Linking Darwinism to Satanism

Introduction to Satanism and Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

Among the salient data that an investigator of satanism will discover concerns its relation to Social Darwinism. The element that shapes satanist aspirations with regard to social life and that forms the basis of their worldview is Darwinism. Many satanists openly admit this fact. The fact that satanists advocate Darwinism is stressed in many publications.

Known for his investigations of satanism, Dr. Roald E. Kristiansen of Pomor University in Russia describes satanism as follows: "Satanism is best conceived as a radical form of atheistic social Darwinism which views Christianity as its primary enemy . . . . The point is not to experience some kind of super-normal unity with some kind of personal force of evil, but to develop the human abilities to use their natural power to such an extent that it transforms one’s life and enables one to succeed in the personal struggle for survival. The development of these abilities is the reason for engaging in ritual and magical practices." [Roald E. Kristiansen, “Satan in Cyberspace,” http://www.love.is/roald/satanism.html (emphasis added)]

Shortly before the death of Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan, MF magazine reported that he was the main impetus in communicating Social Darwinism to the masses: "In the late 1960s, Anton LaVey brought forth an easily understandable doctrine of social Darwinism, and strong positive thinking (magic) to the growing mass of individuals sick of both hippieism and the stagnant morals of Christianity". (http://www.churchofsatan.com/ Pages/MFInterview.html)

Indeed, the reason why satanists find Christianity stagnant and boring is because of the abnormalities of their own judgment. For satanists, overcoming boredom means shedding blood, committing evil, hurting others and destroying the order of society. This is why they consider the values of religious morality—which bring with them contentment, security and peace—boring because they cannot comprehend the virtues of religious morality. In a publication from the Church of Satan entitled “Satanism: The Feared Religion,” these words appear: “Satanism stands for acceptance of Man as an animal.” [Peter H. Gilmore, “Satanism: The Feared Religion” (emphasis added)]

This shows that one of Satanism’s most urgent purposes is to propagate the Darwinian worldview throughout society. Another document that shows the illogical doctrine of the Church of Satan is “The Nine Satanic Statements.” The seventh statement of which reads as follows: Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours. . . ." [Anton Sandor LaVey, The Satanic Bible, The Nine Satanic Statements 1969, pp. 25-33 (emphasis added)]

Carnal Beast

All publications of the Church of Satan insist on using the term “carnal beast” to describe a human being, like an animal that lives only to satisfy its own desires. In the words of satanist high priest Peter H. Gilmore: “Man is an animal and must go back to acting like one.” This perverse logic lies behind their view of hu man relationships and of the human attitude toward other creatures: Since human beings are animals, they should not hesitate to behave like animals. For example, satanists regard rape legitimate because it is commonly practiced among wild animals in nature.

In the same way, satanists regard sacrificing human life as natural because of the savage struggle for survival among animals in nature. Torturing animals to death is a product of the same attitude. If a human being is a carnal beast living only to satisfy its own de sires, it should act accordingly. For satanists, this life of savagery must be defended—and practiced—to the very end. But it is not difficult to imagine the kind of society that would be formed if all its members acted on the basis of their bestial desires. In this situation, people would live in their own dark world, commit horrible crimes and swiftly become unbalanced.

How, then, have satanists become convinced of the idea that men are wild animals out only to satisfy their own desires? The one answer to this question is the theory of evolution. In his thesis on satanism, Roald Kristiansen describes it as “a form of social Darwinistic religion” and emphasizes the place that the theory of evolution occupies in satanism’s logical structure: "Satanism can be considered as a form of social Darwinistic “religion” which seeks to promote the rights of the strongest to dominate the weaker because that is the way in which humanity will advance as a biological species and thereby take care of its role at the spearhead of natural and social evolution." (Roald E. Kristiansen, “Satan in Cyberspace”)

A satanist website states that the basic foundation of satanism and its worldview is inseparable from Darwinism: ". . . our principles that all people and animals share a common source in mere biology. Satanism is the belief that Humans are nothing more than higher animals – we have no special place in creation other than being lucky to have evolved and survived… Satanists call themselves (and all people) animals, and regard themselves as not having the life breathed into men by God." [“Satanism: Minor Topics,” http://www.dpjs.co.uk/misc.html and “The Traditional Satan,” http://www.dpjs.co.uk/thedevil.html]

It is interesting that satanists continue to defend so insistently a theory that has been discredited, and whose errors and distortions have been revealed. In fact, all branches of science have come to agree that creation cannot be denied. Those who maintain their connections with Darwinism out of ideological concerns are misled. Darwinism is gone, never to return, buried in the annals of history. Allah has created the universe and all the creatures in it. Nothing has come to be by chance. When someone sees the plentiful evidence of creation in so many places of the universe, it is sheer ignorance to claim that all this perfect balance and perfection are the result of chance. Only satanists and other mentally disturbed individuals could claim such a belief.

As a result of their association with Darwinism, satanists do not accept that all people are equals. They think that over time, some races and individuals have evolved more highly than others, who have not advanced beyond the lower steps on the evolutionary chart. As we shall see, this accounts for the natural association between satanism and Fascism. But unlike Fascism, satanism asserts not only differences between societies and races, but also that within any one society, some members are superior to others. Predictably, the superior ones are those who understand the power of evil and believe in it—and this superiority gives them the right to treat others as they like.

