Did you know there is a Temple of Satan in South Africa?

For 2000 years, Christianity has preached about following God and adhering to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

While, Christianity is one of the largest religious organisations on the planet, do you know there is a church for Jesus’ nemesis, the evil one?  Yes, the Church of Satan exists, and its congregation lives among us. Surely this can’t be true in today’s day and age!?

The Church of Satan was founded by Anton Szandor LaVey on April 30, 1966. According to its official website, the Church of Satan focuses on the acceptance of man’s true nature, that of a carnal (sexual) beast, living in a cosmos that is indifferent to our existence.

While millions of devout people view Satan with fear, considering him the ultimate evil, Satanists don’t necessarily share this view. Satan is apparently a symbol which suits human nature, in that people are carnal by birth, feeling no raging battles between our thoughts and feelings. Old Lucifer is also a symbol of pride, liberty and individualism.

Furthermore, by default, Satanists don’t even believe in their deity. How so? Well Anton LaVey explained in the Satanic Bible, that mankind created their respective gods. LaVey believed people struggle to accept or control their personal lives, emotions and what is happening around them, which is why we need gods.

But, how can Satanists go to a church when they don’t even believe in the fallen Angel?

Satanists are generally atheists who believe in themselves, with Satan as a metaphorical representation of their own personal potential. However, there are those who view Satan as an actual being and worship him as such, such as the Lilin Society which is borderline aggressive. While Satanists do not believe in Satan himself, this did not stop the Satanic Temple unveiling a 9-foot statue of Baphomet (Satan) in Detroit, Michigan…awkward

What are the seven tenets of actual Satanic belief?

• Strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
• The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
• One’s body is inviolable (never to be broken), subject to one’s own will alone.
• The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To wilfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo your own.
• Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs.
• People are fallible (capable of making mistake) . If we make a mistake, we should do our best to rectify it and resolve any harm that may have been caused.
• Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.

With Satanic churches in America, such as Black House in San Fransico, California, we as South Africans don’t have to worry about Satanic churches here at home… Or do we?

Satanism is a legal religion in South Africa, protected by our constitution, like other religions. But, what about the ritual human and animal sacrificing? Surely this is illegal?

According to reports, Satanists do not practice any form of ritual sacrifice. This is because it goes against their core beliefs as atheists. Ritualistic sacrifices come from misguided movies, books and people who feel they need to hurt others to appease Satan.

Satanism is no stranger to our country, as The Satanic Temple of South Africa has a following of 1881 people on Facebook.

Then there is Witchfest, Africa’s biggest Metal festival. The festival saw Behemoth, a Polish extreme metal band, make its way to South Africa in 2016 as part of the South African Satanist Tour of 2016, where the band played its album, The Satanist.

Why is this allowed in our country? Satanic Panic spread through the world in the 1980s, peaking in the early 1990s. While hysteria and scepticism flowed, the South African Government saw the need to create the SAPS Occult Related Unit, the world’s only ritual murder unit.

To be a part of the task team, one needed to be a Christian. This unit was spearheaded by Kobus Jonker, who was succeeded by Dr Attie Lamprecht in 2000. The unit was disbanded in 2006.

The issue with this unit, is that from a Christian perspective.  A lot of occult and pagan practices are deemed satanic by the Christian church. The removal of the unit from the SAPS website was only done following the South African Pagan Rights Alliance requested the removal of discriminatory material.

Do you think Satanists pose a threat to society? Or do you feel they have the right to practice their religion in peace, like everyone else? Do you know any Satanists, if so, what are the biggest misconceptions about the belief systems?