Bible verse by verse

[_Quasimodo]

The Jews and the Nation of Israel is among the most incredible proof that the Bible is entirely true and that would mean that the Messiah has come.

Came then or has come back recently? If Jesus has returned he needs to hire a PR firm to get the word out.

If you are talking about then, there were so many Messiahs at that time that it makes it a little confusing. I don't think the Hebrew word Messiah has the same meaning as the Greek word Christ.

Maybe you could clear that up.

[_LeVay]

HAIL SATAN!

INDULGENCE . . . NOT COMPULSION

THE HIGHEST PLATEAU OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
IS THE AWARENESS OF THE FLESH!

ATANISM encourages its followers to indulge in their natural desires. Only by doing so can you be a completely satisfied person with no frustrations which can S be harmful to yourself and others around you. Therefore, the most simplified description of the Satanic belief is:

INDULGENCE INSTEAD OF ABSTINENCE

People often mistake compulsion for indulgence, but there is a world of difference between the two. A compulsion is never created by indulging, but by not being able to indulge. By making something taboo, it only serves to intensify the desire. Everyone likes to do the things they have been told not to. “Forbidden fruits are sweetest.”

Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary defines indulgence thusly: “To give oneself up to; not to restrain or oppose; to give free course to; to gratify by compliance; to yield to.” The dictionary definition of compulsion is: “The act of compelling or driving by a force, physical or moral; constraint of the will; (compulsory, obligatory).” In other words, indulgence implies choice, whereas compulsion indicates the lack of choice.

When a person has no proper release for his desires they rapidly build up and become compulsions. If everyone had a particular time and place for the purpose of periodically indulging in their personal desires, without fear of embarrassment or reproach, they would be sufficiently released to lead unfrustrated lives in the everyday world. They would be free to plunge headlong into whatever undertaking they might choose instead of going about their duties half‐heartedly, their creative urges frustrated by denying their natural desires. This would apply in the majority of cases, but there will always be those who work better under pressure.

Generally, those who need to endure a certain amount of hardship to produce to their full capabilities are in basically artistic vocations. (More will be said later about fulfillment through self‐denial.) This does not mean to imply that all artists fit into this category. On the contrary, many artists are unable to produce unless their basic animal needs have been satisfied.

For the most part, it is not the artist or individualist, but the average middle‐class working man or woman who is lacking the proper release for their desires. It is ironic that the responsible, respectable person—the one who pays society’s bills—should be the one given the least in return. It is he who must be ever conscious of his “moral obligations,” and who is condemned for normally indulging in his natural desires.

The Satanic religion considers this a gross injustice. He who upholds his responsibilities should be most entitled to the pleasures of his choice, without censure from the society he serves.

Finally a religion (Satanism) has been formed which commends and rewards those who support the society in which they live, instead of denouncing them for their human needs.

From every set of principles (be it religious, political, or philosophical), some good can be extracted. Amidst the madness of the Hitlerian concept, one point stands out as a shining example of this—“strength through joy!.” Hitler was no fool when he offered the German people happiness, on a personal level, to insure their loyalty to him, and peak efficiency from them.

It has been clearly established that the majority of all illnesses are of a psychosomatic nature, and that psychosomatic illnesses are a direct result of frustration. It has been said that “the good die young.” The good, by Christian standards, do die young. It is the frustration of our natural instincts which leads to the deterioration of our minds and bodies.

It has become very fashionable to concentrate on the betterment of the mind and spirit, and to consider giving pleasure to one’s body (the very shell without which the mind and spirit could not exist) to be coarse, crude, unrefined. AS OF LATE, MOST PEOPLE WHO DEEM THEMSELVES EMANCIPATED HAVE LEFT NORMALCY ONLY TO “TRANSCEND” INTO IDIOCY! By way of bending their behinds around to meet their navels, subsisting on wild and exotic diets like brown rice and tea, they feel they will arrive at a great state of spiritual development.

“Hogwash!” says the Satanist. He would rather eat a good hearty meal, exercise his imagination, and transcend by means of physical and emotional fulfillment. It seems, to the Satanist, that after being harnessed with unreasonable religious demands for so many centuries, one would welcome the chance to be human for once!

If anyone thinks that by denying his natural desires he can avoid mediocrity, he should examine the Eastern mystical beliefs which have been in great intellectual favor in recent years. Christianity is “old‐hat,” so those who wish to escape its fetters have turned to so-called enlightened religions, such as Buddhism. Although Christianity is certainly deserving of the criticism it has received, perhaps it has been taking more than its share of the blame. The followers of the mystical beliefs are every bit as guilty of the little humanisms as the “misguided” Christians. Both religions are based on trite philosophies, but the mystical religionists profess to be enlightened and emancipated from the guilt-ridden dogma which is typified by Christianity. However, the Eastern mystic is even more preoccupied than the Christian with avoiding animalistic actions that remind him he is not a “saint,” but merely a man—only another form of animal, sometimes better, more often worse, than those who walk on all fours; and who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all!

The Satanist asks, “What is wrong with being human, and having human limitations as well as assets?” By denying his desires the mystic has come no closer to overcoming compulsion than his kindred soul, the Christian. The Eastern mystical beliefs have taught people to contemplate their navels, stand on their heads, stare at blank walls, avoid the use of labels in life, and discipline themselves against any desire for materialistic pleasure.

Nevertheless, I am sure you have seen just as many so‐called disciplined yogis with the inability to control a smoking habit as anyone else; or just as many supposedly emancipated Buddhists become just as excited as a “less aware” person when they are confronted with a member of the opposite or in some cases, the same—sex. Yet when asked to explain the reason for their hypocrisy, these people retreat into the ambiguousness which characterizes their faith—no one can pin them down if there are no straight answers that can be given!

The simple fact of the matter is that the very thing which has led this type of person to a faith which preaches abstinence, is indulgence. Their compulsive masochism is the reason for choosing a religion which not only advocates self‐denial, but praises them for it; and gives them a sacrosanct avenue of expression for their masochistic needs. The more abuse they can stand, the holier they become.

Masochism, to most people, represents a rejection of indulgence. Satanism points out many meanings behind the meanings, and considers masochism to be an indulgence if any attempt to sway or change the person from his masochistic traits is met with resentment and/or failure. The Satanist does not condemn these people for giving vent to their masochistic desires, but he does feel the utmost contempt towards those who cannot be honest enough (at least with themselves) to face and accept their masochism as a natural part of their personality make‐up.

