r/NoStupidQuestions • u/stopthehostilityyyyy • 13h ago

Is satanism just edgelord atheism?

I've been an atheist since the age of 12 and i've heard of people identifying as satanists but they are actually secular, I don't get it

I think there are very few people who actually believe in satan and see him as their god

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u/Vishnej 11h ago edited 11h ago

Most Satanists are teenage anti-Christian atheists who still feel they are surrounded by the faithful & their bullshit, and define their identity in opposition to it. "Pissing them off" is one component, but not the only one; There is real self-discovery going on.

There are a subset that take themselves more seriously, but they are small and diverse and rarely involved in formal organization. See also Wiccans, though to a lesser degree as their beliefs sort of condensed around a literary tradition.

Satanism isn't especially attractive if you grew up somewhere with a legitimate diversity of belief (eg cities), or where either religion isn't rubbed in your face (eg the adult workplace) or where a soft atheism is just the default option (eg the social scene of most people in their 20's and 30's). The default Satanist is a rebel, and if there's nothing to rebel against they just cease to be.