129 lines
6.9 KiB
Plaintext
129 lines
6.9 KiB
Plaintext
This file is an exerpt from The Book of Darkness, an official work
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of the Ordo Templi Satanis, P.O. Box 1093, Atwater, CA 95301. It is
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copyright 1991. All persons are hereby given permission to make
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copies and/or distribute this exerpt, so long as in so doing the
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contents of this work is not altered in any way, including this
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paragraph.
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The Concept of the Order
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(From the Book of the Order)
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The words "Ordo Templi Satanis" are Latin for "Order of the
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Satanic Temple," and are derived from the name for the old
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Knights Templar-- the Knights of the Temple. The OTS has been
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conceived to be a modern equivalent to an Order of knighthood,
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and is organized along lines similar to those used in medieval
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Europe. The ultimate goal of the Order is to bring this nation
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back to the Satanic principles upon which it was founded, and to
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ensure that the natural Satanic elite is no longer on the brink
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of destruction at the hands of the masses.
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We recognize that the only way for humanity as a whole to
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realize its potential is to return to the old social formulae,
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which recognize the existence of a natural aristocracy within the
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human species. We give that aristocracy the label of Satanist,
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and borrow the imagery of Satanism and the occult for our pur-
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poses. We do not believe in a literal extraterrestrial being
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known as Satan, Lucifer, or any other such thing. We see humanity
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as the ultimate expression of the force of evolution, which is
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constantly working to improve the species and drive it forward.
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We see this as a good thing, but we recognize the necessity of
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the stratification of the Satanists from the slaves, the elite
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from the masses, the leaders from the followers, in order to
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achieve greatness for ourselves as a species.
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Our philosophy is rooted in materialism, and is quite a
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cynical one. We do not deny this, indeed, we revel in it. It is
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only through such tough, realistic approaches that the vast and
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awesome problems which face our planet and species today can be
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overcome, and we believe that through the application of our
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philosophy, we can bring this about.
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While the Satanist is, by definition, a creature of individ-
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uality and self-reliance, we recognize that it is only through
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the application of an iron Will that our goals can be accom-
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plished. This is Realpolitik. Without a consistent, centralized
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organization backing and pushing for our programs to be accepted
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by the masses, we stand no chance against the vast bureaucracy of
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egalitarianism which has entrenched itself in Western society
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through the vehicle of Christianity and which threatens to spread
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the world over. To that end, we conceive of the Order of the
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Satanic Temple as a group which can work together, drawing the
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strength of its members and focusing it in a single direction, as
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a vehicle, a living, breathing Working spanning the course of
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years, that may bring about the fundamental realignment of our
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society and culture.
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In order for this to occur, however, we as members of the
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natural Aristocracy must realize that we shall be called upon to
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make even greater sacrifices than the current system of charity-
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at-gunpoint could ever dream of asking. We shall be forced to
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work together, as a single entity, for the fulfillment of our
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goals. In order to be able to bring this about, a certain amount
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of externally imposed discipline must be employed, but in no case
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will the spirit of individual effort and creation, central to the
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Satanic philosophy, ever be quelled. Indeed, it should be stated
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here and now that, should the leadership of the Order, singly or
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collectively, ever attempt to quench the fires of individuality
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among the membership beyond the bounds demanded by the need for
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discipline, or should the leadership ever silence out of hand
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questioning and healthy non-derisive debate, then those individu-
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als of the leadership responsible should realize that they have
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betrayed the most fundamental principles of our Faith, and should
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bear the brunt therefore.
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It is felt that, in order to make the most efficient use of
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our available resources, communication and some degree of coordi-
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nation is necessary. Merely awaiting the timely confluence of
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like-minded individuals, trusting on some vague sense of "the
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time being right" for a host of people to act in concert, is not
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a realistic prospect. The effort we make to change our society
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along the lines we espouse must be a consciously directed act,
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derived from the combined creative and motivating forces of all
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the membership of the Order.
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The goals of the Order thus established, its methods must
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also be elucidated. While it is true that we oppose much of the
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legal structure of our society, based as it is upon principles
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which are entirely alien to a vibrant, living, expanding culture,
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we recognize the fact that any large-scale changes (such as those
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which we envision) must be wrought from within, rather than
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imposed from without. This goes back to the idea that the Masses
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must be lulled as much as possible; nothing must be perceived as
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a threat to their comfortable, staid, and ultimately uninspired
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lives.
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On the other hand, we must recognize that there may come
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times when our society is either unwilling or unable to grant us
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the protections and rights which we deserve, as much as any other
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citizens or organizations. We must forge instruments whereby we
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can ensure that our fate lies within our own grasp, rather than
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placing our fullest trust in the good will of our most bitter
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enemies. Each member of the Order, and the organization as a
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whole, must have the capacity for self-sufficiency in all things,
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most of all protection.
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It will be the ultimate test and expression of the Will that
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the Order and its members will have the strength to lash out and
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inflict vast harms upon society, but willingly will refrain from
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doing so. Only in the most dire cases, where the very life itself
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is threatened, must such measures be employed, and then only when
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all other avenues have been exhausted. We should be reluctant to
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do so, but when forced to, we should be able to stand alone and
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succeed.
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The chief weapon of the Order, and of the entire Satanic
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movement, should be to lead and convert by example. If the mind-
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less drones of the Masses see that Satanists are prospering, and
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that those who follow the Satanic ideology are the "winners" of
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society, they will be much more inclined to do so themselves. And
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this should not only apply to the individual members of the
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Order; the organization as a whole must be seen to be a respect-
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able and flourishing one. To this end, we envisage the construc-
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tion of an actual, physical, Satanic Temple in some major metro-
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politan region, to serve as a shining beacon-- an example of what
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can be done by following and espousing our philosophy.
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