Royal Navy accepts Satanic captain?!

Daz

Im not religious in any way, so Im not offended by this or anything, but WTF?! I just thought it was about the most bizarre thing Id heard in ages:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3948329.stm

*EDIT* I just remembered that religious topics dont tend to end in happy threads. It wasn't my intention to discuss religion, I just thought it was a really odd move on the part of the RN. So, If you're gonna discuss, play nice

Voodoo

hmm I dunno but it seems like something should be more then 40 years old to be considered a valid religion.

That said to each their own but I think the Navy has the responsibility to ensure that personal beliefs do not come in the way of the execution and cohesivness of a unit. As long as this guy doesn't disrupt the working of the ship I suppose it's fine.

MoP

btw: the guy is not the captain, he's a naval technician. fair play to them, taking equal opportunities to the extreme. i agree though, if it doesn't cause any problems on the ship or whatever, then why shouldn't he be allowed...?

TomDunne

Maybe it's not as tolerant, but I prefer the American Navy's "don't ask, don't conduct blood sacrifices on the deck" policy regarding persons of Satanic inclination...

Steve Schulze

I suspect Satanism has been around for well over 40 years in one form or another...

Mojo2k

i just made up a religion where i worship my electric pencil sharpner, how many followers do i need to get in order to have it accepted as official, here are some beliefs of my religion, as set forth by "whirly the sharpner"

1. Propper grammar is not required on the internet, but you do have to at least be able to understand it!

2. robot buttlers for everyone!

D. car alarms should not go off for no reason in the middle of the night waking me up!


well thats just the groundlines of the religion.. i think it could take off, i want to be able to marry people for no reason! and have a statue built of Whirley and myself!

KDR_11k

I don't think you need to fulfill any requirements to have it accepted. And I don't think acceptance of your religion has much to do with your ability to join the Navy.

Josh_Singh

I remember when I was in the army me and this captain had this same conversation. I guess he can be a satanist as long as he dosent try to spread his religion or make a spectacle of himself. It's his choice, people can tolerate it, but they dont have to accept it.
I bet the dude doesent have many friends. I bet he's way creepy.

frosty

Mojo I love the way the device looks like a half helm for a spacemarine and the pencils are actually nuclear loaded bullets! I just relized Mojo what is missing in my life and I want to be connected electically to your pencil sharpener or at least impaled by freshly sharpened pencils, oh gheez PLEASE, Mojo!

jzero

Satanism is just a contrarian offshoot of Christianity, so no waiting period should be necessary for that religion.

Hrm!

/jzero

Rick Stirling

If I was into religion, Satanism would probably be the one for me. Perhaps Buddism, although thts not really a religion. I'm a slightly Buddist atheist. With Satanic leanings.

frosty

Rick would that be then: Satdism or Buddanism or Sattheistism or Budtheistanic?

Daz

Doh, dunno where I read that he was a captain. Oh well, doesnt seem quite as extreme now.

Wells

i really don't see what the big deal is, and don't think this is news worthy. satanism isn't any more fucked up than the other accepted religions.

mojo: i want a robot buttler. where do i sign up?

Daz

apologies for posting a story that isnt news worthy. Just dont read it. If you knew anything about the Royal Navy ( which I dont expect you to ) its a pretty bizarre story considering their stuffiness and insistance on clinging to tradition ( which often involves christianity )

ndcv

DaZ - I think the first line in the article is easy to misread, I know I did. It says "has been allowed to register by the captain of HMS Cumberland" and I read it at first as "register as captain". But then I've been pretty sleep deprived lately, I've been spending some VERY late nights worshipping my pencil sharpener lately

TomDunne

[ QUOTE ]
If I was into religion, Satanism would probably be the one for me. Perhaps Buddism, although thts not really a religion. I'm a slightly Buddist atheist. With Satanic leanings.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know that you could pick any two religious systems that are any further apart - Satanism is entirely self-centered and Buddhism is about the denial of want. Perhaps this was a joke and I'm being to literal to appreciate it?

