General

Satanism Its Not Bad

Be prepared for a long read, if you don't want to read it, I'll make a mini-summary at the end for you basilers.
People think that Satanism is a horrible, horrible, vicious, wife-beating, lamb-slaughtering, black man burning clan of society-hating sociopaths who worship everything for the glory of Satan, of course.
Why do I know this? Because from last Sunday to today, I stood at a corner of my city and handed out pamphlets, asking for people to join the local Satanist church.
I was slapped, harassed, spat on, and nearly everybody else threw the pamphlet away. The people who didn't do this, actually read it, and continued to walk on.
Satanism carries such a negative social stigma, when in reality, it's not that bad. It's just that people believe what I said at the top.
Do you, reader, know what Satanism is? You probably don't.
There are two main branches of Satanism: LaVeyan Satanism and Theistic Satanism.
Let's start with LaVeyan. LaVeyan Satanism was created by Anton LaVey in 1966. LaVeyan Satanism teachings are based on individualism, self-control, and an eye-for-an-eye mentality. No, LaVeyan Satanism does not involve lamb-slaughtering, arson, or cults. It's Satanism because they use Satan as a symbol of carnality and earthly values, of man's inherent nature, and of a cosmos which Satanists perceive to be permeated and motivated by a force that has been given many names by man over the course of time. The Church of Satan worships LaVeyan, not theistic. The LaVeyan motto is "I am my own god.".
The Eleven Satanic Rules of Satan are:

Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them.
When in another's home, show them respect or else do not go there.
If a guest in your home annoys you, treat them cruelly and without mercy.
Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
Do not take that which does not belong to you, unless it is a burden to the other person and they cry out to be relieved.
Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained.
Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
Do not harm young children.
Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them.

They're actually pretty good, you know, without that treating them 'cruelly and without mercy'.
The Nine Satanic Statements are:
Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence
Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams
Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit
Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates
Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek
Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires
Satan represents man as just another animal (sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all fours), who, because of his "divine spiritual and intellectual development," has become the most vicious animal of all.
Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification
Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years

The Nine Satanic Sins are:
Stupidity -- The top of the list for Satanic Sins, the Cardinal Sin. It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. One must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid.
Pretentiousness--Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn't applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone's made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not.
Solipsism--Can be very dangerous. Projecting your reactions, responses and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won't. Instead, one must strive to apply the dictum of "Do unto others as they do unto you." It's work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point.
Self-deceit--It's in the "Nine Satanic Statements" but deserves to be repeated here. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it's fun, and with awareness. But then, it's not self-deceit!
Herd Conformity--That's obvious - it's all right to conform to a person's wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many.
Lack of Perspective--Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints--know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world.
Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies--Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it's something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society.
Counterproductive Pride--That first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you've painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it.
Lack of Aesthetics--This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It's not what's supposed to be pleasing--it's what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one's own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied.

Remember, those are all LaVeyan Satanism beliefs.
Clearing up another misconception, the number 666 has nothing to do with Satanism. LaVeyan, anyway.

The main holidays of LaVeyan Satanism are:
One's own birthday, as it is the birth of your God.
Walpurgisnacht is another. It's like Satanic Christmas.
Halloween not for anything religious or official in the church, but simply for it's irony.
You can even add your own ethical holidays, such as the Day of the Dead or Chinese New Year's.
Satanists also celebrate a secular version of Christmas.

That's pretty much the highlights of LaVeyan Satanism, now let's cover theistic Satanism.

Theistic Satanism is a form of Satanism with the primary belief that Satan is an actual deity or force to revere or worship. Other characteristics of Theistic Satanism may include a belief in magic, which is manipulated through ritual. Unlike LaVeyan Satanism founded by Anton LaVey in the 1960s, Theistic Satanism is theistic as opposed to atheistic, believing that Satan is a real being rather than a symbol of individualism.
Seeking knowledge is seen by some Theistic Satanists as important to Satan, due to his being equated with the Serpent in Genesis encouraging mankind to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Some perceive Satan as Baphomet, a hermaphroditic bestower of knowledge (gnosis). Satanic groups, such as Luciferians, also seek to gain greater gnosis; these Satanists view Yahweh as the demiurge and Satan as the transcendent being beyond.

Theistic Satanists also don't partake in torture of anything and just believe in a higher power and living life well, just like you Christians/Hindus/Buddhists/Taoists.

Satanists aren't bad, their beliefs are pretty cool. So stop stereotyping and have a good day.

Too Long; Didn't Read Summary!: LaVeyan Satanism is believing in yourself as if you were a god, no real Satan involved other than a metaphor; Theistic is believing in the Real Satan, no magic cults.

I hope I informed you about Satanism and that you're now enlightened.