Having to use religion as an excuse for their masochism is bad enough, but these people actually have the effrontery to feel superior to those who are not bound‐up in self‐deceitful expression of their fetishes! These people would be the first to condemn a man who found his weekly release with a person who would beat him soundly, thereby releasing himself from the very thing which could, if unreleased, make him—as they are—a compulsive church‐goer or religious fanatic. By finding adequate release for his masochistic desires, he no longer needs to debase and deny himself in his every waking moment, as do these compulsive masochists.

Satanists are encouraged to indulge in the seven deadly sins, as they need hurt no one; they were only invented by the Christian Church to insure guilt on the part of its followers.

The Christian Church knows that it is impossible for anyone to avoid committing these sins, as they are all things which we, being human, most naturally do. After inevitably committing these sins financial offerings to the church in order to “pay off” God are employed as a sop to the parishioner’s conscience!

Satan has never needed a book of rules, because vital natural forces have kept man “sinful” and intent on preserving himself and his feelings. Nevertheless, demoralizing attempts have been made on his body and being for his “soul’s” sake, which only illustrate how misconceived and misused the labels of “indulgence” versus “compulsion” have become.

Sexual activity certainly is condoned and encouraged by Satanism, but obviously the fact that it is the only religion which honestly takes this stand, is the reason it has been traditionally given so much literary space.

Naturally, if most people belong to the religions which repress them sexually, anything written on this provocative subject is going to make for titillating reading.

If all attempts to sell something (be it a product or an idea) have failed—sex will always sell it. The reason for this is that even though people now consciously accept sex as a normal and necessary function, their subconscious is still bound by the taboo which religion has placed upon it. So, again, what is denied is more intensely desired. It is this bugaboo regarding sex which causes the literature devoted to the Satanic views on the subject to overshadow all else written about Satanism.

The true Satanist is not mastered by sex any more than he is mastered by any of his other desires. As with all other pleasurable things, the Satanist is master of, rather than mastered by sex. He is not the perverted fiend who is just waiting for the opportunity to deflower every young virgin, nor is he the skulking degenerate who furtively hangs around in the “dirty” bookstores, slavering over the “nasty” pictures. If pornography fills his needs for the moment, he unashamedly buys some “choice items” and guiltlessly peruses them at his leisure.

“We have to accept the fact that man has become disgruntled at being constantly repressed, but we must do everything we can to at least temper the sinful desires of man, lest they run rampant in this new age,” say the religionists of the right‐hand path to the questioning Satanist. “Why continue to think of these desires as shameful and something to be repressed, if you now admit they are natural?” returns the Satanist. Could it be that the white‐light religionists are a bit “sour‐grapes” about the fact that they didn’t think of a religion, before the Satanists, which would be enjoyable to follow; and if the truth were known, would they too not like to have a bit more pleasure out of life, but for fear of losing face, cannot admit it? Could it also be that they are afraid people will, after hearing about Satanism, tell themselves “This is for me—why should I continue with a religion which condemns me for everything I do, even though there is nothing actually wrong with it?” The Satanist thinks this is more than likely true.

There is certainly much evidence that past religions are, every day, lifting more and more of their ridiculous restrictions. Even so, when an entire religion is based on abstinence instead of indulgence (as it should be) there is little left when it has been revised to meet the current needs of man. So, why waste time “buying oats for a dead horse”?

The watchword of Satanism is INDULGENCE instead of “abstinence” . . . BUT—it is not “compulsion.”

ON THE CHOICE
OF
A HUMAN SACRIFICE

tHE supposed purpose in performing the ritual of sacrifice is to throw the energy provided by the blood of the freshly slaughtered victim into the atmosphere of the magical working, thereby intensifying the magician’s chances of success.

The “white” magician assumes that since blood represents the life force, there is no better way to appease the gods or demons than to present them with suitable quantities of it. Combine this rationale with the fact that a dying creature is expending an overabundance of adrenal and other biochemical energies, and you have what appears to be an unbeatable combination.

The “white” magician, wary of the consequences involved in the killing of a human being, naturally utilizes birds, or other “lower” creatures in his ceremonies. It seems these sanctimonious wretches feel no guilt in the taking of a non‐human life, as opposed to a human’s.

The fact of the matter is that if the “magician” is worthy of his name, he will be uninhibited enough to release the necessary force from his own body, instead of from an unwilling and undeserving victim!

Contrary to all established magical theory, the release of this force is NOT effected in the actual spilling of blood, but in the death throes of the living creature! This discharge of bioelectrical energy is the very same phenomenon which occurs during any profound heightening of the emotions, such as: sexual orgasm, blind anger, mortal terror, consuming grief, etc. Of these emotions, the easiest entered into of one’s own violation are sexual orgasm and anger, with grief running a close third. Remembering that the two most readily available of these three (sexual orgasm and anger) have been burned into man’s unconscious as “sinful” by religionists, it is small wonder they are shunned by the “white” magician, who plods along carrying the greatest of all millstones of guilt!

The inhibitive and asinine absurdity in the need to kill an innocent living creature at the high‐point of a ritual, as practiced by erstwhile “wizards,” is obviously their “lesser of the evils” when a discharge of energy is called for. These poor conscience‐stricken fools, who have been calling themselves witches and warlocks, would sooner chop the head off a goat or chicken in an attempt to harness its death agony, than have the “blasphemous” bravery to masturbate in full view of the Jehovah whom they claim to deny! The only way these mystical cowards can ritualistically release themselves is through the agony of another’s death (actually their own, by proxy) rather than the indulgent force which produces life!

The treaders of the path of white light are truly the cold and the dead! No wonder these tittering pustules of “mystical wisdom” must stand within protective circles to bind the “evil” forces in order to keep themselves “safe” from attack—ONE GOOD ORGASM WOULD PROBABLY KILL THEM!

The use of a human sacrifice in a Satanic ritual does not imply that the sacrifice is slaughtered “to appease the gods.” Symbolically, the victim is destroyed through the working of a hex or curse, which in turn leads to the physical, mental or emotional destruction of the “sacrifice” in ways and means not attributable to the magician.

