DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Having been raised agnostic, I first realized I was a Satanist when I was a young pup in grade school. The first time I ever met anybody who called themselves a Christian and who was publicly outspoken about it was in sixth grade. This was a fellow student who was trying to get me to convert to his beliefs. He, his parents and their friends all tried to push their point of view on me, but for the life of me monotheism has just never made much sense. It has always made more sense to me to assume that there are many possible gods out there, seeing how so many different people in the world have claimed to have so many different spiritual experiences. The fact that you believe in divinity does not mean you believe in the same divinity as everyone else, and the fact that there are so many different ideas of divinity and none can be proven shows that one person’s religion is just as good as another. I have always felt more comfortable assuming that there may very well be some truth behind the spiritual experiences of others, and that I have no right to tell anyone that what they experience isn’t real (unless it can be somehow proven that they are just delusional).

So as far as I am concerned, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, the Buddha, the Norse gods, the ancient Egyptian gods and even L. Ron Hubbard are all real in some way. However, this does not mean that I agree with their respective worshipers as to what they are. Christians experience their Lord as a loving god who redeems them from their sins. Well I’m not sure about the redemption part, but I feel it is pretty safe to say that if a person feels love coming from their god, then I have no reason to assume that it isn’t true. We aren’t living in a comic book universe, after all; nothing in existence is truly, purely “Evil” in and of itself. However, I think the claim that Jehovah is the Lord of the entire Universe is quite an unreasonable one, as I see no reason to believe that the Creator of All Things would have any interest in wasting Its time revealing itself through the Bible, when It is constantly revealing Itself through Nature all the time. And the picture we get of the Creator from the impersonal ferocity of Nature is not at all benevolent in any humanly-meaningful sense, but more ambivalent at best. I would go so far as to theorize that perhaps the Creator is not even sentient.

No, I agree with Christians that theirs is a loving god, but I don’t see any logical reason (a la Thomas Paine) to believe that he is the one that rules the universe, or that he was even remotely responsible for my existence. It is also clear to me that their god, although loving, is certainly not “all-loving.” Obviously, even the Bible itself describes their god as being quite jealous and wrathful at times. I figure everybody must have their bad days, and not even Mr. J is a perfect, uncreated being.

If Jehovah the “god of love” is capable of wrath, what then does this say about his eternal arch-nemesis, Lucifer? Christians are always describing Lucifer as this absolutely evil cosmic rebel who wants to hurt Jehovah by working for humankind’s spiritual destruction. But many people who worship Lucifer say that they experience love from Him, quite like how Christians will say they experience love from Jehovah. Christians will say that Satanists are just being deceived by Lucifer to think that He loves them, and that He really only wants to destroy them in the end; but how do they know this is really true? What gives them the authority to judge the mind and will of the Prince of Darkness? The Bible gives them no such authority, for it is written from the perspective of Jehovah and his followers, not from Lucifer’s perspective. Reading the Bible gives you a terrific idea of Jehovah’s perception about Lucifer, but it does not represent what Lucifer really believes and stands for at all.

Of course Christians will see Lucifer as the “Evil One,” because He is the opposite of their god. But being the opposite of something does not necessarily mean you are “Evil.” Darkness is the opposite of Light, but there is nothing inherently evil about Darkness in and of itself. In fact, it can even have positive qualities: when things are dark, you want to go to sleep and your body begins building energy for the next day. When you are in the dark you can hide from danger. When you look upward into the nighttime sky, you can see all the things beyond our atmosphere that the sun won’t let you see during the day.

Just as Darkness has its positive qualities, Light can also have its negative qualities. Light can help us to see, but it can also blind us. It can keep us warm, but it can also burn and scorch us. There are dualities in all things that exist. Nothing is completely positive or negative in and of itself. We do not live in a universe that lies between an eternal conflict between “Good” and “Evil.” We live in a universe composed of varying shades of gray, in which “Good” and “Evil” must be determined by each individual entity for itself. This was Lucifer’s entire point in tempting Eve with that blessed Fruit. Sure, He wanted her to disobey Jehovah, and it is for this reason that Christians will scapegoat Him as the Father of all Sin. But the path to spiritual truth lies not in simply accepting whatever prepackaged system we are given; rather, we must continually question and challenge the things we believe in. We must put our beliefs to the test and find what works the best for us, while we are under the most pressure. Faith is an essential ingredient in any form of spirituality, but doubt does not have to be its enemy. The path of Lucifer involves the understanding that we live in a mysterious world, and that there is far more to reality than can ever be expressed in a single book -- even one as large as the Bible.

