I think that what differentiates someone from being a spectator and being a Satanist is that a Satanist will look at their own experiences and see the principles of Satanism at work. Dr. LaVey was not only the founder of the Church of Satan; he was also a Satanist. None of our lives will be identical, point-by-point.

By that, I mean that the life of every Satanist will reflect ALL of the tenants of Satanism. It is not the fact that Dr. LaVey was a lion tamer, an organ player and a criminal photographer that made him a Satanist. It was the fact that Dr. LaVey stratified himself, placed his own ego as his god and based his interactions with others on merit alone that made Dr. LaVey a Satanist. His style was his own. Satanism is not a copycat religion. No one will say, “Take up your Baphomet and follow me”. Every Satanist will experience the tenants of the Church of Satan in his or her own way. What you will not find is a group of people modeling their lives after another. That is faking it. Make sense?

That makes sense: be honest with myself and true to my nature. Good advice, thanks! I'll write that down somewhere and when I feel any sense of struggle within myself I'll just ask myself what is right for me. It's nice to be your own God. Thanks for the advice, Majic and Phineas.

Okay: social stratification (check)
Next task: potty training (No, not ME!)

Again these tenants of Satanism keep cropping up - are they not paying their rent or something?

Bonnie - as Phineas says stratification happens naturally, it's not just about having a rank, it's also having a place in society. Most people stratify themselves unconsciously, whether it be laziness that keeps them at the bottom or ambition that propels them to the top.

If these Tenants of Satanism aren't paying their rent I am sure they will be evicted. You have to be responsible when it comes to Satanism, otherwise: *finger drawn across the neck*

Hail Satan! (and your tenants too)

Sorry, Roho, I couldn't resist the urge to tease you. Tenets of Satanism. Tenants are renters.

Hail the Rooster!

Tenets with an "e"...no wonder I couldn't find it.

Do not tell anyone!

Because other Satanists have different life experiences can The Church of Satan be truly embraced, with ALL it's tennants, by other Satanists?

Folks, I swear, next time I ask a question, I'll use a dictionary!

Moon Shadow

Too late...I have egg on my face, too, now!

This is like asking if people can understand Newton's three Laws of Motion without having an apple fall on their heads or working out all of the calculus. The obvious answer is yes.

Just LOOK for example at the links section of Churchofsatan.com. You'll see one example after another of people who have gone through their own sets of life experiences yet can all honestly call themselves Satanists. And these are just the people who have a website for what they do, let alone decided to submit it to Churchofsatan.com, not to mention are open about being Satanists in the firsts place!

Satanists have no problem embracing Satanism. Different Satanists may resonate more with some parts than others, but I don't see what LaVey's personal experiences have to do with accepting only 6 of the 9 statements, for example. If there's any arguing, it's pretty much over the APPLICATION of the principles (something I once said in an article which somebody then later plagiarized, but I digress).

Well the rent can't be much, since the apartments must be very small, since the Church of Satan has to be small enough for us to embrace

But seriously - if Anton LaVey had felt that he had discovered something unique to his own life, why write a bible and start a religion based on it?

Quite Verszou, indeed it was LaVey's conviction that Satanism was so fundamentally obvious that he said himself "If I didn't write this book, someone else (probably less qualified) would". It seemed that in his view Satanism already existed and was expressed (in that Satanists have always have existed), he just codified it as a religion and philosophy. He clearly didn't feel it was unique to him, indeed he obviously felt that what he was represented a streak that ran clearly through humanity.

This is an unquestionable truth, perhaps some people will think I´m wrong but for me LaVey didn´t create anything ex nihilo but systematized and organizated something that has existed since the very beginning of humanity. In fact, I see not a coincidence but a
sincronicity between LaVey´s "The Bible of Satan" and Evola´s "Ride the Tiger", someone who rides the tiger and a satanist are too similar to be just a mere coincidence.

Dr. LaVey never penned a book by that title.

Sorry for literally translating it from spanish, as that was the name of the only spanish, and horrible, translation of the book I´ve seen.
The Satanic Bible.

No apology necessary.

Your English is really quite good, so I didn't realize that you weren't a native speaker.