REDEFINING DEVIL

Curiosity fuels mankind-be it in any realms of life. The curiosity to discover the unseen and the crazy pursuits towards an unconventional future created the world we live in.

credit: Netflix

Meanwhile, it is ironic to find that mostly these efforts are directed to the unseen rather than the seen. What makes it ironic though? Well, the mere fact of considering aluminium superior to gold when it was first discovered! A similar fascination can be drawn from the ever continuing debates on God-Devil and Heaven-Hell concepts. Though everyone agreed to God being the creator and Heaven being a bliss, the perceptions were different.

In the light of the Netflix series, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a story of a half mortal-half witch which ran into a copyright lawsuit by a satanic temple, we are going to discuss about a set of books which changed the whole perception of Satan-How the fallen angel rose as a master of free will. 

credits: Priyanandana A N(image strip created via GIMP)

Anton Szandor Lavey
credit: Wikipedia

Demonology, witchcraft and other dark occult always attracted curiosity and attention. A long list of books which were believed to be cursed including -Codex Gigas (The Devil's Bible)which was said to have been written by Lucifer himself, The Book of Sogya- a Latin book on Demonology and The Grand Grimoire(The Gospel of Satan)was created as early as 14th and 16th century. But the ultimate game changer was Anton Szandor Lavey who wrote the infamous Satanic Bible which led to the creation of a new religion which placed 'the self' at its center.

credit: Wikipedia

But what makes this series of books mysterious is its accurate timing and the vital role it played in the institutionalization of Satanism. Lavey, famous for his flair in music and lectures of occult chose the year 1969 to bring out a book that actually challenged the Bible when the dissatisfaction against the clergy was high and mainstream movies chose to look towards sinister practices. In 1968, Rosemary's Baby, a mystery/drama movie which stirred the public with questions on devil worship and black magic. Later, in 1969, a book enters the market addressing these ambiguities and in fact, put forth an alternate to the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule-The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor Lavey. Later he went on to write The Satanic Rituals, The Satanic Witch, The Devil's Notebook and Satan Speaks! which helped him popularize Satanism and the Church of Satan.

credit: Wikipedia

The new ideology not only was received by a huge follower base but started having a strong influence in the popular culture-be it in movies, books or rock bands. The rumours of many rich and powerful being a part of the black mass further triggered its popularity and influence.

While most of the books we read record the existent cultures, Lavey's work astonishingly created a counter-culture which still continues to be a hot topic.

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To know more about cursedbooks,click: TOP 10 CURSED BOOKS