Jump to content

Joy of Satan Ministries: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m Consensus can be found on the talk page, I told you already. Undid revision 1067591036 by BlueGhast (talk)
Tags: Undo Reverted nowiki added
Still does not explain the removal of site link. Also, read my message.
Line 15: Line 15:
|founded_date=2002{{sfn|Introvigne|2016|pages=370–371}}{{sfn|Petersen|2014|page=142}}<ref name="Cesnur2017"/>
|founded_date=2002{{sfn|Introvigne|2016|pages=370–371}}{{sfn|Petersen|2014|page=142}}<ref name="Cesnur2017"/>
|tax_status=U.S. [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] [[501(c)(3) organization|501(c)(3)]]
|tax_status=U.S. [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] [[501(c)(3) organization|501(c)(3)]]
|website=<nowiki>https://joyofsatan.org</nowiki>}}
|website=https://joyofsatan.org}}


'''Joy of Satan Ministries''', also referred to as '''Joy of Satan''' ('''JoS'''),<ref name="Petersen 2012">{{cite thesis |last=Petersen |first=Jesper Aagaard |year=2012 |type=PhD |title=Between Darwin and the Devil: Modern Satanism as Discourse, Milieu, and Self |url=https://ntnuopen.ntnu.no/ntnu-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/242892/455597_FULLTEXT01.pdf |url-status=live |format=PDF |location=[[Trondheim]] |publisher=Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the [[Norwegian University of Science and Technology]] |isbn=978-82-471-3052-0 |issn=1503-8181 |s2cid=169195204 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230011525/https://ntnuopen.ntnu.no/ntnu-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/242892/455597_FULLTEXT01.pdf |archive-date=30 December 2020 |access-date=23 January 2022 |pages=218–219, 144–146}}</ref> is a [[website]]{{sfn|Petersen|2014|page=142-146}} and [[Western esotericism|Western esoteric]] [[occult]] organization founded in 2002 by Maxine Dietrich, [[pseudonym]] of Andrea Herrington.<ref name="SPLCenter"/>{{sfn|Petersen|2014|pages=144-146}} Joy of Satan Ministries advocates "spiritual Satanism",{{sfn|Introvigne|2016|pages=370–371}}<ref name="Cesnur2017"/> presenting a unique synthesis of [[theistic Satanism]], [[Nazism|National Socialism]], [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] [[Modern Paganism|Paganism]], [[Western esotericism]], [[Antisemitic conspiracy theories|anti-Semitic conspiracy theories]], [[UFO conspiracy theory|UFO conspiracy theories]], and [[Extraterrestrial hypothesis|extraterrestrial beliefs]] derived from those popularized by [[science fiction]] authors [[Zecharia Sitchin]] and [[David Icke]].{{sfn|Introvigne|2016|pages=370–371}}<ref name="Cesnur2017"/>
'''Joy of Satan Ministries''', also referred to as '''Joy of Satan''' ('''JoS'''),<ref name="Petersen 2012">{{cite thesis |last=Petersen |first=Jesper Aagaard |year=2012 |type=PhD |title=Between Darwin and the Devil: Modern Satanism as Discourse, Milieu, and Self |url=https://ntnuopen.ntnu.no/ntnu-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/242892/455597_FULLTEXT01.pdf |url-status=live |format=PDF |location=[[Trondheim]] |publisher=Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the [[Norwegian University of Science and Technology]] |isbn=978-82-471-3052-0 |issn=1503-8181 |s2cid=169195204 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230011525/https://ntnuopen.ntnu.no/ntnu-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/242892/455597_FULLTEXT01.pdf |archive-date=30 December 2020 |access-date=23 January 2022 |pages=218–219, 144–146}}</ref> is a [[website]]{{sfn|Petersen|2014|page=142-146}} and [[Western esotericism|Western esoteric]] [[occult]] organization founded in 2002 by Maxine Dietrich, [[pseudonym]] of Andrea Herrington.<ref name="SPLCenter"/>{{sfn|Petersen|2014|pages=144-146}} Joy of Satan Ministries advocates "spiritual Satanism",{{sfn|Introvigne|2016|pages=370–371}}<ref name="Cesnur2017"/> presenting a unique synthesis of [[theistic Satanism]], [[Nazism|National Socialism]], [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] [[Modern Paganism|Paganism]], [[Western esotericism]], [[Antisemitic conspiracy theories|anti-Semitic conspiracy theories]], [[UFO conspiracy theory|UFO conspiracy theories]], and [[Extraterrestrial hypothesis|extraterrestrial beliefs]] derived from those popularized by [[science fiction]] authors [[Zecharia Sitchin]] and [[David Icke]].{{sfn|Introvigne|2016|pages=370–371}}<ref name="Cesnur2017"/>

