Archive for the 'Read A Book, Idiots!' Category
Excerpt from Bearing The Devil’s Mark
from “Absolutes Can Corrupt Absolutely”
Copyright © 2003 by Matt G. Paradise. All Rights Reserved
Death and taxes aside, there are very few absolutes in the world. In fact, that last statement might just be one of those few. Some of us learn this following our childhood, when the blinders are ripped away and previously assumed absolutes prove themselves to be mere inventions of man to keep the gears of civilization moving. From a social engineering standpoint, some are rather useful and serve to keep otherwise unstable and weak-minded people in check.
Other so-called absolutes, however, are largely useless and only work to keep many of the not-so-unstable people needlessly in lockstep with mindless conformity and away from certain types of confrontation — in effect, reinforcing a childlike state, with the Powers That Be serving in the capacity of stern father. Life may be easier this way, but to the Satanist, it is little more than a position for slaves.
Much of the confusion has a profoundly causal link to others — past or present — who hastily force-apply a label to something that may not require it, or to malign a concept or condition for the sole purpose of convincing others that one has the positive solution to that condition, all to gain a certain status. Same game that many of the God religions play: in order to seem “good,” they invent an “evil” in order to provide contrast to and, thus, bolster the semblance of this “good.” Those who stray from this artificial duality (and especially succeed in persuading others to do likewise) are said to be a “corrupting” influence…
…Probably the most revealing aspect of all of these supposed absolutes, and in stark contrast to the mindsets that the adherents to them all seem to have in common, is that much of the remainder of the animal kingdom really doesn’t share this form of self-deception. Neither does the Satanist… and rightfully so, since we acknowledge and uphold our animal nature while most people try so desperately to shed theirs and deny it. To parallel, non-human animals consistently live in reality: they recognize pain and pleasure and know the difference, danger is always real and not merely a concept, and relations with others (either of the inter-species type or not) are based upon experience and not memorized social dictates. The world isn’t black and white for either us or the non-human animals because the latter can’t afford to entertain such nonsense and we as Satanists possess the ability to see through the so-called absolutes intellectually, know through our greater access to our instincts that said examples are a sham, and with both instinct and intellect in balance, we act or react productively…
Want to read the rest of the essay? Pick up a copy of Bearing The Devil’s Mark today!
No commentsHappy Walpurgisnacht!
And now, a few words from the good Doktor…
“Christ has failed in all his engagements as both savior and deity. If his doctrines were that easily misinterpreted, if his logic was that specious, let’s throw it out. It has no place. It is worthless to a civilized society if it is subject to gross misinterpretation.”
“The popular mind has never displayed an overabundance of objectivity. The popular mind accepts most data with little or no question, unless it happens to hurt. Then it is rejected.”
“I believe in the glorification of the ego. That is a good separation process. A pumped-up, overinflated ego will display a fool’s flaws quickly and put him out of the running, while the worthy will rise to meet the added responsibilities that will accompany their exaltation.”
“I don’t find popular pursuits distasteful per se, only the hysteria which accompanies them. Yet I also realize that without that very popularity, less unification of the herd would transpire, leading to chaos and loss of control. That is why I recognize a need for popular pursuits and would do nothing to discourage them. Just count me out.”
Today marks the 44th Anniversary of the Church of Satan. And tonight, on this Walpurgisnacht, we raise a toast to our organization and to Anton Szandor LaVey for his strength and foresight in founding a religion based on the carnality and rational self-interest that many claim yet few embrace.
Hail Dr. LaVey! Hail the Church of Satan!
No commentsLetters From The Devil – Now Available
The lost writings of Anton Szandor LaVey! In slim volume are over 60 tabloid newspaper articles written by the founder of the Church of Satan, long thought to be forever lost and forgotten. Now available through Underworld Amusements by clicking here. Want a sample? Check out this one from the official Church of Satan website.
from churchofsatan.com – Anton Szandor LaVey (1930—1997) was the founder of the Church of Satan, the first organized church in modern times promulgating a religious philosophy championing Satan as the symbol of personal freedom and individualism. Unlike the founders of other religions, who claimed exalted “inspiration” delivered through some supernatural entity, LaVey readily acknowledged that he used his own faculties to synthesize Satanism, based on his understanding of the human animal and insights gained from earlier philosophers who advocated materialism and individualism. Concerning his role as founder, he said that, “If he didn’t do it himself, someone else, perhaps less qualified, would have.”
2 commentsFrom Satan To Sabbath: The METAL Interviews
Author and veteran drummer Joel Gausten (Pigface / The Undead / Electric Frankenstein) has released his latest book, “From Satan to Sabbath: The METAL Interviews 2000-2009,” which collects 16 conversations from the world of Hard Rock and Metal.
