Rating: 
Summary: on the other hand...
Review: the previous reviewer said, "One would believe, after reading Lavey's 'Bible' that it is only through his teachings that one can find undefiled self-knowledge...". one can say the same for the bible (the more popular one, the basis of christian belief). my recommendation? read them both, decide which you like more, and then come up with your own ideas. not a bad read at all, as i'm sure both bibles are works of fiction
Rating: 
Summary: It was interesting at first
Review: What can one say about Anton Szandor LaVey? He tried (and mightily too) to develop a philosophical system for the 20th century and beyond, which would supplant the Judeo-Christian mythos for all time. He failed. In the hippy era up until maybe the 80s, it was "cool" to be a Satanist and a member of the CoS. Many famous figures were. Some still are. However, each one of these people were there for the sole purpose of using LaVey and the CoS as a publicity tool, and LaVey seemed totally oblivious. These days he's a joke. Nobody's shocked by Satanism anymore. Nobody really cares. There are better things to worry about. The book itself is an interesting, if misguided, read. LaVey blasts mainstream religion, past occultists, and most philosophers. He gives a relatively brief essay on the origins of the system and the different forms it's had throughout history. He writes an essay on magic and how it works. This is one of the largest faults in the book. His theory of magic is entirely incoherent. It makes NO sense at all. So what if we exude chemicals from our skin? How in the world do simple chemicals cause people thousands of miles away to die? There's no connection point. LaVey was familiar with Aleister Crowley, so he must have known Crowley's take on magic(k). I think LaVey was quite simply trying to imitate Crowley, by developing what HE thought was a coherent scientific explanation for the effects of magic. Personally, I think Crowley makes infinitely more sense. Another problem with the philsophy is that it's entirely materialistic. Materialism and "religion" don't go together at all. I understand what he was trying to do, but call it for what it is: a "philosophy", not a religion. He tries his hand at a Nietzschan "moral psychology", and he comes up short. Just because you're religious doesn't mean you hate life (after all, he places himself in the category of religion). Just because you're a "white" as opposed to "black" doesn't mean you're frightened. It means you have a different take on the philosophy. He ignores his sources in a bibliography that ought to be there and isn't. He scrupulously avoids crediting the obvious influence of Nietzsche--both in his less-skillful writing and his attack on religion. For those of you who are atheists, the materialistic, hedonistic Satanism might well be for you. There is a lot to offer for those who are not religious. For others such as myself, however, this book is worthless except as an entertaining read. One word in good praise, however. No matter your path, you would do well to heed LaVey's warning that much information out there IS drivel. It's just not split on the lines between white and black. He's quite right when he says it can be confusing. But so can his book--how can a philosophy which is supposedly designed to foster the spirit of individuality and rebellion so powerfully depicted by the image of Satan--utilize generalized dogma? As I said. If you want a materialistic religion, neglecting spirituality, buy this book. It might well be liberating for you. I, however, will stick to my Thelema.
Rating:
Summary: It makes some valid points, but. . . .
Review: I read this book back in college out of curiosity. At the time, I had already fallen away from the Catholic Church so LaVey's critiques of Christianity and organized religion were nothing that I hadn't already heard or thought of. The only difference was that LaVey spelled everything out so concisely and eloquently. However, years later, I cannot agree entirely with LaVey's conclusions. I agree that we are animals and shouldn't deny our animal instincts. Nor should we blindly follow anyone's teachings. However, I do believe that compassion should be at the heart of any ethical person's code of conduct. Crushing the weak is fine and dandy when you're strong and healthy, but all of us are subject to disease, injury, and death, any of which can happen at any time. Wouldn't we want others to show compassion to us in times of need? Yes, we should all look out for ourselves, but we needn't step on others to do it. Overall, the book itself is an interesting read, but it hardly describes a religion or spiritual path.
