On Leaving Christianity

Leaving Christianity for Satanism

So many Satanists have come to me asking how they can be free of Christianity. So, I would like to share my views on the process of leaving Christianity behind, from my perspectives. In my life, I was exposed to Christianity but I was not raised as a Christian, I was allowed freedom of belief and I was not required to accept Christian ideas.

This has helped me in Satanism by allowing me to be free from the typical fears that new and converting satanists experience. I have compassion for these people because I know how difficult the road of spirituality can be. So here is my guide to leaving Christianity, written from my perspective as an independent Satanist.

For Satanists who come from a Christian background, converting into Satanism is a process that takes a long time. There are a few who still feel regret from their decision to come to Satanism. Leaving Christianity is not an easy thing to do.

They wish it could have been better because they live with fear from their decision to change. I have advice for them: there is no such thing as ‘no regrets’ in life, there is always something that we wish that we could change after the change has already been made. Nothing is ever perfect, but things could be *better*.

Learn, and Learn some More

My suggestion to new and converting Satanists from a Christian background, is study and reading, as much as you can, about Satanism from several different perspectives. Approach these studies with an open mind and see how many different types of beliefs in satanism there really are. Learn the value of independent thinking, and introspection. Be inquisitive and don’t accept everything at face value. These practices will help you to develop independent thinking, a method of living that I believe is necessary for experiencing life as a Satanist.

You will wonder if what you have left behind, was the ‘real truth’. In reality, there are no absolute truths in religion because there are so many beliefs and ideals that to accept one as an absolute truth is to be blind to the reality that ALL religions sanctimoniously claim to be the truth.

Leaving it all behind also means that you should consider that Satanism is not just  ‘reverse Christianity‘. It is so much more than just inverting christian beliefs and ideas.

Religion is a practice, and a method. Christianity is only a religion and its your choice not to belong to it, and follow its teachings. Those beliefs in Christianity may be fine for some people as a coping mechanism or as a method of spirituality, but if its not something that appeals to you on a personal level, then why sit around and worry about it? you’re not a Christian so why should you suffer a Christian fate, according to what they teach? Because you are willing accept their self-proclaimed authority over your own personal judgments?

Explore Your Decision on a Personal Level

find out why satanism appeals to you, and move with this feeling, let it carry you. it’s your life and you are the one who makes your own decisions. Deciding what to believe is up to you. Religion is important to many people, because of tradition. That is their choice, but you are not obligated to believe what they believe.

At least you have made the personal decision to come to Satanism, but have you explored why you made that decision? Because you felt that you had no choice, or that there was no other way? Because you feel that your former god or goddess betrayed you or wouldn’t answer your prayers? Because you are seeking personal empowerment? What is your focus? You have to be able to realize these things before you will be able to truly be free from religious thought. Your motivations will have a lot to do with your experience in entering into Satanism, each person having their own unique reason and experiences.

Religious Fears, Moral Values

This religious Fear comes from the ignorance of the unknown. you are afraid of what will happen because you are not certain. When you finally realize that there are a multitude of other religions, each with their own beliefs, its easier to put it all into perspective and see that Christianity is just one more system of religious belief, just like any other, that promises a heavenly or hellish afterlife in exchange for moral subservience in the material, mortal world.

Besides for worship, religion serves the purpose of training people into accepting certain moral values. Are these moral values necessary or important to you? if they are not then consider why you fear punishment from the teachings of a belief system that you don’t even agree with, on a personal level. Ask yourself why this religion still matters to you if you are not a part of it anymore.

There are many forms of religion on this earth. Are they all right? Which religion is true? Does it even matter? I believe that religion is a personal experience, a search of personal truth that is projected into books, writings, churches, temples and deities. There are many religions, many gods and many ways of expressing religious thought.

Fears of punishment come from the acceptance of Christian ideals as a personal truth. When you are ready to move on and stop accepting their religious ideas as an absolute, personal truth, you will be free from the guilt of the warnings of their teachings. You have placed yourself inside a box, each side a limiting belief, and as long as you are within it you feel safe and comfortable because you don’t have to try. That is why the conversion can be difficult for some, taking personal initiative is a new concept to them, altogether. It can be like entering uncharted territory.

Disassociation From Past Alliances

There are two ways to approach this. The first method, well known in Satanism, is to create a black mass, to personally blaspheme your former religion. If something truly does not matter to you, you will be able to mock it, ridicule it for the hollow, useless, and ridiculous belief that it is. By doing this you are reducing your former, useless beliefs into a ritual that will enable you to separate yourself from the guilt of retribution.