What makes a religion like Christianity work is that it gives its followers what some Luciferians will call “the illusion of certainty.” That is, it outlines a view of reality, the world and the supernatural that is considered to be “certain,” and Christians are encouraged to think of their belief systems in such terms. Hence why so many people in the Christian persuasion are convinced that theirs is the “Only True Way” while all other “ways” are false at best and damnable at worst. While they are certainly entitled to such a view, I consider it much more reasonable to assume that very little is actually certain as far as spiritual matters go; we are surrounded by the Unknown on all sides. Christians choose to accept the Bible as a revelation of the “Truth” communicated to them by their god, whom they believe is the Creator of all. A Satanist chooses to look at any and all revelations, even those outside the Bible, as objectively as possible and to make their own personal judgments concerning the various deities that are believed to make such communications. A Satanist does this with the understanding that things are not always what they seem, and folks aren’t always who they claim to be.

There is no single Satanic text that is recognized by all Satanists everywhere as a “true revelation of Satan.” There have been Satanic texts, to be true -- the Yezidi Mishaf Resh, The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey, The Diabolicon and The Book of Coming Forth by Night by Michael Aquino -- but not all Satanists agree as to which of these are truly inspired by Satan, or if any of them are inspired by Him at all. Or perhaps they all were, but their meanings are meant to be evaluated in context with each other. Who knows? In Satanism, there is no rule anywhere that says we have to put our faith in a single text. Satanists are allowed to wipe their bums with The Satanic Bible if they feel they disagree with it. In a religion which celebrates the Ultimate Rebel, this is only natural. Here, we value our own spiritual experiences and revelations over those of any other. I find what I believe Lucifer has communicated to me to be more valid than whatever Jehovah might have said to Moses back in the Old Testament days.

Once again, Christians will tell me I am being deceived. My question is, “How are you so sure YOU’RE not being deceived?” And of course I am always given quotes from the Bible for answers, and none of these quotes proves anything to me. All it does is make my point all the more clear: no matter how many Bible quotes you can muster, all you have is your faith when it comes right down to it. And if it makes you comfortable to put your faith in the Bible, then all the more power to you. But me personally, I would rather put my faith in the spiritual experiences that I have had for myself ever since I was a young pup, and these experiences tell me that Lucifer ain’t half bad at all.

You are about to catch 'hell' (pun intended) making these blasphemous statements in Bradenton.. some folks round your parts might FLIP out on your demonic arse

Do you believe in the devil? Are you scared of the devil? God isn't scared of the devil, and as His children, we have nothing to fear, either. The Bible tells us the final score of the game. Thanks to Jesus, we win, God wins and the devil loses, that's why he's called, "Lose-ifer (Lucifer)."

SOLUTION OFFERED
When I was in high school, I never used to believe in the devil. When I screwed up, I didn't want to blame anyone but me. I used to think that I should be mature enough to take all the blame...let me tell ya', I don't think that way anymore. There are a couple of things I've learned about the devil that you need to know:

1. Satan does exist
2. The greatest thing that the devil has ever accomplished is making us, you and me, believe that he doesn't exist...that way, our defenses are down, and we're easier targets.

Given these two facts, what is St. Paul telling the Romans today? The devil keeps very busy, and the devil does NOT waste time. It's when YOU're getting CLOSER to God that the devil works harder on you. That's why he says "evil is at hand."

If you're being tempted A LOT in your life, that means that you make the devil nervous. It means that you're putting effort into your faith, and that's bad for the little lyin', back-stabbin', guilt-givin', horn-headed, pitchfork holdin' liar.

