This Business with the Devil, Part II: Lucifer as God

"What is this business with the devil," my friend asked. "Fake Satanism, pictures of Lucifer on your MySpace page? Who the hell do you think you are?"

When you're delving into ideas that a lot of people aren't going to like, you can't worry about a few stubbed toes along the way. Even if those toes belong to the feet of your friends and you are the doorway of despair. What if God and Satan weren't that different? What if somewhere in the Bible it said that they were actually childhood friends? Would people, Christians, see the devil any differently if teenage Jesus and a Satanic demon kid played tetherball with each other in high school gym? Who would win?

Those are frightfully stupid quandaries, please don't get sucked in by my wit, but on a serious note, I truly feel that Satanism is misunderstood, misunderstood to the point of oblivion (i.e., its probably not worth saving). I just read a story about this Satanist who was put to death in Ohio for murdering three people. The entire bent of this story was that this guy was a devil worshipper. I guess being a deranged lunatic doesn't make good enough copy these days. How many God-fearing killers get put to death all the time? This guy in Ohio, his name was Darrell Ferguson, was real good press; he dressed the part, from the tattoos, shaved head and goatee, Ferguson LOOKED like a Satanic serial killer. However, being a Satanist does not a serial killer make. The majority of serial killers, and all murderers for that matter, have had absolutely no connection to Satanism, but we rarely hear about them, why not?

Satanism is sexy. The average man or woman, and especially any religious person, would never admit to this, but it's true. We are in the day and age of fear, and fear sells. And there is nothing scarier, nothing that will sell more papers and get more hits than Satan stories (other than Brad and Angelina's baby photos). Maybe Shiloh is the Dark Prince, he has finally come for us, Hail Satan! Satanism is fear and fear is sex. America sells fear.