Baphomet and Subtlety

In 1981, the singer Terri Gibbs recorded Somebody’s Knockin’, a hard, base-driven melody purporting the occasion of the devil showing up at the door of a lonely woman who never expected him to have “blue eyes and blue jeans.” I believe this is more in line with the influence of Satan in our world than the statue of Baphomet, the horned goat-head with both male and female parts that Satan worshipers cling to as their icon.

Baphomet has a long history within the occult as explained in an 1897 book, Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie by Eliphas Levi which is supposedly the standard reference for modern occultism. I’m reminded of the Ghostbusters line regarding Tobin’s Spirit Guide but without the humor of the movie attached. Baphomet (the word itself refuses to roll off the tongue being more akin to the reflexive sound emitted when a bug flies into your mouth—Baphomet! Baaaaphomet!) symbolizes the totality of selfishness by displaying both male and female parts; the capability of total satisfaction in a most primal need without anyone else.

John French of National Review (full article here) examines the relevancy of the Satanists in Detroit giving their support to Planned Parenthood. He rightly points out that choosing to murder a baby within you is the ultimate in selfishness. The two groups are literally in an unholy marriage. But here is where the influence of Satan steps away from the icon and subtly into our lives.

I believe the vast majority of people would run and hide if Satan did not clothe himself in an appealing presence and that the old Terri Gibbs song, although probably by accident, has it correct. Baphomet offers a visual display of total self-absorption; “I” am most important, all time is for “me,” “I” need nothing else but what pleases “me.” If there is an omnipresent downside to personal technology, it is that it reinforces isolation. We search for jobs that allow us to work from our home. Our headphones are the first things we latch on to in the morning. Cell phones are seldom out of reach. What has this given us? Our verbal communication skills are eroding, eye-contact when forced to actually speak with someone has to become a relearned skill, parents no longer are able to routinely monitor the information that blasts into our children’s skulls, and children are hindered in obtaining a disciplined ability to sit, listen, and learn.

When was the last time you sat through a Church service and didn’t notice children (or adults) either actively playing a video game or tapping out a message on a cell phone? Worship is an active participation event. (see Ezra and his reading of scripture at the Water Gate). Isolation limits the nurturing capability of the family and impinges on the power and spiritual reward of group worship. Satan uses this isolation. We have to recognize it and fight. Gird up your loins and turn off the devices.