature adult after you've just called them "assholes"?

May God bless you,

--Semhaza (The Antichrist)
Newsgroups: alt.satanism