Opinions About Pentagrams

[Seraphin]

Yes, there are some people (mostly rebellious teenagers or emotionally imbalanced folks) who claimed to be Satanists, and their path concerns itself with altering and influencing the course of nature. Followers of this path commit crimes, engage in immoral acts and sexual orgies with one another and sometimes with other entities, use illegal drugs and practice various other mystical gory and brutal exercises such as human and animal sacrifices.

There are many folks who really do those hideous crimes and claim they are Satanists just as there are some Wiccans, Heathens, Muslims and Catholics who are criminals. It has nothing to do with religion, but sometimes criminals commit cruelties in the name of religion. So, we allneed to employ a healthy amount of skepticism about those who are claiming they are Satanists. Of course, many Satanists are really authentic practitioners, so it is a mixed bag.

However, these practices became stereotypes of Satanic practices because there's multiple allegations and genuine crimes that arose during the 1980s and 1990s. And because of this, other types of Satanism such as Theistic suffer from misconceptions and this lead to an upsetting prejudice. Many people (both pagans and Abrahamic) in the generations that followed took this as a warning sign against practicing the path. From therein, the elements of Satanism have, for all intents and purposes, is labeled "evil", and its knowledge has been considered taboo.

It should be noted though that the serious Satanism study (as opposed to Rebellious teen-age, Anti-Christian and any other popularized versions) is closely connected to traditional pagan paths, teachings, and theology -- and is incomprehensible without them. It's been said that attempting to study and follow Satanism without first understanding Paganism, is like trying to fathom quantum mechanics without first mastering high school physics.

To say that Satanism in general is dangerous or deceptive is therefore a bit misleading, though a case can be made that some of it is spiritually, mentally and emotionally distracting, especially in light of the teaching of the Right-Hand Path walkers. Of course, as any seminary student knows, the same might be told about the works and ways of various Catholic theologians as well.

Now, that being said, I just still want to remind you all that discussions regarding "darker" paths and practices such as animal sacrifices, uses of bodily fluid in rituals, curses/hexes, and other aspects of Dark Arts is not permitted due to the nature of the mature and sensitive content of these topics (which we recognize is not what Satanism is actually about, but might be a draw for unstable individuals who might want to use Satanism or other similar paths as an excuse to try out these things). And besides being a misinterpreted path, even when mastered it can be at times dangerous. Many folks have deemed it as a precarious discipline for young, emotionally imbalanced and inexperienced people.

Anyway a post will be disapproved for public viewing if, in the judgment of the Forum Staff, the dominant theme of the post or thread as a whole appeals to the subjects or topics I mentioned above.

[SnowCat]

Siina, perhaps I should have been more specific. Linguistically, the prefix "pent," refers to five. Mathematically, the prefix "pent," refers to five. Using literary license, the prefix "Snow," in my name, refers to the cold wet white stuff that I detest driving in. Were Mrs. Clark still alive, and reading this, she would scold me for ending a sentence with a preposition.

IMHO, Hollywood has misused and glamorized the inverted pentagram/pentacle. There may very well be legitimate uses for such that I'm not aware of.

Snow

[Nightwatcher]

Ah, thank you very much for the details explanation Seraphin . I'd heard something similar from someone who is a Satanist themselves some time ago (someone I crossed paths with once).