| kaneada said: The place where you and I differ, is that I do not understand the avoidance of certain emotions...or the concept to simply move on. Anything I've mentioned as being something that should be induldged can be harmful if it becomes compulsive. Anger can be a compulsion, as well as love. But in my view, the only way one can learn to control their emotions is to gain understanding of it and to that one must induldge them. When one speaks of redemption, I believe that creates compulsive guilt...its a nasty habit, one where someone is constantly looking to someone else for forgiveness...but what does that solve? You can be sorry for something, but isn't it better to learn from mistakes and to come out better for yourself? This directly effects those around you, which is why Satanism relies on the mechanism of self mastery. Yes the statement is accurate that we consider ourselves a means within ourselves (or the more poetic interpretation of LeVay we are our own Gods in our own subjective universe) but by being that means not only do we help ourselves, we also help others. A person who understands their anger, understands how to control it... However, we all have our mechanisms with dealing with our lives...you have yours I have mine...my view of that is simple...whatever makes you a better person is the best thing for you :) I only aim to spread my beliefs because of the mis conceptions that often surround it. It's not a bad set of beliefs, it does not aim to hurt anyone and to be honest most of the crazy things you hear about LeVayans doing is purely theatrics and acting...but that's the one thing that separates us from most religions we admit that the theatrics are fun and games... |
If you go with the Reform and post-Reform versions of Christianity, based around total depravity, there is little in the way of self-mastery. Such are based on the Augustinian view of man, and total depravity, so there is no mastery, just repeatedly groveling before God for forgiveness, out of perpetual guilt, and graditude that God keeps putting up with a wretch like yourself. Of course, this doesn't really have to be what Christianity is, but it is one you see very much in the west, and ends up going into a view that the Catholic church doesn't buy into, nor isn't anywhere in the East (East didn't have Augustine inform its theology). It is a view that, when people are acting in horrible manner, it ends up making a lot of sense.
I did want to add a comment/question regarding the self-indulgence side of things. If one wants to do it an Epicurian way, which isn't to totally give into things and lose control, but have optimal experiences, I can't end up speaking much bad against it, except it borders on vanity. I would assume that the talk is of optimaliness in things, not maximal everything. That is a key difference.
There is also an issue of how one masters oneself, but that is a separate issue.
