Post: Post Reply: Satanic symbols being embraced by pop kulture. by LateForLunch

Original Message: Satanic symbols being embraced by pop kulture.
At an ATM the other day I noticed an ad for some male pop/hip-hop singer on the screen (Citibank) which the bank apparently is sponsoring. I noticed one of the earrings this person was wearing was an INVERTED CROSS. Some may not know that for centuries this been a sign of Satan. The upside-down crucifix has long been a Satanic symbol showing disrespect for the Christ, His sacrifice and disdain for the universal Christian symbol. For anyone paying attention, pop-culture has increasingly embraced Satanic symbols. I noticed this years ago in how pop-singer Madonna dressed and had dancers wear garb that was identical in every regard to traditionally-Satanic ceremonial cloaks. I even noted with some irony that Madonna had an accident wearing one of those cloaks on stage which resulted in a fairly serious injury. I remember thinking at the time that it was as if Satan punished her for using his cloaks/symbols without giving him open worship. At the time Madonna was touring with these costumes as part of her show, Christian groups criticized the practice and questioned whether it was appropriate for such a famous, powerful personality to be using Satanic imagery in her concerts - as I recall, she or her spokesholes claimed that the costumes and imagery were not Satanic - they merely looked Satanic in every detail but were not intended to be Satanic symbols. Right. Sure. I've noticed the inverted cross symbol becoming more and more prevalent in subtle things like jewelry and fashion. Not long ago I noticed the inverted cross pattern had been used for a woman's dress, combined with upright crosses in the pattern. Although this is in some views harmless, inadvertent coincidence, I am not convinced. It is at best, likely an attempt by marketing people to exploit the unhealthy fascination people (especially young people) have with occult symbols and with evil. Over the years of the evolution of pop-kulture, symbols of power have gradually but inevitably become more and more associated with evil, not good. Cinematic portrayals of powerful characters/entities have steadily become more and more evil. In character-development, heroic figures became anti-heroes. Characters which displayed morality, loyalty, compassion and goodness in general (Apollonian/Christian values) were largely and increasingly portrayed as boring, weak, unimaginative, provincial, cowardly, craven, and deceptive, while characters who were wicked/evil, were portrayed as exciting, sexy, daring, "honest", brave, loyal, resilient and creative. The central goal of Satanism is to convince people that Satan is the "real" God, and that God (plus His symbols/saints) are false, unworthy of respect, worship or reverence. Mission accomplished. Some of this is associated with the prevalence in human nature of an infantile fascination with deviance (a common psychological phenomenon) often seen in immature/disturbed psyches. Affection for unhealthy, malevolent things/characters is part and parcel of what is known as the "psychotic response to stress". This reaction is understood by competent psychologists to be a common inclination in people who feel powerless and who are either without any positive role models or else raised in highly repressive, emotionally-rigid environments by authority figures who are emotionally dysfunctional/unavailable. But those who like how pop-kulture at all levels encourages people to indulge in the belief that good is bad and bad is good, are playing with fire. Promoting such attitudes has yielded mass numbers of confused, alienated (mostly) young people who have no inspiring role-models that are both powerful and moral. Instead, such impressionable people habitually regard their fellow human beings with exactly the sort of disdain Satan wants human beings to feel for each other. Contempt. Hatred. And a desire to see harm, loss, destruction and death come to them. The camel's nose is under the tent in regard to how Satanic symbols have found their place in pop kulture. The problem with this trend is that the by-product of exploiting morbid fascination is more and more sociopathic attitudes and behavior. Satanism in a psychological sense (apart from theological issues) represents social deviance - cruelty, contempt, sadism, vengeance, destruction, oppression, hatred - IOW a vast array of attitudes which are destructive not only to society in general but to those who embrace them consciously. We have already seen so many of the nightmare visions of people like CS Lewis et al, come to reality. Scientists have actually obtained funding and announced plans for detaching a human head and keeping it alive artificially through medical technology. That horror as some may recognize, is a central event in Lewis's Space Trilogy - as were the establishment of government agencies devoted to promoting Satanism in society generally and academic foundations dedicated to inducing "objectivity" by forcing students to participate in Satanic rituals or anti-Christian acts in schools. It is one thing to tolerate social deviance and Satanic inclinations by people, but another entirely to embrace, promote and promulgate Satanism. We have crossed that line already and it is difficult owing to the nature of the political and economic forces at work, of imagining any end-point in the process other than a society in general which regards Satanism and evil as simply "alternative viewpoints" rather than considering them what they are - sick, pathogenic and horribly, lethally dangerous. See, in a psychological sense, atheism is not really a neutral stance (as so many self-described atheists like to believe) but it is, similar to anarchy, never a stable, lasting stance. Both atheism and anarchy are always transitional states which precede anti-theism (in the case of atheism) and tyranny (in the case of anarchy). Historically, anarchy is never a condition which lasts for long, it universally gives way subsequently to a state of tyranny, never to any system better than what existed before. Similarly, atheistic attitudes (the positive belief that God does not exist) are not stable, lasting attitudes, but invariably only place-holders for anti-theism (the militant atheism favored by today's democrat party). Anti-theism almost immediately morphs into Satanism i.e., the belief that God (if He exists) is not only arrogant, powerless, misanthropic and stupid, but also evil.

