#elaine pagels

[marbleheavy]

Books That Rocked My Shit and Should Be Added to Your 2024 TBR

i love love talking about the books i’ve read and as the year approaches it’s close, here is a list, in no particular order, of books that really did numbers on me and should be added to a new year tbr!! it’s a mix of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction/memoir

1. Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History RF Kuang

Robin Swift, a Cantonese orphan, is adopted by an Oxford professor and trained for years in linguistics and languages so he can become a student at Oxford University at the Royal Institute of Translation (Babel). Babel handles all of the British empires linguistic concerns and, most importantly, it’s magic. Silver bars are inscribed with words that mean the same thing in different languages and the meaning lost between the translation enchants the bad. At Babel, Robin befriends his class, three other non-traditional Oxford students, and starts to see how Babel is used to serve the empire. He gets involved with the Hermes society, an anti-imperialist secret society, and gets caught between them and Babel as Britain declares war on China.

You know this book was gonna be on this list. It’s actually kind of cheating because I read it for the first time last year but I did a reread this September and my god, it’s so stellar. It’s a very fresh concept that revolves around the classical and the tension between those two is just delicious. My post structuralist heart that believes our world is composed of language was just beating out of my chest this entire book. Oh!! And don’t even get my started on the alternate/sub/second title!!!!

2. Why Religion? by Elaine Pagels

Elaine Pagels is a scholar of religion who has done extensive research into early Christianity and Gnosticism, and is known for her involvement and study with the Nag Hammadi documents, a collection of texts discovered that are thought to be early Christian and gnostic gospels. Using her robust academic background, Pagels explores her personal relationship to religion through a series of essays in this memoir-esque book. She writes about her time being religions and non-religious as well as the profound hardship and grief that she experienced throughout her life that led her to ask “Why religion?” and find her own answer.

This book is phenomenal. I was introduced to it in a religion course I took this semester and it has fundamentally changed my relationship to religion, even as someone who considered themself to be more or less an atheist. Pagels’ writing is intelligent and poignant but not difficult to understand. This isn’t a scholarly work and I would call it more of a rumination than an argument. The main note I have for potential readers is that it is very Christo-centric and also doesn’t spend much time with biblical canon, but considering this is a memoir and not an attempt to rationalize religion for anyone other than Pagels herself, I was not put off by it.

3. Bad Fruit by Ella King

Chronicling Lily’s life after graduating high school and starting at Oxford, the book revolves around her relationship with her mother. Her mother, from Singapore and with a troubled past that Lily begins to understand, becomes increasingly erratic and unhinged. As she does, Lily follows in her footsteps as she seeks to appease her mother while also trying to break free from her control. The central mage in the book is a cup of spoilt orange juice that Lily always tastes first to make sure it’s right for her mother.

First off, fruit. You know I’m always down bad for a book with fruit is the main motif! This is such a fantastic book exploring mother-daughter relationships, inherited trauma, and cyclical abuse. It’s devastating but never heavy handed and the writing is really fantastic. I think about this book all the time and how every character is so well written and so intensely fallible but never denied humanity.

4. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

A fictionalized retelling of the Hongwu Emperor, the story follows a young girl who assumes the identity of her brother, Zhu Chongba, after he dies. The original Zhu was promised greatness and in the wake of his death and to survive alone, the new (and perhaps real) Zhu joins a monastery. The story is set during Red Turban Rebellions against the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty and after many years at the monastery, Zhu joins the Red Turbans and rises among the ranks all while she attempts to conceal her deception. The story also follows General Ouyang, a Mongolia general, as he struggles with his own status among the Mongols and his hatred for Zhu. The book follows the interpersonal struggles of the characters while the overarching war between the Red Turbans and the Mongols rages on and, often, intersects with the personal.

I read this book in two days and was just beside myself. My synopsis can’t even begin to cover the complexities of this book, it is trusty one of my favorites I’ve ever read. It is SO good. There were moments where I was left gaping at the page, I was so enthralled!! I’ve heard some people didn’t vibe with the pacing of the book because it spans so many years, but I read it’s o quickly that it wasn’t an issue for me. The way that gender and sexuality are handled in this book was so well done and very much a reminder that queerness and the experiences that come with it aren’t always able to be articulated, especially by contemporary language and labels. And the parallels between characters!! Zhu and Ouyang!!! I really don’t think anything I can say can do this book justice because it’s just fab. Really spectacular!!

5. Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón

Ada Limón is the current poet laureate of the United States and this is an earlier collection of hers. This poetry collection explores identity, place, and loss with an overarching feminist oomph. The books is in four sections, each embodying a different experience or theme but all interconnected. Limón’s writing is clear and vivid and her command of language is incredible.

This collection is fabulous! Although not my usual pick, Limón’s style radiates off the page and her skill is so obvious in every poem. She is so aware of space in all her poems and every word is picked with precision. Even in the moments of loss and grief that Limón writes about, her optimism is tangible and infectious. “How to Triumph Like a Girl” is one of my favorite poems ever and seeing it in context with the rest of the collection gives it so much more life. If you’re new to poetry, I would definitely check this out!! If you’re a regular poetry reader, you should also check this out!!

I have a million more books I want to talk about but this feels sufficient!! If you end up reading any of these or already have, PLEASE talk to me about it!! wishing you all a joyous and well read new year <3

#book rec #book rec list #poetry #nonfiction #fiction #babel an arcane history #why religion #bad fruit #she who became the sun #bright dead things #ada limón #rf kuang #ella king #elaine pagels #shelley parker chan #marble woes

[0hpotato]

To begin to release the weight of guilt, I had to let go of whatever illusion of control it pretended to offer, and acknowledge that pain and death are as natural as birth, woven inseparably into our human nature.

Elaine Pagels, Why Religion?, p. 103

#quotes #elaine pagels #why religion

[amokedas]

Yet to know oneself, at the deepest level, is simultaneously to know God; this is the secret of gnosis.

Elaine Pagels

The Gnostic Gospels

#elaine pagels

[jessebyron]

2023 Reading Wrap-Up

Big annual reading wrap up post!!! Here's my 2023 in reading:

I’ve attempted reading 50 books a few times since graduating college, but this year was the first time it actually stuck. In fact, I actually completed 53 titles! Since this is a tad longer than my previous wrap up posts, I’ll have the full list at the end up of this after some commentary.

Here’s some of the most impactful titles from 2023:

The first book I read this year gets a special mention. I read a good handful of sequential fiction this year, but Seance Tea Party was the most impactful. It might be the most impactful growing up story I’ve ever read.

Kings of Wyld: I think this is the most fun I’ve had with ‘high’ fantasy in a long time. A classic fantasy adventure delivered via the thinnest metaphor for an 80s hair metal band that ends up being one of the most heartfelt meditations on family, aging, legacy, and fatherhood that you’ll ever come across. Dirty, crass, hilarious, violent, and beautiful.

Veniss Underground: Yet another masterful fever dream from the man that, for me personally, defines the concepts of weird and experimental. Predating Vandermeer’s Annihilation, Veniss Underground is consuming exploration of story and form and while pushing us to the very edges of what makes a novel and what makes a person.

Hyperion: As anyone who knows me knows, I am a slut for stories about stories. I think this book was one of the smartest written science fiction books in my library. To read Hyperion is to begin exploring a few particular trailheads leading into literature, technology, conflict, and the human condition. I’ll definitely be exploring the rest of the Cantos in the years to come. (Be careful researching Simmons himself though. You will be disappointed.)

Shadow of the Torturer & The Claw of the Conciliator (the first two volumes of Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun): This was the most intellectually challenging of the things I read this year. It’s the first time I read something and then immediately watched multiple YouTube video essays just to grasp fully grasp. But, like a lot of the more challenging texts this year, it is so worth it. Will have to come back to these many times.

The Left Hand of Darkness: beautiful and challenging and enriching as well, this will also take multiple readings to begin to grok it.

The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction: necessary for any Neil Gaiman fan to read. It was awesome diving into how Neil sees the world, the stories he’s encountered, the experiences he’s had, and the insane amount interesting famous people he’s friends with.

The Fragile Threads of Power: less impactful and more just plain ol’ exciting, this was a brilliant return to world first introduced by Schwab’s Darker Shades.