All this shows that satanism in an atheist belief system centered on the evolutionary theory, which theory asserts that human beings are a species of animal. It’s on this basis that satanists develop their modes of thinking and acting. When you examine books written by evolutionist biologists, philosophers and intellectuals, you can see that they repeat almost word for word the satanist principles cited above.

For example, we can see such similar satanist expressions in the books of Darwinists and atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Stephen J. Gould, Daniel Dennett and Carl Sagan. They all believe that human beings are a higher species of animal and that life is a struggle. And when they state that in this struggle, only the strong will survive, they describe human nature in the same way that satanists do.

For example, in an article entitled “Meet My Cousin, the Chimpanzee,” noted evolutionist Richard Dawkins presents the nonsensical view that human ancestors were apes: "We admit that we are like apes, but we seldom realize that we are apes. There is no natural category that includes chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans but excludes humans. . . All the great apes that have ever lived, including ourselves are linked to one another by an unbroken chain of parent-child bonds." (Richard Dawkins, “Meet my cousin, the chimpanzee,” New Scientist, issue 1876, 05 June 1993, p. 36)

In his book Ever Since Darwin, Stephen J. Gould, an avid supporter of Darwinism, writes “These are the shackles of our apish ancestry—brutality, aggression, selfishness—in short, general nastiness.” [Stephen Jay Gould, Ever Since Darwin, p.260 (emphasis added)]

In another publication, he claims that human beings and the universe are works of blind chance: "We are here because one odd group of fishes had a peculiar fin anatomy that could transform into legs for terrestrial creatures; because the earth never froze entirely during an ice age; because a small and tenuous species, arising in Africa a quarter of a million years ago, has managed, so far, to survive by hook and by crook. We may yearn for a “higher” answer—but none exists." (http://braving-the-elements.blogspot. com/2004_09_01_braving-the-ele ments_archive.html)

We can see that the unscientific claims that these authors have made in the name of science form the basis of many perverse ideologies such as satanism. By defending their distorted ideas, they are drawing the whole of humanity into an immense disaster. The fact is, however, that Allah created the universe and hu man beings with great artistry. Every individual is responsible to Allah Who created him. This is a plain fact; and those who try to avoid it, together with those who spread such lies, will realize at the moment of their deaths how wrong they were.

The Satanist Ideal of a Social Darwinist Society

Satanists have based their philosophy on the principle of the evolutionary theory that a human being is a species of animal; accordingly, they desire to establish a world in which human beings live and behave like animals. For satanists, the ideal society would be totally ruled by Darwinist values, and its basic principle would be that the powerful crush the weak.

According to satanism’s distorted beliefs, a human being must develop himself and evolve in order to survive and be successful in this “struggle for life.” One who cannot do this is abandoned and left behind to die. The same law is seen to apply to societies. Societies that do not evolve must see their cultures—and nations—die. For satanism, which is a fully fledged social Darwinist ideology, the best way of population control would be to eliminate the weak. (Roald E. Kristiansen, “Satan in Cyberspace”)

Burton H. Wolfe, a priest of the Church of Satan and also an author, described satanism’s view of life in the introduction he wrote to The Satanic Bible, published in 1976: "Satanism is a blatantly selfish, brutal philosophy. It is based on the belief that human beings are inherently selfish, violent creatures, that life is a Darwinian struggle for survival of the fittest, that only the strong survive and the earth will be ruled by those who fight to win the ceaseless competition that exists in all jungles—including those of urbanized society."(Burton H. Wolfe, Introduction of The Satanic Bible, San Francisco, 25 December 1976)

For Wolfe, the way of life envisioned by satanism is based on conflict, competition, violence, selfishness and lack of pity. A high priest of the Church of Satan, Peter H. Gilmore, plainly states: "Let us instead look at contemporary Satanism for what it really is: a brutal religion of elitism and social Darwinism that seeks to re-establish the reign of the able over the idiotic, . . . and for a wholesale rejection of egalitarianism as a myth that has crippled the advancement of the human species for the last two thousand years . . . "(Peter H. Gilmore, “Satanism: The Feared Religion”)

By “the last two thousand years,” Gilmore is of course referring to Christianity. Before Christianity, European culture was either pagan or atheist; and people were barbarous, violent and cruel. It was through Christianity that European societies learned the moral concepts of Divine religion such as compassion, mercy, justice, helping the weak and human equality. The goal of satanism is to eradicate these moral concepts, based on “Right is might” and replace them with the principle, based on Social Darwinism, of “Might is right.”

Gilmore does not hesitate to state this in the rest of this passage: Satanists see the social structure of humanity as being stratified; thus, each person reaches a level commensurate with the development (or lack thereof) of their natural talents. The principle of the survival of the strong is advocated on all levels of society, from allowing an individual to stand or fall, to even letting those nations that cannot handle themselves take the consequences of this inability. Any assistance on all levels will be on a “quid pro quo” basis. There would be a concomitant reduction in the world’s population as the weak are allowed to experience the consequences of social Darwinism. Thus, has nature always acted to cleanse and strengthen her children. This is harsh, but that is the way of the world.

