Mine

The following is not meant to slander the Church of Satan or it is 
affiliates but to put into question what it currently teaches and it is 
ideology. Dogma as defined in the dictionary is something held as an 
established opinion esp. definitive authorative opinion. In addition, 
this author is sure many of you are familiar with "no stifling dogma 
shall encamp my pen!" However, how many of you, including Lavey take 
that to heart and thought. Also how many times have you heard or read a 
article or essay by the Church of Satan, or its affiliates dictating 
some nonsense about the "true and only one" Satanism, is this not 
dogma? The definition I previously stated in simple terms says a 
pre-existing opinion that is dictated by a church or other religious 
establishment, but is this not what the Church of Satan does. However, 
I guess they think that since they are under the black cloak of 
Satanism that automatically makes the infallible to xian traits and 
qualities. Lavey may have wrote and preached about no dogma, but why 
did he then turn right around and dictate rules and laws to be followed 
and state that his way was/is the only one and final way to become a 
"true" Satanist? Again is this not dogma? Satanism is an 
individualistic religion so why is the Church of Satan dictating who is 
and who isn't a Satanist? Are they scared that there may very well be 
other Satanic Church's that have there own opinion and thoughts on 
the religion and they might not be the one and only definitive Satanic 
church? Seems to be the cause and reason as to why they are so 
defensive. The Church of Satan teaches and advocates that there is only 
one and true ways to be a "true" Satanist otherwise any others are 
labelled as "sheepish devil-worshipers." But in reality the express 
no individuality or there own opinion, how can they be individuals when 
the get all their opinions and thoughts from what the Church of Satan 
dictates, and they have no opinion or thoughts on Satanism that is 
their own. Are they not sheep in wolves clothing? In addition, there 
are countless of Satanist view Lavey as this "great awakener" or 
this grand adept founder of "pure" Satanism, so in other words a 
Satanic messiah. Nevertheless, many choose to ignore all the faults he 
had and see him as infallible. When the truth is I'm sad to report 
this to the "Satanic lemmings" reading this, is that he had many 
faults, nor was he the founder of Satanism, he was just a Satanist like 
you or I, and his thoughts on Satanism shouldn't be the only 
thoughts. Satanism predates Laveyian Satanic thought by thousands upon 
thousands of years. In actuality, the first or original satanic 
"churches" is the priesthood of Set in ancient Egypt, or the 
priesthood of Hades in ancient Greece, so really the Laveyian satanic 
church is just an offshoot of traditional Satanic covens. So, what 
right does the Church of Satan has to dictate what is and what is not 
Satanism? Truly, the answer is none. There is also amazing similarities 
between Lavey and Christ. For example Christ said his way was the true 
and only very right? Did not Lavey say his Satanic way was the only one 
and true Satanic way? In addition, the Church of Satan affiliates and 
the Church of Christ affiliates share some traits. For example the 
Church of Christ followers believe there was is the only right way all 
else are false ways and doctrines and to follow them is out of 
ignorance, does the Church of Satan not express the same feelings when 
saying all other religions are "spiritual pipe-dreams" and they are 
all false doctrines and to follow them is to follow them out of 
ignorance. So truly the Church of Satan and its affiliates are no 
different from the Xian's they accuse if the maintain this thought 
pattern. So in closing this essay wasn't meant to insult or offend 
the Church of Satan or it's members but to point out their faults and 
show them that they are expressing xian traits and qualities and are 
not infallible, as to hopefully change their close-minded ideology. 
Moreover, the only true path I feel in Satanism and the LHP, is the 
path you set out for yourself. 

Idealism, the theory that reality is based on absolute truths (or 
forms) and not materialism, is one of the oldest systematic 
philosophies in western culture. Its origin dates back to Plato 
(427-347 B.C.E.), a student of Socrates (469-399 B.C.E.). Under his 
inspiration for challenging materialist convention, especially of 
Sophists, Plato developed idealism and greatly influenced the future of 
public education. Moreover, the Greek philosopher Socrates' method of 
challenging the status quo of Greek citizens was through the dialectic 
question and answer approach that was done orally and not written down. 
After his execution in Athens for his beliefs, Plato interpreted and 
most likely added to some of these dialogues. Today, scholars usually 
refer to the ideas of both philosophers as Platonic philosophy. Since 
the time of ancient Greece, many philosophers have contributed to the 
development of idealism. 
The following are three major areas: platonic idealism, religious 
idealism and modern idealism. 
Platonic idealism consists of the philosophical, social and educational 
ideas of the Greek philosopher Plato. Being a disciple of Socrates, he 
believed in the Socratic dialectic method. This method can be seen in 
the Republic and the Laws, two of his famous works. After Socrates' 
death, he opened his own school, the Academy, in which he further 
developed idealism. The search for truth in all things through Socratic 
dialogue was the basis for the school. 
