That's the beauty of Satanism, no one follows anything.

Either Satanism naturally lines up with your personal way of life or not at all.

If you eat what you kill, it matters very little what your original or primary purpose was in killing it.

Your rules do nothing to separate you from any other organized religion except you don't follow a deity. I can agree with Dr LaVey's teachings but I refuse to follow any rules. I live by my own. Call it whatever you like but its what I follow.

It ain't Satanism, that's for sure.

While I appreciate your show of respect, really, there is no need to seek approval. This issue is for you to work out. You asked, in a manner that indicated genuine interest, for opinions and those of us so inclined so obliged.

The crux is the central focus of Satanism...love of life. Our own first; then, those who have earned our respect. The writings Dr. LaVey say in so many ways that it is tragic to unnecessarily end life. Even when it may be the best option available.

Love life. Live life. Don't fuck with people unnecessarily. Don"t let other people fuck with you. Simple guidelines that that will help you to make informed, intelligent and Satanic decisions.

I assume this person is no longer in the forum. If anyone reads the post that this is a response to, and wonders what such ideas are called, allow me to help. It is called being a sociopath. Sociopaths are not free from rules. They are delusional.

I would like to thank everyone for sharing their opinions and ideas.

Approval was not what I was seeking - but instead opinions and interpretations which is exactly what I received (study not worship)...

Life is the great indulgence and taking it away from any living thing should be carefully considered and all other options weighed before making a decision.

This is indeed something that I must work out for myself.

Thank you again,

Hail Satan!

You really have to put things into perspective. I live in a very rural area, and we have everything from coyotes, feral dogs, wild hogs, to 6 species of venomous snakes. In eleven years of living here I have never been hassled by any of these animals, but I do have guns just in case. I’ve heard that wild hogs can kill you, but I’ve never actually seen one before. I do see coyotes on almost a daily basis.

I recently asked myself "since I have cats, if I see a coyote on our property and near my home, should I shoot it to protect my cats?" Then it occurred to me that I've had cats all this time and I've never had one get mauled by a coyote. It would be stupid to take the life of an animal "just in case" when the chance of it doing anything is so slim that my cats could more likely be hit by a car before a coyote would ever attack them. Besides, I'm quite fond of coyotes. I go walking late at night and sometimes they'll start yodeling(?) and making all of that ruckus, sometimes what seems like only yards away from me. They don’t bother me and they are just awesome.

I'd probably consider poisonous snakes differently. I have kids, and I have dogs that run around outside to go to the bathroom, and of course I have the cats. If I saw an eastern diamondback curled up near my doorstep, I would probably be inclined to get out the twelve gauge because we don't have animal control out here and I don't know how to properly handle poisonous snakes. But again, since I've lived here this has never happened. I would never kill a snake just because it was poisonous. I'd probably get out my camera a take pictures, but if it's not an immediate danger, why kill it? I like snakes even more than I like coyotes, and I think they are probably the most misunderstood animals in the world. People purposely run them over out here and it pisses me off.

As for gardens, deer, rabbits, moles, and various other critters can do major damage in no time. I found the best way to deal with them is by taking just a few easy, though somewhat unordinary steps. If you encircle your garden with a long, black water hose, rabbits and other rodents will stay clear because they will think it's a snake. If you cut your own hair (which I do) you can save the clippings and scatter them around the garden to keep deer away, and urinating around the gardens perimeter (not recommended if you have neighbors who can see you doing this) will also help ward off deer and various other critters. By no means are all of these steps scientifically proven, and I don't know if it would work in your situation, but it’s certainly worth trying before you start shooting animals full of lead. After all, they don't know better, they just want to enjoy a salad!

Kill them. It's your food source. They intrude. Kill them.