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Satanic Sacraments
by Brad Sherman

    Have you ever noticed that if someone supports abortion, the individual almost always supports homosexual rights, and is politically aligned with socialism? Where you find one of these ideas, the other two are nearly always connected. The photo below of the Iowa International Socialist Organization's information info table at the University of Iowa illustrates this point. They proudly display their support for free abortion on demand and gay marriage.


This common connection can be explained when we think of these things as  sacraments of a pagan religious belief system.

The Foundation of Satanism
Sacraments
    Perhaps the most sacred of the Christian sacraments is the Lord’s Supper. The bread and the wine, of course, represent the sacrifice of Christ’s body and blood as payment for our sins (Notice the kinship between the words sacred, sacrifice, and sacrament). The Bible documents the concept of blood sacrifice from the beginning and throughout the Old Testament. But Jesus offered Himself once and for all, the supreme sacrifice for the sins of the world, putting an end to the practice of blood sacrifice. However, many people do not believe or trust in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

     Pagan or satanic cultures still offer the blood of animals, even humans, as part of their rites. One example was discovered in 1989 when two protégés of Aleister Crowley (an English occultist/Satanist) and Anton LeVay (the founder of the church of Satan), were found sacrificing humans, believing that the sacrifice would make their drug shipments invisible to law enforcement. A Texas deputy made the grizzly discovery and said:

"I thought in my twenty-two years of law enforcement I had seen everything. I hadn't. As we drew near, you could smell the stench...blood and decomposing organs. In a big, cast iron pot there were pieces of human bodies and a goat's head with horns." 1

    In the spiritual world, the dynamics of blood sacrifice are very real in the conflict between light and darkness, Christ and anti-Christ. The Bible speaks of these opposing sacraments:

“...the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.  You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:20-21 (NKJV)

    The belief system of Satanism is surprisingly simple and explains why we see such an unyielding commitment to certain perverted sacraments in our world today.  Aleister Crowley wrote a book, The Book of the Law, the contents of which he admits came from a spirit. He writes:

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. The word of sin is restriction ... So with thy all; thou hast no right but to do thy will. ...For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.2

    So in Crowley’s view, one should do whatever he or she wants.  To call something sin (wrong) is unacceptable because it is restrictive. Life should be lived with total commitment to pure will (desire) without any purpose or result in mind. In other words, this view embraces pure chaos and lawlessness. It is the belief that humans are a law unto themselves and can create their own law. Personal desire is above any other human consideration.  This is the same philosophy that has been promoted in government schools under the name “values clarification,” where children are taught that values are relative and are encouraged to make up their own.

    Jesus actually addressed this element of the fallen human nature of man who wants to do his own will. He had been revealing His plan and purpose to the disciples, explaining to them that He would suffer and be crucified. But Peter objected because his will was not for Jesus to suffer and die, but to be installed as King of Israel - right now! So he took Jesus aside and rebuked Him saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You.” Jesus’ response reveals the source of Peter’s thinking:

“But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’ ” 
— Matthew 16:23 (NKJV)

    This response is quite revelatory!  Jesus' reply, speaking to Peter as Satan, shows that to be mindful of the things of men, the will of man, and man’s desire, is of Satan. This is why the mark of the beast (666) is the number of a “man” (see Rev 23:18).
     Contrary to Crowley’s philosophy, those who submit their wills to God become part of a plan and a purpose which will have a definite result. Even Jesus took up His cross, not because He wanted to, but because He submitted to the plan of the Father. We know this because in the garden before the crucifixion, Jesus said: "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42).  Therefore, to seek one’s own will above God’s is the foundation of Satanism. By this definition, we can begin to see just how far down the road to satanism our self-centered culture has traveled.

     Just because people wrestle with self-will, however, does not mean they are satanists.  Like Peter, even those who are genuine followers of Christ can be influenced and misled by Satan. But to give one’s self over to self-will is to yield to Satan and start down the wrong road.

    Depending upon the translation used, the Bible describes this “cult of self” as having jealousy, bitter envy or selfish ambition and regards such things as demonic or demon-like.

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” 
— James 3:14-16 (NASB) emphasis added

    Left unchecked, the selfish tendency of human nature will lead one deeper and deeper into “disorder” (lack of purpose) and “every evil thing” (satanic beliefs and actions). We also see in this passage that “natural” is in the same category as demonic. This word "natural" means according to the senses, or feelings. This is the root of the “if it feels good it must be right” philosophy.  There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death (see Pr 14:12), but the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul (see Ps 19:7). Contrary to humanistic teaching, humanity has been corrupted and needs the restrains of God’s law.

The Depths of Satan
     Writing to the church in Thyatira, Jesus spoke about those in the “depths of Satan.”

"Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works. Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden.”
— Revelation 2:20-24 (NKJV)

    In this passage we see that even some who are considered part of the church have entered into the depths of Satan. Those who teach that sexual immorality and idolatry are acceptable would qualify as such. In the eyes of God, such people have developed a satanic belief system, a belief system that rejects all restraint of God’s law. The only law they recognize is: “Do what thou wilt.” This man/self-centered system is the religion called ‘humanism,’ which like all religions, has its sacraments.

