h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just another point:
surely having 'rules' or guidelines or whatever actually restricts the freedom/self-indulgence of the individual? Why call it anything or follow anything? Why bother with all the magic shit? If you want to do what you want, do it. Don't follow a book.
(I don't personally follow this philosophy, but it seems to make more sense than Satanism).

I'm no satanist, but i think i can agree with you.
Not with your vehemence though, that would be too tiring.
I do find it funny that almost all of the rules i read above are principles I have come to holds myself as time progressed.

Which one is better? I do know, as do you x###, which one will live longer. Who inherits the holy kingdom? I don't even believe it exists.

Who punishes you if you break a rule? interesting. christians are punished arbitrarily by god when they break a rule, usually someone else in his name though. with the satanic rules, you get punished because you either deny yourself something you want and, according to satanism, then should have, or you are punishd by your environment becasue it has every right to destroy you if you harm it.
Which punishment is more direct?

I must say i don't preach satanism, but i do believe in self-determination.

So the question is between instant and delayed gratification?

I think Christians might argue that the delayed gratification is superior to the instant one, but that theory has yet to be tested. BTW, someone seemed to get the hump at my earlier posting. Lighten up! I have no belief system to defend and no reason to attack anyone else's. I asked a couple of shallow, light hearted questions, that's all. What is it with zealots that they have no sense of proportion? Geez.

Saying that the choice between Satanism and Christianity is between instant and delayed gratification is like saying the choice between two women (or men) with completely different personalities is between a blond or a brunette. Sure, one is blond and one is brunette, though this is merely an accompanyment to the person themselves and not a reason to choose one over the other. Unless of course that's the only thing that interests you in a relationship. In most cases with religion, however, if someone were truely THAT concerned over their gratification, they woulden't waste time on beliefs and just go for the gratification part. Satanism stands for more then "Do as you will cause you want to." if that's what it stood for, then it would be no less hippocritical then any of the beliefs it labels as being hippocritical because if everyone were to go around doing whatever they want to because they want to, there woulden't be much of a society left. It's the REASONING that is taken, the precautions built into the philosophy, that stop such a thing from happening among Satanists. A true Satanist, while he might very much want to kill someone for pointing out a mistake (and tell me you've never wanted to hit someone for being a smartass about something you've done), would never actually attack the person if they were correct in pointing out the mistake. Rather, they would learn from it. If the person tried to unnecisarrily make the Satanist feel stupid, THEN he might get a fist sandwich served with a side of Fava beans, but only in the case of an unnecesary criticism. One shoulden't choose Satanism based soley on their inturpretations of "now i can get away with things," but rather because they believe in the philosophy it represents.

Hey, I'm sorry you took offense to my posting, and I'm sorry you got shit on. That said...

In my experience, things are rarely so clear cut as "pee or get off of the pot." Gandhi's getting shot after a life of preaching non-violence could, and is, seen as a raw deal by many. However, in the act of shooting him, the gunman ultimately proved Gandhi right: violence doesn't solve a damn thing, in fact it makes a lot of things worse. (Like the breathing conditions of Mr. Mohandas Gandhi.) Before you come back with the "getting shot didn't do anything for him" argument, realize that Gandhi dedicated his life to service to his people, and ultimately the only measure of success in his particular regard is, did he help them achieve the goal they were aiming for? The answer being yes.

My point being, the world works on a much more open basis than, "fist somebody or bend over, or just leave right now." You're right, many things are subjective in life. The experience I have had with many Satanists though, (and I use the term to describe the followers of Mr. LaVey's philosophy) is that they are full of themselves, and promote selfishness to a degree that interferes with their social interactions with others.

Again, my apologies for having offended you, but this is my stand on the subject.

