My path to Satanism – Satanic Bible

Satanic Bible

This was also the time I found the Satanic Bible by Anton Lavey. It certainly raised eyebrows when I bought it.

But, after a thorough read, nothing about the Satanic Bible struck me as “Demonic.” There were rituals, but they were quite benign, certainly no mention of baby sacrifice. In fact, Lavey condemned such actions.

I came away with the sense that Satanism was about the self. It had nothing to do with Satan as an entity. It also had nothing to do with drugs, reckless sex, committing illegal acts, or worship of any sort.

It was about understanding urges, desires, and needs and not being afraid of them. Sexual desire was normal. Wanting money for material things was normal. Feeling shame and guilt over those desires was a waste of time.

By and large it wasn’t bad advice.

The Panic was still in full swing by the time I got to college, but away from parental eyes, I listened to Def Leppard anyway. I read Rush lyrics and found them both poetic and deeply meaningful. Using the college library, I researched more deeply into the lore surrounding D&D, adventure games and all the ideas they presented. Again, nothing demonic or evil.

What I began to see where the lies, deceit, and misinformation from Christian groups. None of their claims were true. Ten minutes of fact checking proved these ideas and stories were fabrications, wildly exaggerated, or a gross misunderstanding. But, they kept on coming, and still do today.