Manny the Satanist

Technically this happened this past April, but as of this third week of May, I have finished my graduate program and I now have my Master's Degree in Library and Information Science.  By all intents and purposes and consideration by my librarian peers, I'm now considered a librarian. I have Satanism to thank for this.  Why?  I'll try to explain this the best way I can. As some of you may know, I grew up going to the Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall.  This is a religious Christian organization that suppresses individual freedom and they expect you to dedicate your whole life to Jehovah, the Kingdom Hall, and to gathering more members for the Kingdom Hall until the day you die. One of the topics of sermons that I would keep hearing over the years is about how one should basically avoid going to university because it was considered the "Devil's Playground of Sin" (well, they didn't use those exact words but that was basically the idea they were trying to co...

I still see this on the Church of Satan's Twitter's comments sections but it's also been showing up A LOT on my personal Instagram's post's comments section in the last several weeks.  I'm going to settle this once and for all and I'm staying silent on the matter from now on unless someone really pushes my buttons. "Why is (The Satanic Temple/literally any other organization that claims to be Satanic or that claims to be theistic Satanism) not a legitimate Satanic organization just like the Church of Satan?" I'm going to try to explain this in the simplest way that I can. Prior to the founding of the Church of Satan in 1966, there was no evidence of the existence of any above/below ground Satanic groups.  The term "Satanic" was/is used by Christians or any other ignorant groups and individuals that describe things and people they considered "evil" or things they plain don't like.  Many people who went along with being ac...

It seems that Roe Vs. Wade and abortion have come up again in this country.  So people wonder sometimes where Satanists stand on the issue of abortion. (A couple of things I want to make clear before I delve into this: 1. I don't represent the Church of Satan or anyone but my individual self.  I'm not even a member of the CoS at this time of writing.  Yet!!! 2. If you've seen self-proclaimed "Satanists" who are from The Satanic Temple in discussions about Satanism and abortion, they don't speak for us real Satanists, either, since they're not a legitimate Satanic group.  I said what I said.  Bite me, pseudos! Moving on...) When it comes to the issue of politics and issues like this, Satanists usually are apolitical.  However, we are pro-anything that defends our personal freedoms.  It's not to say that we are all libertarians or anything.  I personally say that individual freedoms cover all political spectrums.  We're also not required to agr...

Lately, on social media, I've been seeing a lot of proverbial cheek-kissing, sympathizing, and dick-riding of those who are making life miserable for honest law-abiding people.  The non-satanic human herd has always had a habit of taking the side of those who commit crimes and saying that we shouldn't judge these miserable pests and that we should sympathize with them and understand them and not push for their punishment, and they say that we should not rejoice when criminals suffer some form of punishment, whether accidental or not.  They say we should not judge people who commit acts like shoplifting or vagrants who attack people on the street minding their own business or creeps who attempted rape on people unable to defend themselves (such as this rat-bastard who I had arrested for this horrendous act). Well, FUCK THAT SHIT. Anton LaVey said it best: "Anyone who says 'we must try to understand' those who make life undeserving of misery is abiding and abetting a...

Today’s my birthday and it’s been around a year since I first read The Satanic Bible .  I have some personal history with birthdays. As I’ve mentioned in my very first blog entry, my mom tried raising me as a Jehovah’s Witness (with no success, obviously; the complete opposite.  Not her fault, though.  Kind of).  I remember all those sermons I heard over the years that discussed birthdays and why the Witnesses were vehemently against them.  During the first couple of years in the Kingdom Hall, it didn’t make sense to me; I just thought this religion was run by prudes and that God was some boring asshole who didn’t want people to have fun.  I remember being invited to birthdays by friends and classmates and I’d have to decline because (my mom’s) religion forbade birthdays.  I was denied the chance to live like a normal person. If you want to hear something sad, I didn't have my first official birthday celebration until I was 21.  A coworker had to ...