Revision as of 06:54, 24 January 2022

Joy of Satan Ministries
Logo of Joy of Satan Ministries
AbbreviationJoS
TypeSatanist new religious movement[1][2][3]
ClassificationSatanism[1][2][3]
OrientationTheistic Satanism[1][3]
ScriptureBlack Book of Satan[1]
TheologyTheistic Satanism[1][3]
StructureMagical order
RegionInternational (primarily United States)[1][3][4][5]
FounderMaxine Dietrich (Andrea Herrington)[1][2][3][5][6]
Origin2002[1][2][3]
Tax statusU.S. IRS 501(c)(3)
Official websitehttps://joyofsatan.org

Joy of Satan Ministries, also referred to as Joy of Satan (JoS),[7] is a website[8] and Western esoteric occult organization founded in 2002 by Maxine Dietrich, pseudonym of Andrea Herrington.[5][9] Joy of Satan Ministries advocates "spiritual Satanism",[1][3] presenting a unique synthesis of theistic Satanism, National Socialism, Gnostic Paganism, Western esotericism, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, UFO conspiracy theories, and extraterrestrial beliefs derived from those popularized by science fiction authors Zecharia Sitchin and David Icke.[1][3]

While Joy of Satan Ministries gained some popularity as a widely-visited Satanist website in the angelfire network,[10] the organization has been the topic of significant controversy due to their anti-Judaic, anti-Christian, and anti-Semitic beliefs, and a marital connection to a former high-ranking member of the National Socialist Movement on the part of Andrea Herrington, the founder and high-priestess of the group.[1][3][5][6]

Definition

The orientation of Joy of Satan Ministries is generally acknowledged by some religion scholars as a form of Western esotericism,[7] and considered as an esoteric reinterpretation of LaVeyan Satanism.[11] While Joy of Satan Ministries affirm to appreciate the Satanic fundamentals of Anton LaVey's The Satanic Bible, the sociologist of religion Massimo Introvigne describes LaVeyan Satanism as more "rationalist" in comparison to theistic Satanism.[7]

Their relation with Satan is described by the professor of Religious studies Christopher Partridge as "the core of an esoteric project of transformation, based on a personal or mystical relationship."[12]

History

Joy of Satan Ministries is a website founded in the early 2000s by Maxine Dietrich (pseudonym of Andrea Herrington),[1][2][3] wife of the American National Socialist Movement's co-founder and former leader Clifford Herrington,[1][3][5][6] combines theistic Satanism with Neo-Nazism, racial anti-Semitism, anti-Judaic, anti-Christian sentiment and Gnostic Paganism, as well as UFO conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.[1][3][13] Joy of Satan Ministries advocate "spiritual Satanism" and believes Satan to be a sentient and powerful extraterrestrial being, although not a supernatural god.[1][3] The Satanic practices promoted by Joy of Satan involve meditation, telepathic contacts with demons, rituals, and sex magic.[1][3]

It was revealed in 2004 that Clifford Herrington, chairman of the National Socialist Movement, was the husband of Andrea Herrington, the founder and "high-priestess" of Joy of Satan Ministries.[1][5][6] Their exposure lead to a major debate and conflict both within the National Socialist Movement and Joy of Satan Ministries itself, and to the Herringtons' eventual departure from the National Socialist Movement.[1][5][6] In 2004, following the exposure of Andrea Herrington among Joy of Satan's members as the wife of Neo-Nazi leader Clifford Herrington and her ties with the National Socialist Movement, many adherents abandoned Joy of Satan and formed their own autonomous Satanist or Neo-Pagan organizations, such as the House of Enlightenment, Enki's Black Temple, the Siaion, the Knowledge of Satan Group, and the Temple of The Ancients.[1] According to Introvigne (2016), "most are by now defunct, while Joy of Satan continues its existence, although with a reduced number of members".[1]