At an ATM the other day I noticed an ad for some male pop/hip-hop singer on the screen (Citibank) which the bank apparently is sponsoring. I noticed one of the earrings this person was wearing was an INVERTED CROSS. Some may not know that for centuries this been a sign of Satan. The upside-down crucifix has long been a Satanic symbol showing disrespect for the Christ, His sacrifice and disdain for the universal Christian symbol.

For anyone paying attention, pop-culture has increasingly embraced Satanic symbols. I noticed this years ago in how pop-singer Madonna dressed and had dancers wear garb that was identical in every regard to traditionally-Satanic ceremonial cloaks. I even noted with some irony that Madonna had an accident wearing one of those cloaks on stage which resulted in a fairly serious injury. I remember thinking at the time that it was as if Satan punished her for using his cloaks/symbols without giving him open worship.

At the time Madonna was touring with these costumes as part of her show, Christian groups criticized the practice and questioned whether it was appropriate for such a famous, powerful personality to be using Satanic imagery in her concerts - as I recall, she or her spokesholes claimed that the costumes and imagery were not Satanic - they merely looked Satanic in every detail but were not intended to be Satanic symbols. Right. Sure.

I've noticed the inverted cross symbol becoming more and more prevalent in subtle things like jewelry and fashion. Not long ago I noticed the inverted cross pattern had been used for a woman's dress, combined with upright crosses in the pattern.

Although this is in some views harmless, inadvertent coincidence, I am not convinced. It is at best, likely an attempt by marketing people to exploit the unhealthy fascination people (especially young people) have with occult symbols and with evil.

Over the years of the evolution of pop-kulture, symbols of power have gradually but inevitably become more and more associated with evil, not good. Cinematic portrayals of powerful characters/entities have steadily become more and more evil.

In character-development, heroic figures became anti-heroes. Characters which displayed morality, loyalty, compassion and goodness in general (Apollonian/Christian values) were largely and increasingly portrayed as boring, weak, unimaginative, provincial, cowardly, craven, and deceptive, while characters who were wicked/evil, were portrayed as exciting, sexy, daring, "honest", brave, loyal, resilient and creative.

The central goal of Satanism is to convince people that Satan is the "real" God, and that God (plus His symbols/saints) are false, unworthy of respect, worship or reverence.

Mission accomplished.

Some of this is associated with the prevalence in human nature of an infantile fascination with deviance (a common psychological phenomenon) often seen in immature/disturbed psyches. Affection for unhealthy, malevolent things/characters is part and parcel of what is known as the "psychotic response to stress".

This reaction is understood by competent psychologists to be a common inclination in people who feel powerless and who are either without any positive role models or else raised in highly repressive, emotionally-rigid environments by authority figures who are emotionally dysfunctional/unavailable.

But those who like how pop-kulture at all levels encourages people to indulge in the belief that good is bad and bad is good, are playing with fire. Promoting such attitudes has yielded mass numbers of confused, alienated (mostly) young people who have no inspiring role-models that are both powerful and moral.

Instead, such impressionable people habitually regard their fellow human beings with exactly the sort of disdain Satan wants human beings to feel for each other. Contempt. Hatred. And a desire to see harm, loss, destruction and death come to them.

The camel's nose is under the tent in regard to how Satanic symbols have found their place in pop kulture. The problem with this trend is that the by-product of exploiting morbid fascination is more and more sociopathic attitudes and behavior.

Satanism in a psychological sense (apart from theological issues) represents social deviance - cruelty, contempt, sadism, vengeance, destruction, oppression, hatred - IOW a vast array of attitudes which are destructive not only to society in general but to those who embrace them consciously.

We have already seen so many of the nightmare visions of people like CS Lewis et al, come to reality. Scientists have actually obtained funding and announced plans for detaching a human head and keeping it alive artificially through medical technology. That horror as some may recognize, is a central event in Lewis's Space Trilogy - as were the establishment of government agencies devoted to promoting Satanism in society generally and academic foundations dedicated to inducing "objectivity" by forcing students to participate in Satanic rituals or anti-Christian acts in schools.

It is one thing to tolerate social deviance and Satanic inclinations by people, but another entirely to embrace, promote and promulgate Satanism. We have crossed that line already and it is difficult owing to the nature of the political and economic forces at work, of imagining any end-point in the process other than a society in general which regards Satanism and evil as simply "alternative viewpoints" rather than considering them what they are - sick, pathogenic and horribly, lethally dangerous.

See, in a psychological sense, atheism is not really a neutral stance (as so many self-described atheists like to believe) but it is, similar to anarchy, never a stable, lasting stance. Both atheism and anarchy are always transitional states which precede anti-theism (in the case of atheism) and tyranny (in the case of anarchy).

Historically, anarchy is never a condition which lasts for long, it universally gives way subsequently to a state of tyranny, never to any system better than what existed before. Similarly, atheistic attitudes (the positive belief that God does not exist) are not stable, lasting attitudes, but invariably only place-holders for anti-theism (the militant atheism favored by today's democrat party). Anti-theism almost immediately morphs into Satanism i.e., the belief that God (if He exists) is not only arrogant, powerless, misanthropic and stupid, but also evil.