The only time a Satanist would perform a human sacrifice would be if it were to serve a twofold purpose; that being to release the magician’s wrath in the throwing of a curse, and more important, to dispose of a totally obnoxious and deserving individual. Under NO circumstances would a Satanist sacrifice any animal or baby! For centuries, propagandists of the right‐hand path have been prattling over the supposed sacrifices of small children and voluptuous maidens at the hands of diabolists. It would be thought that anyone reading or hearing of these heinous accounts would immediately question their authenticity, taking into consideration the biased sources of the stories. On the contrary, as with all “holy” lies which are accepted without reservation, this assumed modus operandi of the Satanists persists to this day!

There are sound and logical reasons why the Satanists could not perform such sacrifices.

Man, the animal, is the godhead to the Satanist. The purest form of carnal existence reposes in the bodies of animals and human children who have not grown old enough to deny themselves their natural desires. They can perceive things that the average adult human can never hope to. Therefore, the Satanist holds these beings in a sacred regard, knowing he can learn much from these natural magicians of the world.

The Satanist is aware of the universal custom of the treader of the path of Agarthi; the killing of the god. Inasmuch as gods are always created in man’s own image—and the average man hates what he sees in himself—the inevitable must occur: the sacrifice of the god who represents himself. The Satanist does not hate himself, nor the gods he might choose, and has no desire to destroy himself or anything for which he stands! It is for this reason he could never willfully harm an animal or child.

The question arises, “Who, then, would be considered a fit and proper human sacrifice, and how is one qualified to pass judgment on such a person?” The answer is brutally simple.

Anyone who has unjustly wronged you—one who has “gone out of his way” to hurt you—to deliberately cause trouble and hardship for you or those dear to you. In short, a person asking to be cursed by their very actions.

When a person, by his reprehensible behavior, practically cries out to be destroyed, it is truly your moral obligation to indulge them their wish. The person who takes every opportunity to “pick on” others is often mistakenly called “sadistic.” In reality, this person is a misdirected masochist who is working towards his own destruction. The reason a person viciously strikes out against you is because they are afraid of you or what you represent, or are resentful of your happiness. They are weak, insecure, and on extremely shaky ground when you throw your curse, and they make ideal human sacrifices.

It is sometimes easy to overlook the actual wrongdoing of the victim of your curse, when one considers how “unhappy” a person he really is. It is not so easy, though, to retrace the damaging footsteps of your antagonist and make right those practical situations he or she has made wrong.

The “ideal sacrifice” may be emotionally insecure, but nonetheless can, in the machinations of his insecurity, cause severe damage to your tranquility or sound reputation. “Mental illness,” “nervous breakdown,” “maladjustment,” “anxiety neuroses,” “broken homes,” “sibling rivalry,” etc., etc., ad infinitum have too long been convenient excuses for vicious and irresponsible actions. Anyone who says “we must try to understand” those who make life miserable for those undeserving of misery is aiding and abetting a social cancer! The apologists for these rabid humans deserve any clobberings they get at the hands of their charges!

Mad dogs are destroyed, and they need help far more than the human who conveniently made froths at the mouth when irrational behavior is in order! It is easy to say, “So what!—these people are insecure, so they can’t hurt me.” But the fact remains—
given the opportunity they would destroy you!

Therefore, you have every right to (symbolically) destroy them, and if your curse provokes their actual annihilation, rejoice that you have been instrumental in ridding the world of a pest! If your success or happiness disturbs a person—you owe him nothing! He is made to be trampled under foot! IF PEOPLE HAD TO TAKE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR OWN ACTIONS, THEY WOULD THINK TWICE!

HAIL SATAN!

[_LittleNipper]

The Jews and the Nation of Israel is among the most incredible proof that the Bible is entirely true and that would mean that the Messiah has come.

Came then or has come back recently? If Jesus has returned he needs to hire a PR firm to get the word out.

If you are talking about then, there were so many Messiahs at that time that it makes it a little confusing. I don't think the Hebrew word Messiah has the same meaning as the Greek word Christ.

Maybe you could clear that up.

In the Hebrew Bible, a messiah (or mashiach) is a king or High Priest.

[_LittleNipper]

Judges 16:1-31 Samson went to Gaza and visited a whore. The news was out: “Samson’s here.” They gathered around hiding, waiting through night for him at the city gate, quiet as mice, thinking, “that they would kill him in the morning. Samson was in bed with the woman until midnight. He got up, seized the doors of the city gate and the two gateposts, bolts and all, hefted them on his shoulder, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.

Some time later he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek (Grapes). Her name was Delilah. The Philistine tyrants approached her told her to seduce him. Discover what’s behind his great strength and how we can tie him up and humble him. Each man’s company will give you a hundred shekels of silver.

Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me, darling, the secret of your great strength, and how you can be tied up and humbled.” Samson told her, “If they were to tie me up with seven bowstrings—the kind made from fresh animal tendons, not dried out—then I would become weak, just like an average man.” The Philistine rulers brought her seven bowstrings, not dried out, and she tied him up with them. The men were waiting in ambush in her room. Then she said, “The Philistines are here, Samson!” He snapped the cords as though they were mere threads. The secret of his strength was still a secret.

Delilah said, “Come now, Samson—you’re playing with me, making up stories. Be serious; tell me how you can be tied up.” He told her, “If you were to tie me up tight with new ropes, ropes never used for work, then I would be helpless, just like an average man.” So Delilah got some new ropes and tied him up. She said, “The Philistines are here, Samson!” The men were hidden in the next room. He snapped the ropes from his arms like threads. Delilah said to Samson, “You’re still playing games with me, teasing me with lies. Tell me how you can be tied up.”

He said to her, “If you wove the seven braids of my hair into the fabric on the loom and drew it tight, then I would be as helpless as an average human.” When she had him fast asleep, Delilah took the seven braids of his hair and wove them into the fabric on the loom and drew it tight. Then she said, “The Philistines here, Samson!” He woke from his sleep and ripped loose from both the loom and fabric!

She said, “How can you say ‘I love you’ when you don't trust me? Three times now you’ve played with me, like a cat with a mouse, refusing to tell me the secret of your great strength.” She kept nagging and tormenting him. Finally, he was sick of it. He told her, “A razor has never touched my head. I’ve been God’s Nazirite from conception. If I were shaved, my strength would leave me; I would be as helpless as a normal human.” Delilah realized that he had told her his secret, she sent for the Philistine rulers, telling them to hurry. They came, bringing the bribe money.