JKMakowka

I guess someone who doesn't give a shit about material things, and also doesn't give a shit about the people around him, would fit that description. And that isn't too uncommon really , I sometimes feel the same; but slightly buddhist atheist sounds about right for me, too
So Satanism and Buddhism only contradict themselves at first sight...

cochtl

Whirly is god INCARNATE

May all tremble before the vile pencil devourer god of destruction!!!

jack_blackSISCO

hope the guy burns....

frosty

Actually Verm I think it is just, I don't have to go to mass sort of thing. Try and find a local Satanic church and then you have to go a few thousand miles to find a Buddist temple.

Rick Stirling

You hope the guy burns? What reasoned thinking leads to that conclusion?

Rick Stirling

After some googling, I can't really see that Satanism and Buddism are incomptible. They share many of the same beleifs.

MoP

[ QUOTE ]
I've been spending some VERY late nights worshipping my pencil sharpener lately

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, is that what you kids are calling it these days...

Rick: After some Googling, I'd hope you realised it was spelt "Buddhism"...

Rick Stirling

It's spelt both buddism AND buddhism, much like Korma and Kurma and Kurmah. But with less sauce.

bearkub

I, for one, welcome our new stanic buddhist captain overlords.

jzero

Rick: the only difference between the two is: with Buddhism, you achieve happiness by being at peace with your existence; with Satanism, you achieve happiness by doing whatever you want, being at peace with who you are, and screw all those stupid people who cramp your style. (big difference, in my mind) That was my overall impression. Am I wrong?

jack_blackSISCO: Watch it dude, you're imposing your beliefs on someone outside your philosophy, and you're in the HOV lane to Flameville, besides.

/jzero

frosty

/jzero Jack is not pushing his beliefs on anyone here anymore than any of the rest of us are. Sheesh.

And well I don't think someone should do whatever they want if that is Satanism, cos you have certain social and moral mores that govern and keep us from chaos. Like you should not just go murder an innocent person cos you want to and screw everyone else. I recall some hotshot in the Satanic church and she made the total bs statement that her spirit actually brought her parents together to create her and exalt her as a god. I also knew some Satanists that were in a cult and they did mushrooms and had orgies in this old school house. Then tried to claim tax exempt status as a church. I'd prefer to have a Buddhist neighbor than a Satanist. But I like the concept that screw what everyone else thinks, that is a good thing.

TomDunne

I'd get into it in-depth, but I'm about to take a nap. In short, the core tenet of the first half of the four noble truths (Siddhartha's understanding of the human condition) is that life is suffering and the cause of suffering is desire. The first point of the nine Satanic statements (from LaVey's bible) is that Satan, the spiritual ideal, is the representation of indulgence. Basically, the second fundamental point of Buddhism says that what's wrong with the world is the first point of Satanism. Google "second noble truth" and "nine satanic statements" for reference. LaVey actually tried to rationalize this out to find a similarity with Buddhism, arguing that indulgence isn't compulsion, but it's basically bullshit, as any Buddhist worth the name would tell you that all attachment and desire is wrong, moderation or not.

Rick Stirling

Frosty - satanists dont kill people. Satanists belive in the sanctity of life. And I know people who have orgies. I know people who take mushrooms. They aren't satanists.

But you make it sound like taking mushrooms and having an orgy is a bad thing?

Dukester

I prefer my mushrooms sauteed or deep fried and I like my orgies to be held at the Playboy mansion

jzero

And there are lots of people who call themselves Satanists just because they wanna shock you. And they don't follow LaVey's philosophy.

frosty: I'm not presuming to know what happens to people after they die. i.e. the burning thing. In fact, that's the first thing I've said regarding my own beliefs.

Vermilion: thanks for that succinct statement, re: contradictions.