P.S. - The only time I've heard the term Yankee Rose is in a David Lee Roth song. Sorry.

first off I'm all cool when i looked back a little later and saw how i could have misinterpeted and don't waste time feeling sorry for me i did enough of that and it was an utter waste. also don't apologize. did you want to say what you said? Apologizing is like bitting your tail.
Satanism isn't quite "pee or get off of the pot" its more quit your bitchin, your alive, enjoy it and do what pleases you there are no limits that can hold you not sky, god or that numbness in your leg when you've been on the pot to long.
Violence solved what the gunman wanted it to solve. Violence is a tool just like diplomacy and others, the problem is it is the most abused.
Being full of yourself isn't bad as long as you don't dribble on peoples' shoes, they don't like that. Ego is a good thing, it encourages you to get what you want and not underestimate yourself, but anything can be taken to far. problem that most often happens is that those folk tend to overestimate themselves and become really annoying, so if they get in your " path" and trip you insure they don't "walk". don't stand by and let something annoy you eliminate it from your life one way or anouther. this doesn't me go on a mormon shooting spree, just get the point across that you would rather not be disturbed, talk to them and you may be amazed they might listen. I don't support "capping" anybody who gets in your way, just get them out of it.
HAIL SATAN!

You're ranting. You're twisting the more subtle codes of satanism into something blunt and rigid, non-negotiable. Not to come on too strong, but this simplification of an in itself intricate philosophy is the way to get people very very angry. It was also at the core of nazi proaganda. I'm serious. Nietzche was, in a way, very much the satanic individual; his creed was 'don't harm me and I won't harm you;
harm me and die.' Nazism bent that into 'you harmed me so you die', a simplification allowing only violence and calls nothing into account.
Same as you're doing. I don't believe satanism is like that, not after what I read earlier.

its not kill because somebody looked at you funny. Satanism isn't about guns and getting your way, if someone goes out of their way to harm you in any way return the favor. its not you harm me you die. if someone breaks your leg break both of theirs figuratively, find anouther way beyond violence to screw them and do it hard. i don't believe i'm twisting it to err, i'm just trying to clarify one of the points of satanism that people have the most beef with. maybe you just misinterpeted my above postings.

oh GREAT
you mean there are friendly, non-objectionable
satanists? well that just changes my whole world-view
cant we just all be atheists and get along?

aren't laVey satanists atheists by definition?

in a sence, yeah. LaVey Satanists don't believe in god, so they could be called athiest, but some would argue that athiesm means more than just no god. LaVey satanists have strong beliefs about the spiritual nature of man, they just doubt that there is any one being that encompasses such.

They are starting to appeal to me more and more, though I would probably never proclaim myself as such.
They have a stigma and I have a reputaion to think of; plus, they are a congregation. In fact, I would argue that their hailing of individualism contradicts their very congregation... but that's nitpicking. Are there any proclaimed satanists here?

I was raised my entire life as a Baptist in the buckle of the Bible Belt. But around the age of twelve or thirteen, I began to see the hypocracy that plagues almost every facet of the religion. I was never a "normal' kid, and was constantly ridiculed by the same people who taught me to love everyone and turn the other cheek. This often made me wonder if they don't teach you to turn the other cheek just so they can smack you on the other one.
As I began to lose faith, i started to wander in search of truth. I read about Catholicism, Bhudism, Yoga, Native American spiritualism, WICCA...anything i could get my hands on. For a while i was involved in a Devil Worship group parading the name Satanist, but quickly saw the error of that route. Then when i was older...seventeen or eighteen, I read the Satanic Bible again...and with the ability to read into metaphore that i didn't have before, i realized the wisdom LaVey had. This book said everything that i had ever come to believe about society and humanity. So I adopted Satanism. And so far it has never done me wrong. I do agree that after reading my artical over, it is a bit biased...that was unintentional. I think subconsciously i was testing the waters here, to see exactly how impartial and fair the Guide would be. And I was not disappointed!
Though...if you read Adams' books...most of the Guide entries are very opinionated anyway. The researcher gives his advice and opinion on the subject he writes about. After all...I am sure not everyone would like a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster...but the researcher who wrote about it seemed to.

