Another group of Satanists, referred to as “New Satanism,” encompasses all contemporary Satanists and fundamentally denies the existence of Almighty Allah. This group believes that there is no God, and that belief in God is merely a construct of human thought. As the author of The Satanic Bible states, “God did not create man; rather, it is the mentality of man that consistently creates his gods.”
Anthony Levi believed that man is God himself, and all gods are made by the mind and hands of man. He believed that when a person worships a god outside of his existence, he has actually worshiped the creation of his own mind and hands.
To spread this belief, Levi turned to skepticism and stated: “Doubt in everything is the only way to reach true knowledge.” He further added: “It is impossible to reach the truth without the pleasant phenomenon called doubt.”
He also praises those who doubt everything and refuse to acknowledge anything, considering this attitude to be a form of great knowledge. Conversely, he associates a single origin with the beginning of all ignorance.
Contemporary Satanists have employed various forms of doubt to deny religion and instill skepticism in the hearts of believers. Among the notable arguments from this group to deny religion, two key points can be mentioned:
The first doubt: The multiplicity of God’s names and the differences among religious people regarding these names indicate that the essence of God’s existence is a product of human minds.
This doubt raised by Satanists — concluding that God is a creation of the human mind — is an absurd and baseless speculation. This is because the originators of this doubt have not provided any solid and reliable reasons for it. They reject God themselves and, upon observing the natural desire and godliness prevalent among the general public, seek alternative explanations for this natural desire, leading to such speculations. However, it is evident that this possibility could be considered only if there were no logical and rational grounds for God’s existence. This is not the case; God’s existence can be proven with solid evidence.
One such reason is the notion of order in the universe, which thinkers refer to as the “proof of order.” The argument of order is based on two main foundations: 1. A precise and calculated system governs the universe. 2. Wherever there is a precise and calculated system, it cannot be the result of random events; instead, it must necessarily originate from intelligence and power.
Thus, every intelligent person, upon observing the orderly and harmonious phenomena of existence, wonders: What is this order and harmony of seemingly chaotic beings? Did the parts create this order by cooperating with one another, or was a wise and prudent administrator responsible for arranging these parts with such precision?
In many verses, including the following, the Holy Qur’an refers to aspects of order in the complex creation of man, the heavens, the earth, and living things, presenting them as signs for the Wise Controller: «إِنَّ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَفِي خَلْقِكُمْ وَمَا يَبُثُّ مِن دَابَّةٍ آيَاتٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ» Translation: “Indeed, there are many signs in the heavens and the earth for the believers, and in your creation and the living creatures scattered throughout the earth, there are signs for people of certainty.”
The second doubt: The existence of God is apparently incompatible with the existence of evil. Satanists articulate this doubt as follows: 1. If there is a god, he is the creator of everything. 2. There are evil beings in the world; therefore, God is the creator of evil. 3. Creating evil is an ugly and indecent act; thus, if there is a god, he must be responsible for ugly things. 4. If God really exists, then he must be perfect and must never do anything ugly; therefore, there is no real God.
Before grappling with this doubt, it is essential to recognize this point: sometimes, evil and suffering are products of our understanding and perception, which can change with our perspective and knowledge. For example, receiving news that our brother had an accident is painful for us. However, this pain and suffering are not solely products of the accident itself; they stem from our knowledge of the incident. Thus, if this accident were a lie, we would no longer feel any pain or suffering. This type of evil is referred to as “imaginary evils.”
With a slight change in perspective, we can see that many of our sufferings are rooted in our illusions and incorrect views of the world. For instance, when we lose a valuable object, understanding that the true owner of everything in the world is Allah diminishes our sadness and resentment; therefore, some evils stem from our illusions, and we cannot question the Almighty Allah as to why He created them. Allah responds that it is we who have suffered by seeing facts that are good and merciful through distorted and erroneous lenses.
Now, with this understanding in mind, we can look at evil from another angle. The division of beings into good and evil from a human perspective is rooted in our anthropocentric belief. For example, we deem snake venom to be evil because it harms humans, but we often overlook its benefits to the snake. Similarly, a farmer may consider rain to be good, while a builder may view it as evil because it aids one profession while hindering another. Thus, we can conclude that evil is a relative concept. Based on this reasoning, even an earthquake may be considered beneficial for many animals and can have positive environmental impacts. An earthquake can also lead to significant capital circulation and job creation for hundreds of engineers and workers. During such events, thousands of individuals receive financial support, and advancements in science and technology emerge, along with new discoveries and inventions.
Of course, we believe that Allah is the creator of everything, including the pain and suffering that can be classified as evil, and nothing exists beyond His creation. Nevertheless, this reality does not imply a lack of knowledge, power, or infinite mercy on His part. There is no convincing rational argument to demonstrate that the existence of evils and unfortunate events is not ultimately beneficial or that their harm outweighs their benefits.
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