Rating:
Summary: Ahhhhhh...(breath of fresh air)
Review: The book that held my fascination since I was in grade school, and yet I didn't even read it until I graduated high school. All I can say is read it for yourself, then see if you don't come out changed...in the most positive way of course.
Rating:
Summary: Appropriate for teenagers - real seekers look elsewhere
Review: I read an interview w. Anton LaVey in Re/search's "Modern Primitives" as a 19-year old college junior and was intrigued, to say the least. AT the time I was obsessed with Baudelaire, Lautremont, Nietzsche, Blake and similar proponents of cosmic rebellion and otherworldy values and thought that, perhaps, this "notorious" book would could piece the final piece of the puzzle in my quest for self-knowledge. Boy, was I wrong! Even as a teenager I immediately recognized the plagiarized passages from Baudelaire, and saw that La Vey's whole "philosophy" was basically mish-mosh of thoughts and ideas better expressed elsewhere. Over the years I pinpointed the other sources: Ayn Rand, Nietzsche, Crowley. The further I went, the more I wondered - why did he even write this book, since so many of the ideas are unoriginal? Why present himself as an "occultist" when he rejects the existence of the spiritual world? There ARE religions with work with spirits, even dark spirits, in a powerful way - the Afro-caribbean witchcraft religions, for example. And there are occultists who actual do work with Lucifer to acheive self-knowledge, eg., Egan's "First Church of Satan" (and no, I am not a member - I am an occultist, not a joiner or a fan boy, and I only do what serves me, not what puts money in some goofball's pocket). Anyway... I wondered for years what the purpose of any of the Laveyan nonsense was, since the real stuff is out there too and eventually I realized - while doing searches on google for information on certain obscuire middle-eastern sects that I kept running across the same terms on websites lauding LaVey - terms such as "darkness" and "unholy" and "goth" and "Marilyn Manson" - anyway, I realized that LaVey's stuff is basically a "cattle catcher," a false door, a dead-end funnel designed to draw in and sweep up all of the angst-ridden teens, deluded seekers, and people with personality problems so severe that no they could never get initiated into, or even socialize with, true occult paths, and funnel them into a sterile philosophy that they could build a worldview around, pay their $$$ to get a worthless membership, wear the T-shirts, buy the jewelry, and never get any further in the quest for power, success, knowledge, health, than they were when they started. In a nutshell - Laveyan "Satanism" doesn't just have a provocative image, it is ALL IMAGE. There is NOTHING behind the mask, it is a complete wate of time, and if you get involved in this nonsense you are basically just wasting your time and your money and deserve what you get, you probably weren't meant to get involved in the occult in the first place and would be better off converting to fundamentalist Xianity, at least their figureheads actually believe what they preach! There is a reason so many of the angst-ridden teens who laud this book refer to LaVey, the church and this book as "notorious," "infamous," "unholy," 'cause that is how LaVey presented this garbage to the sheople in the first place, the fact that so many are so gullible as to believe this junk just cause he said so, says a lot itself!!!
Rating:
Summary: Human Nature
Review: It has been over five years since I read this book, but from what I remember this book just describes basic human nature. In
order to follow Lavey's philosophy you simply just disregard self
control. I could not help but notice the many contradictions in the book. For example, he claimed he was an athiest and does not believe in metaphysical things, yet the book describes metaphysical rituals. Almost every art that describes metaphysical techniques require you to have at least some "faith"
in what you are doing. The morals he presents are also contradictory, such as the anti-raping view. He thinks raping is wrong, but it is ok to use a ritual to make a person find you attractive when they usually do not. So you violate a person's mind instead of thier body. A hole in the philosphy is that he believes that going to hell is desireable. If that is the case why does he always need a condition to preform an "evil" act.
For example, why do you need to attack someone only after they hit you first? Why not just kill everything that moves?