First let me say...I am so thrilled that this is getting so much attention, though I hope noone is getting offended or angry...
(but if you are F### you...loosen up...if you don't believe it don't read it.)
Okay...Satanism and Free Will vs. Anarchy...
There is no GOD as christians believe...YOU are your OWN GOD. You control the direction your life takes with the choices you make, so you are the God...the Controler...of your life. You owe it to yourself to get as much pleasure out of life as possible because there is no proof of an afterlife or reward hereafter ( though that is not to say the Satanist doesn't believe in reincarnation or an afterlife...there is just no proof of it, so why waste time hoping for something that might not be there?) So...you do whatever you want...sleep with a million people...drink 5 gallons of whiskey a day...steal cars for a living...kill anyone who doesn't like your cologne.
BUT...here's the thing...there are consequences to everything, didn't you know? Sleep with a million people...but if you get AIDS it's your own fault...don't blame the devil for making you lustful. Drink 5 gallons of whiskey a day...but if your liver disintegrates or your wife leaves you it is your own fault...don't blame society for making you want to drown your troubles. Kill anyone who doesn't like your cologne...but when you are put to death for murder and they ask for your final statement, don't say the system is unfair. The Satanist will do whatever it takes to make him/her happy...But will also recognise that there are consequences for everything. The trick is being smart enough to judge whether the reward is worth the price. That's where survival of the fittest comes in.
Satanism and Magick...
it is up to the individual Satanist whether or not to believe in magick. LaVey did...but not as a gift from the Devil. Magick is the ability to influence the world around you in order to get what you want. It can take many forms. It can be as simple as knowing how to work the stock market to get the greatest gain...or knowing how to hack into a bank computer and giving yourself a million dollars. That is actually Magick in its most mundane form. There is also paranormal magick...not so easy to prove. But this comes from the will of the magician not from a demonic power. If you believe in telekineses or telepathy...the ritual magick of a Satanist is not that far of a stretch as it follows the same lines...using mind over matter to make events happen.

Thanks for being the first to proclaim your angle in this, thememaker.
You did repeat everything the thread already said a little, but hey, it was an okay read.

Funny how life works though. No offence, and pardon me for prying, but for example: What would you say if I told you that
-because you were drenched in a disappointing religion, you turned away from it towards any maverick religion you could find?
-After they proved a miss too, you went for something that concerned only you, so you could be the only one to disappoint you from now on?

In Satanism, you may have found that, but what I find so ironic is that Satanism itself can be seen as a religious congregation worshiping an allegory, not a defined being as such. Nonetheless, with all your aversion against religion, you still could do nothing but join one in the end. So are we all defined by upbringing, bloody well Amen. Hm?

I have nothing against religion as an idea...it has been said that anything that takes more presidence over your life than anything else and has more impact than anything else is your religion. Someone who sits at home 16 hours out of the day watching television...television is their religion.
It is my opinion that noone can be "individual" as in "unique." There are entirely too many people on this planet to asume that noone will have at least one twin walking around somewhere. And it is a very funny trap, I think that anyone who says they are an individual has instantaneously joined an ever-growing group of people who have said the same thing.
I didn't become a Satanist to get away from religion. I proclaim myself a Satanist because i found a group of people that profess to believe the exact same things that i do. I didn't just migrate to Satanism and then adopt the beliefs...I had the beliefs forming for many years prior...but when I read the Satanic Bible, and realized that Mr LaVey was saying EXACTLY what i had been thinking all that time...of course I agreed with him and wanted to be affiliated with that belief.
I didn't cling to the cult because i was in need of a "Void Filler" so to speak...if so i could have just as easily become a dope head or an alchoholic. That was done I must admit out of ignorance...I was young, my mind was still semi-saturated with Christian dogma, I still believed in Satan and thought it would be "neat" to have such DARK POWER at my fingertips. When I realized it was nothing but a breeding ground for hatred and violence and that i realy wasn't the person i was trying to be, I left.
The reason some of what i said was repeated from earlier responses was because i was trying to unify all the questions that had been asked and answer them as accurately as i could muster. I agreed with some of the answers that were given, so they popped up more or less paraphrased in my response.

I see. You may be right, and more power to you.