When she got him to sleep, his head on her lap, she motioned to a man to cut off the seven braids of his hair. Immediately he began to grow weak. His strength drained from him. Then she said, “The Philistines are here, Samson!” He woke up, thinking, “I’ll go out, like always, and shake free.” He didn’t realize that God had abandoned him. The Philistines grabbed him, gouged out his eyes, and took him down to Gaza. They shackled him in irons and put him to the work of grinding in the prison. But his hair, though cut off, began to grow again.

The Philistine rulers got together to offer a great sacrifice to their Satanic god Dagon. They celebrated, saying,
Our god has given us
Samson our enemy!
And when the people saw him, they joined in, cheering their god,
Our god has given
Our enemy to us,
The one who ravaged our country,
Piling high the corpses among us.

Everyone was intoxicated and someone suggested getting Samson. They got Samson from the prison and he put on a show for them. They had him standing between the pillars. Samson said to the young man who was acting as his guide, “Put me where I can touch the pillars that hold up the temple so I can rest against them.” The building was packed with men and women, including all the Philistine tyrants. And there were at least 3000 in the stands watching Samson’s performance.

Samson cried out to God:
Master, God!
Oh, please, look on me again,
Oh, please, give strength yet once more.
God!
With one avenging blow let me be avenged
On the Philistines for my two eyes!

Then Samson reached out to the two central pillars that held up the building and pushed against them, one with his right arm, the other with his left. Saying, “Let me die with the Philistines,” Samson pushed hard with all his might. The building crashed on the rulers and all the people in it. He killed more people in his death than he had killed in his entire life.

All his relatives went down to get his body. They carried him back and buried him in the tomb of Manoah his father, between Zorah and Eshtaol. 20 years Samson Judged Israel..


Young's Literal Translation (YLT)


1 And Samson goeth to Gaza, and seeth there a woman, a harlot, and goeth in unto her;

2 [it is told] to the Gazathites, saying, `Samson hath come in hither;' and they go round and lay wait for him all the night at the gate of the city, and keep themselves silent all the night, saying, `Till the light of the morning -- then we have slain him.'

3 And Samson lieth down till the middle of the night, and riseth in the middle of the night, and layeth hold on the doors of the gate of the city, and on the two side posts, and removeth them with the bar, and putteth on his shoulders, and taketh them up unto the top of the hill, which [is] on the front of Hebron.

4 And it cometh to pass afterwards that he loveth a woman in the valley of Sorek, and her name [is] Delilah,

5 and the princes of the Philistines come up unto her, and say to her, `Entice him, and see wherein his great power [is], and wherein we are able for him -- and we have bound him to afflict him, and we -- we give to thee, each one, eleven hundred silverlings.'

6 And Delilah saith unto Samson, `Declare, I pray thee, to me, wherein thy great power [is], and wherewith thou art bound, to afflict thee.'

7 And Samson saith unto her, `If they bind me with seven green withs which have not been dried, then I have been weak, and have been as one of the human race.'

8 And the princes of the Philistines bring up to her seven green withs which have not been dried, and she bindeth him with them.

9 And the ambush is abiding with her in an inner chamber, and she saith unto him, `Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson;' and he breaketh the withs as a thread of tow is broken in its smelling fire, and his power hath not been known.

10 And Delilah saith unto Samson, `Lo, thou hast played upon me, and speakest unto me lies; now, declare, I pray thee, to me, wherewith thou art bound.'

11 And he saith unto her, `If they certainly bind me with thick bands, new ones, by which work hath not been done, then I have been weak, and have been as one of the human race.'

12 And Delilah taketh thick bands, new ones, and bindeth him with them, and saith unto him, `Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson;' and the ambush is abiding in an inner chamber, and he breaketh them from off his arms as a thread.

13 And Delilah saith unto Samson, `Hitherto thou hast played upon me, and dost speak unto me lies; declare to me wherewith thou art bound.' And he saith unto her, `If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.'

14 And she fixeth [it] with the pin, and saith unto him, `Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson;' and he awaketh out of his sleep, and journeyeth with the pin of the weaving machine, and with the web.

15 And she saith unto him, `How dost thou say, I have loved thee, and thy heart is not with me? these three times thou hast played upon me, and hast not declared to me wherein thy great power [is].'

16 And it cometh to pass, because she distressed him with her words all the days, and doth urge him, and his soul is grieved to death,

17 that he declareth to her all his heart, and saith to her, `A razor hath not gone up on my head, for a Nazarite to God I [am] from the womb of my mother; if I have been shaven, then hath my power turned aside from me, and I have been weak, and have been as any of the human race.'

18 And Delilah seeth that he hath declared to her all his heart, and she sendeth and calleth for the princes of the Philistines, saying, `Come up this time, for he hath declared to me all his heart;' and the princes of the Philistines have come up unto her, and bring up the money in their hand.

19 and she maketh him sleep on her knees, and calleth for a man, and shaveth the seven locks of his head, and beginneth to afflict him, and his power turneth aside from off him;

20 and she saith, `Philistines [are] upon thee, Samson;' and he awaketh out of his sleep, and saith, `I go out as time by time, and shake myself;' and he hath not known that Jehovah hath turned aside from off him.

21 And the Philistines seize him, and pick out his eyes, and bring him down to Gaza, and bind him with two brazen fetters; and he is grinding in the prison-house.

22 And the hair of his head beginneth to shoot up, when he hath been shaven,

23 and the princes of the Philistines have been gathered together to sacrifice a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; and they say, `Our god hath given into our hand Samson our enemy.'

24 And the people see him, and praise their god, for they said, `Our god hath given in our hand our enemy, and he who is laying waste our land, and who multiplied our wounded.'

25 And it cometh to pass, when their heart [is] glad, that they say, `Call for Samson, and he doth play before us;' and they call for Samson out of the prison-house, and he playeth before them, and they cause him to stand between the pillars.

26 And Samson saith unto the young man who is keeping hold on his hand, `Let me alone, and let me feel the pillars on which the house is established, and I lean upon them.'

27 And the house hath been full of men and of women, and thither [are] all the princes of the Philistines, and on the roof [are] about three thousand men and women, who are looking on the playing of Samson.