So lately I've been seeing some buzz on social media for the past week or two about Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk going to space.  People are mad about this situation because they feel that these two individuals somehow have a responsibility to end some of the financial and societal problems that America has. A lot of you reading this will say I'm "defending billionaires" or some crap like that after you read this post.  You can say whatever you want about me; I don't care.  I don't even have a Master's Degree yet and I live a middle-class lifestyle.  I could care less what rich people do with their personal lives.  Personally, I don't like either of these clowns, especially Elon Musk; in fact, I can't wait till Musk fucks off to Texas.  However, I'm going to say what I'm gonna say here. This kind of whining about rich people is extremely un-Satanic.  I'll explain why in the best way I can. I feel like one of the main reasons people like to ...

Happy Independence Day, whoever reads this blog. I appreciate living in a country where I can say whatever I want, do whatever I want, and follow whatever philosophy that I choose.  I don’t get to do that in many parts of the world, so I never take these freedoms for granted. I’m happy that Satanism was born in America.  When I think of Satanism, I also think of Americanism.  Satanism is essentially Americanism.  I see the Sigil of Baphomet, I think of the American flag and vice versa. Our forefathers founded this country for many reasons, including to have the separation of church and state and to promote freedom, liberty, and individualism, as well as to be free from tyranny, whether it be political, social, or religious tyranny.  Those things to me are Satanism.  Those things are Americanism. Yes, I acknowledge that America is not a perfect country.  We have flaws that we need to work on, which we are doing to this day.  But here, I’m free to b...

Earlier today as of this writing, I just read the chapter “From Hallowed Halls” in Blanche Barton’s We Are Satanists: The History and Future of the Church of Satan .  In this chapter, there’s a section (pg. 339-40) where Barton discussed that when talking about Satanism, using the term “LaVeyan” is basically giving acknowledgment and equal leveling of other pseudo-satanic groups as also being Satanists. Anton LaVey himself said that that “there are Satanists and there are nuts.”  Magus Gilmore has also stated in his book that no other groups can be acknowledged as Satanic. I wholeheartedly agree with this.  If an individual or group isn’t abiding by the principles of The Satanic Bible , they’re not Satanists.  There were no Satanic groups prior to 1966.  Anyone else after that isn’t a Satanic group or individual, either.  Anton LaVey’s bible is the one sole authority on Satanism. So why do I personally keep using the term “LaVeyan?” I mainly do this on soci...

Satanic Rule of the Earth #1: Don’t give opinions or advice unless you are asked. - Anton Szandor LaVey, 1967. There’s a very good reason for this earthly rule.  Even since before the internet, people have had a habit of opening their mouths without thinking of potential consequences for doing so, or before thinking, for that matter. See, we live in a country where you can say whatever the heck you want, whether it’s good or bad.  Total freedom of speech.  However, you’re not free from the consequences of reaction of what you say. The habit of speaking before you think continues to exist, and it’s more prevalent on the internet.  People will tend to take what you say the wrong way sometimes.  Or sometimes people can’t handle what you spit out even if it’s truth.  Sometimes, you don’t say things before formulating it in your mind correctly first. These kind of shitstorms lead to drama and lost friendships.  People will sometimes not even give you a chan...

As many Satanists know, our religion symbolizes freedom.  However, some people have some screwed-up ideas as to what this freedom means. In the dictionary, hedonism is defined as “the pursuit of pleasure, sensual self-indulgence.”  According to my recently acquired We Are Satanists , Satanism isn’t just uncontrolled hedonism. The pursuit of pleasure shouldn’t be without lack of control or logic.  Doing whatever the heck you want doesn’t mean that very thing in the literal sense.  Obviously there are limits, especially within the context of the local laws that you have to follow. For instance, you can’t just do things like rob a bank or smoke in places you’re not allowed to do such things at, as exemplified by this guy I saw at the train station I just left as of this time of writing.  It doesn’t mean forcing your way into businesses without a mask on and acting like a Karen when someone calls you out on it. There are a few main things to remember as a Satanist: ...

June is Pride Month.  On this month 6 years ago, the United States Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide.  Ever since then, every June has been Pride Month. Now, when it comes to Satanism and gay marriage, our stance should be obvious: we fully support it. Basically, our philosophy is all about individual liberty and we generally support politics that help champion our individual freedoms.  So if two adults of the same sex want to marry each other, let them be!  It’s their choice to do so. Out of many religions I’ve seen over my 30 years on this planet, Satanism is the first religion I’ve seen that actively accepts people of all sexual orientations.   The Satanic Bible  explains this stance where Anton LaVey states that “Satanism encourages any form of sexual expression you may desire, so long as it hurts no one else” (pg. 69). The following quote is the one that I feel shows that Satanism supports gay marriage in The Satanic Bible .  In this...

