I actually was incredibly intrigued
by the discussions and topics we covered in class on Tuesday. Going over sect,
denomination, and cult seemed like a very thin line to me, as shown in class
when we discussed the differences for a bit. The few that stuck out that though
we did go over in class a bit, were the briefly mentioned Satanists. I’m
fascinated with knowing whether or not what they would be categorized. I mean
reading online in different forums such did reveal that some believe it has
branched off from Christianity, some say it predates Christianity, and other
say it is completely its own thing.
After doing a little more research
(you know, googling Wikipedia…I’m mostly kidding) I was finding there was a lot
more to Satanism than from what I assumed in my angst ridden teenage years. Not
to mention my only interaction with a so called Satanist a few years ago was a
total tool who I think had more anger issues than legitimate religiosity. OK!
Back on topic! In a really cool article about a satanic group in Michigan on
USA today, they describe Satanism as a sect:
However,
given the little ties to Christianity and a majority of society’s declination of
Satanism, I think that it’s most likely to be labelled as a cult. Though it
technically has no real charismatic leader, a man named Anton LaVey did create
the church of Satan and is credited for bringing Satanism mainstream. Also much
like the Cult status, Satanism has no relationship with society or the
government, despite gaining grounds in now being allowed to worship Satanism in
the military. Much like Christianity though, Satanism has its own denominations
despite having such a small following, all of which appears to be slightly
different to the individual, once again showing that religion is a highly
personal and individualistic thing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanism
(ok...fine. Most of this I knew beforehand or wikipedia’d.)
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