The first principle and basis for platonic idealism is the concept of 
absolute truth. Plato taught that it is in all things. People should 
search for truth because it is eternal and perfect. He envisioned that 
since there are universal truths in mathematics (the concept of 2+2=4 
was true before being discovered), then there must be the same in other 
fields such as politics, religion and education. Therefore, the search 
for absolute truth is the quest of the philosopher. 
Being against materialism, he wrote about his second principle in the 
Republic. There is a separation between the world of ideas (or forms) 
and world of matter. Ideas have Good at its highest level, which he 
believed was the source of all true knowledge. The world of matter was 
characterized as unstable, constantly changing sensory data that was 
untrustworthy. He taught that people should embrace ideas and reject 
matter to progress toward the Good. This can be achieved through use of 
a dialectic, which is a critical debate by two mature citizens, at 
least 30 years old, with a well-rounded education. It begins with a 
thesis statement. Hopefully, it ends with an agreement or synthesis. 
This is done through open-mindedness and not with a selfish desire to 
win. It is also requires a firm grasp of subject knowledge and critical 
focus. Plato thought the dialectic could be used to help people embrace 
ideas and become less materialistic. It could help people to use reason 
to reach universal truths waiting to be discovered in many fields. He 
believed it was the "dividing line" between the unpredictable world of 
the material and the uncharted, abstract world of ideas. 
Concerning his philosophy on education, he held that people are born 
ignorant, living in a cave of shadows and illusions, chained by apathy. 
Those of us who break free and become enlightened have a duty to help 
the rest. The philosophers and educators in Greek society had a duty to 
raise the self-awareness of its people by helping the ignorant discover 
knowledge. 
The third principle was that Plato believed knowledge was not created, 
but discovered. He once told that the human soul is born with true 
knowledge; however, it is lost when placed in a material body, which 
corrupts such knowledge (similar to Adam and Eve allegory). 
Consequently, people have a lifetime of work to recall these forgotten 
truths. Socrates illustrated a similar idea concerning undiscovered 
knowledge in his Doctrine of Reminiscence. 
The kind of education Plato wanted was one where his students were 
encouraged to embrace his concept of the Good or the universal truths 
that already exist. Although most were materialists, who linked matter 
to reality, he wished to enlighten people to his idealist philosophy. 
Through such a plan, Plato could change society by creating outstanding 
role models like Socrates, who would be embraced by society, not killed 
or imprisoned. He wrote about this social vision in the Republic. 
Although the rebellious Plato wanted to change society from practical 
to abstract thinking, he did have a conservative side. He wanted the 
state to take an active role in education and offer his curriculum of 
Idealist philosophy. In addition, although he may have been the first 
to philosophise about art (paintings, sculpture, music, etc.), he felt 
it should be censored and regulated because it was an imitation of the 
material world and not reflective of true knowledge. He understood the 
range and power of art and wanted to censor it, so it would be 
portrayed in a more virtuous light. This, he claimed, would contribute 
to the educational process. 
Plato saw a society where equal opportunity existed on all levels. 
Girls and boys could develop themselves to the fullest, but those who 
showed difficulty in abstract thinking should pursue careers that 
contribute to the practical realities of life, such as industry, 
business and military affairs. There would be three classes: workers, 
militia and rulers. Those that demonstrated skill in the dialectic 
would become philosophers that would lead the state toward attaining 
the Good. 
In Plato's political and educational plan, there would be students of 
differing ages and educational levels (the older, the higher the rank) 
and one of 50 or more years of age, male or female, who would be the 
philosopher-king. The responsibilities of this highest position would 
be to supervise the affairs of the state and see that wisdom is the 
ruling factor on all state levels. He or she would surrender all 
material possessions and devote themselves entirely to society's 
guidance and enlightenment. In the end, Plato's utopian society never 
became a reality. He attempted to establish it under Dionysius II of 
Syracuse, but failed when the tyrant realized his plan. However, many 
of Plato's social and educational ideas have survived. His search for 
absolute truths has fostered great progress in almost every part of our 
lives including science, technology, religion and the arts. His idea of 
the "best" person to lead a state or institution captures the spirit of 
human progress in ancient Greece. Today, we want the best or most 
qualified person to lead our institutions. His vision of a state 
educational system is now a reality. In schools, teachers utilize the 
dialectic with students to draw conclusions. Moreover, equal 
opportunity for all is a cornerstone of the American ethos today. 
Religious Idealism came about because Platonic ideas exerted a 
considerable influence on Christianity. 