Nostalgia Reads:

So You Want to be a Wizard: maybe the best alternative to Harry Potter. Beautiful and consistent world building that makes sense with stories and characters that invite us to explore who we are in the context of the greater world (and worlds!) around us. Reading the Young Wizards series in elementary school had a deep effect on me that still resonates to this day.

City of Bones: held up surprisingly well? Fun mythology and delightfully angsty characters.

A Wizard of Earthsea: hadn’t read this since senior year when I bought it with the money I won in a micro fiction writing contest, and it was so wonderful to revisit the archipelago.

The Collobaration: a powerful play that now contains one of my dream roles.

Certainly not the first time I’ve consumed The Sandman epic, but the audible versions were exquisite and brought the story to mw in a whole new way. Same thing with full cast audio version American Gods.

Most disturbing: Amygdalatropolis. Don’t read this. No, I’m serious. Not reading this book is an act of self care. You’ll only hurt your own feelings (and body and brain) if you read this book.

Second most disturbing: Tender is the Flesh. Reading this one is also harmful, but you should it.

Most disappointing: Paradise-1 by David Wellington. An interesting premise with a couple of fun bits of world building, it was ultimately defeated by a lack of internal unity and subpar editing.

The full list:

1. *Seance Tea Party by Reimina Yee

2. *Crushed by Don Zolidis

3. *Wiley and the Hairy Man by Susan Zeder

4. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (full cast audiobook)

5. Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman

6. *The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

7. *Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

8. *The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

9. *Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

10. *Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

11. *Paradise-1 by David Wellington

12. The Sandman: Act 1 (audible original)

13. The Homecoming by Harold Pinter

14. *Veniss Underground by Jeff Vandermeer

15. *Hyperion by Dan Simmons

16. *The Stranger by Albert Camus

17. *Treasure Island: The Adventures of Jim Hawkins adapted by James DeVita

18. The Sandman: Act 1 (audible original)

19. The Sandman: Act 2 (audible original)

20. The Sandman: Act 3 (audible original)

21. *Hellblazer: Rise + Fall by Taylor, Robertson, and Rodriguez

22. *Sandman Mystery Theatre Vol 1: The Tarantula by Matt Wagner, Guy Favis, and John Costanza

23. The Supernaturalist: The Graphic Novel

24. The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

25. *Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

26. The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

27. *Amygdalatropolis by B. R. Yeager

28. The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan*Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McQuire

29. *Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McQuire

30. *Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McQuire

31. *Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

32. *The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction by Neil Gaiman

33. *Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe

34. *Claw of the Conciliator by Gene Wolfe

35. *Peter Pan adapted by Douglas Irvine

36. Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

37. So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane

38. *Tender is the Flesh by Augustine Bazterrica

39. *The Collaboration by Anthony McCarten

40. *The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

41. *The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab

42. *Catch Me if You Can by Robert Thomas, adapted by Weinstock and Gilbert

43. City of Bones by Cassandra Claire

44. Jennifer scales and the ancient furnace by Mary Janice Davidson

45. *Why Religion? by Elaine Pagels

46. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

47. *Bunny by Mona Awad

48. *Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

49. *Goblin Market and other Poems by Christina Rosetti

50. The Sandman: Endless Nights

51. *Dada Woof Papa Hot by Peter Parnell

52. *The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens, and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord by Scott Carter

53. *The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm by Christopher Paolini

Addendum for business: I will no longer be posting on the other three blogs (food, books, and tv/film) related) as it's too much for me to have it all divided up. This will now be my main/only blog

#reading #2023 reads #reading list #reading wrap up #books #2023 #christopher paolini #tender is the flesh #Elaine pagels #kings of the wyld #fantasy #poetry #scifi #read for fun #sandman #neil gaiman #gene wolf #ursula k. le guin #the left hand of darkness #robert heinlein #stranger in a strange land #new years eve #2024 readings #update #2024 update

[hatshepsut9]

There’s no way I’m finishing another book tomorrow, so here’s a tiny wrapup:

Mini reviews below the cut (non-spoilery as much as possible!) 

