Seriously Christians - Get a Grip!

This kind of silliness sadly still persists among some Christians, for example:
www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Wicca%20&%20Witchcraft/signs_of_satan.htm

A whole torrent of nonsense about 'satanic hand signals' and there being a great plot of Satan across the world, completely ignoring a huge variety of facts about that kind of hand gesture and its various cultural meanings in different parts of the world. For example:

.....unless it happened to be a combination of the letters I, L, and Y, of course, which it is:

Of course, this kind of idiocy is not something that all Christians are guilty of by any means, nor is it something that all Christians are somehow guilty of, but falling into the trap of believing such abject nonsense is something that all Christians should be aware of and guarding against - it only leads to potential fear, paranoia and hatred of the world around them, and other people in it (and that is  very dangerous path for anyone to be travelling).

The association of that symbol with rock, and particularly heavy metal, music, is something that has been around a long time. If anyone believes that all heavy metal fans are 'Satanists' they are missing the point by a long way! The general meaning of the signal is very much one of 'ROCK', although people are obviously aware of more 'sinister' meanings (although the greatest exponent of it was from an Italian family who used it, as it is used in Italy, to ward of evil - the opposite of what is usually claimed about it). Of course, rock bands (and heavy metal bands in particular) do use 'shock' tactics and imagery, including Satanic imagery, on a regular basis - that's all part of the show, though, and the tongue is firmly in the cheek. There have been some very limited instances of people taking that kind of thing seriously, mostly in Scandinavia (where the nights are dark and boring, and the drink is strong!) and the USA (where people often aren't noted for their ability to detect the more subtle elements of sarcasm, irony, and so on!), but those are very few, and treated absolutely with the derision they deserve by everyone else.

Yes - I have some pictures of 'Satan' or 'Devils' or whatever around the place, on posters, album covers, and so on, along with skulls, zombies, vampires and all manner of other examples of the kind of 'horror' aesthetic often associated with the music I love - most people I know do.

No - I do not worship Satan! I've met very few who do - a number of 'occultists' of various kinds trying to find their own spiritual path in an entirely separate way from what Christians believe (certainly not 'Satanic' in any way - they don't believe in any part of the Christian or other Abrahamic religion at all, so don't recognise the existence of 'Satan'), but very, very few 'Satanists'. Every one I have met has been a complete moron and jerk, purely out to 'shock', offend decent people, and prove how 'cool' they were, which is pretty much my opinion of Anton LaVey, too.

Rock and Metal fans come from all manner of religious and belief backgrounds, just like anyone else. They tend to be people who enjoy something of a 'horror' aesthetic to an extent, of course, which is something that just seems to fit with the kind of 'dark' music they like, but it's nothing to do with actually worshipping Satan at all - that's just nonsense. It's an angle that some bands play on as part of their act, of course, but it should be seen for what it is - a bit of fun - part of an act - part of the show - tongue in cheek - not something that is at all serious (even though it is obviously 'played straight').



If anyone thinks that is really, genuinely about 'glorifying Satan', they are missing the point, and the humour, big time. In their own words:

thequietus.com/articles/12119-ghost-bc-infestissumam-interview-nameless-ghoul

Some people may not find it amusing, of course, or even offensive - that is up to them and their own sensitivities. Personally, I love it, and they are great fun band to see live!