Answering listener mail about Satanism and communism, as well as about Temple of the Vampire. This calls for some clarification on the difference between Church of Satan policy and individual Church of Satan member opinion, and why correcting misinformation is not the same as dictating behavior.

https://satansplain.com

https://www.churchofsatan.com/policy-on-politics/

http://templeofthevampire.com/

00:00:00 - Intro & Summary

00:05:27 - The difference between COS policy and individual COS member opinion

00:07:37 - Reminder: Satanism isn't "anything you want it to be". But we're not a hive-mind, either.

00:17:02 - Question about Satanism and communism

00:23:41 - Personal opinion: I hate communism. A lot.

00:27:54 - "ur fascists!" / "ur zionists!"

00:30:04 - My guess on what a Satanist communist's take would be

00:38:29 - Satanecdote: Count Dorkula

00:44:02 - Question about Temple of the Vampire (TOV)

00:47:22 - Yes, it's OK to be a member of both the COS and TOV. Obviously.

00:50:29 - Personal opinion: I reject TOV

00:52:46 - About TOV / My introduction to TOV in 1991

00:55:58 - TOV basics: Vampire Test #1

00:59:38 - Vampire Tests #2, #3

01:04:43 - "Test everything, believe nothing"?

01:08:09 - Final thoughts on TOV

Exploring ECI (Erotic Crystallization Inertia) and The Combination Lock Principle -- two Satanic concepts from "The Devil's Notebook" and their importance to Satanists.

00:00 - Intro

02:02 - About "The Devil's Notebook" and LaVey's other books

05:00 - Why ECI is Satanic

06:48 - Erotic Crystallization Inertia (ECI)

16:28 - Thoughts on ECI

23:30 - Why we have Satanic ritual

24:38 - The human phenomenon of ritual. Example: Wade Boggs.

26:04 - The Third Side to Ritual

28:55 - The Combination Lock Principle

30:08 - A point worth repeating

30:20 - The Combination Lock Principle (continued)

Contrary to what Christian propaganda claims, animal sacrifice is NOT part of Satanism. We'll explore rule number 10 of the 11 Satanic Rules of the Earth and what it means for Satanists in this episode of Satansplain.

00:00 - Intro 00:51 - Thanksgiving, Gluttony and Sloth 05:05 - Things worth repeating 07:08 - Satanic Rule of the Earth #10 12:51 - Thoughts on hunting 14:26 - Vegetarian Satanists do exist (and I'm not one of them) 15:58 - Thoughts on P.E.T.A. 17:30 - Which animals get to die? 27:47 - Satanecdote / Warlocks 30:20 - Coast to Coast AM 31:58 - Satanists with past religious affiliations

Envy and anger: two of the so-called "seven deadly sins", but gratifying virtues for the Satanist when played correctly. Also, exploring the meaning of Satanic Statement #3.

00:00 - Intro

00:58 - The value of reviewing the basics

02:24 - Satanic Statement #3, and when "self-deceit" is not really self-deceit

05:18 - What IS (hypocritical) self-deceit and "undefiled wisdom"

10:05 - Myth of the "Satanic Community"

12:56 - Getting together with other Satanists: no excuses in 2024!

14:36 - Flattery / motivation

15:44 - The 8th Satanic Statement and the 7 Deadly Sins

16:33 - Anger and Envy as motivators

25:00 - Satanism is not a cause (obsessive/compulsive Christian bashing; Satanic

Temple still sucks)

28:42 - Yes, We Have No Local Temples

Hear Bill's 2019 interview on an atheism podcast, advice on applying for Church of Satan active membership, and a Satanic anecdote about some Satanists who made some 1980s Satanic Panic outrage work in their favor.

00:00 - Intro

01:20 - Questions about applying for COS membership

02:18 - A rant against shitty writing

05:45 - Be honest, Be patient

07:37 - Satanecdote

10:20 - About Satanism interviews in general

20:00 - More about Satanism interviews, and this one

23:17 - 2019 interview with Atheism Underground

Happy Halloween! Answering some listener mail questions on Satanic ritual (from the ritualistic expression of wearing Satanic symbols, to use of the Infernal Names, to finding Satanists for full Satanic group ritual) along with Satanically philosophical takes on "respecting life" and not-so-sincere questions.

00:00 - Intro 02:26 - Seeking out Satanists in Person 06:19 - Infernal Names 11:12 - Ritual extremes: no structure vs. perfectionism (avoid both!) 13:15 - Ritual resources 13:39 - A First Ritual 15:24 - Reminder: Public "Satanism" endorsement doesn't help a cause  17:50 - Ritualistic Expression / Tucking in the Baphomet (but still wearing it) 20:34 - Lack of Aesthetics 22:39 - Ritualized Expression, continued 29:07 - YouTube Music?  30:31 - Philosophical Questions: "Respecting Life" / Annoying hypotheticals 39:51 - Satanecdote

A deep look into the so-called 7 Fundamental Tenets: the prank group who created them, their history of being changed, why they have nothing to do with Satanism, and how they compare to similar lists created in modern times.

Sources:

• https://web.archive.org/web/20130116090744/http://www.thesatanictemple.com/fundamental-tenets-of-the-satanic-temple/
• http://www.atheistmindhumanistheart.com/winners/
• https://www.penneypeirce.com/the-9-insights-from-the-celestine-prophecy
• https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe/principles

00:00:00 - Intro

00:04:18 - About Cevin Soling and his Satanic Temple

00:11:11 - The Tenets: The Original Preamble, and how TST originally professed to be devil worshipers

00:16:11 - Tenet #1 (and an overall examination)

00:19:58 - TST isn't Satanism and their antics don't work

00:26:49 - ...and TST doesn't care about children.

00:32:03 - Tenet #2

00:36:52 - Original Tenet #3 (later #6)

00:39:12 - Original Tenet #4 (thrown out)

00:42:22 - Original Tenet #5, "All life is precious in the eyes of Satan"?!?

00:46:49 - Original Tenet #6 (later #4)

00:49:38 - Original Tenets #7, 8, 9

00:53:00 - Like the list? You fell for a prank

00:56:30 - We can all write stuff better than the 10 Commandments; The Celestine Prophecy; The Secret

01:00:26 - "Atheist Mind, Humanist Heart" (2014)

01:03:47 - Unitarian Universalists and the 7 Principles

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

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

The twilight zone! The outer limits! The X-factor! No, we're not talking about television shows. Rather, a phenomenon called the supernormal. A look into the supernormal and how it differs from the so-called supernatural.

00:00 - Intro

01:33 - Supernatural vs. Supernormal

03:44 - Supernatural claims

07:06 - Why I reject the "supernatural"

08:32 - ...and equally-annoying Reddit Atheists

12:01 - Summary: the problem with both extremes

13:08 - ...and the compulsively non-committal types

14:17 - Quotations from "We Are Satanists"

23:10 - Listener mail (why I disable YouTube comments)

26:45 - Satanecdote (Denny's, 666)

31:34 - Listener mail (Satansplain & The Devil's Mischief)

32:40 - Listener mail (Stepford Wives and the Church of Satan film list)