The Calculating Stars: I read this because of booktube and enjoyed it— sometimes the internet can be trusted! This is an alternate history 1950’s space program book about a pilot/calculator becoming one of the first female astronauts. Overall it’s short, sweet, and smart. It does feature female and minority characters navigating typical 1950’s identity politics, but it’s not so frustrating as to be unreadable (of course it should be frustrating, but sometimes you’re just not in a patient enough mood that you’re willing to watch white men complain about the existence of women and black people when there is an actual global crisis looming over their shoulders!) If you can overlook some very cheesy flirting of the “rocket in your pocket” variety (yes, we get that you’re in the space program, you don’t have to use that fact in all your pickup lines) and you liked Hidden Figures, read this.

The Jasmine Throne: I’d never heard of this before but I got it for Christmas via a bookseller’s recommendation. I could see some people finding the writing style to be a little... affected(?), but I didn’t mind it. This is an Indian-inspired fantasy world with political rivalries, an old magic returning, and characters confronting fate. The cast isn’t huge, but there are enough characters that you get to explore things through comparisons. Trying to avoid spoilers here, but you get two characters in the exact same boat re: what happened when one of their family members got caught up in some royal family succession drama, and how each of them reacts completely differently with respect to how they view the royal character involved. And you also have 3 people who came from the same place who are dealing with colonization in 3 different ways. I really love the magic system(s) in this and I can’t wait to see what happens in the rest of the series. There is a plant/human magic system that is related to a kind of curse (that I suspect is really a power a la Elantris), a prophecy-based magic system/religion, and probably more aspects of magic that will come into play. The magic seems very localized, with religions that are tied to their locations. Halfway through the book I finally googled the series and only the first 2 books are out... I’m hoping it’s a trilogy but whatever it is, I’m in for the ride now. I would recommend this to fans of Baru Cormorant, The Poppy War, and maybe ASOIAF (but I haven’t finished any of those series so take that with a grain of salt). 

The Origin of Satan: I picked this up one night because I was at the house of a religious studies major with nothing to read, and it was interesting enough that I took it home and finished it. This book goes through internal drama between Jewish groups, then once Christians became a group made up of mostly gentile converts the dramas between them and pagans (mostly Romans), and then back to internal drama between different Christian groups. It traces the way people in these conflicts would use the idea of Satan-- first meaning an angel sent to challenge a human or stop humans from doing something bad, later meaning a sort of evil angel or evil god-- to talk about their conflicts with their various opponents both internal and external. (Side note: this book is why I noticed the localized religions/magic systems in Jasmine Throne, because it talks about how before Christianity, everyone took it for granted that your religion was determined by where you live). Overall this book is interesting but it just pointed me towards related topics that I now want to read about. For instance, it’s hard for me to imagine a time when people didn’t regularly frame their conflicts as part of a battle between the forces of good and evil, because that concept is so ingrained in popular culture even though we don’t usually think of it as coming from the idea of angels and demons/God and Satan, so I’d really be more interested to get immersed in examples of how people talked about their conflicts and their opponents before all this happened. The book also just made me want to read up on gnostic Christians (luckily she also wrote a book on the Gnostic Gospels, so that’d going in my list.) 

#books #booklr #book wrap up #book wrapup #tasha suri #mary robinette kowal #elaine pagels #the calculating stars #the jasmine throne #the burning kingdoms #the origin of satan #sci fi #alternate history #fantasy #history #religious studies

[appleslerp]

“If guilt is the price we pay for the illusion that we have some control over nature, many of us are willing to pay it.”

- Elaine Pagels

#Elaine pagels

[ronk]

Christian Zen

Some passages in the Gnostic Gospels sound like Zen passages to me.

Jesus said "If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you." Gnostic Gospel According to Thomas

#christian zen #zen #gnostic gospels #gospel of thomas #elaine pagels #within #within you #within yourself

[jonfarreporter]

Here’s a probable history of the familiar “witches hat”

Linda of Broadway Catering & Events of Sonoma did something “witchy” for this year. She dressed up in the full traditional witches costume while going shopping at Adobe Pharmacy (formerly Pharmica) on West Napa Street not far from the historic plaza.

Speaking of history, the traditional witches attire seen here has been stylized over the years. But to trace all the things we associate with witches and witchcraft is both complicated and surprising.

To keep it simple for now, let’s just look at the so-called conical or “pointed” cylinder hat. Briefly going over historical data presentations by scholar, Elaine Pagels, historian Amelia Mott Gummere and history writer Janice Formichella, it seems to this reporter that much attributed to witches was done so to discredit or demonize a particular person or a group of people/women.

