What have I learned in two and a half years of running GSB?
That its members, the very people this site is meant for, are also its worst enemies. I'm not talking about Wolfhook, of course, but about those who pushed Wolfhook in this direction, and many others before him in my long memory of GSB’s history, who have led to the closure of previous incarnations of the project.
I'm echoing reflections made elsewhere. I have come to accept the paradox that GSB’s future lies in being a platform, a crossroads but not a marketplace. A meeting point where exchanges must inevitably take place elsewhere. I am not a fan of the “not here” philosophy, but the alternative would be an ultra closed community, an idea that may seem tempting to beginners but is doomed to fail from the start.Let us not forget that GSB still struggles to meet even minimal standards of interaction among its nearly 4,000 members.
I'm nowhere near reconsidering GSB’s existence. This project has a value that can and must outweigh the dissatisfaction of a few individuals. All the more reason I am convinced that a place like GSB must continue to exist to allow excellent members like Wolfhook to carry on their work elsewhere, even privately, even alone. Otherwise we are nothing but specks of dust in the wind.
It is sad, though, to see that Wolfhook’s last post was followed by a wave of requests for account deletions, as if GSB were a useless place not worth staying in.
I recognize what is happening now as just another chapter in GSB’s long history, a history that certainly does not end here.
I want to thank Wolfhook, who of course is always welcome to return, if and when they wish, to once again appreciate the irreplaceable value that GSB holds for a gay Satanist, the value I strive to give this place every day.
It is, indeed, a particularly difficult time to be at cross-purposes with the powers that be in the United States, whether you are American or not. There has always been a danger in challenging the popular views of society. Those dangers wax and wain with a sometimes implausible speed, but whether it is Romans persecuting Christians, Catholics persecuting protestants, or Puritans persecuting witches, it will never be over.
Satansim suffers more than some from frequently being a reaction to Christianity, rather than a faith in its own right. Those who embrace it out of a sense of having been betrayed by Christianity are likely to express that in ways which lead to further pain on both sides. If I can offer one piece of advice regarding this matter, it is this:
I encourage people when communicating publicly to focus on what Satanism is, not on what it isn't. Leave your hate in your heart, or for when you know you are with someone who shares that hate. When first building community, focus on the love of our Lord for His children, your love of your fellow man, and on the strength you can build by sharing that love.
May our Lord and Father be with you always, and conceal you from our enemies as you share His spirit.