Even if you choose not to use a ritual, you can not begin to move forward without realizing that you are carrying the weight of all your former beliefs with you, weighing you down and effecting every decision you make. Cutting those old beliefs of former religions away is necessary for self-improvement.

The other method, and I would suggest this along with personal ritual – is to read and study as much as you can on Satanism in general, so you can educate yourself and empower yourself through knowledge. Expand your own personal awareness, and gradually you will be able to accept the fact that Christian beliefs belong to the members of the cult of Christianity.

Leaving Christianity is not easy. You have to discover your own personal beliefs which have been repressed by years of trained thought, and it is not an easy thing to accept. It takes personal strength and a desire to be independent from the limiting thought of religious belief.

Part of the issue is that right maybe you are still ready to accept the beliefs that you’ve been taught for so long, without questioning their use or necessity in your life. When you have knowledge, however, you will not have fear or guilt, you will have empowerment and the ability to make decisions on your own without being told what to believe.

Things to consider: Typical Fears and Uncertainties That New Satanists Face

1.You may still feel that for some reason you are under the ‘power’ or authority of the Christian god, or what you feel or think is the Christian god. Because of this you may feel fear, uneasiness or paranoia about your decision. Examine why you feel these fears. Is it because you still accept the Christian views of good and evil, right and wrong? Do you feel retribution because you do not know if your former religion is ‘undone’, or left behind? Do you still feel that this ‘Christian-god’ force is guiding your life in some ways? It’s time to step outside of the ‘circle of protection’, leave those old beliefs behind and realize that you are responsible for your life, and your decisions.

Only you have the power to make your own choices. Until you realize this your decisions and mindset will be effected by your former beliefs. For instance, in my life, I acknowledge that the Christian god, and all of his forms, are one of many, many gods in this world, with no more power over me than I allow him to have.

2. Fear of Afterlife Retributions are very real for some. Its the reason why some never come to satanism even though they may be curious. The promises of the afterlife, in a Christian context, belong to the beliefs of Christianity. There is a small minority of Satanists that I have seen that expect to end up in the Christian hell, not tortured but protected by Satan. However, the majority of Satanists that I have met, myself included, really do not care about the Christian teachings on the ‘afterlife’.

There is only the here and now, and the experience of the physical world. There is no one that has ever come back to tell us what it is like to ‘live eternally’ after death, and because of this neither science nor religion has the answers as to what really happens at the final end. My view is that there is nothing. We live and experience life and then we die. Its that simple. We all face the same fate regardless of how we lived our lives, and that fate is death.

3.Fear of others projections upon you is a problem for some. When others pray for you they are only doing what they know how to do, and nothing more. Their prayers and wishes have no more authority over you than you allow them to have. The idea that there is some kind of cosmic battle between good and evil belongs to the beliefs of Christianity, not to Satanism. As a Satanist, I could care less if people pray for me, send me angels, etc. because these things do not effect me, physically or mentally. Why obsess over what they are worried about when it does not even concern me? If someone wants to pray for my soul, let it at least comfort them, and let it strengthen me in my resolve to live my life as I see fit.

One thing I have noticed among fundamentalist Satanists is the idea that they are fighting some kind of spiritual battle. This idea obviously originates with Christianity, where the Christian is like a solider battling for his god, expelling demons by using the sword of god, the bible, etc.

These fundamentalist Satanists, for lack of originality or knowledge, assume that Satan is in the same battle against Christ and all of the figures of Christianity. Not only is this idea a simple reversal of fundamentalist Christian beliefs, it only serves to instill fear and paranoia, and dependence on Satan as a protective force. Do you want to feel powerless? That choice is up to you.

A person can easily loose their independence and strength of will if they cling to these beliefs that only serve to suppress personal expression. In all of my experiences, I have never been attacked or harassed by any deity or spirit. It is my view that fear and ignorance plays a big role in the mentality of certain people who choose to follow Satanism in that way. Satanism should be about freedom and personal empowerment, not about fear.

4. Keep in mind that the book known as the bible was translated, written, and re-written over a period of several hundred years by many, many authors. Opinions about the stories of the bible vary, between sects of Christianity.

In my view the bible is like any other religious text – it is a work of mythology that is used for spiritual interpretations. What they choose to interpret from the words in their books has no effect on my everyday life, as I am not subject to their moral opinions or views. You shouldn’t be influenced by their commandments either, if you are no longer part of the Christian faith. This is a topic that I also covered at my blog: On Leaving Christianity, Reader Q&A

If you are new to Satanism you may want to read the Satanism FAQ, it’s a good place to start

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