In July 2006, after the exposure of Herrington's wife's Satanic website within the National Socialist Movement, Andrea and Clifford Herrington were both kicked out of the National Socialist Movement;[5] following the Herrington scandal, Bill White, the then-National Socialist Movement's spokesman, also quit alongside many others.[5] According to Introvigne (2016), "its ideas on extraterrestrials, meditation, and telepathic contacts with demons became, however, popular in a larger milieu of non-LaVeyan "spiritual" or "theistic" Satanism".[1] According to the scholar of Religious studies and researcher of New religious movements Jesper Aagaard Petersen's survey on the Satanic milieu's proliferation on the internet (2014), "the only sites with some popularity are the Church of Satan and (somewhat paradoxically) Joy of Satan's page base on the angelfire network, and they are still very far from Scientology or YouTube. Most of these sites are decidedly fringe."[9]

Beliefs

Extraterrestrials

Joy of Satan Ministries present various extraterrestrial theories, inspired by some of the books of science fiction authors Zecharia Sitchin and David Icke.[1][3] They believe that Satan and the demons of the Goetia are sentient and powerful extraterrestrial beings responsible for the creation of humanity,[1] whose origins they believe predate Abrahamic religions.[1] They're also identified with the Nephilim of the Hebrew Bible.[1] According to Introvigne (2016), "Maxine Dietrich derived from these theories the ideas of a mortal struggle between enlightened aliens and a monstrous extra-terrestrial race, the Reptilians."[1]

Origins of humanity

Joy of Satan Ministries believe that one of the benign aliens, Enki, which they consider to be Satan himself, created with his collaborators on Earth human beings through their advanced technology of genetic engineering.[1] It's considered by Joy of Satan that most salient of his creations were the Nordic-Aryan race.[1] They declare that the Reptilians have, in turn, created their own kind by combining their own DNA with the DNA of semi-animal humanoids with the end result identified as the Jewish race.[1]

Joy of Satan Ministries theorize that after the benevolent extraterrestrials left Earth 10,000 years ago, the agents of the Reptilians created their own religions, the Abrahamic religions,[1] which began the deposition and defamation of their Pagan gods as a result.[1] They claim these religions maligned the benign extraterrestrials by labeling them as "devils", and through their doctrines, created a climate of terror within humanity (e.g. condemning sexuality), in order to better program and control humans.[1] They believe that Satan, however, did not abandon humanity, believing he has revealed himself in what they believe to be the Black Book of Satan (not to be confused with the Order of Nine Angles' scripture of the same name), allegedly revealed by Satan himself to Andrea Herrington, the founder and high-priestess of the group.[1]

Theology

Adherents of Joy of Satan Ministries are generally polytheists, considering demons of the Goetia to have a literal existence and Satan to be their cardinal ruler. Satan and some demons are also viewed as one of many deities and are equated with many gods from ancient cultures,[14] such as Satan having known to be the Sumerian god Enki and the Yazidi angel Melek Taus, according to Joy of Satan Ministries.[1] While Satan is considered a deity within the group, the deities themselves are understood to be highly evolved, un-aging, sentient, and powerful humanoid extraterrestrial beings.[1][3]

Satan is seen as an important deity by Joy of Satan Ministries, who believe Satan to be a sentient and powerful extraterrestrial being,[1][3] although not a supernatural god,[1][3] neither omnipotent nor omnipresent.[1][3] They also hold the belief of Satan to be a representative of the notions of strength, power, justice, and freedom. Joy of Satan Ministries draw comparisons between Yazidism and Satanism, considering the two to share similar elements; however, Introvigne (2016) himself remarks that their theistic Satanist interpretation of Enki derives from the writings of Zecharia Sitchin while the one about Melek Taus partially derives from the writings of Anton LaVey.[1] Joy of Satan Ministries believe that one of the sacred texts of the Yazidis, the Al-Jilwah, to be "the word of Satan". Lilith is another deity of significance to the group, who is recognized as "the patron of strong women and a Goddess of women's rights".[15] They also believe that Lilith stands for a virtuous notion of abortion rights and birth control.[15]

