Categorizing Satanism: Moojan Momen's 8 Pathways to Religious ExperienceBy Vexen Crabtree 2007 Aug 16 | Read / Write Comments
Moojan Momen is an adherent of the Baha'i faith and a historian of religion. He produced a good and comprehensive book on comparative religion, "The Phenomenon Of Religion: A Thematic Approach", in which he categorizes religious experience into eight overlapping pathways. They are not designed so that each religion fits one category; most religions cater for multiple types of religious experience. The more successful religions accept more types of religious experience. I will analyse the way in which each type of religious experience can, or cannot, abide with Satanic theory and practice. The eight categories are:
And,
This approach to religion 'concentrates on correct performance of often very elaborate ritual'. The sociologist of religion Moojan Momen states that 'salvation then flows from the grace and beneficience of the Deity' [1999, p117]. Obviously the word 'deity' is inappropriate for Satanism, but I think Momen would be happy for us to reformulate it into a more direct chain of cause and effect. As in Buddhist and Hindu religions where karmic cycles are nothing more than chains of cause-and-effect, in Satanism cause-and-effect is the be-all and end-all of ritualism. The results derive from the manipulation of reality, not from the actions of a theorized deity. As such, this category suits Satanism quite well. Ritualism in Satanism is described as being of two types, lesser and greater; or private and public. Half the Satanic Bible is about ritual, ranging from public practices to private rituals. So there is great scope for ritualism to be a major part of Satanism.
But in practice, most Satanic thought, theory and practice is not centered around ritual, but around productivity, creativity, only semi-ritualistic inner exploration and work. Ritualism, in short, isn't an all-pervading feature of Satanic theory or practice. It clearly isn't absent from Satanism and the specifics of Satanic ritual are an important part of the Church of Satan and role that the hierarchy plays.
Correct procedure is also quite lacking from Satanism. The Satanic Rituals by Anton LaVey lays out in detail the procedures to complete certain rituals, and The Satanic Bible does too, but, it is also held that rituals are to be designed ad hoc by every individual. In short, the chaos theory of ritual and magic is more important than correct performance. People who wish to be told what to do, ritually, will find little in Satanism to satisfy their needs. As such, I am only giving a 2/5 compatibility between Momen's ritualism category and Satanism.
A legalistic religion is highly proscriptive1. It holds up central texts as authoritative1. These texts lay down rules, in particular in areas of morality and belief. Satanism hardly fits this category. There are authoritative Satanic texts, but they are not legalistic. The Satanic Bible hardly even mentions matters of morality, and when it does it is to point out that everyone has different morals. Likewise, the official Satanic beliefs laid down by The Satanic Bible are not very comprehensive; in total they number few in number. The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth and other brief articles of proscription are nothing in comparison to the masses of legalistic text found in The Muslim's Koran or The Christian's Bible. Satanism clearly has no compatibility for those who need detailed instruction on how to live their lives, it is a religion for people who have their own strong opinions, and it is a religious framework for success in propounding those opinions and for affirmation of desires and wishes, but not a religion for telling people what those opinions, desires or wishes should actually be.
“Satanism is individualistic, not legalistic, especially when it comes to morals and rules. Outsiders to Satanism sometimes approach the rules and laws too legalistically; they assume that like religions they are familiar with that there is a taboo involved in breaking the laws of Satanism. There is no taboo. It is not compulsory for Satanists do follow these "rules". It is not expected. Satanists never engage in debates over whether someone has broken these. A Satanist who absconded another and said "Hey, aren't you forgetting this particular Satanic Rule of the Earth..." would be laughed at and generally considered a legalistic sheep. [As a] Left hand path [religion] there are very few absolutes or universals in Satanism.”"Laws, Sins and Rules of Satanism: A Lack of Legalism"
by Vexen Crabtree (2002)
Those with an evangelical bent seek out a leader who highlights truths and relationship with the holy1. Charismatic, personable men lead congregations; and, individual revelation from up above are valued above legalism. In Satanism, the place of leaders is highly precarious. All Satanists consider themselves leaders. None consider their superiors to be inherently more connected to truth or to have greater access to valued spiritual resources. All Satanists can reach as high as they wish; no religious interpreters or intercessors are required. Everything can be done by the individual. The Priesthood of Mendes are respected as experienced practitioners of Satanism but only partially as better people. Those who wish to be led, would do much better to seek out a more mainstream religion than Satanism.
