Do American Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe in the same god? Nominally, at least, the answer seems to be an obvious yes: I think Americans whose religion falls into the Abrahamic tradition in general identify their god as being the same god worshipped by other such Americans. But in practical terms, that may not be the case; even American Christians may functionally believe in a different god than other American Christians.

This episode is available in video format on YouTube

Transcript (with citations and references) available at asatanistreadsthebible.com

In this episode I’ll be examining two particularly fanatical manifestations of religious belief, with discussion on Aum Shinrikyo and a look at the Branch Davidians.

This episode is available in video format on YouTube

Transcript (with citations and references) available at asatanistreadsthebible.com

I’ve generated five stipulative definitions for magic: stage magic is a performative art in which neither performer nor audience truly believes that magic is taking place; magic proper is what we find in fictional accounts such as Harry Potter; type N pseudomagic describes real phenomena outside of present scientific models which could be studied, explained, and understood, but which have not been; type K pseudomagic describes real phenomena which are magic-like in character and which are explained by present scientific models; and type P pseudomagic is magic performed for the purpose of creating some personal psychological effect. Type K pseudomagic does indeed exist, with electromagnetism being an example. The potential existence and nature of pseudomagics type N and P will be explored in this essay.

This episode is available in video format on YouTube

Transcript (with citations and references) available at asatanistreadsthebible.com

The questions I’m aiming to answer are one, whether there are any phenomena like electromagnetism which might be considered magic if we considered their properties independently of their realness (in other words, whether there are any other forms of type K pseudomagic beyond electromagnetism and whether there are any forms of type N pseudomagic at all); and two, if magical practices might be incorporated into personal religious belief and practice in a non-realist way (whether type P pseudomagic is viable, in other words). But first I’ll need to figure out more about what magic is.

This episode is available in video format on YouTube

Transcript (with citations and references) available at asatanistreadsthebible.com

This month A Satanist Reads the Bible turns to the thematically-appropriate subject matter of magic, which will be the subject of this episode and the subsequent two.

This episode is available in video format on YouTube

Transcript (with citations and references) available at asatanistreadsthebible.com

Third of my three-part series on the moral theory of perfectionism as it relates to Satanic religion.

This episode is available in video format on YouTube

Transcript (with citations and references) available at asatanistreadsthebible.com

In the last episode, I examined the moral philosophy of perfectionism as formulated by the philosopher Thomas Hurka. I recommend listening to that episode before this one, as this essay is a continuation and will build on the foundation that I established in that one. But to sum up, perfectionism posits the development and exercise of our characteristic human capacities—those things which are unique and essential to humans—as being intrinsically good and the foundation for right action.

My objective here will be to start with the basic premise of perfectionism and rebuild it from the ground up, allowing it to conflict with our moral intuitions where it must while simultaneously seeking a foundation on which I can build a more robust defense against bigotry.

This episode is available in video format on YouTube

Transcript (with citations and references) available at asatanistreadsthebible.com

This episode opens a three-episode series, following the structure of my last three episodes, in which I will be exploring moral philosophy from my Satanic perspective. In this particular episode, I’ll be surveying moral philosophy in general and taking a look in particular at the philosophy of perfectionism. On the 16th, I’ll be exploring perfectionism more in depth, especially in terms of its relationship to Satanic religion, and then the 26th will be a more poetic expedition into the subject matter.

This episode is available in video format on YouTube

Transcript (with citations and references) available at asatanistreadsthebible.com

A quick update on the state of the project. Normal episodes—at least as normal as they ever are—will resume September 6th.

The theopoetics of Satan the Accuser, with opening and closing invocations performed on the oud.  

We need not reach into the primordial to apprehend bereshit, the continuous beginning which opens from the first chapter of Genesis. We need only wait for the dusk to see that which God has divided between.  

Transcript (with citations and references) available at asatanistreadsthebible.com