I read this wonderful collection of essays in a matter of five days.  And the reason for that is that this was a good collection of essays.  I normally don’t read these types of books as I prefer novels and biographies but this was solid! These essays are written by many prominent faces of the Church of Satan and by many degrees of members from 1st Degree Satanist to Magistra/Magister.  There’s also a foreword and afterword by Magus Gilmore and Blanche Barton. These essays are about Satanic Theory and how they can be applied to every day life.  There’s essays about running businesses, interacting with the human herd, applying lesser and greater magic into one’s life, raising children, dealing with death, Satanic philosophy, and many other kinds of topics.  There were two essays in particular that I really liked because they took a shot at The Satanic Temple without specifically naming them.  And one other essay inspired me to deal with people who ask me whe...

I saw this on my Facebook timeline recently and I wanted to talk about this. The mention of Ayn Rand caught my attention because Anton LaVey drew much influence from Ayn Rand.  Rand’s philosophy was all about self-interest and looking out for number one (yourself). We’re all familiar with the story of Satan’s fall.  He didn’t want to be part of the herd.  He didn’t want to conform and think just like everyone else which is why he was kicked out. That’s what we Satanists model ourselves after, especially when it comes to religion, society, and looking out for ourselves. People like the man (if I can even call him that) in my picture think that when it comes to society, we’re supposed to help and care about everyone one else and care about everything that’s going on in society, which is fine, but he thinks that that’s all your life is supposed to be about.  He thinks being selfish and looking out for only yourself is evil. I don’t like that kind of mentality.  Tha...

Satanic Statement Number 9: Satan has been the best friend the church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years! (Anton Szandor LaVey,  The Satanic Bible , 1969). This is something to think about.  Remember my blog posts on personal responsibility and rock/metal music?  Satan is the one to scapegoat when they’re caught committing injustices and Satan is used to scare youth away from certain types of music.  These are tactics used by the church and used by their followers.  Blame Satan and utilize him for the needs of the church. It all comes down to using Satan as a fear-mongering control tool.  For thousands of years, Satan was used as a control device and a fear tactic by the Christian church in order to keep their followers in line.  The threat of eternity in hell with a demonic being who’d torture you for eternity was used to scare people into avoiding being human and living their lives the way they wanted to.  I remember all...

Satanic Statement Number 6: Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires! (Anton Szandor LaVey, The Satanic Bible , 1969). For as long as I can remember, personal responsibility has been one of my biggest personal philosophies.  Society loves to find some kind of scapegoat rather than clamor for the individual to own up to their actions. But let's talk about this from a religious perspective.  Christians, as well as others who are a part of some sort of spiritual religion, tend to look up to some sort of divine being in the sky or some other fictional character for guidance and to have their desires fulfilled.  They don't want to put in the work themselves.  They also rely on these divine beings because they lack something in their personal lives.  They pray and pray and wait for something to happen.  And when something does happen, good or bad, they blame either their God or Satan or some other being of their c...

When people think of Satanism, they think of a cult that worships an anthropomorphic devil.  They think of black robes, drinking the blood of babies, sacrificing animals and virgins, sex orgies.  Well, that’s all wrong.  That’s basically all the crap that’s been fed by the Christian church and entertainment outlets for thousands of years. Satanism is a religion and a philosophy.  For starters, we are atheists.  This may come as a surprise to many people.  We are a carnal religion rather than a spiritual one.  We don’t believe in a literal God or a literal Satan.  In fact, we don’t even believe in or follow the Christian interpretation of Satan.  Satan is more of a symbol and mascot for individualism, freedom, individual liberty, pride, and the dark force that exists in all of nature.  Satan is the role model for what we Satanists are about. In Hebrew, Satan means “accuser, opposer, adversary,” so in that sense, we Satanists are the accus...