In commenting on Gilmore’s article, Dr. Kristiansen said that in any such society where this ideology is put into practice, the social fabric and the various programs to aid the poor and needy would come to an end. In place of these support programs, means would be put in place to make it easy for the rich and powerful to achieve their goals. And those who balked against these laws would receive their punishment: for example, they would be used as forced labor in order to supply the needs of the prominent members of society. (Roald E. Kristiansen, “Satan in Cyberspace”)

As we see, in societies ruled by satanism and its guiding idea, Darwinism, the people will be led into disaster. But the mor al commands of Allah found in the Qur’an will always bring a society prosperity, contentment and peace. Where the morality of the Qur’an is practiced, the weak and the needy are cared for, everyone is treated equally, and the rights of the downtrodden are protected.

Aleister Crowley, who exerted considerable influence on modern satanism, claimed that he received messages directly from Satan. One of these said: "Let my servants be few and secret: they shall rule the many and the known . . . . We have nothing with the outcast and the unfit; let them die in their misery. . . . Pity not the fallen! I never knew them. I am not for them. I console not; I hate the consoled and the consoler." (Aleister Crowley, A Legacy of Satanism, http://www.gothicpress.free serve.co.uk/Aleister%20Crowley.htm)

In short, the Church of Satan says, “Do not help the poor, the hungry or the weak; let them die. This is the law of nature. Thus, the population will grow smaller. And the powerful will have more opportunities!” The order of a society founded on this insane satanist ideology will not be far different from life in a savage jungle.

Of course, this cruel and pitiless doctrine is not the invention of satanists themselves. These ideas were first expressed in the 19th century by the English economist Thomas Malthus in his book, An Essay on the Principle of Population. In this work he wrote that, in order to prevent an excessive increase in world population, society must abandon the care of the poor and the weak.

An article entitled “The Scientific Background of the Nazi ‘Race Purification’ Program” relates Malthus’ views on population and the importance they attained among the 19th-century European leaders: "In the opening half of the nineteenth century, throughout Europe, members of the ruling classes gathered to discuss the newly discovered “Population problem” and to devise ways of implementing the Malthusian mandate, to increase the mortality rate of the poor: “Instead of recommending cleanliness to the poor, we should encourage contrary habits. In our towns we should make the streets narrower, crowd more people into the houses, and court the return of the plague. In the country we should build our villages near stagnant pools and particularly encourage settlements in all marshy and unwholesome situations,” and so forth and so on." (Theodore D. Hall, “The Scientific Background of the Nazi ‘Race Purification’ Program,” (http://www.tru fax.org/avoid/nazi.html)

Malthus’ theory was not fully put into practice, but it gave rise to another theory: Darwin’s theory of evolution. It is evident from his writings that Darwin was influenced by Malthus to develop the foundations of his own theory: namely, the struggle for life, and the elimination of the weak.

Clearly, the satanist world view springs from the same source as Darwin’s theory, and the conclusion reached by both is “social Darwinism”—which is nothing other than the application of Darwin’s theory to society. Besides this, in any environment that harbours hostility toward moral values, there will be all manner of amorality. Robbery and murder will go unchecked. According to this ignorant philosophy, these evils are a part of human nature and should not be curbed.

Of course, Allah has forbidden all these things. He has commanded human beings to help the poor, treat other people well, defend the needy, help one another, overcome evil with good and to be patient, gentle, merciful and tolerant. Here is a relevant verse from the Qur’an: "Those of you possessing affluence and ample wealth should not make oaths that they will not give to their relatives and the very poor and those who have migrated in the way of Allah. They should rather pardon and overlook. Would you not love Allah to forgive you? Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Surat an-Nur, 22 : Holy Quran) 

Communities of people who live according to Allah’s commands will have a high moral character; they will love and respect one another and approach one another with mercy and compassion. This will ensure the dominance of peace, contentment, tranquility and security in their community

Conclusion

It is asserted that modern satanism is fundamentally rooted in Social Darwinism, with human beings portrayed as mere animals driven by instinct, competition, and the domination of the weak by the strong. Statements from figures such as Anton LaVey, Peter Gilmore, Burton Wolfe, and Roald Kristiansen are used to show that religious morality is rejected, elitism is embraced, and a society based on conflict and survival-of-the-fittest reasoning is endorsed. Through this lens, violence, exploitation, and cruelty are justified by appealing to a distorted interpretation of nature and evolution, while values such as compassion, equality, and protection of the vulnerable are dismissed.

It is concluded that linking human identity to Darwinian ideas leads to severe social consequences, as seen historically in movements like fascism, eugenics, and other oppressive ideologies. Satanism is portrayed as an extreme expression of this worldview, with its principles believed to undermine moral responsibility and social harmony. In contrast, creation, divine guidance, and moral responsibility are presented as the only stable foundations for a peaceful and humane society which are encompassed holistically and beautifully by Islam.