I'm a waiter at a seafood restaurant and we kill crawfish and lobsters daily. Last crawfish season I was put in the kitchen solely to drop crawfish into boiling water, and I felt horrible as they put their claws up in pain.

My question is, as a Satanist, the tenth Satanic rule of earth says to not kill non-human animals unless being attacked or for your food. Does that mean your food only, or food for others as well?

If its part of your duties, then by all means, go ahead.

The Rule refers to wasting animals' lives for no reason. The lobsters and crawfish are being consumed, they serve the purpose of food.

You can always choose another job.

I'm very happy with the quickness of your response. This helps me out a lot.

I merely wanted to add that the myth and lie is that Satanists are inhuman monsters who relish sadistic torture of animals or children.

Quite the opposite is true.

This fact is also verified over and over again in the written literature of the Church of Satan.

Do not be fooled by the wild and unfounded claims of liars or fools.

Quite frankly, some of the kindest and most decent people you will probably ever meet anywhere are found in the highest circles of Satanism.

If you or someone you intend to provide it to eats it, then it falls under the commonsense definition of "food." Satanism is based on commonsense, not strict laws.

I would personally even be so liberal as to interpret the Tenth Rule to be inclusive of any case in which killing an animal is needed for your own survival or the survival of others, besides the two specific examples it gives. If you MUST kill an animal to stave off cold, for example, or the animal is reasonably considered a menace (a rabid dog whether it attacks me or not, I will put down on sight to prevent harm to children it may bite and to stop the spread of infection to other animals).

The rule is best viewed as an injunction against wasting the lives of animals needlessly, as we view such wanton destructiveness as counter to the natural order.

Again, use common sense.

Oh, and if your job bothers you - get a new one. Some folks don't mind the dirty work of slaughter, some couldn't stomach a minute of it. All in what you can deal with.