I am doing some reading for the ‘Jesus among the gods’ sermon seriesI am participating in for the church of which I am part. This week we compare the teachings of Jesus to those of Anton LaVey/Satanism as regards the question, “What is a success and/or what makes someone successful?” In preparation I have been reading portions of The Satanic Bible and Satan Speaks!by LaVey. I did not expect, as a Christian, to enjoy these books or to find anything inside that would challenge my thinking or contribute to my worldview. I did expect some creative thought and I did expect some logical arguments for his position (like if I were to spend time reading Richard Dawkins, maybe). I have not only found nothing that appears enlightening or interesting, I have been bored.

To write the type of literature that LaVey wrote you would simply need to journal your worst thoughts on your worst day and then send them off to print. LaVey admitted that he claims no inspiration and he stated that his writings come from an observation of human nature. I find the problem with this logic is not so much that you can not gain his insights from observing human nature, but that (1) it is almost as if anyone who has had a bad day may say, “Well, I remember feeling like that last Thursday, but I had a good meal and felt better.” and (2) LaVey forgets that the reason he stands out is because he essentially ignores that other half of human nature that someone reminds us that we should not always act on our worst thoughts and feelings. While LaVey was right that we have perverse actions and feelings deep within us all, he seems upset that we also realize we have something that keeps us from always acting upon this aspect of our nature.