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Strange History

40 Facts about the Church of Satan

Anton Szandor LaVey - Church of Satan

6. The greatest Satanic sin is stupidity

A boy is made to wear a dunce’s cap as a punishment, from The Affectionate Parent’s Gift, London, 1828. Wikimedia Commons

Along with the foundational Nine Satanic Statements in The Satanic Bible, the Church also has a corresponding list of Nine Satanic Sins, with stupidity described as ‘the Cardinal Sin of Satanism’. ‘Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable.’ Like many maxims and proverbs, this isn’t very specific, but seems to be a thinly-veiled criticism of mass-market capitalism and the idea of the individual as a consumer.

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I am a freelance historical and literary writer based in West Yorkshire, UK. I read for a funded PhD in English at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College) and graduated in 2016. I am a former lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. My publications include peer-reviewed articles in academic publications, and pieces in mainstream magazines such as History Today and Fortean Times. For more information, please see www.drflight.co.uk

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