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Modern Satanism: Anatomy of a Radical Subculture

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This book is written more as a defense of democratic values than it is an academic study of Satanism.

A great deal of space is given to anti-Satanic ideas but little time is given to what could possibly be construed as a defense of what the author terms "crypto-fascism." Perhaps there is, in fact, more to the story than just the gross generalizations of modern liberalism. Further, he slates Satanism as being a soft-entry to Neo-Nazism which could not be further from the truth.

He confuses egalitarianism with human rights and presupposed the UN to be our moral arbiters. He fails in the department of understanding social contract theory, understanding the larger scope of Darwinism and also fails in regards to understanding the ethical depth of Satanism.

I would highly suggest reading the genealogy of Satanic values from their original sources rather than reading this bilge, written by a man who obviously has a university-lifestyle axe to grind and thinks the whole world is like Portland, Oregon.

At first I thought this an attempt at an evenhanded review of the subject, although superficial since it uses only secondary sources, But around pages 188-119 it became obvious the author either has an axe to grind or completely misunderstands the views of Anton LaVey. The author promotes the slander that LaVey's Satranism is pro-EVIL, which could not be farther from the truth. Mathews condemns LaVey for the supposed contradiction of being materialistic and atheistic, yet still believing in the supernatural. LaVey believed there are powers and forces that we do not yet understand, calling that supranormal. That is not the same as ignorant belief in religion and the supernatural. Much of the rest is the author, who has the stunning credit of an MA in Philosophy, making various philosophic quibbles with a strawman set up to represent LaVey.

For those embarking on the "Dark" path may I suggest further reading?

1. ARCHETYPES by Anthony Stevens (see the need for enemies)

2. KUNDALINI by GOPI KRISHNA (for those into "self-deification").

3. ANGER, MADNESS, and the DAIMONIC. The Psychological Genesis of Violence, Evil, and

Creativity by Stephen A. Diamond Foreword by Rollo May 1996

4. DARK EROS ,THE IMAGINATION OF SADISM by Thomas Moore 1994 "ways to imagine evil that in the end will not destroy

us"..

5. THE BLACK SUN. The Alchemy and art of Darkness. Stanton Marlan."The black sun accompanies the most negative of psychic experiences but also the

most sublime."

The book MODERN SATANISM ANATOMY OF A RADICAL SUBCULTURE by Chris Mathews makes me think more deeply into the subject- the Darkness that I'm attracted to.

His critiques of fascism can be leveled against Satanisms opposite as well. In regards to Industrial music i.e. Women of the S.S.; Current 93; that he gives comments on --I say take what you like and disregard the rest. I personally don't find experimental groups like this bad. I get a lot of creative energies from them.