People drawn to religion through this path feel that the best way to recreate spiritual experiences is to build an ideal community that fosters the right frame of mind, and all the others need to be transformed into seekers of the same goal. "This vision often included goals of egalitarianism and social justice" [Momen 1999, p126]. Sometimes these are the ones that roam the streets telling everyone they must change their lives (in accordance with the nutters' own beliefs) or suffer severe consequences 'soon'. They are also the ones who devise intellectual treaties and try to convince everyone else that their simplistic, religious formula will save the world from all of its human evil (and sometimes end natural disasters and create paradise, too). Clearly, none of these types of religious behaviors fit in with Satanism.
Or do they? The Satanic Bible speaks of 'evidence of a new Satanic age' [Satanic Bible, Book of Lucifer 3] and hints that a general waking-up of the population would lead to an outbreak of emotional honesty that would benefit all. Satanists do by their actions, often engage in public education, often stepping on the toes of religionists in doing so, and often seeking to seek out other elitists to join the unspiritual elite. Such things can sometimes appear to be consistent with Satanism as a social reformation movement.
It is also important that Momen mentions 'social justice'. Satanism has a particular social goal; the re-assertion of lex talionis and the establishment of more direct, personal, harsher, quicker social justice. In "Satanic Social Ethics" by Vexen Crabtree (2002), I comment on some of the explicit stances that the Church of Satan takes, including ten of the Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth and the following three of the Nine Satanic Statements:
4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates!
5. Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek!
6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible, instead of concern for psychic vampires!The Nine Satanic Statement
Anton LaVey 1969
Click to view list on Church of Satan's home page
In practice, however, although Satanists are clear about their disdain for the behaviour of the masses there is no attempt to emancipate or save everyone, or even anyone. Proselytization is almost completely absent from Satanism. It is geared towards a social reformation of an internal self-development kind, and to disclaim my reference to Satanic Social Ethics, note that most of these are to do with how the individual copes with others, not to do with how we should ask the others to behave.
This category has a 2/5 match for Satanism because it is quite possible for zealous Satanists to enjoy telling everyone how to improve their lives (the elitism of Satanism certainly helps), but, in practice this is rarely the case as Satanism is self orientated and not, in theory, based around improving others. It only scores 2/5 on the two least important aspects of social reformationism. It's a 1.5, really.
"The Phenomenon Of Religion: A Thematic Approach" by Moojan Momen, p129
None of the above sounds like it can be compatible with Satanism. Momen's Asceticism category is very similar to Roy Wallis' world-renouncing category of religion. On "Satanism is a World-Affirming Religion, not a World-Renouncing One" by Vexen Crabtree (2007) I explain that Satanists are implored, and do, to accept the world as it is, to be materialistic and self-orientated within the world, and to indulge in worldly things. So far, so bad for this category!
There is some of the ascetic mentality present in Satanism's reactionary stance against the masses. Satanists are largely withdrawn emotionally from the lives of all but their most cherished friends, and do not mix well or easily with others. There is a hint of misanthropy, a hint of reclusion. Anton LaVey himself spend a decade in seclusion in the black house. In the self-reflection and concentration on the self, there are elements of asceticism in Satanism but only to a sensible degree; therefore the match is still low. Many deluded adherents of the worlds' untermensch religions take asceticism to a dizzy extreme, such as Buddhists who renounce desire, and many others who think everything is "evil" except self-punishment and pointless, rote ritual. Compared to these all-too-common afflictions, Satanism is not particularly suited to the ascetic.
Monastics wish to retreat from society, and to separate themselves from the 'immoral' social world in order to concentrate their lives in living correctly1 according to some supernatural, anti-human definition of the term. It is a world-rejecting movement which is contrary to the philosophy of Satanism where the ego is accepted and encouraged. In monastic practices, the ego is subsumed to a misguided greater good; the community is more important than the individual: this, in otherwise, is deeply opposed to the individualism of Satanism and freedoms of Satanic morality.
“The principal idea of the gnostic movements is that the central religious experience is linked to a special knowledge to which only a select few have access. The knowledge usually takes the form of an inner (esoteric) understanding of either the scriptures or the rituals of the religion. This inner understanding, which can only be achieved through the path set out by the group, leads to enlightenment and hence liberation.Most gnostic groups are not concerned with proselytism. They consider that only a small number of people are capable (or have reached the stage) of appreciating the gnostic truth. Their smallness of numbers does not, in any way, invalidate their claim for them, indeed it underlines it.
