3. Why most people get Epicurus wrong

Why most people get Epicurus wrong

I am a card carrying LaVeyan Satanist. We are very much Epicureans. Epicurus followed a belief that life is precious and we should enjoy it as much as we can. RESPONSIBLY! We say responsibility to the responsible! No you can have sexual relations with children, animals or a non-consenting partner. No, don't do meth or heroin. It's bad for you. Live life to the fullest, but don't be a menace to society. Don't do something you will regret later. Stop smoking. You'll get cancer. Eat right. Exercise. Get a dog. Children and animals are sacred in the Satanic religion because they represent the purest form of life. Be care free and happy, but be a good person still. Love your family, respect your parents (call your Mother!), take care of your dog, etc. Epicureanism is about responsible hedonism. Why is that concept so hard to accept? Well, look at Christianity - how many relatively benign things do they forbid? Sex before marriage. Homosexuality. Deprivation of pleasures to become 'closer' to God such as Lent and fasting. I've been to Jesus camp. It was horrible. Everyone was rolling on the floor speaking in tongues. I was literally the only one who wasn't 'possessed' by the holy spirit. I was 10. My Mother is a Christian (my cousin told me the camp was great and I begged my Mother to let me go, she was mad when she found out it was a holy roller thing). My Father's cancer spread to his brain and he was out of his mind. He was in horrific pain. He had lung cancer (if you smoke, stop, it's not worth it) and it spread to his bones and brain. He went through many different religious phases (he was Jewish, Buddhist, and Satanic even) and that kind of influenced me that religion is a joke (Satanists actually joke quite a bit, enjoying life means you can't take yourself seriously 100% of the time, Anton LaVey played many pranks on people who were, inconsiderate I guess, of our philosophy. In others words, they deserved it. Nothing to harm them except their pride though. We follow the law. We are also against drug use.) My Father got very, very sick. I think the main point Epicurus was trying to make was just lead a happy life, free of pain. Suffering is bad. My Dad truly suffered. I have chronic pain myself. Some of my family criticize me for taking pain killers, but they give me a better quality of life and I do not abuse them. I want a happy life, free of emotional and physical pain. That is Epicurean. If you want to learn more about our philosophy, check out ChurchofSatan.com We do not believe in the devil. We don't even believe he exists. We are materialists - we believe what we can see, hear, sense. We follow science. We believe man is another animal, no better, often worse than other animals. We believe in being good to your loved ones, they are precious and you should cherish them. I visit my 93 year old Grandmother (she has severe Alzheimer's) regularly and bring her flowers and treats. I don't think she recognizes me anymore. She is in a nursing home now, but before that I cared for many times. I took her to the doctor, the hospital, cleaned up what I could (I have chronic pain), bathed her, wiped her, and constantly yelled at my family to put her in assisted living. She could barely prepare a meal and would forget to take her medication and use her oxygen. None of her other grandchildren helped. I usually pretend to be a Christian. I live in a very nice apartment complex, everyone is very nice, low crime, right in town, etc. But they are all devout. We even have bible study in our community room. So I just go along with it. And yes, it's annoying - but we are the most feared religion. If a white lie helps, do it. I lie to my Grandmother all the time. If it helps her get to the doctor or bathed after incontinence, I don't see the problem. I want her to be happy. So I lie to her. When I visit she says she was to go home. So I tell her she will soon. In 60 seconds she forgets and I just tell her again. Alzheimer's is a terrible disease. But it's ok to lie in that situation. I want her to be comfortable. That's Epicurean. Just being comfortable.

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