"Religion?....Fuck That!" -Scottie MacKinnon

I keep coming back to this idea of satanism. Not because of Satan, but because of how everyone reacts when they hear that I have been reading into it. Something like 90% of everyone (even atheists and liberal people) are almost personally offended that I am educating myself on the subject......not even buying into it, but just reading about it. I fail to see how people can be so put off personally by my exploration of the subject. Its not as if I'm preaching it or glorifying it. I rarely divulge my studies on the topic and when I do, I mostly point out the holes in their theories. One thing that dawned on me is that Satan only exists as much as we give him existence in our minds. Our belief in him lends him power. I don't believe that he exists any further than as a symbol and scapegoat. I find it funny that the christian people (whom I respect and support as long as they don't push their thoughts on me just as I wont push Satan on them) give more power to Satan by being put off by him than I do by reading about him. I don't believe in Satan as an entity, but Christians that are offended by his presence obviously do believe he exists just as they believe in their god; thus giving him more substance in reality than I do. He is more real and damaging to them than he could ever be to me since I dismiss his existence as fiction. When I explained this perspective to my roommate, Scottie MacKinnon, his reaction was that of "Religion?......Fuck That!" I have to agree to a certain extent. I think spirituality is healthy....almost necessary, but it is such a personal thing. How could it be possible for everyone to relate to a higher power under the same circumstances? Organized religion is as fallible as man and isn't for me. I think that if religion works for some people and it helps them live a fulfilling life more than it controls them, then that is good thing........for them. Like I said, spirituality is so personal. Religion should be offered and not promoted. The Church of Satan doesn't believe in Satan as anything more than a symbol of opposition. In fact they aren't a religious group. They are more like an organization than a church......so their title is quite misleading being that they aren't a church and they don't recognize Satan personified. They promote self-worship as your own god being that we all are the centers and controllers of our own personal universe. There is no set morals, they believe that everyone in the world is so different and has such a unique perspective that it is crazy to think that there could be one set of guidelines that would work for everyone. They support finding the things in your own life you find to be most important; and then basing your own ethics around what you value and what works for you. How practical is that? There is a lot that I don't agree with, but the points that I have outlined are the ones that I can relate with even if I don't agree entirely. Why can't people respect my interests without having to relate with them? I kind of like the world better without answers to these kind of questions. Perhaps if the answers do exist, maybe they are different for everyone.