The earliest Christians approached Christianity as a philosophy compatible with other philosophical beliefs. The Gnostic Christians saw no conflict between the Christian religion and the mystery schools of Greece and Rome. Among the Celts, Christianity was adopted by the Druids and was practiced alongside the earlier pagan religion. The Greeks and Romans approached Christianity from an intellectual perspective. The scriptures were accepted within the context in which they had been written and were not interpreted as the literal Word of God.
The acceptance of Christianity as the official religion of Rome (and creation of the Roman Catholic Church) signaled the end of this intellectual Christianity and the start of a new authoritarian Christianity. In its rise to dominance, the Church proclaimed earlier pagan religions to be forms of devil-worship and condemned millions of innocent men, women, and children to death. Various Gnostic sects were among those executed. Intellectual freedom was suppressed and obedience to the Church was demanded.
With the Age of Enlightenment and the eventual separation of church and state, a new emotional Christianity took the place of the authoritarian Christianity. The new Christianity espoused faith in Jesus, the person, as the savior of man and the redeemer of the world. The Bible was accepted as the living Word of God by those claiming to be reborn in Christ. In emotional fervor many Christians would take up serpents, speak in tongues, and witness miracles performed by faith healers. This is the Christianity we have been left with today, a religion of blind faith and superstition - intolerant of all others faiths.
Many have rejected Christianity today because of what they see as the utter ridiculousness of its ceremonies and the complete ignorance of its followers. There is much wisdom to be found in Christian scripture, however, if one has the time to read the many books which have been published in the Bible. One should bear in mind that many other "holy books" have been written which have not been included in the Bible and that, in addition to "inspired" writings like the Bible and the Koran, there is much wisdom to be found in the writings of the many philosophers throughout history. Only by accepting the Bible for what it is, a book written by men and not the "living" Word of God, can one approach a true understanding of these scriptures.
Read from a "satanic" perspective, the Bible reveals itself as a history of Hebrew magicians and sorcerers. In a careful reading of the Bible, the prophets of the Old Testament are shown to be practitioners of the Black Arts and Jesus Christ, in his stance against hypocrisy and self-righteousness, is revealed as a great Satanic Priest and Black Magician. To the inquiring mind it is clear why the Magi of Persia (the Wise Men), were the first to acknowledge the birth of Christ, for through their Magical Art and the practice of Astrology, they recognized him as a naturally born magician. The eighteen lost years of his life were surely spent in the east studying the knowledge of the Magi. The practitioner of the Black Arts may be the truest Christian and he who would follow the Dark Path set out in this book the truest Apostle of Christ.