Be honest with yourself. What areas of your life are you weakest in? The areas that YOU are weakest in, are the first areas that the devil's gonna take a shot at. Identify those areas, and pray about them...turn them over to God, and let Jesus in...

Eternity is a long time. No, let me rephrase that, it's a long, long, long, long, long, long time. The devil wants you to focus on "right now," not eternity. He'll even play with you and make you doubt whether or not Heaven exists. Well...Heaven does exist, and GOD WANTS YOU THERE! The devil is gonna do everything to keep you out of Heaven. Every time you're tempted and faced with a tough decision, don't just look at it as a way to make God happy, look at it as a chance to show the devil that he doesn't have a shot at you! You're better than that, you're stronger than that, and you're WORTH more than you know...your soul was purchased with Jesus' blood, and your love for God is your thank you.

God believes in you, and so do I.


SALVATION GIVEN
"So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand."
-Romans 7:21


The devil is a loser.

Whoever wrote the above disertation has serious issues! Neither God or Lucifer has any place on the LEOAffairs blog. :evil:

What is the significance of the number 666? It is found in the book of Revelation that many say is used for the devil. what are your thoughts?

Mine are easy now that I researched it and understand it.

Numbers carry heavy symbolic meaning in the Bible. They are used to convey certain truths and to “make a point” when necessary. That being said, numbers are not, in and of themselves, intrinsically “evil”. Certainly, the thoughts, deeds and desires behind numbers can be evil, like someone who does satanic deeds or rituals “in the name of 666” - again, that doesn’t mean that the number is terrible, but that the intention behind the deed is evil.



St. Michael kicks the devil’s forked tail each and every time.Why is the number “666” significant?

Well, the number 3 is seen as perfect. Think about the Trinity, the fact that He rose on the third day, the three theological virtues, etc. At the same time, the number 7 is seen as the perfect number. The seven days of the week, the seven Sacraments, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven works of mercy, the seven last words on the Cross, etc.

To be one “short” of 7 is seen as being imperfect. Thus, to fall short of 7 three times (666) is perfect imperfection. In the verse from Revelation (above) the number is characterized as a person (a beast, actually), which can mean more than one person but a group of people. The “name” of the beast is the summation (adding up) of the different numerical values of letters – that final sum equals out to six hundred sixty six. If you’re scratching your head right now and thinking, “Huh?” Keep reading.

You see, while numbers carry symbolic meaning in Scripture, they also carry numeric value, ascribed to letters. In Greek and Hebrew, letters are used for numbers and there is a value (numeric) that corresponds to every letter in those alphabets. In our alphabet, A would be 1 or Z would be 26 – you get the idea. When you add up the numbers values in a name or a word, they will equal a sum total, for instance. Say “A” did equal 1 and “N” equaled 14…the name “anna” would equal (1 + 14 + 14 + 1 = 30). Make sense?

That being said, the number six hundred-sixty six carries a different significance depending upon who you choose to listen to on the subject. Over the years, people have used the number to point to Napoleon Bonaparte, to corrupt Popes, to religious reformers like Martin Luther, to people like Mussolini, Hitler and Saddam Hussein. Not long ago, people were doing loose math to ascribe the number to Osama bin Laden.

Most Biblical scholars attribute the number to Nero Caesar, if you take the values of the Hebrew consonants in his name, it equals 666. Nero was a vicious Roman emperor and murder of many Christians in the early Church. It is said that “Nero fiddled, while Rome burned”. It would stand to reason, too, since Revelation was a apocalyptic book of symbolism and vision given to St. John (writer of the 4th Gospel and beloved disciple of Jesus) while he was exiled on the island of Patmos. He was encouraging the churches under persecution in a time when most of his counterparts and fellow disciples had been martyred for the faith.

It’s important that you never don’t mess with the devil, for Scripture warns us:

“Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for (someone) to devour.” - 1 Peter 5:8


That being said, you need not fear the devil, either, he is not Jesus’ equal, he is an angel, he is not equal with God. When you are feeling attacked or if you feel the presence of evil, you need only call upon the name of Christ and He will send His angels to surround you and protect you.

