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The Satanic Narratives: A Modern Satanic Bible
The Satanic Narratives – A Modern Satanic Bible is a foundational text thoroughly deconstructing Satan, the adversarial archetype and the individualism of the Left-Hand Path. This updated Satanic Bible marks a reformation in the religion of Satanism, accessible to the average reader and philosopher alike. Satanists who struggled to find meaning in LaVey's Rand-inspired social Darwinism, will embrace this new focus on activism and social justice. While the skepticism and secular ethics mirror that of Humanism, this Satanic philosophy goes much incorporating rebellion, unrelenting perseverance, being the outcast, the individualist, and the adversary. The characteristics of each aspect of the Satan archetype are meticulously explained and linked to the philosophy presented. This not only justifies why it is worthy of the name “Satanism”, but also answers the question of why it can only be called “Satanism”.
52 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 6, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 24, 2020
hail satan 🤘🏾
July 11, 2019
I loved how positive this was. It tells you to take care of yourself, love yourself, not care about negative opinions, etc. Really nice book and great philosophy of life.
December 8, 2018
Good explanation of modern Satanism
Damien Ba'al writes his own personal Satanic Bible, not in a "This is Satanism defined" kind of way, but in a "This is how I view Satanism" kind of way. Satanism is highly individualistic, as he says, so it's like "Here is my Satanism, see if it rings true for you."
As an anarchist, and as someone who has read & sees the sense in Kropotkin's analysis of altruism and solidarity as factors that make social species such as bees, horses and humanity fitter to survive, like Damien I see the flaws in LaVey's earlier work, and I see the logic in Damien's humanistic, solidaire version of Satanism. Like him, I don't 100% accept The Satanic Temple's ideas chapter & verse either, and I welcome the valuable contribution this book makes to left wing Satanism & discussion about it.
Aspects of Satan - Satan, Ba' al, Lucifer, Baphomet and Loki, are used to illustrate useful things a Satanist should have as parts of his or her own personality: standing in opposition to oppression, unafraid to be cast out or turned on by mainstream society when they stand up for the little guy, having balance and reason in all that they do - never overindulging in cathartic behaviour like revenge, for example, and keeping good humour in their praxis. It's short & punchy at only about 40 pages, but well worth the read.
Damien Ba'al writes his own personal Satanic Bible, not in a "This is Satanism defined" kind of way, but in a "This is how I view Satanism" kind of way. Satanism is highly individualistic, as he says, so it's like "Here is my Satanism, see if it rings true for you."
As an anarchist, and as someone who has read & sees the sense in Kropotkin's analysis of altruism and solidarity as factors that make social species such as bees, horses and humanity fitter to survive, like Damien I see the flaws in LaVey's earlier work, and I see the logic in Damien's humanistic, solidaire version of Satanism. Like him, I don't 100% accept The Satanic Temple's ideas chapter & verse either, and I welcome the valuable contribution this book makes to left wing Satanism & discussion about it.
Aspects of Satan - Satan, Ba' al, Lucifer, Baphomet and Loki, are used to illustrate useful things a Satanist should have as parts of his or her own personality: standing in opposition to oppression, unafraid to be cast out or turned on by mainstream society when they stand up for the little guy, having balance and reason in all that they do - never overindulging in cathartic behaviour like revenge, for example, and keeping good humour in their praxis. It's short & punchy at only about 40 pages, but well worth the read.
May 10, 2019
“The Satanist does not need the approval or validation of the masses. Instead, one should persevere in the face of opposition as the hated other.”
“When you open your eyes, and look around you, you see you are not the only one cast out of society. With the light of reason no longer obscured by a mass collective of the docile and credulous, you can see the arbitrary social conventions, norms, and roles, for the irrational, detrimental things that they are.”
“The nature of reality is: Shit Happens. Many events are largely beyond one’s control. There is no intentionality guiding anything. We are adrift in a chaotic universe, like a raft with no rudder or paddles, flowing through different currents, winds blowing us in different directions. One can exert a certain amount of influence, and accomplish things, but life is not fair, and a great many things are beyond one’s control.
The universe has no objective moral code, and without that or any gods, there can be no truly objective morality.”
“Even if you are in total agreement, this book is just the tool of learning, the beginning of your mental journey, of which I am merely a guide. Your philosophy, worldview, and religion actually exist only in one place—your own mind. You are the master of your own subjective experience, through which all of objective reality is filtered.”
“When you open your eyes, and look around you, you see you are not the only one cast out of society. With the light of reason no longer obscured by a mass collective of the docile and credulous, you can see the arbitrary social conventions, norms, and roles, for the irrational, detrimental things that they are.”
“The nature of reality is: Shit Happens. Many events are largely beyond one’s control. There is no intentionality guiding anything. We are adrift in a chaotic universe, like a raft with no rudder or paddles, flowing through different currents, winds blowing us in different directions. One can exert a certain amount of influence, and accomplish things, but life is not fair, and a great many things are beyond one’s control.
