Anyone know about Luciferism?

[jln]

I have a neighbor with her panties in a twist over this church opening in the next town over.  Apparently it's not satanic, but they're vague on what they actually are.  Just curious if anyone knows what they're all about. 

[meshaliuknits]

I think it's a branch of the occult. Different from Satanism in that it's not focusing on the self in a physical fulfillment (carnal fulfillment?) kinda way. It's more of an application of magic to promote and improve inner power through spiritual rebellion. I think. I don't wanna fact check myself on this topic at work. lol

 Dig Ophelia is familiar with the occult, she may know more.


But, it really makes me think that you're worshiping this guy:

[meshaliuknits]

Oct 12, 2015 16:24:14 GMT -5 @majorwife said:

::came in here for the SPN gif. was not disappointed::

strong work!

I live to please!

[jln]

Oct 12, 2015 16:29:30 GMT -5 Dig Ophelia said:

Oct 12, 2015 15:01:41 GMT -5 jln said:

  Just curious if anyone knows what they're all about. 

I don't know which church you're referring to, but what would you like to know?

Basically, some of my neighbors are convinced that this is a satanic church.  Some of us sane people are trying to explain that Lucifer doesn't always refer to Satan in the Christian context, and this church isn't exactly satanic.  But I'm not exactly sure how to explain it or what to say.  

And it's nearly 30 minutes away and people are freaking out.  Yay, Texas. 

[jln]

This is the article: www.click2houston.com/news/church-of-lucifer-set-to-open-in-old-town-spring/35693648

[jln]

Oct 12, 2015 18:51:16 GMT -5 Dig Ophelia said:

Oct 12, 2015 17:37:21 GMT -5 jln said:

Basically, some of my neighbors are convinced that this is a satanic church.  Some of us sane people are trying to explain that Lucifer doesn't always refer to Satan in the Christian context, and this church isn't exactly satanic.  But I'm not exactly sure how to explain it or what to say.  

And it's nearly 30 minutes away and people are freaking out.  Yay, Texas. 

Okay, that's who (per the article you linked) I thought you were talking about.  

Luciferianism isn't Satanic, per say, however if the mindset is that anything non-Christian is Satanic, then, sure I guess it is.  lol  But it is a part of the Left Hand Path and a part of the greater esoteric/occult community.  To most Luciferians (and plenty of other occultists), Lucifer and Satan are different, separate entities.  You could, though, compare Lucifer to the Greek Prometheus (who stole Zeus' torch of enlightenment and gave it back to humanity), and also to the Roman Venus, which they referred to as "The Morning Star" and to the Greek term for the Light-Bringer, Phosphorus .  There are dozens of individual deities that have been mashed up together by Christianity to form one Big Bad, who are really separate and who function differently.  

Who are you trying to explain this to, and how come?  It's probably not worth your time and energy unless someone's open to shifting their already formed preconceptions.      

My neighborhood has a fb group and one of the neighborhood noseys posted that she was leary about this church being built. A couple people chimed in saying anything Lucifer means Satan. So I wanted to nicely say no, that's not the case, but wasn't sure how to back that up.

I live in a very conservative area so I know I won't be changing minds, but I at least wanted to dispell their ideas of what this church may be and that a bunch of child-sacrificing Satan worshippers aren't moving in.

[LadySusan]

I found the Wikipedia page helpful when I ran across the terms "Left Hand Path" and "Right Hand Path" a few years ago.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-hand_path_and_right-hand_path#Left-Hand_Path

It sounds like this church is focused on the Left Hand Path which is kind of rebellious and likes to question everything.  I suspect that if your neighbors are judgey and pearl-clutchy they're going to be veeeeery uncomfortable with people who challenge all of the various Christian-church-going traditions and morals they take for granted.

ETA:  I think I agree that it may not be worth your time and energy.  No, they don't sacrifice babies but I think that finer detail will be lost on your neighbors if they are freaking out other behavior that they consider to be weird and taboo.

[jln]

Yeah, I definitely won't be changing views around here. You're either Christian or a heathen, and there is no arguing that.

I was being facetious with the sacrificing comment, but I can only imagine that these people probably believe something along those lines happens.

[smock]

The baby-eating/child sacrificing thing has loooong roots in Western culture--it was associated with medieval heresy groups partly because it was a quick way to encapsulate the concept that they were enemies of everything good and had turned their backs on Christendom by making a pact with Satan. The same concept was applied to witches in the 16th/17th century when witchcraft was defined by the demonic pact. And in fact, the exact same language was used by Romans in the 2nd c. against Christians! (here, it actually makes a little more sense, if you imagine "their savior is a baby and they eat his body for protection" mangled in the Roman version of the telephone game.)

This has been your "fun facts of the day" with a historian.

[jln]

Oct 12, 2015 19:30:16 GMT -5 Dig Ophelia said:

I'm sure they do. That's why I think that it would be a waste of your time, because if anything non-Christian is therefore evil, then it doesn't matter which deity you reference (Greek, Kemetic, Roman, Sumerian, etc.), since they all equate to Satan to some people.

I find FB debates to be about as productive as YouTube comment debates, as in, not at all. lol



Eta:  I'm surprised they haven't labeled you as one of us, yet, just for trying to explain it.  lol  

I'm definitely the neighborhood crazy liberal.  I'm the one that didn't sign up for the gun class held at a neighbor's house and the one that questioned the organized prayer at the local school.  And now the one with a graveyard in my front yard for Halloween.  

[msmerymac]

I'd rather a Church of Satan than a lot of things. Like, a gun store. This Luciferian Church sounds like a group of fun people. New, non-conservative friends, perhaps?

[jln]

Oct 13, 2015 8:06:26 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

I'd rather a Church of Satan than a lot of things. Like, a gun store. This Luciferian Church sounds like a group of fun people. New, non-conservative friends, perhaps?

That's what I'm hoping for!