St. Michael kicks the devil’s forked tail each and every time:

“Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.” - Rev. 12:7-9

God has the devil’s number…He wins the war.

God has your number, too. Whether or not you respond when He calls…well, that’s up to you.

I have faith …seven days a week.

I have never seen a more blatant disregard for the constitution than I have in this department.

***** WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE?

The Higher Ups for region 3 need to come down to each office and witness how much certain officers violate the 'separation of church and state' portion of the Constitution of the United States.

I have heard Officer's praying with offender's, I have been exposed to officer's attempted to lure me into their religion, I have listened while officers told offenders that "God would not approve of the path that they have chosen."
Dont get me wrong, if you want to worship God, or Jesus Christ or Allah or Jah or whoever, that is fine; but KEEP THAT SHIT OUT OF THE WORKPLACE. In case you bible beater's have failed to notice, this is a state agency, I have the right to not be subject to your dogmatic (and usually judgemental) thinking.

Pray at home, talk God at home, leave me be at work.

He nevers leaves me . I know he won't leave you either. I suppose you object to pictures of the last supper or Jesus in my office or a co workers office . Object all you want, the day they tell me to leave God at home is the day I sue them and take the money that says 'IN GOD WE TRUST'.
lET'S KEEP PRAYING FOR EACH OTHER.

PS I KEEP THE TEN COMMANDMENTS POSTED ON MY WALL, COME SEE THEM.

He nevers leaves me . I know he won't leave you either. I suppose you object to pictures of the last supper or Jesus in my office or a co workers office . Object all you want, the day they tell me to leave God at home is the day I sue them and take the money that says 'IN GOD WE TRUST'.
lET'S KEEP PRAYING FOR EACH OTHER.

PS I KEEP THE TEN COMMANDMENTS POSTED ON MY WALL, COME SEE THEM.

I will come and see your pics of the last supper on your wall, I'll come in and read the 10 commandments too. But if you can make the workplace an uncomfortable setting, than so can I.
SOOO, after I come and see your wall decor, than you can come to my office and check out the Bikini Issue of Sports Illustrated and the copy of Playboy that are on my desk. Don't forget to check out the calendar on my wall - tons of hot half naked chicks strutting their stuff on the beach... It's good stuff, and thoughts of naked women NEVER leave me.

So if you can have your religious paraphernalia on your wall (against the constitution by the way).. remember "Separation of Church and State" than I can have my porno all over my office.

SO go ahead, make one of those contradictory statements that Christians are so notorious for. Go ahead, throw a double standard in my face.

But stop by MY office first.

what office are you in these days Phil .

Sunday, July 29, 2007
First: Genesis 18:20-32
Psalm: Psalm 138:1-3, 6-8
Second: Colossians 2:12-14
Gospel: Luke 11:1-13

Reflect:
We do not pray in vain. Many people “complain” that their prayers are not being heard. It’s a sign of a weak faith through impatience. Unfortunately, it’s also a sign that people don’t know what is the purpose of prayer, and how to truly pray. People confuse prayer as an opportunity to tell God what to do, rather than listening to God as what should be done. People think that prayer is all about informing God of his or her will in life, rather than discerning how can God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven? We all need mentors for prayer. Perhaps we can consider a book called, “Prayer Primer” by Fr. Dubay who teaches us the different ways of prayer. Let’s face it, the better we can pray the better our chances to let God’s kingdom of peace reign in our hearts and in this world.

First: Exodus 32:15-24, 30-34
Psalm: Psalm 106:19-23
Second:
Gospel: Matthew 13:31-35

Reflect:
Faith expands our opportunity. Faith, like a seed, can help us to grow so that we can be more welcoming of people in our lives, as opposed to be closed off cliques. We, like a tree with many branches, can also reach out to others who may need a friend and an example of faith. Faith expands our souls for loving, like yeast helps the dough to rise. In other words, our lives can’t be “flat” but so enriched by grace that we can “expand” our hearts to love more and to love better. The saints, who are living parables of Jesus’ words, teach us that faith doesn’t limit us, but truly helps us to reach to the ends of the world and to the heights of heaven.