There may not have been any previous religions of Satanism by name, but do you realize that all of those "Pagan" religions share the exact same Gods and Goddesses? They share the exact same spiritual goals and the same methods of achieving those goals as well. The main differences are things like language and location in the world. Like I have said the information is there. I've done my research and so has the Ministries. The only thing that has changed is the scenario over countless years. From Sumerian beliefs to Spiritual Satanic beliefs. It's all the exact same belief system. LaVey only coined the name "Satanism" in modern texts. That is it.
The name "Satan" in Hebrew and only Hebrew means "adversary" or as you say "the accuser." Satan truly derives from the Sanskrit word meaning "truth." Sanskrit is one of the world's oldest languages. There have been cities that have had names derived from this Sanskrit word. The name "Satan" has actually been around since about the beginning of modern humanity. This is yet another proof that Spiritual Satanism predates Christianity.
Christianity is a reaction to Spiritual Satanism. Look at what The Bible is comprised of. Hundreds of stories of our Gods and Goddesses that have been unjustly twisted and corrupted. Spiritual allegories are everywhere in it as well. Once you learn about spirituality these things become clear.
You and I are talking about two totally different concepts of the soul and spirituality. The soul is not defined as "what makes you you." I never once said that either, nor have I hinted to that outrageous definition. The soul is comprised of numerous parts. The most commonly talked about is the aura. Which is the "outer coating" of the soul in a sense. The aura is comprised of electricity. Electricity which can and has been detected by science for years. What I mean by this is science learned that humans give off electricity. They were not measuring brain activity. They were measuring the human body as a whole. These electrical phenomenons were stronger than electrical brain signals. I remember seeing information about this since I was a little kid. Since the brain communicates through electrical impulses it is quite easy for the brain to influence and control the electricity of the aura. This is what I have meant by science recognizes the human soul. It absolutely does. Spirituality and science compliment one another.
Psychology also proves Spiritual Satanism. I won't deny that LaVey has made a few good points, but as a whole LaVey's findings were flawed. As I've said Spiritual Satanists are strong believers in science, so why wouldn't we use the scientific method to approach certain questions? In fact that questioning is what lead us to discover that neurology, astronomy, and physics have proven time and time again that human spirituality and as a result the human soul exists.
Our High Priestess Maxine has talked about drugs and meditation on countless occasions. Every time she has never denied that the brain can be induced into false spiritual experiences. The key there is false. If you can achieve a similar state without the use of drugs you are experiencing human spirituality. Without the use of drugs it is a controlled experience and with consistency these experiences grow stronger. This is the basics of power meditation. Meditation has been proven to induce different brain waves than an awake person and as a result a different neurological state. This is not the same thing as a delusion. The delusion here is drug use.
You have just proven with the last two paragraphs what I mean by LaVey's findings were flawed. He proved that drug induced "spirituality" is a delusion. Not all spirituality. He's absolutely correct that these delusions are harmful. They are harmful substances on your physical body for starters. Not to mention they can permanently alter your brain for the worse. There's absolutely no denying these facts.
You have yet to prove human spirituality is false. You haven't proved anything against Spiritual Satanism. You're using flawed logic to disprove science. What you have proved is you have not read up on Spiritual Satanism. The site has been there for you to look through. When you argue over a person's beliefs at least have a basic understanding of the topics you're trying to disprove. This is by far not the last article I will write on Spiritual Satanism. My next one will be the origins of Spiritual Satanism. I plan on tackling meditation as well. In that article I will go more in detail about the human soul and its parts.
I think you're both whacked, but hay, who am I to judge. For all I know you may be right. I just wonder where the notion of satan came from if not the bible. I'm not familiar with a pagan or Egyptian satan that predates christianity. Most of the stuff I read about satan/satanism is fairly modern.
Interesting discussion guys
Good article