28 And Samson calleth unto Jehovah, and saith, `Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this time, O God; and I am avenged -- vengeance at once -- because of my two eyes, on the Philistines.'

29 And Samson turneth aside [to] the two middle pillars, on which the house is established, and on which it is supported, [to] the one with his right hand, and one with his left;

30 and Samson saith, `Let me die with the Philistines,' and he inclineth himself powerfully, and the house falleth on the princes, and on all the people who [are] in it, and the dead whom he hath put to death in his death are more than those whom he put to death in his life.

31 And his brethren come down, and all the house of his father, and lift him up, and bring him up, and bury him between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the burying-place of Manoah his father; and he hath judged Israel twenty years.

[_ludwigm]

In the Hebrew Bible, a messiah (or mashiach) is a king or High Priest.

A messiah (or mashiach) is an ANOINTED ONE.

"Christ" in Greek.

[_LeVay]

HAIL SATAN!

LIFE AFTER DEATH
THROUGH FULFILLMENT
OF THE EGO

AN is aware that he will die, someday. Other animals, when nearing death, know they are about to die; but it is not until death is certain that the animal M senses his coming departure from this world. And even then he does not know exactly what is entailed in dying. It is often pointed out that animals accept death gracefully, without fear or resistance. This is a beautiful concept, but one that only holds true in cases where death for the animal is unavoidable.

When an animal is sick or injured he will fight for his life with every ounce of strength he has left. It is this unshakable will to live that, if man were not so “highly evolved,” would also give him the fighting spirit he needs to stay alive.
It is a well known fact that many people die simply because they give up and just don’t care anymore. This is understandable if the person is very ill, with no apparent chance for recovery. But this often is not the case. Man has become lazy. He has learned to take the easy way out. Even suicide has become less repugnant to many people than any number of other sins. Religion is totally to blame for this.

Death, in most religions, is touted as a great spiritual awakening—one which is prepared for throughout life. This concept is very appealing to one who has not had a satisfactory life; but to those who have experienced all the joys life has to offer, there is a great dread attached to dying. This is as it should be. It is this lust for life which will allow the vital person to live on after the inevitable death of his fleshly shell.

History shows that men who have given their own lives in pursuit of an ideal have been deified for their martyrdom. Religionists and political leaders have been very crafty in laying their plans. By holding the martyr up as a shining example to his fellow men, they eliminate the common sense reaction that willful self‐destruction goes against all animal logic. To the Satanist, martyrdom and non‐personalized heroism is to be associated not with integrity, but with stupidity. This, of course, does not apply to the situations which involve the safety of a loved one. But to give one’s own life for something as impersonal as a political or religious issue is the ultimate in masochism.

Life is the one great indulgence; death the one great abstinence. To a person who is satisfied with his earthly existence, life is like a party; and no one likes to leave a good party. By the same token, if a person is enjoying himself here on earth he will not so readily give up this life for the promise of an afterlife about which he knows nothing.
The Eastern mystical beliefs teach humans to discipline themselves against any conscious will for success so they might dissolve themselves into “Universal Cosmic Awareness”—anything to avoid good healthy self‐satisfaction or honest pride in earthly accomplishments!

It is interesting to note that the areas in which this type of belief flourishes are those where material gains are not easily obtainable. For this reason the predominant religious belief must be one which commends its followers for their rejection of material things and their avoidance of the use of labels which attaches a certain amount of importance to material gains. In this way the people can be pacified into accepting their lot, no matter how small it may be.

Satanism uses many labels. If it were not for names, very few of us would understand anything in life, much less attach any significance to it;—and significance compels recognition, which is something everyone wants, especially the Eastern mystic who tries to prove to everyone he can meditate longer or stand more deprivation and pain than the next fellow.

The Eastern philosophies preach the dissolution of man’s ego before he can produce sins.

It is unfathomable to the Satanist to conceive of an ego which would willfully choose denial of itself.

In countries where this is used as a sop for the willingly impoverished, it is understandable that a philosophy which teaches the denial of the ego would serve a useful purpose—at least for those in power, to whom it would be detrimental if their people were discontented. But for anyone who has every opportunity for material gain, to choose this form of religious thought seems foolish, indeed!

The Eastern mystic believes strongly in reincarnation. To a person who has virtually nothing in this life, the possibility that he may have been a king in a past life or may be one in the next life is very attractive, and does much to appease his need for self‐respect. If there is nothing in which they can take pride in this life, they can console themselves by thinking, “there are always future lives.” It never occurs to the believer in reincarnation that if his father, grandfather, and great‐grandfather, etc. had developed “good karmas,” by their adherence to the same beliefs and ethics as his present ones—then why is he now living in privation, rather than like a maharajah?

Belief in reincarnation provides a beautiful fantasy world in which a person can find the proper avenue of ego‐expression, but at the same time claim to have dissolved his ego. This is emphasized by the roles people choose for themselves in their past or future lives.

Believers in reincarnation do not always choose an honorable character. If the person is of a highly respectable and conservative nature, he will often choose a colorful rogue or gangster, thereby fulfilling his alter‐ego. Or, a woman who has much social status may pick a harlot or famous courtesan for the characterization of herself in a past life.

If people were able to divorce themselves from the stigma attached to personal ego-fulfillment, they would not need to play self‐deceitful games such as belief in reincarnation as a means of satisfying their natural need for ego‐fulfillment.

The Satanist believes in complete gratification of his ego. Satanism, in fact, is the only religion which advocates the intensification or encouragement of the ego. Only if a person’s own ego is sufficiently fulfilled, can he afford to be kind and complimentary to others, without robbing himself of his self‐respect. We generally think of a braggart as a person with a large ego; in reality, his bragging results from a need to satisfy his impoverished ego.

Religionists have kept their followers in line by suppressing their egos. By making their followers feel inferior, the awesomeness of their god is insured. Satanism encourages its members to develop a good strong ego because it gives them the self‐respect necessary for a vital existence in this life.

If a person has been vital throughout his life and has fought to the end for his earthly existence, it is this ego which will refuse to die, even after the expiration of the flesh which housed it. Young children are to be admired for their driving enthusiasm for life. This is exemplified by the small child who refuses to go to bed when there is something exciting going on, and when once put to bed, will sneak down the stairs to peek through the curtain and watch. It is this child‐like vitality that will allow the Satanist to peek through the curtain of darkness and death and remain earthbound.

