America in Overdrive

"America in overdrive, America the free, America never meant that fucking much to me.
With its hand-shake massacre and porn-queen dreams - meet the man that feeds the fire and fuels our machines."
--
Machines of Loving Grace

Huey Long said, "If Fascism comes to America it would be on a program of Americanism." While many would see this as a warning, the Church of Satan sees this as instructions. Unless one believes the claims of millions of members, the Church of Satan is primarily an American phenomenon. Additionally, the Church of Satan has a very pro-America stance.

The Temple of Lylyth, on the other hand, while primarily created for an American audience, believes that the Sariel transcend national boundaries. Because our Goddess is real, in the sense that our Ninth Lylythian statement refers to a metaphysical reality (The force that binds together and animates all things), rather than something of a purely social nature ("The best thing the Church ever had"), our fellowship naturally cannot be contained or expressed by any nation.

The first example of extreme American nationalism the student of Satanism is likely to encounter is in the Satanic Bible, under the description of the Black Mass. Now, it is very easy to say anything discussed under the auspices of the Black Mass is simply the opposite of a concept that many hold as sacred. (We will touch more on the Black Mass in a later essay). However, why would one want to lampoon a topic that really is sacred? Since "patriotism would be championed," according to the Satanic Bible, it is safest to assume that patriotism is on the agenda for the Church of Satan.

Abbie Hoffman died for your sins

This is strange in a religion that would tell one to "think for yourself." Patriotism is often "my country right or wrong." Additionally, the relevance of this reference must be seen in the context of the time period the Satanic Bible was written, the late 1960’s. This was a time of tremendous social upheaval, where those who were not eligible for membership in the "old boy" network (being neither white nor "boys,") fought for their rights. The established order of America was seen as the enemy, holding back these people due to ascribed status as part of an "undesirable" race or gender. Although this is the very force that made the existence of the Church of Satan possible, Anton LaVey saw it as more "Satanic" that one should champion patriotism than in joining the fight against the Old Guard.

It is true that the Founding Fathers of our country were much closer to being Satanists than Christians. They were Deists, and although Deists may profess to believe in the same God as Theists, the Deistic God isn’t the sort who can be described in the Old or New Testaments of the Holy Bible. A Deistic God is, by definition, an impersonal God, in stark contrast to both Jehovah and Jesus. However, the current social fabric of the United States is manifestly different than the one they intended. Although America may not have been founded as a Christian country, it undoubtedly is one. No amount of Masonic symbolism on the back of the one-dollar bill can hide the fact the words "In God We Trust" have been added. In the 1950’s, the Pledge of Allegiance was modified to include the phrase "under God," making the pledge to our nation a pledge to God as well.

Even if the Founding Fathers were self-identified Satanists, they are still an elite intellectual minority. Their opinions may or may not have reflected popular consensus about the nature of the Divine. That Churches did not go abandoned is a good sign of the strength of Christianity.

Another curious aspect of patriotism is the practice of "Social Darwinism." Essentially, "Social Darwinism" is a form of cultural ethnocentrism that states those cultures and subcultures within a culture that survive do so because they are best evolved to do so. It is very hard to argue with this central argument, and I will not. However, "Social Darwinism" is a polite term for fascism and/or neo-Nazism. After all, if one culture wipes out another culture, it only proves the dead culture to be "unfit." Thus, America is a colony of European races, (although not European states), because their superior culture replaced the unfit aboriginal culture. One can see how this would appeal to a Church whose ethical stance is "might makes right."

However, Social Darwinism appears to be one of the worst philosophies to subscribe to when actually being a Satanist. For one, the spread of Christianity is proof of its success, is it not? If Satanism was as successful as Social Darwinists would wish it to be, then why isn’t everyone a Satanist? The answer to this is the "de facto" Satanist. This mythological creature is any individual who the Church of Satan can claim to be a Satanist without having them trash the Church of Satan. (That is, almost all "de facto" Satanists you are likely to hear about have been dead a good amount of time). The Satanic Bible argues that American society already is Satanic, in regards to liberal and mainline Christian denominations that no longer preach that every natural instinct is a sin.

I believe that argument shows a vast misunderstanding of Christianity. Most Christian people are Christian via osmosis. A very of the more dedicated types have actually read the Bible. The Christian Bible is not like the Satanic Bible. In fact, the main creeds of Christianity, and core doctrines and rituals, seem to be extra-biblical. Rather, the Christian Bible is a collection of stories, with a few essays on proper conduct thrown in. On the other hand, the Satanic Bible is anti-Christian polemic, some incomprehensible babbling in a made up language, rather simple rules of conduct, and a basic introduction to magical theory. However, by calling this book the bible, and calling the organization that uses it a church, the Church of Satan has made itself very attractive to people who want to have Bibles and Churches. Their own words are "Nine parts respectability and one part outrage." Yet, what kind of individual would respect a Church and a Bible?

Witchcraft, on the other hand, existed for centuries without a centralized structure, or a sacred text. Although this goes against the official histories that many Wiccans would claim as fact, Witchcraft (at least in the sense of Lylythian Theurgy) is not paganism, in the sense that it is polytheistic and a continuation of agricultural folk beliefs. Witchcraft is a form of Shamanism that was all but outlawed in pagan times. No sacred texts exist because to have such texts would be a death sentence for the Witch. The tradition was carried orally, and even then as metaphorical poetry. Poetry to make it easy to remember, and metaphor to make it easy to hide. If the Witch professed to believe in any God or Goddess of the pantheon of the country she was in, her understanding of it was far different than that of her peers. Even in areas where this knowledge wasn’t suppressed as heresy, it was still kept secret due to the dangers inherent in letting people who might figure out a way to abuse it.

Allegiance to a country follows from allegiance to a creed, a church, or an individual. Why does the Church of Satan support Americanism? Because it fits the mentality of obedience which benefits the Church. The American Revolution is twisted into a simulacrum of itself. The Fourth of July (so-called because "independence day" might cause too deep a recognition of the scam) is not a holiday that celebrates rebellion against authority, but rather obedience to it. The leaders of the revolution are still leaders, and the symbolic deity of Uncle Sam makes this quite clear. (Notice the Church of Satan’s use of military recruitment advertising campaigns). The Church of Satan doesn’t want you to be like Satan, questioning the social reality presented to you. They want you to run to the Satanic Bible for all the answers you need. Loyalty to one’s country is more natural than loyalty to a Church a person would join in their late teens. The Church gets out the flags, and encourages waving and not burning, because they seek to slip themselves into the pattern of behavior a True Patriot has.

Additionally, the Church of Satan supports a manifestation of America frozen in time. That period is the period before the social unrest and demand for justice. It is a period of American history captured in the film noir genre, where if a human being with "minority" status was in the film, he was in the film as comic relief. It is the last living memory of the White Establishment, before Americans who were not Anglo-Saxon men decided that they wanted their slice of America.

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Text © 2002, Temple of Lylyth
Image © 2001Church of the Subgenius
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