The universe has no objective moral code, and without that or any gods, there can be no truly objective morality.”
“Even if you are in total agreement, this book is just the tool of learning, the beginning of your mental journey, of which I am merely a guide. Your philosophy, worldview, and religion actually exist only in one place—your own mind. You are the master of your own subjective experience, through which all of objective reality is filtered.”
January 5, 2022
Calling a 7000-word essay a foundational document is quite... bold, especially when the information contained therein can be found in more detail in freely accessible sources. Still, I don't regret reading it, and I'm pretty sure others might find this quite helpful. After all, most of those who aren't grapped by the last vestiges of "Satanic Panic" still associate the world view with La Vey's social Darwinism and general douchebaggery. For those, it might be interesting to learn that this different approach exists.
You can find roughly the same information on the TST homepage, though.
You can find roughly the same information on the TST homepage, though.
October 31, 2019
The perfect length
Short, sweet, and to the point, making sure not to profess to be the "true" way and offerring only a guide. This was well worth the read and I appreciate the way it was laid out. I swear, some parts of this book felt like I wrote them myself.
Whether you're a satanist, satan curious, or just want to peer at the world through a different lens, I recommend this book.
Short, sweet, and to the point, making sure not to profess to be the "true" way and offerring only a guide. This was well worth the read and I appreciate the way it was laid out. I swear, some parts of this book felt like I wrote them myself.
Whether you're a satanist, satan curious, or just want to peer at the world through a different lens, I recommend this book.
December 10, 2016
Another boring self help book. The good part: it is very short.
June 15, 2023
As if I could SERIOUSLY pass up the opportunity for this to be my 666th book on Goodreads?!
... Anyway.
I thought this was just Satanic philosophy when I downloaded it from Audible and...
It is. It calls itself a modern Satanic bible and it also is.
That's what I love about everything I've read and studied surrounding Satanism so far.
It can be ANYTHING.
I may read better sources and literature later on, but this short listen was a great dip.
Although (at no fault of the author, I'm sure!) the Audible recording was AWFUL. So tinny and echo-y. Ugh. Glad it was less than a hour.
... Anyway.
I thought this was just Satanic philosophy when I downloaded it from Audible and...
It is. It calls itself a modern Satanic bible and it also is.
That's what I love about everything I've read and studied surrounding Satanism so far.
It can be ANYTHING.
I may read better sources and literature later on, but this short listen was a great dip.
Although (at no fault of the author, I'm sure!) the Audible recording was AWFUL. So tinny and echo-y. Ugh. Glad it was less than a hour.
October 9, 2018
Short and sweet
I love the modified view Damien has on Satanism. After reading the Satanic Bible multiple times in the past, I was inspired but still resistant to making a claim as a "Satanist".
He points out that I don't have to even claim myself as anything. Or I can if it what suits me. My experiences and beliefs ultimately guide me and this short book is a good tool at hand to keep in mind what I want out of life.
I love the modified view Damien has on Satanism. After reading the Satanic Bible multiple times in the past, I was inspired but still resistant to making a claim as a "Satanist".
He points out that I don't have to even claim myself as anything. Or I can if it what suits me. My experiences and beliefs ultimately guide me and this short book is a good tool at hand to keep in mind what I want out of life.
January 20, 2024
Quick read / listen. And generally I liked it for the most part. To get to 4 stars, I would use the word “sheep” 1/3 as much as they did. To get to 5 stars, I would have reduced the redundant name calling by 1/2. Points are valid, and solid… they just get trampled by the incendiary (but mainly repetitive) language.
Also, and this is just me being greedy, if the chapters named the aspects instead of just counting … that would be cool.
But. Ultimately. I’m super glad he wrote it.
Also, and this is just me being greedy, if the chapters named the aspects instead of just counting … that would be cool.
But. Ultimately. I’m super glad he wrote it.
August 9, 2019
I got this hoping to get a overview of the thought process behind Satanism from their perspective. Unfortunately for the Satanic church, Ba’al did a horrible job. I really expected more. But if I am to take this book as representative of Satanism, it is a contradictory jumble of juvenile ideologies based on made up beings. Not to mention the audio quality and narration was abominable.
July 18, 2020
Good abstraction of the topic, so just be aware that it doesn't dive deep into any topics nor into any mythology of the deities that it builds its foundation of satanism on. This is worth the read if you want a high level overview of what most people consider Satanism. Would love to see this author write another book with much more depth.
August 12, 2019
A taste of something great
This book is a great taste of something much greater. You have to also check out his book ‘The Satanic Praxis’ for a fuller understanding of what he’s talking about her but otherwise, I love it. Def check out the companion as well.
This book is a great taste of something much greater. You have to also check out his book ‘The Satanic Praxis’ for a fuller understanding of what he’s talking about her but otherwise, I love it. Def check out the companion as well.