Judaism, a precursor of Christianity, held many beliefs compatible with 
Idealism. There were many parallels such as the idea of one God as pure 
Spirit and the Universal Good. Many of the New Testament writers were 
influenced by Greek culture, which was spread across the Mediterranean 
world by Alexander the Great. 
Founders of the Roman Catholic Church such as Augustine (354-430 C.E.) 
were influenced by Idealism. He was born and reared under Hellenistic 
culture. After his conversion to Christianity, he described his early 
pagan life as debauchery. He connected the philosophy of Platonists and 
Neoplatonists with Christianity. For instance, he saw the World of 
Ideas as the City of God and the World of Matter as the City of Man. He 
interpreted the pagan idea of the Good as God and matter as man (evil). 
Plato believed in absolute truth based on science and reason; Augustine 
believed in irrational faith in God. He also saw parallels with the 
ideas of rediscovery of knowledge (the fall of Adam), the origin of 
knowledge (God created it) and educational philosophy (worldly 
knowledge was wrong, faith over reason). He believed that faith based 
knowledge is determined by the church and all true knowledge came from 
God. 
Religion and Idealism, especially Christianity, have been closely 
related. Christianity promotes the idea of God as transcendent and a 
pure Spirit or Idea. Also is the concept that he created the world from 
himself or out of the Spirit or Idea. This resembles the Platonic 
concept that reality is basically Idea. 
Today one can see the tremendous influence religious Idealism has had 
on American education. Early Christians implemented the idea of 
systematic teaching, which was used consistently throughout new and 
established schools. Many Greek and Jewish ideas about the nature of 
humanity were taught. For centuries, the Christian church educated 
generations with Idealist philosophy. Idealism and the Judeo-Christian 
religion were unified in European culture by the Middle Ages and 
thereafter. This could explain the similarities of both in modern 
thought. Plato considers reality to be the mind by way of Idea. 
Judeo-Christians consider the soul by way of God. This explains why the 
modern concepts of mind and soul are closely connected in fields such 
as psychology and health science. 
During the rise of the scientific revolution in the fifteenth and 
sixteenth centuries, modern idealism developed and was largely 
identified with systematisation and subjectivism. This is reflected in 
the writings of Rene Descartes, George Berkeley, Immanuel Kant, George 
W. F. Hegel and Josiah Royce. Rene Descartes (1596-1650) based his 
philosophical system on two idealist principles. His famous Cartesian 
first principle: Cogito, ergo sum, "I think, therefore I am," in which 
he could doubt all things except his own thinking supported idealist 
thought because it asserted the centrality of mind in regard to the 
human being in the world. The other is the Deity or foundation for all 
objects of thought. With the cogito, he discovered an indubitable 
thought, but realized he couldn't move to other indubitable. Objects 
outside the cogito are based on the imperfect senses. Moreover, all 
ideas referred to other ideas. He found it impossible to arrive at any 
idea, even the cogito, that did not refer to something other than 
itself. He felt he had solved these problems with the idea of Perfect 
Being. He thought he encountered God when he arrived with this idea. 
Thus, he named it the Deity. 
George Berkeley (1685-1753) held that there was no existence without 
perception by the mind, but things may exist if perceived by God. 
Recall the classic question, does a tree falling in the forest make 
sound if no one hears it? Berkeley says no because there is no 
existence without perception, unless it is perceived by God. Thus, he 
was a religious man and like Plato, emphasized idealism over matter. 
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) emphasized ideas when he focused on human 
thought processes. He held that the rationalist thinks analytically 
(priori) and the empiricist thinks synthetically (posteriori). He 
created a logical system called synthetic a priori judgments. 
With this system, he hoped to achieve valid human knowledge based on 
scientific laws of nature. He wanted to combine rationalist and 
empirical insights into one unified system. The rationalist sought 
universal truths or ideas and the empiricist believed in scientific and 
practical sensory experience. His system recognized both the need for 
the empirical approach and the rationalist need to find universal laws. 
The human self or mind with its thought processes was the basis for its 
success. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) greatly influenced 
the course of modern idealism. There are three major aspects of his 
system: logic, nature and spirit. 
With logic, he thought he perfected a system that corrected any faults 
in Aristotelian logic. He had a dialectic approach (thesis and 
antithesis=synthesis), but he conceived of thought as a continuum, not 
as a series of mechanical synthetic unions. It is characterized as a 
flowing and ever-changing process. Hegel felt that his logic would 
bring about absolute idea. 
The second, nature, was the opposite of idea, the difference between 
value and fact. He did not hold idea and nature are separate; rather 
that nature is lower in reality and not the final synthesis. 