Self‐sacrifice is not encouraged by the Satanic religion. Therefore, unless death comes as an indulgence because of extreme circumstances which make the termination of life a welcome relief from the unendurable earthly existence, suicide is frowned upon by the Satanic religion.

Religious martyrs have taken their own lives, not because life was intolerable for them, but to use their supreme sacrifice as a tool to further the religious belief. We must assume, then, that suicide, if done for the sake of the church, is condoned and even encouraged—even though their scriptures label it a sin—because religious martyrs of the past have always been deified.

It is rather curious that the only time suicide is considered sinful by other religions is when it comes as an indulgence.

RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS

HE highest of all holidays in the Satanic religion is the date of one’s own birth.
This is in direct contradiction to the holy of holy days of other religions, which T deify a particular god who has been created in an anthropomorphic form of their own image, thereby showing that the ego is not really buried.

The Satanist feels: “Why not really be honest and if you are going to create a god in your image, why not create that god as yourself.” Every man is a god if he chooses to recognize himself as one. So, the Satanist celebrates his own birthday as the most important holiday of the year. After all, aren’t you happier about the fact that you were born than you are about the birth of someone you have never even met? Or for that matter, aside from religious holidays, why pay higher tribute to the birthday of a president or to a date in history than we do to the day we were brought into this greatest of all worlds?

Despite the fact that some of us may not have been wanted, or at least were not particularly planned, we’re glad, even if no one else is, that we’re here! You should give yourself a pat on the back, buy yourself whatever you want, treat yourself like the king (or god) that you are, and generally celebrate your birthday with as much pomp and ceremony as possible.

After one’s own birthday, the two major Satanic holidays are Walpurgisnacht and Halloween (or All Hallows’ Eve).

St. Walpurgis—or Walpurga, or Walburga, depending upon the time and area in which one is referring to her—was born in Sussex about the end of the Seventh or the beginning of the Eighth Century, and was educated at Winburn, Dorset, where after taking the veil, she remained for twenty‐five years. She then, at the instance of her uncle, St. Boniface, and her brother, St. Wilibald, set out along with some other nuns to found religious houses in Germany. Her first settlement was at Bischofsheim in the diocese of Mainz, and two years later (754 A.D.) she became abbess of the Benedictine nunnery at Heidenheim, within her brother Wilibald’s diocese of Eichstadt in Bavaria, where another brother, Winebald, had at the same time also been made head of a monastery. On the death of Winebald in 760 she succeeded him in his charge, retaining the superintendence of both houses until her death on February 25, 779. Her relics were translated to Eichstadt, where she was laid in a hollow rock, from which exuded a kind of bituminous oil, afterwards known as Walpurgis oil, regarded as having miraculous efficacy against disease. The cave became a place of pilgrimage, and a great church was built over the spot. She is commemorated at various times, but principally on May 1st, her day taking the place of an earlier Pagan festival. Amazingly enough, all of this rigmarole was found necessary simply to condone the continuance of the most important Pagan festival of the year—the grand climax of the spring equinox!

The Eve of May has been memorialized as the night that all of the demons, specters, afreets, and banshees would come forth and hold their wild revels, symbolizing the fruition of the spring equinox.

Halloween—All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Day—falls on October 31st or November 1st. Originally, All Hallows’ Eve was one of the great fire festivals of Britain at the time of the Druids. In Scotland it was associated with the time when the spirits of the dead, the demons, witches, and sorcerers were unusually active and propitious. Paradoxically, All Hallows’ Eve was also the night when young people performed magical rituals to determine their future marriage partners. The youth of the villages carried on with much merry‐making and sensual revelry, but the older people took great care to safeguard their homes from the evil spirits, witches, and demons who had exceptional power that night.

The solstices and equinoxes are also celebrated as holidays, as they herald the first day of the seasons. The difference between a solstice and an equinox is a semantic one defining the relationship between the sun, moon, and the fixed stars. The solstice applies to summer and winter; the equinox refers to autumn and spring. The summer solstice is in June, and the winter solstice is in December. The autumn equinox is in September, and the spring equinox is in March. Both the equinoxes and the solstices vary a day or two from year to year, depending on the lunar cycle at the time, but usually fall on the 21st or 22nd of the month.

Five to six weeks after these days the legendary Satanic revels are celebrated.

THE BLACK MASS

O other single device has been associated with Satanism as much as the black mass. To say that the most blasphemous of all religious ceremonies is nothing more than a literary invention is certainly a statement which needs qualifying—but nothing could be truer.

The popular concept of the black mass is thus: a defrocked priest stands before an altar consisting of a nude woman, her legs spread‐eagled and vagina thrust open, each of her outstretched fists grasping a black candle made from the fat of unbaptized babies, and a chalice containing the urine of a prostitute (or blood) reposing on her belly. An inverted cross hangs above the altar, and triangular hosts of ergot‐laden bread or black‐stained turnip are methodically blessed as the priest dutifully slips them in and out of the altar-lady’s labia. Then, we are told, an invocation to Satan and various demons is followed by an array of prayers and psalms chanted backwards or interspersed with obscenities . . . all performed within the confines of a “protective” pentagram drawn on the floor. If the Devil appears he is invariably in the form of a rather eager man wearing the head of a black goat upon his shoulders. Then follows a potpourri of flagellation, prayer‐book burning, cunnilingus, fellatio, and general hindquarters kissing—all done to a background of ribald recitations from the Holy Bible, and audible expectorations on the cross! If a baby can be slaughtered during the ritual, so much the better; for as everyone knows, this is the favorite sport of the Satanist!

If this sounds repugnant, then the success of the reports of the black mass, in keeping the devout in church, is easy to understand. No “decent” person could fail to side with the inquisitors when told of these blasphemies. The propagandists of the church did their job well, informing the public at one time or another of the heresies and heinous acts of the Pagans, Cathars, Bogomils, Templars and others who, because of their dualistic philosophies and sometimes Satanic logic, had to be eradicated.

The stories of unbaptized babies being stolen by Satanists for use in the mass were not only effective propaganda measures, but also provided a constant source of revenue for the Church, in the form of baptism fees. No Christian mother would, upon hearing of these diabolical kidnappings, refrain from getting her child properly baptized, post haste.

