BORN, BORN AGAIN OR MADE? by John and Lillee Allee

There continues to be furious debates in Witchcraft and Satanist circles. These are the firestarters:

"Satanists are born not made."

"I am a Witch and you know you a Witch from an early age. You don't need to have training; you either are or are not."

The statements are interesting and responses can prove to be educational. Unfortunately, some people truly believe one or both of the above statements. The fact is we do not live in a black and white world. There are many shades of color around us and almost as many responses to the above.

The first problem we find with these statements are that there is usually no qualifying definition. For example, the Church of Satan believes that individuals are born with certain traits or they are not. Like the Marines, they advocate to have these "superior" individuals join their organization. While this has proven successful in some arenas, there is an obvious watermark and an elitist attitude. Some people will absolutely accept this idea, while others have questions. At least these individuals can be monitored by the organization, not so with our alleged "fam trad" witches.

For the Witches, the problem becomes even more apparent. Copper Rat Squirrel claims she comes from a seventh generation line of real druids. While this sounds impressive, this does not necessarily make Copper an elder in any tradition other than her own family. While she may be a legend in her own mind, Copper has not proven to anyone her knowledge, but only tried to impress a group with "hereditary dropping." This is no different than name-dropping, and very similar to pigeon droppings.

While it seems many Witches today have a grandmother who gave them a "Book of Shadows" and the second sight, again this does not make them any better than a Witch who started by reading Sybil Leek.

We have an objective versus subjective defintion issue here. While most pagans will state that anyone has the right to self-identify themselves as a Witch, druid, etc., we question WHY they believe that this self-identification is correct. In the case of the COS, at least there is that filter for membership. Unfortunately, Witchcraft has become so trendy, that truly trained tradition Witches are woefully outnumbered by the IRAB (I Read A Book) group.

Today we are fighting with too many defintions and new ones being made up everyday. It started with the Wiccans. Once upon a time, there was Gardner, there was Sanders and there was Starhawk. Today some Witches do not know these founders and instead say with a straight face that they are from the Looney Tunes tradition or the Star Wars Coven. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it certainly would confuse the average individual as to which Witch is which.

For many years, the Satanists did not succumb to this. You basically had the Church of Satan, then Temple of Set (which were Setians or Satanists) and those called Traditional where the individual, solitary or not, believed in an actual Devil, Lucifer or a dark pagan male deity. Recently, the gender barrier has been broken with more deities being male or female, or male and female. It is not unusual to hear talk of Lilith , Ereshikigal or Kali. We also have those who are atheists and primarily refer to themselves as Modern or LaVeyan Satanists.

The theistic Satanists,(as defined by Diane Vera) or dark pagans (as defined by John Coughlin) , or Free Thought Satanists (as defined by John Allee) are just some of the many groups that really defy the old style of categorization.

The labels fail us. We have Satanists that may not really be Satanists by the strict LaVeyan definition. We have Witches who may not be defined by the older trads as Witches, yet these people deserve some kind of recognition. Everyone has an opinion.

Why do people say that Satanists are born and not made? There are certainly traits that would make an individual MORE LIKELY to be a Satanist; self-empowerment, a bit of arrogance, the ability to rule their own world and not accept a herd mentality, the ability to question everything, and the ability to ignore societal rules. Most would say a Satanist is also very successful on the mundane and able to take care of his or herself and those she or he loves. The question remains while these traits point out good foundation for a Satanist, you can find such empowered people in many other religions including Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.

Let's use the example of a medical doctor. Some will say that these professionals are born and not made. Certainly, those in medical school will have genetic traits such as superior intelligence, math and science skills, and excellent dexterity that others may lack. These traits alone do not make one a doctor. They must be able to be in a situation, to enter college and have had a supportive childhood that will allow them to succeed in this field. Many doctors go right into medical school after college. However, what about the doctors who adopt this career later in life? Are these less qualified individuals just because their circumstances may have caused this to happen? In some cases, engineers were seeing downsizing and then chose medicine. Others may have gotten their "calling" after being pharmacists or nurses. We cannot simply say that he was born to be a doctor, based on WHEN he made this conscious decision.

Another example from a totally different perspective is those Catholics and Christians who in the 80s were fighting over the idea of who goes to heaven. Most believed that only by following the tenets of the "true Church" would one reach their ultimate reward. Unfortunately, some more astute theologians questioned whether ideas such as limbo or purgatory were even logical. What about the unchurched individual in a corner of the world who was not exposed to the teachings of Jesus Christ? Is zip code alone a ticket to heaven? Further what about those individuals who were raised Muslim or Hindu or whatever and lived and healthy existence adhering strictly to their own moral codes? Would Joe's friend Jamal automatically be denied heaven after saving 50 lives while with the fire department? Pope John Paul II actually answered this and let his flock know that it was all in the intent. In other words, it was based on the person and their acts, rather than the path they followed. If the person had not been exposed to Christianity, this was not a black mark on their soul which would give them a one-way ticket to hell.

