Originally posted by forestlady
Why do you not see Bonewits as a credible source? Just wondering.
I could go pretty detailed in answering that question, but I only have a maximum of 4000 characters to use in this post, so....
No, but seriously, it`s not that I have any active personal dislike for Bonewitz- I`ve never met him, so I don`t have any basis to personally dislike
him.
But he sure seems to dislike me, and anyone else he feels taps into an archetype he feels is 'negative'. I might point you towards
the essay on his site, 'The Enemies of Our Enemies', where you`ll see him repeat his favorite anti-Satanist smear more than once- that Satanists are
just masquerading and under the trappings, they`re Christian Fundementalists (the smear is also present on the main page of his website, which gives
you an idea just how badly he seems to want his readers to accept the idea). The statement, of course, reflects absolutely zero understanding of
Satanic ideals, and is totally inaccurate, but he insists upon incessantly repeating it. Ironically, in the same essay, he seems very concerned that
Neopagans and Wiccans distance themselves as much as possible from Satanists because any closeness between the groups might lend credence to claims
they are all one and the same. Where would such claims originate in the first place? The Fundie Christians he seems to dislike so much. Why he`d be so
concerned about their opinions if he holds them in so much contempt- I honestly don`t have a clue. He also infers that Satanists intend on 'ruling
the world'; no Satanist I`ve ever encountered has held that particular goal. Satanic morality is pretty much centered on mastering one`s self, not
anyone else. Where Bonewitz gets the idea otherwise- well, you`d have to ask him.
His statement that Neopagans should be wary of joining in 'public relations coalitions' with Satanists just as they would with 'The Inquisition'
(one wonders what 'Inquisition' he`s referring to- to the best of my recollection there is no currently active 'Inquisition', the final days of
the Catholic Inquisition having been some time ago) or the Ku Klux Klan is a pretty thinly veiled inference to draw an ethical equivalency between the
groups he mentions. Slurs like that are the sort of thing that, were it any other belief system (Neopagans, for instance) he would be decried
viciously for making. Apparently it`s o.k. (in his mind) to do to anyone who dares turn a pentegram or cross upside down, though.
For a more detailed response to his criticisms of Satanism, you might want to email one of the major Satanic orgs, like the COS or TOS. I would assume
they`d be more than able to provide point-by-point refutations of his innacurate statements about their theology, being that they`ve been dealing with
those misconceptions for years.
