Author: Anton Szandor LaVey
Title: The Satanic Bible
Series: –
Genre: Philosophy, Occult
Pages: 272
Rate: 3/5 | Goodreads
I remember the days when this book appeared. In Lithuania, it disappeared just as quickly, leaving a lot of strange young adults reeling, searching for it. I wasn’t one of them back then, but admittedly I was always curious about all religions. I think the problem was the predominantly god-fearing population I grew up in, never able to become part of it, because none of it made sense. Why would I fear a god who is all loving and forgiving? Why would he make someone this way, and then punish them for being this way? You get my meaning, right? Yet I forgot about this book up until AHS came out with Apocalypse, the Antichrist, and LaVey. So I figured I’ll serve the angsty goth teen that I was, and get this book for myself now.
About: The book right away agrees that yes, the doctrine could be called humanitarian philosophy, and not satanic religion. But that’s really the point. While it teaches you to be a better person, because it really does, believe you me, it also arms you. It arms you against the religion that likely dominates your surroundings, and finds a way to tell you you’re somehow wrong. It points out all the flaws in Christianity, and thus opposes it openly, acting like a sort of, well, for the lack of better word, adversary. For as long as Christianity stands, telling you that you should be afraid of God’s wrath, and thus should maybe sacrifice him a goat or something, there will stand a satanist, telling you the god on earth will never tell you to fear him, nor will he ever ask you to shed blood, because we’re all gods in our own way, and all life is to be respected, and not harmed.
But this great part is very short, likely, added together, no longer than one fourth or third of the book. The rest is translated Enochian texts, prayers, invocations and such.
Mine: It’s a great book that’ll tell you you need to love yourself, care for yourself, and respect others as much as they respect you. Meaning there’s no other cheek, get rid of toxic people from your life. It tells you that consent matters. It tells you that you’re not to be a dick. It tells you there’s no taboos if everyone consents. And then proceeds on telling you so very much about sex, how it should be free and available for all, how you need to seek what you want in it, fulfillment, and so on. I mean it’s all well and good, but I feel like if you’re not 14, you’ll be rolling your eyes at the overbearing emphasis here.
So, all in all, I’m glad I got this book, and that it showed me what this religion is all about. No, it’s not made to convert you, nor is it written in the biblical style either. It’s a very simple philosophy book, with a little too much of not so interesting stuff. So I give it a 3 out of 5, for while I’m glad I’ve read it, it felt like it was written for way younger people than myself, if you get my drift.