I have a question, I have a friend who has just recently become interested in Satanism and asked to borrow a book. I directed him toward TSB but instead he wanted to borrow Satan Speaks, which was no big deal either. Later on he asked me to explain some differences between idol worshiping Satanist and real Satanist. So I explained to him, dumbfounded as to why he was so interested. A group of my friends and I went out to dinner and I overheard him telling his girlfriend that he "picked" up Satanism. I started to chuckel but then realised that he has the wrong impression. I mean of course Satanism is not for everyone and I am sure everyone here can pick a real Satanist out of group of people, and I can tell that he isnt a Satanist. I have known him for over 11 years and he has been my best friend since 3rd grade. But the problem is that i dont know how to confront him and tell him that it isnt for him and its kind of hard since he is my best friend. I want to tell him that it isnt something u just pick up , its the way you have been living your life and the term Satanist is just a title. He is the type who would use the term Satanist as a way to push himself away from others and try to stand out as a "badass". So if there are any suggestions as how to approach him that would be very gratefull.

thanks

Spend your time dealing with issues sans your friend's interest. Those that "pick it up" typically drop it soon after.

If he is interested, the material is out there, if not, then that's one more copy of The Satanic Bible that will be at the bookstore for when I need to replace mine.

Reality's religion is not for the faint of heart.

Try this... bitchslap him up side the head and tell him to stop acting like a jackass.
Then if he's willing to actually listen to your explanation, your personal thoughts about Satanism and what being a Satanist means... gggreat! He might learn something. *rolls eyes*
Point out again and with reason that he should lose the "badass" attitude.
There's nothing wrong with being a badass on occasion.. tho you make your friend sound more like a jackass and that's not very good for your friend.

You might try explaining to your friend that a Satanist is someone who has read The Satanic Bible and reaps personal fulfillment by living his life according to it.

If he tries but is not able to live his life this way, then he's not a Satanist. That's ok - most people aren't.

If he doesn't enjoy living his life this way, then he's not a Satanist. Again, that's ok as long as he doesn't masochistically insist on trying to fit himself into a Satanist-shaped hole.

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He is the type who would use the term Satanist as a way to push himself away from others and try to stand out as a "badass"

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Ah, pretentiousness. You might point out to him that he'd stand a much better chance of coming across as a "badass" if he were to get into serious weight training and self-defense.

Nevermind the pretenses of what he thinks he IS. Let's see what he DOES. He has to come up with the goods first.

Skinny, pimply geeks who dress in black and wear "spooky" clothes are regarded as LOSERS, not badasses. They are about as intimidating as the average attendee of a Star Trek convention.

You might also point out to him that wanting to be a Satanist because of what others will think about it is the hallmark of the pseudosatanist.

Warp drive ahead, Mr. Sulu!

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wanting to be a Satanist because of what others will think about it is the hallmark of the pseudosatanist

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That's a pretty good summary. Certainly cuts out all the fluff, fluff I wouldn't spend much time on anyhow.

Just give him some time. This is just a phase... Satanism is for him a new shinny toy to play and display. When the novelty value wears off, he will get bored.

Then he will probably "discover" a new religion and forget about Satanism. Or he will simply realize Satanism is not for him.

Thanks alot for the input, but I dont think my friend would appreciate a bitch slap.
"Skinny, pimply geeks who dress in black and wear "spooky" clothes are regarded as LOSERS, not badasses." Hey I use to be one lol
yeah I think I will take the advice of leaving him to his own and giving him advice if he asks and seeing where it goes. Thanks

You said that you've decided to let your friend find out for himself that satanism isn't really for him, which is probably best, but if you want to speed things along, try inviting him to participate in a ritual (preferably one of his, so you don't waste one of yours). Posers and the simply curious usually back out in the face of serious intent. And you can let him back out gracefully, since he is your best friend. I have a friend of my own who once wanted to "try out" a satanic ritual, but something "came up" at the last minute, and I just let it slide. We're still friends and he hasn't asked again.