The 192-page “From Sabbath to Sabbath” includes the complete text of Joel Gausten’s out-of-print book “The SABBATH Interviews,” selections from Gausten’s books “Prong: The Early Years” and “Pandemonium: Inside Killing Joke,” cover art by Shannon Gardner-Gausten and previously unpublished, full-length interviews with past/present members of Aerosmith, Plasmatics, Celtic Frost, Opeth, Thin Lizzy, Bolt Thrower, Benediction, Hades, Watchtower and Napalm Death.
From exploring Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward’s former life on the streets to revealing the real story behind guitarist Rick Dufay’s notorious stint in Aerosmith, “From Satan to Sabbath” cuts through the P.R. fluff and media propaganda and gets right to the flesh, blood and soul of the real world of Metal – straight from the mouths of those who live it.
Joel Gausten is an award-winning journalist and the author of six books, including “Tales Of Horror: The History of The Misfits & The Undead” and “Words From The Third Side: Essays on Sex, Satan & Success.” A drummer for nearly 25 years, he has worked with a vast array of artists including Pigface, Electric Frankenstein, The Undead and Effectionhate. He got his start in the music business as a promoter for The Misfits.
Softcover | Limited Edition Hardcover
No commentsUA Variety Hour: Episode 1
From my good pal, Kevin Slaughter…
John Derbyshire, author of the new book We Are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism, sat down for a discussion of atheism and conservatism, math cranks and more in our first proper episode. Your host Kevin I. Slaughter discusses the post hoc ergo propter hoc logical fallacy and touches on the myth of the noble savage by way of a quote from an author stolen from an interview on the Skepticality Podcast and by lifting a passage from Pinker’s The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature. We also hear an archival recording of HL Mencken discussing his philosophy of drinking, and a plug for the new UA release Laffs & Juggs.
John Derbyshire has previously released the novels Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream: A Novel (1997), a New York Times “Notable Book of the Year,” Fire From the Sun (2000) a storyline written in an astounding 76 chapters in 3 volumes. His non-fiction books Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics (2003), Unknown Quantity: A Real and Imaginary History of Algebra (2006) and now We Are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism (2009).
In addition to the books, he has over three and a half decades of journalism and reportage under his proverbial belt. A selection of the magazines and newspapers he’s written for: Nat. Review, NYT, Boston Globe, Weekly Standard, Mathematics Magazine, Wall Street Journal and many others. He’s contributed to National Review Online, V-Dare.com and the New English Review websites.
The Underworld Amusements Variety Hour is a podcast covering an eclectic mix of subjects, guided by the interests of its host. This is the first episode proper, but so far there have already been multiple special episodes, short format extras and pdf files of free materials. Underworld Amusements is a small media company focusing on publishing books of forgotten and marginalized works, our podcast and other products and even events.
Check out UA-related excerpts of interviews on YouTube under a dedicated account in 720p high definition… of course, they’re audio interviews with still images, so it’s easy to get that High Def quality.
Subscribe to the podcast, rate and review at iTunes. As always, our full episodes and specials are also available at Radio Free Satan. Or just find an archive of all of our audio episodes on a dedicated page.
1 commentPlease note: When Slaughter said that Derbyshire believes “Christianity is slightly crazier than Islam”, that should really be “slightly less crazy than Islam.” A small, but important difference.
Quotes from the Book of Satanic Quotations
“But here steps in Satan, the eternal rebel, the first free-thinker and emancipator of worlds. He makes man ashamed of his bestial ignorance and obedience; he emancipates him, stamps upon his brow the seal of liberty and humanity, in urging him to disobey and eat of the fruit of knowledge.”
- Mikhail Bakunin
“The bizarre world of cards… a world of pure power politics where rewards and punishments were meted out immediately. A deck of cards was built like the purest of hierarchies, with every card a master to those below it a lackey to those above it.”
- Ely Culbertson
“What I am about to say does not concern the ordinary man of our day. On the contrary, I have in mind the man who finds himself involved in today’s world, even at its most problematic and paroxysmal points; yet he does not belong inwardly to such a world, nor will he give in to it. He feels himself, in essence, as belonging to a different race from that of the overwhelming majority of his contemporaries.”
- Julius Evola
“You can die from someone else’s misery — emotional states are as infectious as diseases. You may feel you are helping the drowning man but you are only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on themselves; they will also draw it on you.”
- Robert Greene
Want more quotes? Pick up a copy of The Book of Satanic Quotations today!
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