April 13, 2020
A quick read on what it means to be a Satanist
The content was from the writer's perspective, which really gives an insight into the meaning and ideology behind what it is to be a Satanist. A nice introduction.
The content was from the writer's perspective, which really gives an insight into the meaning and ideology behind what it is to be a Satanist. A nice introduction.
July 10, 2020
Very brief but very good as a generalized explaination of the activist variety of Satanism. I'd strongly recommend it for those interested or inspired by The Satanic Temple, especially those who no longer affiliate themselves with TST.
November 10, 2020
Wow!
I went into this thinking it wouldn't be as good as I wanted it to be. I am happy I was wrong! This is a must read for any Satanist. I have a new author to add to my favorites list. Will be buying the print copy as well.
I went into this thinking it wouldn't be as good as I wanted it to be. I am happy I was wrong! This is a must read for any Satanist. I have a new author to add to my favorites list. Will be buying the print copy as well.
August 24, 2021
This was a very short enjoyable read. Perfect for a new Satanist or someone interested in Satanism. It was inspiring and left me feeling confident.
Would also be a great discussion starter for a TST book club! We plan to do this in my TST group.
Would also be a great discussion starter for a TST book club! We plan to do this in my TST group.
July 27, 2017
Good
Its a good point of view for the subject. It gives a glimpse of the philosophy of Satanism. Not a long book
Its a good point of view for the subject. It gives a glimpse of the philosophy of Satanism. Not a long book
September 28, 2019
This is a pretty straightforward introduction to the United Aspects of Satan. It's well written, but doesn't go into much depth (which wouldn't really be expected given the size). For that I suppose you'd need to read the original essays referenced in the book.
October 3, 2019
Very brief, but very good and informative read on what modern Satanism is and what it isn't.
January 12, 2021
Never knew how nice Satan was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2021
This is just the worst thing. I have felt embarrassed for each word I have read, especially the Pan part.
September 9, 2021
It has been a comforting read. I would not call it a summary of what was already established by LaVey, Since it changed many aspects of traditional Satanism in a good way.
May 12, 2022
Quick, simple, to-the-point read. I enjoyed my time within the pages and I think it's a good introduction read to a TST flavor of Satanism (which is what I needed).
Highly recommend for new members.
Highly recommend for new members.
May 21, 2022
Useful basic overview of the Satanic archetypes in the author's version of Satanism. I would have liked to see more explanation of why each one has the particular associations it does.
June 30, 2022
Positive and down to earth. Tells you to love yourself and care for yourself. Great read to accompany the satanic bible. Would definitely recommend.
June 5, 2023
It's a fun book, with some good points on the facts of Satanism from a non Christian point of view
August 18, 2024
There was so many great parts of this, but I especially liked how this book broke down our evolutionary need to help each other. I also loved how this book handled the idea of being an adversary.
October 25, 2024
Overall it is an informative book. I did enjoy reading the perspective from someone that didn't necessarily align with Anton LaVey but also didn't fully align with Lucien Greaves. This journey of an alternative moral compass is an interesting but confusing adventure. I was surprised to have such a neutral view on the topic when the subreddits for Satanism are quite decisive.
July 11, 2023
If you're looking for a book that challenges traditional religious beliefs and offers a new perspective on personal freedom, then "The Satanic Narratives - A Modern Satanic Bible" by Damien Ba'al might be just what you're looking for. This book offers a fresh take on individualism, self-determination, and ethical behavior that you won't find in mainstream spiritual texts. Ba'al's writing style is engaging, and his ideas are thought-provoking, making it a fascinating read for anyone looking to broaden their horizons.
One of the most interesting things about this book is the way it approaches traditional religious themes from a non-traditional perspective. The writer offers a unique perspective on the concept of Satan and presents a compelling argument for the importance of individualism, personal expression, and critical thinking. This book is not just for people who identify as Satanists, but for anyone looking to challenge established moral values and think more rationally & critically about their own beliefs.
It's important to note that this book is not for everyone. Some readers may find its non-traditional perspective on religious and ethical issues to be challenging or even offensive. However, if you approach it with an open mind and a willingness to consider alternative viewpoints, you may find this book to be an insightful and stimulating read that broadens your perspective on spiritual and philosophical matters.
One of the most interesting things about this book is the way it approaches traditional religious themes from a non-traditional perspective. The writer offers a unique perspective on the concept of Satan and presents a compelling argument for the importance of individualism, personal expression, and critical thinking. This book is not just for people who identify as Satanists, but for anyone looking to challenge established moral values and think more rationally & critically about their own beliefs.
It's important to note that this book is not for everyone. Some readers may find its non-traditional perspective on religious and ethical issues to be challenging or even offensive. However, if you approach it with an open mind and a willingness to consider alternative viewpoints, you may find this book to be an insightful and stimulating read that broadens your perspective on spiritual and philosophical matters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews