Posted on 10/24/2004 3:19:18 AM PDT by BushWillLandslide
Navy approves first ever Satanist
Mr Cranmer will be allowed to perform Satanic rituals The British Armed Forces has officially recognised its first registered Satanist, according to a newspaper report. Naval technician Chris Cranmer, 24, has been allowed to register by the captain of HMS Cumberland.
The move will mean that he will now be allowed to perform Satanic rituals on board the vessel.
According to the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Cranmer realised he was a Satanist nine years ago.
Religious values
At the time he stumbled across a copy of the Satanic Bible, written by Church of Satan founder Anton Szandor LaVey.
He said: "I then read more and more and came to realise I'd always been a Satanist, just simply never knew."
Mr Cranmer, who is from Edinburgh, is now lobbying the Ministry of Defence to make Satanism a registered religion in the armed forces.
A spokesman for the Royal Navy said: "We are an equal opportunities employer and we don't stop anybody from having their own religious values."
The Church of Satan was established in San Francisco in 1966.
LaVey was its high priest until his death in 1997.
Followers live by the Nine Satanic Statements, which include "Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence", "Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek" and "Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification".
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
US army recruits witches to guard pagans' rights
By Ben Fenton in Washington
THE United States army has recognised white witchcraft as a religion and has appointed chaplains to oversee pagan ceremonies on at least five bases.
A Pentagon spokesman said yesterday that there were believed to be at least 100 witches attending covens at Fort Hood, Texas, the army's largest base with more than 42,000 troops. So respectful has the army become of the pagan rites that security was increased at Fort Hood's Boy Scout camp, where covens are held.
The move is to deter members of Christian groups from intimidating the group. The pagans, called Wiccans, are accorded the same privileges as practitioners of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. They are encouraged to have their religious preference stamped on the metal dog-tags each soldier wears.
Lt Col Donald Troyer, the Seventh Day Adventist army chaplain who has been given responsibility for Fort Hood's coven, admitted that he was not overjoyed with his job because fellow Christian pastors disapproved and had been "cool" towards him. He said: "It's such a volatile subject. It just sparks a fury."
The Pentagon says it has received several requests for a posting to Fort Hood because it has such a large pagan congregation. A spokesman said yesterday: "We are obliged by the Constitution to respect and make provisions for the religious needs of members of the military and not to pass judgments on their beliefs.
The Covenant of the Goddess, which claims to represent most American Wiccans from its base in Berkeley, California, says there are about 50,000 followers of the faith in America. They celebrate earth-spirits such as the "great goddess Freya" and on their altars give blessings to water, bread and salt, the three essentials of life, while the congregation holds hands in a circle around a large bonfire.
Their main festivals are at the vernal and autumnal equinox and at midsummer. However, sacrifices, either human or animal, are not tolerated. One Wiccan said: "It is not something we do."
You've got problems, we've got problems, more often than not, they turn out to be the same problems.
Regards, Ivan
Agreed. Sign of the times in which we live.....the END times...
Ah yes we must be tolerant of evil and evil will of course reciprocate!
I have already criticized the American military, and for the same reasons.
Injure in the eyes of God, recently created-out-of-whole cloth religion, and bad for morale.
For what it's worth, I'm a retired military chaplain.
"This decision will ultimately destroy the morale of this military unit."
I have a hunch that this kid will not long persist in his military carreer after this stunt. Folks have a pretty good idea about the difference between a cult and a religion (of course, there are a couple of notable exceptions). In this case, its an open and shut case of a cult gaining a foothold.
But, under duress, military men tend to weed out nonsense like this in their own unique ways. The real story is if the next chapter actually gets published by the BBC; my guess is not a chance.
If we had had a chaplaincy at that time based on the religion of the soldiers, it wouldn't have been appropriate to permit "official" inclusion of every new little sect that happened to arise from day to day. At that time, one would have said that a "Christian" chaplain was a bit of a stretch.
Capitalism does advocate "selfishness to the point of evil."
To be honest with you, there is no "religion of capitalism" advocating anything.
Satanism is diametrically opposed to any government that forwards the notion of personal freedom. It's basically anarchy, and not to be tolerated in any way, shape or form.
Neither are trolls. Did you sign up today just to defend Satanists?
HMS Satan...Ship Ahoy...Child Sacrifice at Noon All personnel to be present.
Satanists will be the first to be killed when the Messianic Government is up and running.
All freedoms carry responsibilities. The respect for boundaries is a vital part of healthy human functioning.
You are correct.
Yeah. If you don't agree with someone, stifle them. Or exterminate them.
God bless America.
PS I agree with you.
Did God appoint you sole arbiter of determining who and what is evil?
Pride has a way of biting one in the keister, don't it?
LOL I meant 'bad' pride.
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