Another facet of man’s nature was apparent in the fact that the writer or artist with lewd thoughts could exercise his most obscene predilections in the portrayal of the activities of heretics. The censor who views all pornography so that he will know what to warn others of is the modern equivalent of the medieval chronicler of the obscene deeds of the Satanists (and, of course, their modern journalistic counterparts). It is believed that the most complete library of pornography in the world is owned by the Vatican!

The kissing of the Devil’s behind during the traditional black mass is easily recognized as the forerunner of the modern term used to describe one who will, through appealing to another’s ego, gain materially from him. As all Satanic ceremonies were performed toward very real or material goals, the oscularum infame (or kiss of shame) was considered a symbolic requisite towards earthly, rather than spiritual, success.

The usual assumption is that the Satanic ceremony or service is always called a black mass. A black mass is not the magical ceremony practiced by Satanists. The Satanist would only employ the use of a black mass as a form of psychodrama. Furthermore, a black mass does not necessarily imply that the performers of such are Satanists. A black mass is essentially a parody of the religious service of the Roman Catholic Church, but can be loosely applied to a satire on any religious ceremony.

To the Satanist, the black mass, in its blaspheming of orthodox rites, is nothing more than a redundancy. The services of all established religions are actually parodies of old rituals performed by the worshippers of the earth and the flesh. In attempts to de-sexualize and dehumanize the Pagan beliefs, later men of spiritual faith whitewashed the honest meanings behind the rituals into the bland euphemisms now considered to be the “true mass.” Even if the Satanist were to spend each night performing a black mass, he would no more be performing a travesty than the devout churchgoer who unwittingly attends his own “black mass”— his spoof on the honest and emotionally‐sound rites of Pagan antiquity.

Any ceremony considered a black mass must effectively shock and outrage, as this seems to be the measure of its success. In the Middle Ages, blaspheming the holy church was shocking. Now, however, the Church does not present the awesome image it did during the inquisition. The traditional black mass is no longer the outrageous spectacle to the dilettante or renegade priest that it once was. If the Satanist wishes to create a ritual to blaspheme an accepted institution, for the purpose of psychodrama, he is careful to choose one that is now in vogue to parody. Thus, he is truly stepping on a sacred cow.

A black mass, today, would consist of the blaspheming of such “sacred” topics as Eastern mysticism, psychiatry, the psychedelic movement, ultra‐liberalism, etc. Patriotism would be championed, drugs and their gurus would be defiled, acultural militants would be deified, and the decadence of ecclesiastical theologies might even be given a Satanic boost.

The Satanic magus has always been the catalyst for the dichotomy necessary in molding popular beliefs, and in this case a ceremony in the nature of a black mass may serve a far‐reaching magical purpose.

In the year 1666, some rather interesting events occurred in France. With the death of François Mansart, the architect of the trapezoid, whose geometrics were to become the prototype of the haunted house, the Palace of Versailles was being constructed, in accordance with his plans. The last of the glamorous priestesses of Satan, Jeanne‐Marie Bouvier (Madame Guyon) was to be overshadowed by a shrewd opportunist and callous businesswoman named Catharine Deshayes, otherwise known as LaVoisin. Here was an erstwhile beautician who, while dabbling in abortions and purveying the most efficient poisons to ladies desirous of eliminating unwanted husbands or lovers, found in the lurid accounts of the “messes noir” a proverbial brainstorm.

It is safe to say that 1666 was the year of the first “commercial” black mass! In the region south of St. Denis, which is now called LaGarenne, a great walled house was purchased by LaVoisin and fitted with dispensaries, cells, laboratories, and . . . a chapel. Soon it became de rigueur for royalty and lesser dilettantes to attend and participate in the very type of service mentioned earlier in this chapter. The organized fraud perpetrated in these ceremonies has become indelibly marked in history as the “true black mass.”

When LaVoisin was arrested on March 13, 1679 (in the Church of Our Blessed Lady of Good Tidings, incidentally), the die had already been cast. The degraded activities of LaVoisin had stifled the majesty of Satanism for many years to come.

The Satanism‐for‐fun‐and‐games fad next appeared in England in the middle 18th Century in the form of Sir Francis Dashwood’s Order of the Medmanham Franciscans, popularly called The Hell‐Fire Club. While eliminating the blood, gore, and baby‐fat candles of the previous century’s masses, Sir Francis managed to conduct rituals replete with good dirty fun, and certainly provided a colorful and harmless form of psychodrama for many of the leading lights of the period. An interesting sideline of Sir Francis, which lends a clue to the climate of the Hell‐Fire Club, was a group called the Dilettanti Club, of which he was the founder.

It was the 19th Century that brought a whitewashing to Satanism, in the feeble attempts of “white” magicians trying to perform “black” magic. This was a very paradoxical period for Satanism, with writers such as Baudelaire and Huysmans who, despite their apparent obsession with evil, seemed nice enough fellows. The Devil developed his Luciferian personality for the public to see, and gradually evolved into a sort of drawing‐room gentleman. This was the era of “experts” on the black arts, such as Eliphas Levi and countless trance‐mediums who, with their carefully bound spirits and demons, have also succeeded in binding the minds of many who call themselves parapsychologists to this day!

As far as Satanism is concerned, the closest outward signs of this were the neo‐Pagan rites conducted by MacGregor Mathers’ Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and Aleister Crowley’s later Order of the Silver Star (A. . . A. . .—Argentinum Astrum) and Order of Oriental Templars (O.T.O.), * which paranoiacally denied any association with Satanism, despite Crowley’s self‐imposed image of the beast of revelation. Aside from some rather charming poetry and a smattering of magical bric‐a‐brac, when not climbing mountains Crowley spent most of his time as a poseur par excellence and worked overtime to be wicked. Like his contemporary, Rev.(?) Montague Summers, Crowley obviously spent a large part of his life with his tongue jammed firmly into his cheek, but his followers, today, are somehow able to read esoteric meaning into his every word.

Perennially concurrent with these societies were the sex clubs using Satanism as a rationale that persists today, for which tabloid newspaper writers may give thanks.

If it appears that the black mass developed from a literary invention of the church, to a depraved commercial actuality, to a psychodrama for dilettantes and iconoclasts, to an ace in the hole for popular media . . . then where does it fit into the true nature of Satanism—and who was practicing Satanic magic in those years beyond 1666?

