Prattle Fodder

~ Cheryl

Via Pharyngula I find this news report about Fr. Jeremy Davies, the official exorcist for the Westminster Archdiocese, who believes that homosexuality is caused by demonic possession.

He also said that Satan is responsible for having blinded most secular humanists to the “dehumanising effects of contraception and abortion and IVF, of homosexual ‘marriages’, of human cloning and the vivisection of human embryos in scientific research.” Extreme secular humanism, “atheist scientism”, is comparable to “rational satanism” and these are leading Europe into a dangerous state of apostasy.

“Rational satanism”, eh? Your homework for today is to explain to me how Satanism can be viewed as “rational”.

16 thoughts on “Prattle Fodder”

  1. Well, since you asked…

    Satanism is about examining life through the observation of nature -not the Disney version of nature, but nature as it really is, which can has dark and harsh aspects. It is a philosophy that starts with accepting life and human nature the way it is – not as we might wish it.

    Satanism is as rational as any other belief, but is a great deal more rational than believing that demons infest people to make them gay, addicted to drugs or anything else. People make choices, and when they make bad ones, they harm themselves and other people. Satanism promotes strong values of personal responsibility and expects high levels of intelligence and personal development – we don’t blame anyone else (Gods or Demons) for our mistakes or our choices.

    Thanks for the respect Cheryl, and inviting us onto your board to explain.

    Regards

    Julian Karswell
    http://www.opusdiaboli.info

  3. Hmm, I prefer the term Luciferian myself, à la Stephen Dedalus and his “non serviam” (after various prior sources, of course), Lucifer being patron saint of artists, anarchists and those who dare to think for themselves. Having said that, I recently decided that I’m also something of a phallic worshipper (what gay man isn’t, you may ask); maybe the phallus can be the household god in this relationship thus avoiding a conflict of interest.

    If there’s “rational Satanism” then presumably the opposite is “irrational Christianity” which would certainly be a fitting description of Fr. Jeremy’s bluster. Funny that he’s also down on yoga, reiki and “horoscopes for fun”. And they wonder why people today have trouble taking the church seriously or treating it with respect.

  4. Ah, magic really does work. Mention his name and he shall appear. (Or at least his minions shall.)

    Anyway, thanks for the background, Julian. I’ll happily accept that your religion is no less rational than any other. After all, you don’t have to be bound by what other people say about your deity. But you still do believe in an invisible friend, right?

  8. Yes, I’m sure there’s a market for replica Priapus statues. A dildo on a shelf seems a poor substitute somehow.

    Regarding John Waters, I was also raised a Catholic (confirmed and communionised) but only found the whole business silly or tedious. Consequently sex has never seemed dirty. Maybe I’m not doing it properly?

  9. Cheryl: re #7. True enough. I was at Armadillocon, 4th con in 5 weekends.

    I have lots of email waiting an answer or the delete button. Didn’t help I was out yesterday with the “Exploding Head and Lung Heave cough”.

  10. [quote]
    Anyway, thanks for the background, Julian. I’ll happily accept that your religion is no less rational than any other. After all, you don’t have to be bound by what other people say about your deity. But you still do believe in an invisible friend, right?
    [ end quote]

    Some Satanists believe in an actual entity which they call Satan.
    Personally I see Satan as the force in nature which opposes the prevailing dominant forces and returns balance. We all use images and allegory to handle concepts which we find too cumbersome to deal with on a day to day basis – for example, molecules are not really made of coloured billiard balls and plenty of people in the medical profession think of viruses as being little living creatures (they are not).
    Whatever works…

    PS: Satanists are connoisseurs of all good things – and I prefer Bed, Bath and Bodyworks to Lush – far too many chemicals!

  11. Oh, Julian, you were doing so well. Right up until the last sentence.

    I am tempted to spray you with the awful chemical, Oxygen Dihydride.

  12. “Satanism” as a label doesn’t really mean much beyond a general antithesical sense, as there are all sorts of philosophies which cluster under it, all claiming the “One True” epithet… (sounds like another religion I could poke with a short stick, to be honest).

    Many Satanisms are pretty “rational” in the Scientific Materialism sense, eschewing anything which smacks of the Spooky. Satan is often used as a symbol, and not held to have any reality outside of that use.

    I’ve counted quite a few folks, who hold themselves as Satanists, as friends. On average they’ve been no better or worse than any other group of folks who hold to a theological philosophy… but occasionally you get nutbags.

    In my experience, exorcists are usually nutbags, no matter how orthodox their faith.

  13. I was tempted to ask why they called themselves “Satanists” if they didn’t believe in Satan. But then I realized that the answer to that was so obvious that I’d deserve being whacked across the head with a clue-by-four.

  15. Oh, that’s funny, I’ve only heard people call it dyhydrogen monoxide

    I suppose if you were feeling really nice you could spray him with ammonium chloride. MM, licorice!

    ( :

  16. Yep, it was a good comeback. On the other hand, believing that water can acquire magical properties just because some guy in dress has asked his invisible friend to bless it is hardly rational.

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