the Word of God is
Sid the Satanist
Remember
- Focus on the true Jesus of the Bible, especially his open contempt for the self-righteous religious leaders of his day so Sid can identify with Christ. Also, talk about John 8:32, where Jesus promised: " Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Eventually, Sid will (most likely) get to the point where he knows he was duped and now is a slave to the dark spiritual world, so help him understand that he can be set free through the power of Christ.
- You should always pray when witnessing to anyone, but this scenario really needs to be covered in prayer. You are attempting to rescue someone from the grips of Satan. Keep in mind that he doesn't let go of his converts easily. Put on your spiritual armor (Ephesians 6) and prepare for a battle!
Basics
Sid's worldview is called Satanism, which is a religion whose followers worship Satan and/or follow the teaching that he represents. While Satanists vary on their beliefs, you can generally put them into two categories. The first type is composed of those who would consider themselves a part of the Church of Satan or *LeVeyan Satanists. They base their beliefs on the Satanic Bible (written by Anton LaVey). Sid is a part of the second (and more popular) category of Satanist, which we'll call "self-taught" Satanists. Since Sid is 'self-taught', he determines the way he'll follow Satan. For example, Sid will perform rituals to conjure up satanic empowerment, and oftentimes have a few friends that participate in these rituals with them. Sid listens to heavy/death metal music that focuses on very dark themes like Satan, murder and graphic sex. Ritual sacrifices of animals (and in extreme cases humans) are sometimes part of the rituals that Sid may engage in. Sid oftentimes looks, acts, and dresses for shock value, so you will see him dress in black and portray a very rebellious attitude. Sid also has a strong hatred of Jesus and any type of organized religion.
*LeVeyan Satanists do not believe in an actual Satan, rather they use the word 'Satan' to describe the forces of nature. Their religion primarily revolves around self-gratification, pleasure, and revenge. In terms of their beliefs about God and the Bible, they are atheistic (see Andy the Atheist).
*LeVeyan Satanists do not believe in an actual Satan, rather they use the word 'Satan' to describe the forces of nature. Their religion primarily revolves around self-gratification, pleasure, and revenge. In terms of their beliefs about God and the Bible, they are atheistic (see Andy the Atheist).
Beliefs
Sid believes that there is a hidden spiritual dimension that contains the power of the occult (occult means 'hidden') that he can summon and use for his own purposes. Sid believes that Satan lives in this dimension, and can give him power when he prays to him and performs rituals. In fact, one of the main reasons Sid decided to become a Satanist was the power and temporary pleasure it seemed to offer.
About God
Sid believes in and hates God.
About Jesus
Sid has an enduring and burning hatred of Jesus, which is motivated and maintained by the strong demonic influence in his life.
About trinity
Sid is not sure about whether the Trinity exists or not.
About afterlife
Sid is not sure whether there is an afterlife or not, and if there is, it won't have places like heaven and hell, and Satan will have ultimate victory. Sid is much more concerned with getting as much pleasure out of this life than worrying about the next.
About salvation
Sid's whole life focuses on sinning, so he definitely doesn't see a need to be 'saved' from anything.
About Scripture
Sid doesn't believe in absolute truth, so he sees the Bible as a book full of myths and lies designed to keep people from enjoying life.