The answer to this riddle lies in another. Is the person generally considered to be a Satanist really practicing Satanism in its true sense, or rather from the point of view taken by the opinion makers of heavenly persuasion? It has often been said, and rightly so, that all of the books about the Devil have been written by the agents of God. It is, therefore, quite easy to understand how a certain breed of devil worshippers was created through the inventions of theologians. This erstwhile “evil” character is not necessarily practicing true Satanism.


* “Ordo Templi Orientis,” Crowley’s take-off on the German sect of the same name, originally founded in 1902, and practicing some of the principles set forth in this volume.

Nor is he a living embodiment of the element of untrammeled pride or majesty of self which gave the post‐Pagan world the churchman’s definition of evil. He is instead the by‐product of later and more elaborate propaganda.

The pseudo‐Satanist has always managed to appear throughout modern history, with his black masses of varying degrees of blasphemy; but the real Satanist is not quite so easily recognized as such.

It would be an over‐simplification to say that every successful man and woman on earth is, without knowing it, a practicing Satanist; but the thirst for earthly success and its ensuing realization are certainly grounds for Saint Peter turning thumbs down. If the rich man’s entry into heaven seems as difficult as the camel’s attempt to go through the eye of a needle; if the love of money is the root of all evil; then we must at least assume the post powerful men on earth to be the most Satanic. This applies to financiers, industrialists, popes, poets, dictators, and all assorted opinion‐makers and field marshals of the world’s activities.

Occasionally, through “leakages,” one of the enigmatic men or women of earth will be found to have “dabbled” in the black arts. These, of course, are brought to light as in the “mystery men” of history. Names like Rasputin, Zaharoff, Cagliostro, Rosenberg and their ilk are links—clues, so to speak, of the true legacy of Satan . . . a legacy which transcends ethnic, racial, and economic differences and temporal ideologies, as well. The Satanist has always ruled the earth . . . and always will, by whatever name he is called.

One thing stands sure: the standards, philosophy and practices set forth on these pages are those employed by the most self‐realized and powerful humans on earth. In the secret thoughts of each man and woman, still motivated by sound and unclouded minds, resides the potential of the Satanist, as always has been. The sign of the horns shall appear to many, now, rather than the few; and the magician will stand forth that he may be recognized.

[_LittleNipper]

In the Hebrew Bible, a messiah (or mashiach) is a king or High Priest.

A messiah (or mashiach) is an ANOINTED ONE.

"Christ" in Greek.

Exactly! Both Aaron the High Priest and David King of Israel were anointed.

[_Bazooka]

Feel free to post what you believe to be the most credible proof of Jesus being a real person.

The Jews and the Nation of Israel is among the most incredible proof that the Bible is entirely true and that would mean that the Messiah has come.

What? Seriously?

You're going to have to expand on that.....

[_son of Ishmael]

You know. Little Nipper started this thread in June 2012. It has taken over a year and a half to get to where we are in Judges. I think nip needs to pick up the pace or we will all be burning in hell before we finally get the hint and turn our lives over to the lord and Savior even Jesus Christ.

[Guest]

Judges 17:1-16 A man from the hill country of Ephraim named Micah said to his mother, “Remember that 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you? I overheard you when you pronounced your curse. Well, I have the money; I stole it. But now I’ve brought it back to you.”

His mother said, “God bless you, my son!” As he returned the 1,100 silver pieces to his mother, she told him that she had consecrated all this money to God for her son to make a statue, a cast god. She took 200 pieces of the silver and gave it to a sculptor, who cast them into an idol..

Now, Micah, had a private temple. He had made an ephod and some teraphim-idols and had ordained one of his sons to be his priest. At this time there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing. Meanwhile there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah and from a family of Judah. He was a Levite but was a stranger there. He had left, seeking his fortune. He got as far as the hill country of Ephraim and showed up at Micah’s house. Micah asked him, “Where are you from?”

He said that he was a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, on the road, looking for a spot to settle. Micah asked him to stay, and be his father and priest. Micah said that he was willing to pay ten pieces of silver a year and furnish clothes, and meals.

This Levite agreed and moved in with Micah. The young man fit right in and became one of the family. Micah appointed the young Levite as his priest. This all took place in Micah’s home.
Micah said, “Now I know that God will make things go well for me—why, I’ve got a Levite for a priest!”


Young's Literal Translation (YLT)


1 And there is a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name [is] Micah,

2 and he saith to his mother, `The eleven hundred silverlings which have been taken of thine, and [of which] thou hast sworn, and also spoken in mine ears; lo, the silver [is] with me, I have taken it;' and his mother saith, `Blessed [is] my son of Jehovah.'

3 And he giveth back the eleven hundred silverlings to his mother, and his mother saith, `I had certainly sanctified the silver to Jehovah, from my hand, for my son, to make a graven image, and a molten image; and now, I give it back to thee.'

4 And he giveth back the money to his mother, and his mother taketh two hundred silverlings, and giveth them to a refiner, and he maketh them a graven image, and a molten image, and it is in the house of Micah.

5 As to the man Micah, he hath a house of gods, and he maketh an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrateth the hand of one of his sons, and he is to him for a priest;

6 in those days there is no king in Israel, each that which is right in his own eyes doth.

7 And there is a young man of Beth-Lehem-Judah, of the family of Judah, and he [is] a Levite, and he [is] a sojourner there.

8 And the man goeth out of the city, out of Beth-Lehem-Judah, to sojourn where he doth find, and cometh to the hill-country of Ephraim, unto the house of Micah, to work his way.

9 And Micah saith to him, `Whence comest thou?' and he saith unto him, `A Levite [am] I, of Beth-Lehem-Judah, and I am going to sojourn where I do find.'

10 And Micah saith to him, `Dwell with me, and be to me for a father and for a priest, and I give to thee ten silverlings for the days, and a suit of garments, and thy sustenance;' and the Levite goeth [in].

11 And the Levite is willing to dwell with the man, and the young man is to him as one of his sons.

12 And Micah consecrateth the hand of the Levite, and the young man is to him for a priest, and he is in the house of Micah,

13 and Micah saith, `Now I have known that Jehovah doth good to me, for the Levite hath been to me for a priest.'