This makes sense. Who cannot agree with the idea of being judged by their actions or deeds? Most of us who are reading this are probably not concerned with admission to the clouds, but with the present. It is wise to judge people on their current actions and take responsibility for your own. This begs the question, "Why would some people walk around saying they were pre-destined to be a certain philosophy or religion?"

Our first answer is that it discounts the journey of faith that experts such as Joseph Campbell have written about. What separates the dark pagan from the Church of Satan is usually the quest for knowledge and wisdom based on a need to find out more about the Source. Most pagans believe that there is a superior force or intelligence. This alone is a journey and it may take a while to find out whether they are made for a particular religion.

We also have to question the selfish and manipulative aspect of the statement. While it is certainly important to not waste one's time with those who will not benefit you in any way, why condemn their search for the answer? Sometimes a falsely inflated ego covers the insecurities a person has regarding his or her own place in the world. What not be just who you are? Does it matter when you came into a mindset? Whether it occurred through genetic or educational means? The FCoS firmly believes that Satanists, Witches and Pagans can be born AND made, depending on the individual's physical traits, psychological profile and life experience.

The fact that Wicca and Witchcraft is one of the fastest growing religions proves that the Skinnerian model of shaping behaviors does not work either. Many a pagan was forced to sit through Christian teaching and trainings only to discover their true path once outside the family home.

Why do some still support the "born not made" theory? It is a Cinderella story that gives hope to all. Despite being born in the poorest of circumstances, a young man from the ghetto is able to pull himself through, get into college, and be the first in his family to have a degree, let alone an advanced degree. Some would call it the American Dream, revisited for our generation. We can work with what we have, take advantages of opportunitives and thrive.

Nietzsche says it is based on the individual, and we have B F Skinner saying it is based on an operant conditioning procedure. Our point is that both are right. In some cases, the "super men" will always succeed and take an alternative path with their philosophy that leads them to further greatness. There remains those who have some of the traits, but need to be socialized and educated in that direction. It is not just philosophy or religion, but truly an in-depth study of psychology that will help one understand that Individualism can be born and made.

It gets more involved. As more people run to the dark side and left hand path groups regress to a herd mentality, we will see those "born" and "made" choosing yet another alternative, less common, less mediocre belief system. It again shows the importance of balance and polarity not only within us, but in society itself.

The most disheartening trend now is the born again Witch or Satanist. This month Jane is a Witch. She then may go back to Christianity, and then become a druid, and then go back to Christianity and then become a neo-pagan. It is confusing for those watching as well as the individual. While there may be pathology in this, it may also be Jane's way of finally finding her path, just a little slower than the others. When Stan is a Satanist this year, next year an agnostic, next year a Luciferian, and the next year a dark pagan, this gets more involved. The Satanists that continually join and then dismiss this philosophy are showing a lack of commitment and fear about the path they are choosing. The fact that they cannot overcome their fear shows that they were not "born" to follow this path and certainly are not "making" the commitment to prove their individualism and autonomy to themselves and others. These are the ones who will eventually fall between the cracks or live in the midst of mediocrity once they stop struggling to recreate themselves.

Some individuals cannot be born or made. They are what they are and need to find comfort in their own identity, whether it is in an alternative spirituality or lifestyle. This is why we believe that Satanists and others are born and made. It is both a genetic and psychological component and a conscious decision.

The born not made theory will never be able to be proven, sadly. Imagine if it is true, as some believe, that truly talented musicians are born. We certainly can witness in any high school band or orchestra, those who play mechanically due to teaching method, and those who become one with their instrument, and far outshine the others. Have you ever wondered how many violin virtuosos this world has lost because no one put a violin into their hands? Maybe Jack on the factory line shows incredible manual dexterity and perfect pitch as he hums to the radio. Could he have had a totally different life under different circumstances with an opportunity to make music? Is this why the classic movie stars were always described as "being discovered" rather than flaunted as the latest graduate from Yale Drama?

An interesting sidebar is you never see Christians who brag about the fact they are seventh generation Catholics. They are Catholics. It is not a badge or a blemish, it just is. In some of the more diverse neo-pagan groups this acceptance is also seen. Even in a religion where lineage matters such as Judaism, outside their own community, you do not hear them bragging that they were "born not made" Jewish or that their Jewish traditions go back farther than some other Jewish family. This should give us all an idea on how to approach the "born not made" theory. Only in certain occult circles do people claim things that cannot be proven ("my mother's mother's mother's mothers mother was a REAL WITCH in Scotland.) In fact, with the idea of individualism being born into an individual this can be discerned by the individual's demeanor, attitude and approach to the outside world.

We believe that one can be born or made. It is up to the individual. The born again (and agains) will certainly have to work to find balance and stability in their own beliefs. While this debate will always come up, it is best to keep in mind that while the topic is titillating, it has too many variables.

The next time you encounter a "born Satanist" or "seventh generation Witch" explain you are more interested in the successes they've had recently and that you cannot judge their worth on DNA or genealogy, but on the psychological strength, responsibility and wisdom that has been gained despite such claims.

JDA/lca ©2005 http://churchofsatan.tv