Good evening,

If I was in your shoes I would refuse to answer any specific questions, and simply clarify any queries on animal torture, baby eating, and the likes. I would then tell him to read the Satanic Bible for himself.

If he truly can see himself in the Satanic Bible and his opinions and thoughts are reflected he should be able to decide for himself if he is a Satanist or not.

I refuse to give any detailed answers regarding Satanism to those who will not try to educate themselves first.

They are about as intimidating as the average attendeee of a Star Trek convention.

Now now, that's going a little far! Some of those attendees dress up as Klingons and carry around Batleths which could surely put a few holes in your average adolescent uber goth.

Stop worrying about your friend, start thinking about yourself!

Your friend has obviously found an interest in Satanism and is getting some enjoyment from it. Why not? It is certainly the most interesting religion out there whether you're one of us or not. By informing him that he's not a Satanist, essentially, you're just raining on his parade, and whether he believes you or not, he's going to enjoy it a little less. Plus, he might even become a bit jaded towards you for having the "audacity" to try and tell him what he is and what he isn't, especially if he is currently telling himself he's been a Satanist his entire life. Trying to give him this revelation will only backfire in your face. You won't be helping him in his eyes, and only hurting your friendship.

Now think about what might happen if you don't tell him. If he really isn't a Satanist, he's not going to be able to hang with the big dogs anyway, and he'll eventually lose interest. It truly is a situation that will work out on its own. In the meantime, though, your friend may become so psyched on this new found "hobby" of his that he'll be ordering some worthy Satanic merchandise. When he loses interest in Satanism, he might just be willing (with the proper manipulation) to sell you some excellent jewelry, magazines, and video tapes at some insane discount prices.

Rather than pointing him to a "Born, not made" essay, I'd give him the link to the CoS Emporium just as fast as you can!

Remember, your friend found something he enjoys. Something that gives him some pleasure. Just because he's not a Satanist doesn't mean that exploring Satanism is going to do him any harm, so let him go and have the best time with it that he can. You aren't his religious leader, and because you feel that you're a Satanist and he isn't doesn't put you in a place to walk him down the Left Hand Path or even set up a roadblock in his way. If it's not for him, it's not for him, and if he has some brains he'll figure that out on his own eventually.

Really, there si nothing you can do about your friend...they are right. You just have to let him explore it on his own. If he doesn't get the fact that he is not a Satanist, evntually it will catch up with him in a debate with others who just want to express "intelligent" thought. At best, Satanism can still offer him self-improvement, but he will never see the full benefits. If he is your friend, try to avoid the topic and maybe throw him a satanic bible so he can get some deeper insight. Hail Satan!

I understand what u mean by this but as of now my friend is in debt and is waiting for his new job to start him so I would rather not persuade him to go into to more debt. Monkey see , Monkey buy, would be appropiate for him. Not to mention he is my best friend and that would be very ungentleman like u me. He is a very slow reader and his vocabulary is limited so , i think that it would be hard for him to comprehend most of what is written, so I think the best way to approach it is to leave it alone and if he has question on the way , then I will be more than willing to assist him.
thanks alot for the input. appreciate it.

Well, to be honest, the part about getting him to buy merchandise was a bit of tongue in cheek humor.

I was serious about the rest, though.

Sounds like trouble. A guy who isn't a Satanist yet adopts Satanism as his new identity is a potential shit disturber and may not be safe to hang around with after a while. You should talk to him. Maybe he will be turned off by it if you can explain that classical music and Disneyland are Satanic. I had a couple friends who borrowed my SB. It ends up that they were not Satanists. Just pot heads. Now they are pot heads who have no idea what Satanism is but know how to "curse" people (the only part of the book they probably read). I informed them that you should at least be able to READ before you call yourself "satanic" and this made them mad so now they are no longer my friends, which is a good thing because I don't really like pot heads. Now, four years later, I have a life and they still can't get girlfriends. You really have to consider how being around this guy can effect you when he is "being a Satanist".