/jzero

frosty

Oh Rick you know me better than that to poopoo orgies and shrooms. Any problem with shrooms is make sure they are not sprayed with something, i.e. lsd and are actually the natural kind. Well and the orgy part, well I will leave it alone or to you. J I was just saying those were the only alleged Satanists I ever knew or claimed to be.

As far as Satanists go, not that they are human killers, (but they could be, that cult I spoke of killed goats) but that do as you please and damn the consequences really goes against the grain of any society that tries to function at any level. Murder was just and example of a far ended “do as you please action.” Like, I’d like to rip the throat out of people sometimes, but I don’t cos I know it is the wrong way to deal with stress and I don’t want to live the rest of my life in prison somewhere eating bad food and breathing 2nd hand smoke, but hey wait, I do that now.

jzero not a personal rant on you, but it is so funny how Budhism, Satanism, Hinduism, Islam, Sadism, No-ism if freely appreciated here and any hint of the awful other standard traditional religion is jumped upon like a wet shammy on a washed up SUV.

ElysiumGX

I've read the Satanic Bible. I know LaVey's philosophy. In many ways I agree with him. But I don't see Satanism as a religion. So many people follow the belief naturally without realizing it. They're called Bad Christians, and they're everywhere. This is a modern world guided by greed and selfishness. Even within the respected churches, and politics. Is it possible for anyone else on this forum who has read Lavey's book, to give evidence that the current President follows some Satanic beliefs? I think so. In reality, you have less to fear from a Satanist than a southern american bible thumper. Besides, most people who claim to be Satanic, and most people who claim to be good Christians, are telling you a lie. In the end they're both failures.

Religion and Politics. I'm gonna burn for this. Muwahahaha!

Wells

[ QUOTE ]
apologies for posting a story that isnt news worthy. Just dont read it. If you knew anything about the Royal Navy ( which I dont expect you to ) its a pretty bizarre story considering their stuffiness and insistance on clinging to tradition ( which often involves christianity )

[/ QUOTE ]

no no, i didn't mean it like that, i'm glad you pointed it out as i enjoy such oddities. And while i do infact know next to nothing about the Royal Navy, i can assume they're as assinine about that sort of thing as the military branches i'm more familiar with. So yeah, write a story about it for being the first of its kind, but not because his religion is an affrontary to decent moral people.

in a nutshell:
newsworthy? yes.
hub-bubworthy? no.

but then i could rub two shits together and get the worth i attribute to religion.

TomDunne

[ QUOTE ]
jzero not a personal rant on you, but it is so funny how Budhism, Satanism, Hinduism, Islam, Sadism, No-ism if freely appreciated here and any hint of the awful other standard traditional religion is jumped upon like a wet shammy on a washed up SUV.

[/ QUOTE ]

Obvious that wasn't directed at me, but I'll reply anyway I was born and raised a Catholic and, while I'm personally spiritual rather than religious, I think Catholicism is probably pound-for-pound the 'best' of the current major religions as a starting point for faith. I don't agree with everything, certainly, but the faith has a very firmly established ethical basis and support system (something less formalized religions like Buddhism can lack) without a sense of cultural/spiritual eliteness (Judaism springs to mind) or a self-righteous attitude (Protestantism in general, and fundamentalist variants in particular, as well as our good friends, the Islamic jihadists). I know that my perception is no doubt colored by my own experiences, but my Catholic education actually encouraged me to investigate other faiths, to explore and question my own beliefs. While not exactly open to negotiation on moral issues, Catholicism is still surprisingly open-minded as the world's major modern religions go, and I think the world could use a little more tolerance.

TomDunne

[ QUOTE ]
but then i could rub two shits together and get the worth i attribute to religion.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ewww, your hands are gonna be all stinky!

Mojo2k

Whirly is the same type sharpener i have on my desk at work!!

the only way way i would see the satanic thing as being a problem, is some of the beliefs he mentioned go against a lot of the basic principles you would want in a soldier, seems to focus more on being self serving, and don't sound like much of a team player. when stranded on a desert island, he's be the first one seeing you as food,