Practices

Joy of Satan Ministries promote a wide variety of occult practices, such as methods for evocation of demonic entities and guidelines for making pacts with them.[7] It's considered that Satanism, in practice, is the true nature of humanity that precedes Christianity.[1]

Occultism

Their numerous uses of magic also run from simple to the complex, these include sorcery, spells, and various types of witchcraft. All of which require the practitioner to imaginatively apply specialized knowledge and technique to the object of the spell, hypnotism, spiritual healing, and other kind of magic or divination.[7] They also offer a range of occult techniques in black magic.[12][16]

Rituals

According to Jesper Aagaard Petersen, "The rituals proposed by the Joy of Satan are very simple and not particularly advanced, with most consisting of mainly visualization exercises rather than actual rituals known in mainstream satanic culture. Despite what's commonly believed, the process of their rituals is not a negotiation or 'exercises of evil, but rather 'telepathic communication' with anthropomorphic beings, with an almost jovial tone throughout various rituals".[1][7] Joy of Satan Ministries also state that Satan recognizes a lack of funds and does not expect his adherents to have expensive items for ritual in comparison to the ideals of a modern Christian Church.[7] A similar formulation is also used when discussing the scarcity of black candles.[7] In standard devotional rituals, their orientation is described as a shift from control to attachment and self-development, in which their rituals are not intended to forcibly summon demons but instead enable mystical experiences and empowerment more in tune with their expressive concerns.[7] Members of Joy of Satan Ministries may also involve themselves in what they regard as "spiritual warfare", participating in rituals against those they believe to be the enemies of Satan.[1]

The central part of their "Standard Ritual to Satan" consists in reading prayers to and "communicating with father Satan one to one", which is considered by Jesper Aagaard Petersen "a surprising break with the more traditional ceremonial activities known in mainstream satanic culture."[7] This "formal commitment" is signed in blood and burned in order to participate fully in Satan's work upon humanity, to imply a growth in spiritual knowledge and personal power.[7] The structure of the ritual is also considered fairly standard, after which suitable preparations (bathing, lighting candles and so on), the ritual begins with ringing the bell and invoking "The four princes of hell."[7] In the main part, the Invocation to Satan is recited, establishing a link suitable for prayer and communication. The practitioner, after concluding his endeavors, will then end the ritual with a close.[7]

Reception

Joy of Satan Ministries became notorious and widely criticized for its close connections to high-ranking leaders of the National Socialist Movement, as well as for its anti-Judaic, anti-Christian, and anti-Semitic beliefs.[1][3][5][6] It was revealed in 2004 that Clifford Herrington, chairman of the National Socialist Movement, was the husband of Andrea Herrington, the founder and "high-priestess" of Joy of Satan Ministries.[1][5][6] Their exposure lead to a major debate and conflict both within the National Socialist Movement and Joy of Satan Ministries itself, and to the Herringtons' eventual departure from the National Socialist Movement.[1][5][6]

Their exposure also provoked the split within the National Socialist Movement itself between the adherents of Christian Identity and Joy of Satan Ministries.[1][5] According to Introvigne (2016), "Several local groups abandoned Dietrich and started minuscule splinter organizations, some of these insisted that they were not Satanist, just pagan" and that "most are by now defunct, while Joy of Satan continues its existence, although with a reduced number of members."[1] Despite the events, Introvigne states that "Its ideas on extraterrestrials, meditation, and telepathic contacts with demons became, however, popular in a larger milieu of non-LaVeyan "spiritual" or theistic "Satanism".[1] Followed by a series of backlash, Clifford and Andrea Herrington were also accused of sexual misconduct with many other allegations against them.[1][5] Andrea Herrington's Satanist affiliations, however, were enough to result in Clifford Herrington's departure from the National Socialist Movement.[1] Clifford Herrington would then form the "National Socialist Freedom Movement" after leaving the NSM in 2006.[6]

