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From: oleg@birtch.UUCP (Oleg Kiselev x268)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Satanism, witchcraft, paganism,etc.
Message-ID: <53@birtch.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 25-Oct-85 04:19:14 EST
Article-I.D.: birtch.53
Posted: Fri Oct 25 04:19:14 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 31-Oct-85 22:30:24 EST
References: <12090@rochester.UUCP> <599@k.cs.cmu.edu.ARPA> <12312@rochester.UUCP> <37@birtch.UUCP> <445@scgvaxd.UUCP>
Reply-To: oleg@birtch.UUCP (Oleg Kiselev x268)
Organization: Birtcher, Santa Ana, Ca.
Lines: 72
Keywords: satanism witchcraft paganism
Summary: ask the sources!

Sorry if I have misrepresented my point.  I'll try again:

SATANISM:

My impression of "Necronomicon" (which BTW is used as one of the source
books in Satanism) was that there was no requirement to sacrifice human
lives or commit  crimes as a part of rituals. (Richard Ramirez is a nut
and is as typical of Satanists as Jim Jones is of Christians) 

Satanic rituals are often apparently the antithesis of Christian rituals,
however, actual human sacrifice is not required or necessarily desired.
Don't forget that to many of the worlds peoples who were not originally
Christian, Christianity seemed utterly barbaric, with its worship of a
dead man nailed to a cross, and a weekly ceremony in which the worshipper
is asked to eat the dead man's flesh and drink his blood.  The Satanists
are no more far out than this - they are no more actual cannibals than
"good" Christians.  The nut or fanatic that kills for Christ is just as
sick as the nut who kills for Satan.

A source for contemporary Satanism is "The Satanic Bible" by Anton Lavey,
former carney.  Also, don't take it all literally, just as MOST Christians 
don't take the Bible literally.

WITCHCRAFT -  quoted from "The Dictionary of Mysticism and the Occult" 
by Nevill Drury, pub. Harper & Row:

Modern "Witchcraft is the worship of the Old Religion, and focuses primarily
on the Great Goddess in her many forms: Artemis, Astarte, Aphrodite, Diana,
Hecate.  As such, it draws on many of the ancient pantheons, differing from 
modern Western magic primarily in its emphasis on lunar goddesses rather than
solar gods.  In modern witchcraft, the women rather than the men play the
paramount role; and members of the coven regularly meet at sabbaths to perform
SEASONAL rituals...These rituals invariably involve the invocation of the
Goddess in one of her forms; and the ceremony of 'drawing down the moon,' in
which the lunar energy is drawn into the magical circle."

Traditional Witchcraft: "Medieval religious movement often -incorrectly-
identified with devil-worship, satanism, and black magic.  Today, traditional
witchcraft is regarded by most authorities as a folk-religion that blended
superstitions, fortune-telling, folklore, and herbalism with remnants of
various pre-Christian religious beliefs...Witchcraft actually has more in
common with the many forms of Nature-worship and fertility rituals found 
in pre-industrial societies, than with the diabolical and satanic practices
of black magicians whose main antagonist is the Christian Church..."

PAGAN: (also from Nevill Drury) "One who is not a Chistian, Jew, or 
Moslem..."

For more sources on Paganism and Witchcraft (which is a subset of Paganism)
see:
"Drawing Down the Moon - Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers and
Other Pagans in America Today" by Margot Adler, pub. Beacon Press.

"The Spiral Dance - The Revival of the Religion of the Great Goddess"
by Starhawk, pub. Harper & Row.

------
There is a lot more to be said.... But I believe I have proved my point :
Don't pass judgements on subjects you are completely unfamiliar with. The worst
kinds of biggotry and prejudice are the ones bred from ignorance. If you want
to criticize a religion, DON'T rely on "The National Enquirer" or "The Plain 
Truth" as your sources. Find out what that religion ( and Craft IS a religion) 
is about from the same source its followers learn from.  The Bible is a poor 
teacher of Paganism.
-- 
DISCLAMER:     The above opinions are not those of this company or its other 
employees. I am not associated with any Pagan, Satanist, Christian, Jewish,
Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or any other religious group.
----------------------------------+ With deep indifference,
"I disbelieve an army of invisible|                       Oleg Kiselev.
 mind-flayers!"                   |...!trwrb!felix!birtch!oleg
"OK. They are *still* not there." |...!{ihnp4|randvax}!ucla-cs!uclapic!oac6!oleg