Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In Register
Examples: Monday, today, last week, Mar 26, 3/26/04
Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.

Shocked

Wisdom23Wisdom23 Veteran
edited September 2012 in Faith & Religion
In my job i am a Teaching Assistant in a ,helping those who need that little bit of extra help. When being assigned to a new student i like to make light conversation to make them feel at ease with the help. When in conversation i talking amongst two of the students, the topic turned to religion and philosophy. The girl i was supporting made the comment that she was a satanist. i was a little shocked by this, anyway my point is should i do anything to try and change her or simply show the kindness and compassion i would show anyone in my job and leave her be. Or is it the comment was takin way out of context by me?

Comments

  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited September 2012
    Satanists are good people in their own minds. I think Aleister Crowley gave the line: 'do as though willt'. That's what (some) Satanists live by and the whole idea is that they are not looking to God or Satan to tell them what to do. That doesn't mean they have to do evil things. They have friends and loved ones. But if you cross them they might try to screw you up.

    I talked to a Satanist when I was dating a partying (at the time of her life) girl. We (myself and the Satanist) connected. I told him about bodhicitta as I understood it as a messed up guy with just a beginning in Buddhism. Now this guy was a partier but the worst he did to me was sleep with my girl which I didn't care and also stick me with a bar tab.

    Note: that was six years ago and I am away from those people now. And I don't drink anymore.
  • yamadayamada Veteran
    I also shocked to read your story. But if I were you I would ask the reason she become a satanist. I will not give any comment on his answer. I will continue the discussion by sharing the reasons why I become a buddhist. Chances are she will be a lot to ask and refute my opinion of it. I will not force it to change or say that satanist isn't true. Let she change because of his own desire. All I can do is tell a story. She might be interested in buddhism after hearing my story.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    Wisdom23 said:

    ....should i do anything to try and change her or simply show the kindness and compassion i would show anyone in my job and leave her be. Or is it the comment was takin way out of context by me?

    First of all, investigate satanism.
    secondly, remember they would have precisely as much right to do anything to try to change you, too.

    mfranzdorf
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    IMO teenagers often grab onto an identity simply to be different or for a certain shock value. I'd be suprised if she has really given it much philosophical consideration. Maybe just asking her about it if the topic comes up will help her get a clearer understanding of what its really about so she can make a properly informed decision about her ideology.
  • Wisdom23Wisdom23 Veteran
    thank you all for your kind comments. Maybe you are right and i am a bit ignorant to what satanism is about maybe it would do me some benefit to research into it. Once again thank you, i am still new to buddhism you see so still finding the ropes
  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator
    People often go through all sorts of philosophies and phases while they figure out who they are and how they fit into the world. If the topic comes up again, take the opportunity to see what she knows and talk with her about it, without trying to change her. For many people "Satanist" brings up images of goat sacrifice and daycare abuse, but that's due to Western entertainment and media, largely. There is a lot more to do, and there are good and bad Satanists just the same as there are good and bad atheists and Buddhists and Muslims and Christians. And I agree with whoever said that teenagers like to assign identities to themselves for reaction and shock value. Just make sure that's not something you tell her, because if you dont' know her well enough you don't know what her reasons are. If you tell her "oh, you're just a kid going through a phase" it's disrespectful when you don't know her at all.
    Wisdom23Jeffrey
  • jessie70jessie70
    As a teacher, and in most professional situations I steer clear of discussions about religion (as well as sex & politics, and how much $ you earn...) I just don't think it's appropriate in most cases to discuss these with colleagues, clients, etc.
    And, I think while there must exist people who are true "satanists", there are some that might be just using the term to get a reaction or attention. I would shrug and say OK, and have as little reaction as possible, and get back to the task at hand.
    Wisdom23
  • ArthurbodhiArthurbodhi Mars Veteran
    edited September 2012
    Some years ago a girl that called herself satanist, explain this to me: that she don't believe in Satan or anything about demons or things like that and her satanism is a more symbolic way to show their discomfort with Christian morals, they follow in some ways the philosophy of Nietzche described in the Antichrist.
    Wisdom23
  • Wisdom23Wisdom23 Veteran
    Thank you all, i think it was just the initial shock factor which took me by surprise. She is still a very pleasant student to work with after all.
  • cazcaz Veteran United Kingdom Veteran
    Wisdom23 said:

    In my job i am a Teaching Assistant in a ,helping those who need that little bit of extra help. When being assigned to a new student i like to make light conversation to make them feel at ease with the help. When in conversation i talking amongst two of the students, the topic turned to religion and philosophy. The girl i was supporting made the comment that she was a satanist. i was a little shocked by this, anyway my point is should i do anything to try and change her or simply show the kindness and compassion i would show anyone in my job and leave her be. Or is it the comment was takin way out of context by me?

    If its LeVayan Satanism it isn't to bad, Most people tend to grow out of that phase though so don't compromise your job because of it.
  • musicmusic
    edited September 2012
    Poor Satan ... doesn't have a good publicist, does he?
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    On the contrary, some would say God did a wonderful job of advertising.....
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator
    Wisdom23 said:

    In my job i am a Teaching Assistant in a ,helping those who need that little bit of extra help. When being assigned to a new student i like to make light conversation to make them feel at ease with the help. When in conversation i talking amongst two of the students, the topic turned to religion and philosophy. The girl i was supporting made the comment that she was a satanist. i was a little shocked by this, anyway my point is should i do anything to try and change her or simply show the kindness and compassion i would show anyone in my job and leave her be. Or is it the comment was takin way out of context by me?

    I'd suggest simply showing her the kindness and compassion you'd normally show anyone in you job and leave her be, or ask her about her beliefs if you're curious. I was a Satanist myself for a time. Nothing wrong with it, in my opinion, besides being rather juvenile, philosophically speaking, in regard to the individualism and materialistic self-indulgence underlying its philosophical core.
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    " Satanism is Christianity. Christianity with a big minus sign in front of it "

    Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
  • musicmusic
    Considering the vulgar materialism I see in most people - the blind, mindless worship of wealth and success - I'd say most people in this world are satanists.
  • jessie70jessie70
    edited September 2012
    @music, while I can't say I don't understand how frustrating the materialism in our culture can be, I must say, you sound like one angry Buddhist tonight.
  • musicmusic
    jessie70 said:

    @music, while I can't say I don't understand how frustrating the materialism in our culture can be, I must say, you sound like one angry Buddhist tonight.

    Only tonight? I am doing something right, then.
Sign In or Register to comment.