Gnosticism usually has some form of religious hierarchy in which the esoteric knowledge that leads to enlightenment is handed down through the generations from master to pupil. Only those who have been through the system and have had the knowledge handed down to them in the approved manner can appreciate it and benefit from it fully. The knowledge can, usually, only be learned on a personal master-to-pupil basis. In other words, it cannot be learned from books. Most traditions allow that some eventually become masters of their own spiritual progress. An even smaller number reach the stage of being able to teach the path to others and thus become spiritual masters in their own right.”
"The Phenomenon Of Religion: A Thematic Approach" by Moojan Momen, p133-135
"Satanism as a Gnostic Mystery Religion" by Vexen Crabtree (2003)
There are many key-words in this description that resonate with Satanic thought. Satanists do possess special knowledge; in particular the Satanic Bible states this knowledge is an emotional honesty about life, death and the purpose of religion, that others do not have. Also, because Satanism is heavy in symbolism, an element of initiation is required in order to unlock the actual teachings of Satanism, as opposed to what laymen would think Satanism would be about (Christian devil worship). The embrace of Satanic imagery and the usage of the image of Satan, is indeed a path of enlightenment.
Satanism is an elitist religion aimed at the few rather than the many, and this does underlie certain tenets of Satanism. Satanism also is not concerned with proselytisation. So far it looks like a 5/5 match, but, it is not so. Satanism does not have the teacher-student mentality that other gnostic religions have had, nor does it particularly try to measure a person's (un)spiritual progress with complex levels, titles or rites. Momen states that a small number of the highest gnostic adepts 'reach the stage of being able to teach the path'. All Satanists would proclaim themselves to be at this stage; to be able to teach, if they wish, the ultimate secrets of life, philosophy and religion. There is no sense of "progress" in the religious sense, just of being, in the materialistic one.
Although Satanism gets a 4/5 match for Momen's category, be wary that his definition of 'gnosticism' is wider than many other sociologists of religion would permit, so that outside of Momen's schemata the Church of Satan is not considered a gnostic group; but within Momen's eight categories, "gnosticism" is a type of religious experience that suits Satanism well.
“The term 'mysticism' is used to describe a wide variety of religious phenomena. For lack of a more suitable word, I shall use it to refer to those groups that consider that the central religious experience can best be repeated through achieving altered states of consciousness. Such states can be reached in two different ways. The first is the path of increased psychological arousal achieved, for example, by rhythmical chanting or dancing. This culminates in mystical ecstasy.[...]. The second is the path of decreased mental activity leading to a deep state of meditation.”"The Phenomenon Of Religion: A Thematic Approach" by Moojan Momen, p117
Momen restricts his description 'mysticism' in such a way because his categories concentrate on the experience of religion, not on intellectual matters. Mysticism also refers to a theoretical approach to religious truths which is based on emotions-based meditative thinking, rather than rational thoughts. Mystics are an opposite to legalism, but, just because Satanism is opposed to legalism doesn't make it fit particularly well with mysticism either. Satanic thought and experience is largely materialistic, logical and rational, and highly skeptical and most these things tend to suppress mystical experiences. But there are some aspects of mysticism in Satanism. The religion accepts the symbol of Satan in a mystical, surreal way, to represent the self and reality. The kernel of Satanism is a mystical idea, that the symbol of Satan is a unifying conceptual banner under which we can move, act and understand the world. For this central element, Satanism gets 1/5 compatibility with mysticism: Those who are highly mystical and otherworldly, in their epistemology or experience, will not find much in Satanism that suits them.
Moojan Momen, a sociologist of religion, divides religious experience into eight major categories, and holds that religions provide for these mindsets to different degrees. Satanism, founded by Anton LaVey, provides some acceptable elements for those looking for: ritualism (2/5), social reformation reactions (2/5), some philosophical forms of asceticism (2/5) but most of all for those who enjoy the intellectual and counter-cultural side of gnostic forms of religion (4/5). It will be acceptable to only the few mystics (1/5) who can ignore the heavily skeptical and rational theology of Satanism. It provides nothing for those who would seek out, or attempt to justify, legalistic, evangelical or monastic religious experiences as Satanism is highly individual, socially decentralised and world-embracing.
LaVey, Anton (1930-1997)
"The Satanic Bible" (1969). Avon Books Inc, New York, USA.
"The Satanic Rituals" (1972). Published by Avon Books.
Momen, Moojan
"The Phenomenon Of Religion: A Thematic Approach" (1999). Published by Oneworld Publications, Oxford, UK. [Book Review]