The final system, called spirit, was the absolute spirit that 
manifested through fine works of art, religion and philosophy; however, 
he felt we never reach, but do make progress toward final absolute 
spirit. 
Josiah Royce (1855-1916) was one of the most important spokespersons 
for Hegelian idealism at the beginning of the twentieth century in 
America. He believed that the external meaning of something depends 
entirely on its internal meaning or its' embodiment of purpose. This 
was the criterion of "mentality" and that the essence of anything is 
mental. Royce, like most idealists, drew many parallels between 
religious teachings (Christian is this case) and their own 
philosophical views. Moreover, he held that ideas are purposes or plans 
of action. To act on ideas is the fulfilment of such. Ideas are 
idealized in the external world, which is meaningless without the 
fulfilment. Royce saw that the purpose of such ideas would be the 
Absolute's purpose (God). Similar to Hegel, he thought the most 
important things a person can develop are loyalty to moral principles 
and causes. The absolute purpose is to achieve the highest good by 
becoming part of the universal design. 
Concerning my views about idealism, I agree and disagree with its 
principles. 
I believe that absolute truth exists, but only within the objective 
universe or nature. This is defined as that which exists without 
self-awareness. Natural law consists of many universal truths that are 
the basis for science, technology (applied science), mathematics and 
music. Since the beginning of time, these truths have been with us. 
This is the knowledge that has been and continues to be discovered. Our 
thoughts, feelings and ideas comprise our subjective universe. This 
self-aware human psyche creates knowledge from nature. This 
self-awareness is the difference between humans and all living things 
in nature such as animals. Still, we are part animal and human. We 
perceive ourselves via our ability for abstract thought - this is how 
we define ourselves. Throughout civilization, we have created and 
defined politics, religion and education. These concepts came from 
human development and experimentation. 
I feel the concept of the World of Ideas (Subjective Universe) versus 
the World of Matter (Objective Universe) is, of course, coloured or 
slanted by one's own subjective perceptions and always will be! The 
Absolute Truth of the Universe will not elevate humanity - it is the 
search for the ultimate truth that propels mankind - the journey, not 
the destination. Plato wanted to discover true knowledge within his 
ancient Greek society. He wanted to move beyond the material using the 
dialectic as a reasoning tool to unlock the mysteries of his world. 
Great men like this have inspired other philosophers to advance their 
societies. 
Regarding education, all public schools should reflect the 
Constitutional amendment of separation of church and state. I see a 
school system that is secular such as in ancient Greece, which supports 
the philosophy of humanism. The curriculum would emphasize reason, 
psychology and science as cornerstones to the search for 
self-realization. Reading, writing, foreign language, mathematics, 
social studies, and music are some of the subjects that would be 
offered. There would be equal opportunity for all, of course, and 
character development would be based on some of the ideas of Kant. 
Children would be "enlightened," or taught not to just follow rules, 
but think according to principles. They would understand through 
disciple from parents and teachers, that their duties are 'categorical 
imperatives' that are meant to help them develop patience, 
self-respect, social respect and identity. This is the education of 
will mentioned by Kant. 
Although I recognize that state schools exist, as a Libertarian I 
disagree with schools being state-controlled. The federal government 
shouldn't be involved in education at all. The Department of Education 
educates poorly. Private schools perform much better than public ones 
overall and are much less expensive to run. There are also too many 
discipline problems in public schools. Would Plato think we had gone 
beyond materialism if he had a glimpse of some of today's school metal 
detectors? 
Finally, from a Christian context, I disagree with Augustine's 
parallels to Platonic philosophy. Considering the story of Adam and 
Eve, when she ate of the tree of knowledge after being tempted by 
Satan, she and Adam become self-aware. They disobeyed God and were 
pronounced sinners. God did not create knowledge as Augustine claimed. 
It was Satan disguised as the serpent that enlightened Adam and Eve. 
I perceive God, not as a monotheistic tyrant, but as nature, the All. 
The "forbidden fruit" is the enlightenment, the rejection of innocence 
- it is the Gift of Satan, the fire of Prometheus! We ever seek to "be 
as gods, knowing good and evil." The process of Becoming never ends. 
This spark of self-awareness enabled Plato to seek universal truths 
through abstract thinking. Augustine wanted to embrace both conformity 
to Yahweh and progressive Platonic ideas. The Christian god, who 
expelled Adam and Eve from Paradise, represents conformity to 
authority, slavish obedience (the ten commandments, the concept of 
'sin') and the Serpent represents free will, self-determination. The 
dialectic is a useful tool to explore and acquire new knowledge - 
Augustine's choice of faith over reason defeats this purpose.