With that said, the pointed hat has several origins. also it must be noted such a style of hat has been worn by both women and men, in many cultures. It’s all simply a matter of context or rather in the case of women accused of witchcraft, their attire being taken out of context.

Big hats whether tall or wide have always existed and are something of distinction. For example, a mother of the bride (especially in Britain) at a wedding wears the best hat; men in the late 19th Century to the 20th Century wore top hats.

President Lincoln usually wore what was then known as a “stovepipe hat,” (which some consider the precursor to the ‘top hat’ made famous in the movies by dancer Fred Astaire), etc. So the idea of a tall hat has been in existence for centuries. It seems when status and power is involved that’s when the tall hat (be it pointed or cylinder) gets vilified.

In her book about the history of The Quakers, Gummere writes: “Almost all of the earliest prints of the Quaker women who preach show them dressed in this cap and hat,” she noted. “It is impossible, in examining any of these pictures, to avoid the suggestion that here is the hat of the conventional witch of our childhood."

Dress & clothing historian Abby Cox mentions. “Throughout most of the 17th century, women of all social classes wore tall, black, wool felt hats.”

“This was considered normal fashion at the time,” she said. Recognizing the correlation, she explained. “These wide-brimmed, black, conical hats peaked in popularity in the mid-1600s, which also happened to be when a new Christian denomination known as the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, was founded in England.”

And as is now well-known, The Puritans who later settled in America had little to no tolerance for any other expression of Christianity but their own. As established religious scholar Elaine Pagels noted “the fact that women could have power (in such a society as The Puritans) was disturbing if not reprehensible.”

Quakers believed in equality among men and women especially with respect to leadership in their church. And, it is hypothesized that this criticism of Quaker women having leadership was one of the reasons for depicting “witches” in the general attire of Quaker women.

Another explanation comes from historical writer Janice Formichella. As she believes, “My vote for the origin of this spooky accessory is that it relates directly to the hats worn by female beer brewers (also known as alewives) in medieval times. Trying to stand out in crowded markets, they would wear tall, pointed hats.“

Interestingly if so, is that where the term “witches brew” comes from? Formichella notes further. “Such women were also associated with having a knowledge of herbs and brewing concoctions at home. My theory is that when depictions of witches began to skyrocket a short time later, it was an easy image to conjure up (pun intended).“

Pointing to examples found in Woodcuts from the 18th century, Formichella reasons, “these illustrations show that it was an ingrained link by then, and would remain to this day.”

How all the other elements of a witch’s costume and props came into accepted folklore is for another article and more research. But for now, concerning the recognizable conical, pointed “witches hat” I will conclude with what Formichella has to say about it.

“I believe that the association with female brewers is also the strongest as only a relatively short time later witches were regularly depicted in similar hats.”

For more information about the history of witches and witchcraft, visit the presentation on the History.com website.

#witches #conical hat #Janice Formichella #Elaine Pagels #abby cox

[thatwritererinoriordan]

#February 13 #samuel pepys #absalom jones #elaine pagels #west side story

[brainbubblegum]

HEY YOU!!!! 🫵

Are you a Christian?✝️

Is your faith wavering, but you’re still latched onto your beliefs because if you don’t, you worry about the possibility of going to 🔥HELL🔥????

Do you worry obsessively about the end times and the pain dynamics of burning in a lake of fire for all eternity and how that would all work out, like if your soul would get used to it or if the fire would find a way to hurt more over time, like what is eternal torture even??? 🔥🐥🔥🍗🔥🪨🔥

Do you worry about questioning your faith for even a second, because you’re certain that the moment you did, the antichrist would reveal himself and everyone but you would be raptured????? 🙂😈

Do I have the book for you:

#Christianity #book recommendations #Elaine pagel #religon #visions prophecy and politics in the book of revelations #I grew up very brainwashed so these fears were always on my mind as a kid #I broke out of most of the bullshit by the time i graduated high school but the fear still lingered #but several years ago I read this book and it was like a weight had lifted from my shoulders #everything makes sense #but right now it’s more important than ever to question the Christian faith #america is supposed to have a separation of church and state and you wouldn’t THINK THAT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS #Biden’s a democrat but he’s still VERY!!!! CATHOLIC!!!! #so please read this and understand what the church is actually based on #I’m out of my phase where I think Christianity can help certain people with trauma #now I’m in my phase where I know Christianity does more harm than good #religious trauma mention

