‘Church of Lucifer’ to Open in Texas
SPRING, Texas — The first “Church of Lucifer” is set to open later this month in a small town outside of Houston, Texas.
“Never in history has anything like this has happened before: an open to the public home for the Left Hand Path, a church dedicated to the mental freedom of all mankind, a home for all those who are not conformists to the common way of thought, and a temple to the higher self!” the website for the organization reads. “This is the first steps to a new age.”
The Church of Lucifer will have its first meeting in Springs, Texas on October 30.
Co-founder Jacob No, who goes by a fictitious name to protect his identity since he says that the group’s beliefs are misunderstood, told reporters that the Church of Lucifer is not Satanic.
“We are not devil worshipers in any form of the word,” he told the Houston Chronicle. “We’re not a scary people. We’re very nice people.”
However, some Luciferians consider themselves to be theistic and view Satan as a benevolent being and teacher. In No’s case, he said that as the word Lucifer means “morning star,” the group is a “gathering of people of like mind who seek the bearer of light or the light.”
The Church of Lucifer website acknowledges, however, that it is considered “within the scope of the occult,” and that one of its missions is “discovering who you are as your own goddess/god.”
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“We worship the Complete Self. We exalt in forbidden knowledge and the paths to power,” it reads. “Without the proverbial serpent in the tree, humanity would not be the incredible creature you see in the mirror.”
No says that the services are not your typical church services and do not involve any preaching.
“We do not have a preacher,” he told KPRC.com. “We do not have somebody saying, ‘This is the way it has to be, you have to live this way.'”
“We’re giving a platform for people to explore themselves with ultimate freedom,” No stated. “They will be able to look in the mirror and say, ‘I understand you better.'”
But some state that Luciferianism brings darkness and captivity rather than light and deification.
“Luciferians may see themselves as lovers of light and goodness, but they are embracing falsehood. Satan does not care if people believe in him or not; he can still lead them astray,” writes the site GotQuestions.org.
“He is a very powerful being and the enemy of our souls. The Bible describes him as ‘the devil [who] prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8),” it continues. “Those who get involved with him will eventually regret it…” ChristianNews