According to the scholar of Religious studies and researcher of New religious movements Jesper Aagaard Petersen's survey on the Satanic milieu's proliferation on the internet (2014), "the only sites with some popularity are the Church of Satan and (somewhat paradoxically) Joy of Satan's page base on the angelfire network, and they are still very far from Scientology or YouTube. Most of these sites are decidedly fringe."[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax Introvigne 2016, pp. 370–371.
  2. ^ a b c d e Petersen 2014, p. 142.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Introvigne, Massimo (13 April 2017). "Satan the Prophet: A History of Modern Satanism" (PDF). CESNUR. p. 55. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  4. ^ Petersen 2014, pp. 142–146.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n
     • Zaitchik, Alexander (19 October 2006). "The National Socialist Movement Implodes". SPLCenter.org. Montgomery, Alabama: Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2020. The party's problems began last June, when Citizens Against Hate discovered that NSM's Tulsa post office box was shared by The Joy of Satan Ministry, in which the wife of NSM chairman emeritus Clifford Herrington is High Priestess. [...] Within NSM ranks, meanwhile, a bitter debate was sparked over the propriety of Herrington's Joy of Satan connections. [...] Schoep moved ahead with damage-control operations by nudging chairman emeritus Herrington from his position under the cover of "attending to personal matters." But it was too late to stop NSM Minister of Radio and Information Michael Blevins, aka Vonbluvens, from following White out of the party, citing disgust with Herrington's Joy of Satan ties. "Satanism," declared Blevins in his resignation letter, "affects the whole prime directive guiding the [NSM] – SURVIVAL OF THE WHITE RACE." [...] NSM was now a Noticeably Smaller Movement, one trailed in extremist circles by a strong whiff of Satanism and related charges of sexual impropriety associated with Joy of Satan initiation rites and curiously strong teen recruitment efforts.
     • "National Socialist Movement". SPLCenter.org. Montgomery, Alabama: Southern Poverty Law Center. 2020. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2020. The NSM has had its share of movement scandal. In July 2006, it was rocked by revelations that co-founder and chairman emeritus Cliff Herrington's wife was the "High Priestess" of the Joy of Satan Ministry, and that her satanic church shared an address with the Tulsa, Okla., NSM chapter. The exposure of Herrington's wife's Satanist connections caused quite a stir, particularly among those NSM members who adhered to a racist (and heretical) variant of Christianity, Christian Identity. Before the dust settled, both Herringtons were forced out of NSM. Bill White, the neo-Nazi group's energetic spokesman, also quit, taking several NSM officials with him to create a new group, the American National Socialist Workers Party.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "The National Socialist Movement". Adl.org. New York City: Anti-Defamation League. 2020. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Petersen, Jesper Aagaard (2012). Between Darwin and the Devil: Modern Satanism as Discourse, Milieu, and Self (PDF) (PhD). Trondheim: Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. pp. 218–219, 144–146. ISBN 978-82-471-3052-0. ISSN 1503-8181. S2CID 169195204. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 December 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  8. ^ Petersen 2014, p. 142-146.
  9. ^ a b c Petersen 2014, pp. 144–146.
  10. ^ Petersen 2014, p. 144-146.
  11. ^ Dyrendal, Lewis & Petersen 2016, pp. 144–232.
  12. ^ a b Petersen, Jesper Aagaard (2014). Partridge, Christopher (ed.). Contemporary Satanism. Routledge. p. 402. ISBN 978-0415695961. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  13. ^ "Satanism – Founders, Philosophies & Branches". History.com. A&E Networks. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  14. ^ Atlanta, J.F. (Jan 9, 2014). "What do Satanists believe?". The Economist. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Faxneld, Per (July 2014). ""Intuitive, Receptive, Dark": Negotiations of Femininity in the Contemporary Satanic and Left-hand Path Milieu". International Journal for the Study of New Religions. 4 (2). London: Equinox Publishing: 201–230. doi:10.1558/ijsnr.v4i2.201. ISSN 2041-952X.
  16. ^ Armson, Morandir (February 2015). "The Search for "Meaning": Occult Redefinitions and the Internet". The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies. 16 (1). London: Equinox Publishing: 55–79. doi:10.1558/pome.v16i1.15116. ISSN 1528-0268.

Bibliography

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joy_of_Satan_Ministries&oldid=1067592070"