I just got a hilariously retarded email about an old post of mine entitled “Signs of the Devil.” This person is a jackass, so I don’t feel the least bit concerned with handing them their ass on a platter.

Here is the email in its entirety, after which I’ll go through it line by line and comment.

About your signs of the devil. You shouldn’t be speaking on the subject if you dont know much about it. For the record, a crescent moon with a 5 point star IS a sign of satanism. Along with the 6 point star. Almost everything you see in the world today is a sign of the devil because he is in control of the earth and all souls worship him directly or indirectly. Talking about upside down crosses are blasphemy, in total disrespect of the lord. You are the type of people that give the devil a good light to look in. Keep underestimating lucifer while investistigating stuff you know nothing about. Even after you supposedly researched it. Good One Tim.

Ah boy… why people spend their time with this type of shit, I don’t in the least understand. First, I’d like to quote a particularly relevant passage from the post they are originally commenting on. It’s in regards to the peace sign, which some Fundamentalist Christians claim is actually “Nero’s Cross” and which represents the extermination of that religion under him. This claim is tenuous at best and was not supported by any historical documentation I’ve seen. If anybody knows some though (and not of the bullshit variety), I’m always happy to stand corrected. Anyway, I wrote:

You know, I’m gonna make a really bold and possibly offensive generalization here… but let me just say, that based on all the wars, small-mindedness, persecution, hatred and bigotry that have surrounded Christianity throughout its entire history, and whose stench lingers even today, I might have to agree with “Nero’s” assertion, that, without Christianity, we very well might be closer to world peace. Although, having said that, it’s stupid people, not religions that cause problems. I’m sure without Christianity, some other group would just go nuts and take up their position in the drama.

I just want to reiterate the part about it being stupid people and not religions that cause problems, in regards to the above letter I received. Although, perhaps I should add the point that when stupid people get their hands on religion, the problems only multiply. Anyway, now onto the dissection of the letter.

You shouldn’t be speaking on the subject if you dont know much about it.

And I’m sure you are some fucking MASTER of symbology. In fact, wasn’t it you who was the basis for the Robert Langdon character in The Da Vinci Code? Don’t you actually teach a course at Harvard on religious symbology and run around the world solving mysteries? Oh wait! That’s not you? How could I be so stupid? So let me get this right: all you know about so-called “satanic” symbols is what Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Jack Chick or some other fucking alien clone from the Grey Abyssal Nether Realms has told you in a little pamphlet handed out at your Bible Study meeting? So don’t even fucking start with me about who’s an expert on what, because I know for a FACT that’s the extent of your “expertise.”

And furthermore, the classic dictum, “Don’t talk about what you don’t understand” is nothing more than a control mechanism designed to maintain the status quo of knowledge distribution. It is an idea promoted by priesthoods both secular and religious to ensure that people don’t start questioning and researching for themselves, and thus circumvent the control structures maintained by those priesthoods. My own thoughts are much more in line with the so-called Emerging Church movement (as well as with Christianity before it was co-opted into an institution): how are we ever supposed to understand anything if we don’t get in there and dig around for ourselves? Oh, I know, we can just blindly accept everything everybody tells us! Perfect!

For the record, a crescent moon with a 5 point star IS a sign of satanism. Along with the 6 point star.

To be entirely honest with you: the crescent moon and star is actually most commonly used as a symbol for the religion of Islam. The six-pointed “Star of David” likewise is used to reference Judaism. These two points are such common knowledge that I almost feel embarrassed having to point them out to an expert like you… Regardless of how a symbol’s use is stolen or modified by a group such as Satanists (and it’s debatable these even are), it just simply doesn’t dilute these other much more common uses.

Almost everything you see in the world today is a sign of the devil because he is in control of the earth and all souls worship him directly or indirectly.

Wait, so you’re not even a Christian at all then, right? Because that means you’re worshipping Satan also. Nevermind the fact that in Christianity, there’s only one god. It’s a monotheist religion, with the all-powerful Father at it’s head. Satan was never given dominion over all the earth, and according to your own mythology, when Jesus descended to Heaven, Satan’s rule there was also overthrown. This is all pretty standard Christianity here, bub. Let’s get with the program.

(Note: It’s been pointed out that in Revelations, it’s stated that Satan has dominion over the earth; while in the Old Testament, Satan acts as an agent of God. So its not quite as clear-cut as I may have made it out above. That said, I believe that evil only has power of you when you allow it to.)

Talking about upside down crosses are blasphemy, in total disrespect of the lord.

Actually, to once again reference my original post, the upside-down cross was St. Peter’s cross before it was anything Satanic. The legend goes that Peter was executed by crucifixion, and he himself felt it would be disrespectful of Jesus’s sacrifice to be killed in the same position. So he requested that his cross be turned upside-down.

You are the type of people that give the devil a good light to look in. Keep underestimating lucifer while investistigating stuff you know nothing about. Even after you supposedly researched it. Good One Tim.

Yes, I “am the type of people” that “give the devil a good light to look in.” I am, in fact, the root source of all the world’s problems. It’s not in fact mindless fucking roboticized religious automatons like yourself who vigorously attack people who present them with new and different views.

I will indeed keep underestimating Lucifer, because as I mentioned above, even according to your own mythology, he doesn’t have dominion over me. I’m made in God’s image, and theologically my soul strives toward him. The devil merely presents us with obstacles, and it’s only through surrendering our power to him that we are overcome. That or my understanding of Christianity is tremendously flawed… who knows.

I will also absolutely continue investigating things that I don’t know about. That’s precisely the point of my being an “investigator.” What an astute deduction!

I’d like to close with a quote from another post I did a while back on occult symbols. It touches on everything we’ve spoken of here and more.

in closing, i’d say that one man’s occult is another man’s religion. the boundaries between the two are impossibly vague. any attempts made to define something as occult will almost certainly not hold up under closer scrutiny and historical research. and the whole reason that symbols exist and are valuable to humans is that they can never be nailed down 100% to any one meaning. they become the containers for whatever meanings we project into them. if the feelings inside of us consist of uncertainty and fear, then we will see dangerous threats to our way of life even in the most simple of lines and shapes. if we approach symbols with curiousity and an open mind, we will find an overlapping multitude of deep meanings. and we will see that though the symbols and terminologies may change over time and location, that all religions and occult mystical traditions are really seeking the same thing. and we’d do better learning from one another and combining our knowledge than trying to shut each other out.

Amen.