     Many have noticed and commented on the extremely radical commitment that many on the political left have to socialism, homosexual rights, and abortion. This high level of uniformity points to an underlying system of beliefs that is nothing short of religious in nature. When we understand the definition of Satanism described above we begin to understand why these things really are their revered sacraments, albeit sacraments of an unholy nature.

Three Satanic Sacraments

Socialism
    Socialism only gains ground where there is envy and selfishness which, as we saw in part one, is the basis for disorder and every evil thing (see James 3:14-16). The entire idea of socialism springs from the envy of those who have less toward those who have more. Though socialism purports to be about equality and sharing unselfishly, history shows the opposite to be true. Equality and sharing is simply the sales pitch used by unscrupulous political salesmen seeking to enrich themselves. They skillfully plant the seeds of discontent and promote class warfare because they know that socialism can only be sold to the masses if there is envy and selfish desire to get something for nothing.

    However, socialism begins to collapse when the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living (a modified quote from Thomas Sowell). A quote attributed to former Prime Minister of Great Brittan, Margaret Thatcher, puts it this way, "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."
     Selfish people caught up in bitter envy simply want what they want— immediately! They will vote for a free living with no regard for the far-reaching, long term destructive results. This mentality is reminiscent of Crowley’s satanic philosophy: “For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.” How shortsighted! Therefore, socialism is zealously defended by humanists and revered as sacred making it a satanic sacrament.

Same-sex Marriage
    One of the most holy and important Christian sacraments is marriage. Marriage, the relationship between a man and a woman, is intended to be God’s model representing the relationship between Christ and the Church. It is only within the covenant of marriage that sexual intimacy between a man and a woman is sanctioned by God.
     Though premarital sex and adultery are certainly sinful, homosexuality takes sexual perversion to a different level. When homosexuals demand the right to call their relationships “marriage,” it is a direct attack against the church and seeks to destroy God’s model for defining His relationship with the Church. It is an attack against the very concept of Christianity. Therefore, those who ardently defend homosexual rights are simply being true to their anti-Christian religion of humanism. It is sacred to them and that is why they fight for it. Same-sex marriage, and the homosexual agenda in general, are a satanic sacrament.

Abortion
    The ultimate satanic sacrament is human sacrifice. Besides examples like the one from Texas cited in Part One, we have a much more prevalent form of human sacrifice that is cleverly disguised in medical and political jargon. I am referring, of course, to abortion. Instead of calling the baby a baby, it is called a "fetus" or a "biological mass." Instead of crushing and tearing the baby apart with cold steel tools, it is called a "surgical procedure." Instead of killing unwanted children, it is called "birth control" and "family planning."

Some have consented to abortion without clear understanding or under pressure from others. Many have found forgiveness from God and He continues to offer grace and forgiveness. But the fact remains that abortion in our culture is nothing less than a human sacrifice to the idols of selfish convenience, irresponsible sexual gratification, or both.

    The holy Christian sacrament that we call “Communion” or “the Lord’s Table” is representative of Christ offering His own human flesh and blood. Abortion is the antithesis of Holy Communion—it is an offering of human flesh and blood upon the satanic alter of human selfishness. Those who treat the right to abortion as a sacred right and tirelessly defend it are simply following the satanic belief system that has penetrated deep into their hearts and minds. Abortion is a satanic sacrament.

Collision Course
    As pointed out, the nature of a sacrament is that it is revered and protected with great zeal. Such is the case with those who militantly and politically defend socialism, homosexual rights, abortion, and other anti-Christian values. Like Jezebel in the church of Thyatira, they may say they are Christian, but they are not. Nevertheless they are deeply religious, they have a deep commitment to their anti-Christian religion of self-will called humanism. They believe in and are totally devoted to their religion and its sacraments which are an expression of satanic worship.

    As Christians, we must understand that we are in a spiritual war and be bold enough to call socialism, homosexuality, and abortion what it is—satanic. Like the church of Thyatira, the Lord has something against us as a nation. We have tolerated those who hold that satanic doctrine which places the will of man above the will of God. If we continue to tolerate this religion of humanism as our state religion, and allow the practice of its sacraments, we will suffer the consequences of our actions.

    The conflict between the kingdom of God and the powers of Satan is being played out in front of our eyes politically and culturally, and they are on a collision course. The ultimate outcome of this collision is not in doubt—those who continue to embrace the depths of Satan lose.

God Offers Forgiveness
    The line has been drawn and choices must be made. However, those who embrace the religion of humanism and participate in its satanic sacraments are not without hope. Even when accepting these hard-hitting truths, we must remember that Jesus also offered the opportunity to repent when He confronted those who had "known the depths of Satan" (see Rev 2:21). God has grace and forgiveness for them and He is giving them time to repent.  Many have turned to God and become wonderful Christian people.

    Therefore as we take a bold stand for truth, may we also remember that, apart from God’s grace, we too would be mired in the depths of Satan.  May our speech be with grace, seasoned as it were with salt, that we may know how to answer each one as we share the good news of the coming Kingdom.

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1   Kovar, The Matamoros Murders, http://goodfight.org/a_co_matamoros_murders.html
2 Crowley, Book of the Law, Chapter 1; lines 41,42, 44