[cafffine]

various lines from the Gospel of Judas

#sorry. i’m getting ready to read the elaine pagels book on these scripts and feeling deeply unstable #WHY ARE YOU ALL WORKED UP YPU THIRTEENTH DEMON ????????? #I will not speak anymore #judas iscariot #double shot

[litchkiing]

gnosticism and early early christianity is giving me brainworms in ways i cant even fully comprehend yet

#god many thoughts. head swarming with worms #🔥 #elaine pagels ..!

[gratiae-mirabilia]

hey I love your content. I was just wondering what your take on the Gospel of Thomas is? Even outside of theology it's a really interesting historical text, and well worth a read imo

thank you :) I have read other gnostic texts but not the Gospel of Thomas (yet!), I may well read it at some point in the future

#see my last post about elaine pagels for some elaboration i guess #I’ll repeat that I don’t think there’s anything necessarily wrong or scandalous about reading noncanonical texts even if they are gnostic #so long as you have a firm foundation in the canonical inspired Scriptures and the deposit of faith #file under caroline

[amokedas]

The gnostic understands Christ’s message not as offering a set of answers, but as encouragement to engage in a process of searching: “seek and inquire about the ways you should go, since there is nothing else as good as this.” The rational soul longs to see with her mind, and perceive her kinsmen, and learn about her root … in order that she might receive what is hers … What is the result? The author declares that she attains fulfillment:  … the rational soul who wearied herself in seeking—she learned about God. She labored with inquiring, enduring distress in the body, wearing out her feet after the evangelists, learning about the Inscrutable One.… She came to rest in him who is at rest. She reclined in the bride-chamber. She ate of the banquet for which she had hungered.… She found what she had sought.

Elaine Pagels

#Elaine Pagels

[cryptotheism]

hey CT!!! if I wanted to read about the history and theological development of gnosticism, where would be a great place to start? additionally, do you know anything about gnostic marxism? I would love to see what that's all about

Start with The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels.

And, call me a jaded cunt but I don't trust anything called Gnostic Marxism.

[the-devils-library]

Some books to get you started with Satanism (that aren't LaVey's bible)

Please note that none of these are simple "Satanism 101" titles. I don't really believe there is such a thing, at least not for me. However there is a good reason for each one being on the list, which I will explain. There also won't be any magic or witchcraft recommendations on this list, because while magic is absolutely compatible with Satanism, Satanism is a religion and witchcraft is a practice. I may update this list periodically, so if you reblog or save this post, check back in on it once in a while.

Paradise Lost by John Milton. I'd argue this text is one of the closest things Satanism has to "scripture," if there is a Satanic canon then Milton is absolutely a part of it. It can be a bit of a tricky read but it's a beautiful poem loaded with imagery and metaphor to feed the soul. If the style is a struggle for you to read, I'd recommend listening to an audio version, it's very beautiful when read aloud.

Revelations from the Christian Bible. Yes, I'm serious. If you, as a Satanist, are going to read any part of the Bible, make it Revelations. It's poetic and esoteric and full of references to Satan and the demonic.

Inferno by Dante Alighieri. The one might surprise some people, as Satan absolutely isn't depicted in a flattering light in it. However, Inferno has had a surprising amount of influence on the Christian understanding of Hell and the demonic, which is part of why I feel it is valuable, as Satanism is derived from Christianity. Many stereotypes about what one may expect when one gets to hell comes from this book. Furthermore, it's just a fun read.

Origins of Satan by Elaine Pagels. This one is a historical study of Satan as a religious figure, and I think it ought to be required reading for anyone getting into Satanism. Satan isn't just a vague or meaningless deity, he has been weaponized by Christianity throughout the centuries to target very specific groups of people for specific reasons. If you are to take on the mantle of Satanist, I recommend understanding what sort of legacy you're associating yourself with. You are becoming an adversary to God - but what, to the Christian eye, makes one an enemy?

#my posts #satanism #satan #reading recommendations #satanic worship #satanic #theistic satanism #atheistic satanism #luciferian #satanist