I'll admit, I'm not exactly your stereotypical Satanist. Not that most Satanists are "stereotypical" Satanists as most people think of them. Still, there is a certain aesthetic that people associate with the religion.
It has been said that to a certain extent, Satanism is a reactionary religion. Throughout history, people in power – particularly religious power – have used the label of "Satanic!" to smear things they think are not in keeping with Christianity. Women who stand up for themselves? Satanic! People having sex outside a one-man-one-woman relationship? Satanic! People choosing to form a family without involving the church in the process? Satanic! People who don't feel at home in the gender their body was born at, and choose to change it? Satanic! People who insist that Christianity doesn't deserve a special seat at the table, since it's only one religion among many? Satanic!
And at a certain point, enough people who were being "othered" by the Christian establishment said, "Okay, if you say so...." And so, as they stand proudly in support of individual empowerment, bodily autonomy, freedom to live and love how you will – all under the banner of Satan.
And a lot of Satanists lean into the stereotype. They wear all black most days. If their hair isn't black and slick, it's brightly colored. They have pets named after demons. They've adopted a Satanym, an alternate name that might be theatrical or subtle.
But a lot of us don't. I'll confess to having more black shirts than is good for me, but I actively try to avoid black or near-black in new clothing I acquire. While I do own a long black robe, it's more for Halloween than ceremonial use. You can usually find me in a tech-related t-shirt or a solid-color polo shirt. I don't look like people think a Satanist would look. I'm a dad to some awesome kids. I sing in the church choir. I dote on my kitties. I'm Serpent on this blog, but I'd feel a bit silly being called that in real life.
There are lots of Satanists more like me than like the stereotypes, I think. And when people realize that Satanists look just like everyone else, they often ask, "So why involve Satan at all?"
I'll state the obvious in saying that most Christians also look just like everyone else. Setting aside the sects with more distinctive clothing, which are usually as much cultural as religious anyway, there's not that much visually distinctive about Christians. Except they occasionally wear a Roman torture device around their necks, or have a shirt with a Bible verse on it. One could just as easily ask, "So why involve Jesus at all?"
And the answer would be the same – because the myth informs the worldview. To Christians, the myth of Jesus (though most twitch to hear it called a myth) frames their worldview of an existence with:
- Objective morality independent of era, culture, or background
- Innate depravity of humanity and innate perfection of God
- A divinity who architects the cosmos but is deeply concerned with your genitals
- A divinity infinitely loving but willing to condemn all to eternal torture in a location of His creation
- A redemptive arc – no matter how bad things are now, there's always heaven after you die
Similarly, the myth of Satan informs our worldview:
- A rejection of arbitrary authority or morals based purely on fiat, no matter the power of the one who espouses them
- Primacy of the self above all – self-determination, self-esteem, self-evaluation, self-improvement
- An insistence on dealing with the reality of the situation, even if that reality is painful or incompletely understood
- Focus on the material existence as the most important and likely only existence of note
Are there other myths that might reflect that? Perhaps. But the myth that we have centered around is the Satan of Milton's Paradise Lost – "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven!" It's the Satan of France's Revolt of the Angels – "No, let us not conquer the heavens. It is enough to have the power to do so. War engenders war, and victory defeat. God, conquered, will become Satan; Satan, conquering, will become God. May the fates spare me this terrible lot!"
This is the myth that we embrace. But unlike Christians, we know it's a myth, and we embrace it anyway.
Hail Satan! Amen.