Rating:
Summary: <<< ! a man a plan a canal panama ! >>>
Review: Do you know how many people have reviewed this book? ... In the 80s however, is when I grew up, and that is when this book became sensationalistic. In the vast amount of reviews you can read all about people being shocked and, more often, NOT shocked by this work of art. But as art is seen today, the author's intent doesn't control how we see this work. Right down to its kitchy paperback size and cheap paper, this affordable piece of americana is a significant piece of the mellodrama of, what could be called, a history of religion. LaVey makes not a BOOK, but a piece of social phenomena when he formed the Church of Satan, and has left a tangible piece of it in the form of a "bible". Satan has been in novels and minds for all of history, and pretty publicly at times too. Looking back on Western Civilization (especially fin de siecle Paris and decadent poetry), it is clearly not the open dialogue of Satanic worship that makes this book unique today. Whatever sensation it did cause in the 80s is interesting but I won't digress. Simply put, Satanism has been around. The _Satanic Bible_ takes grip of the spectacle of Satanism in our times and all its history. It is not simply the advocation of Catholic taboo breaking, nor is it insightful philosophy, instead it is a Bible. In its presence on bookstroe shelves everywhere, its title alone provokes and destroys associations between media and faith. LaVey uses Satan in the man's personal way. Practically everyone knows now that not only was LaVey's skinny mustache and tales of working in a circus part of his carnival image, but that he did not even work in a circus. This is how genuine his charlatan personnna was. Tall tales of being a circus organist and lion tamer were eaten up by the media. This scam was his desired image come to life, his life turned media stunt. Just look at the book on the shelf and you can see it as a blantant stunt of commercialism turned religion... turned commercialism. As smart as the Church of the SubGenius. LaVey made a social event out of his idea of a "Satanism". Religious thought is made malleable where once was firm ground. A new spirituality will not emerge, nor an actual religion with a history, nor any anti-christian fantasies with which we can blaspheme. Instead the communication of ideas has been poked with LaVey's finger. His book is not simple anti-christianity, but a relic that has devasted how religion is sold to us the consummer. America is beautiful and LaVey has fed his "Satanism" into our culture like a virus into a network. LaVey is the cowboy in the black hat, the dreamt up villian made up for a dreamt up hero, and has left us a piece of americana that is now postmodern.
Rating:
Summary: Indulgence, Not Abstenance
Review: Anton LaVey brings us a new philosophy (and some borrowed) to a new realm of genius. Instead of writing a book to make others conform with a religion, he writes a book to help realize what man and his role in life should be on this Earth. Instead of the Christian "rat race" of worry of sin, we should INDULGE in it. To read this book, one must forget all Christian morals and dogmas and as well as Christian scare tactics of Satanism or "The Satanic Ritual Abuse."
Rating: 
Summary: Is Satanism the only road to self-enlightenment?
Review: One would believe, after reading Lavey's "Bible" that it is only through his teachings that one can find undefiled self-knowledge. Did he seriously believe that his philosophy is the original cornerstone of self-enlightenment? He mentions the idea of misderection in one of his chapters and that seems to be what this book is largely about. He considers himself a great prophet casting out all the charlatans who came before him. How original! Are all christians unenlightened herd animals? Had he never read Kierkegaard? Lavey's ideas are largely borrowed from Nietzsche, but in comparison he is in no manner as penetrating and insightful as Nietzsche. His ideas do in fact lead to those of social darwinism as practiced by the Nazis. The strong must crush the weak. One can imagine the delight he would feel over "road rage" as it is practiced today. His undefiled enlightenment consists of getting in touch with ones darkner nature, which is an important step to self-enlightenment, but is that all? Is everyone who doesn't believe in his philosophy a hypocrite? Have not all charlatans and dictators said the same thing? What's new here?
Rating:
Summary: impressed
Review: I wanted to read this book because I thought the religion sounded very interesting but didnt know much about it. I was actually very surprised after reading the book. Lots of the points I agree with such as "if your enemy smites you on one cheek do the same on the other" (not sure how exactly it was worded). The book was very informative. I recommend it to anyone with an open mind that is interested in the religion.
|
