Satanist Guest Speaker

The Advance Titan 4/11/2003: WISCONSIN - A world-renowned Satanist tried to answer the question, “what is the attraction of evil and why is it so alluring and appealing to us?” in a presentation entitled “Heaven For the Climate, Hell For the Company” on Tuesday at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Almost 200 students attended the event. 

Gavin Baddeley, who is an author, music journalist, Reverend of the Church of Satan and the press contact for the Church of Satan in the United Kingdom, was asked to come to UW-Oshkosh by the satanic student organization on campus, Obsidian Enlightenment. 

“This is by far the biggest event that we’ve ever put together,” said event organizer and OE treasurer Nathan Wardinski. 

“I think the chief motivation here is to provoke mischief-making to a certain extent,” Baddeley said. 

Baddeley spoke about the roots of evil in hopes of entertaining some members of the audience while irritating others. At the same time he said he hoped to give the audience something to think about. 

 “Satanism is inherently misunderstood, I think,” Wardinski said. “One of the major humps to get over in understanding Satanism, one of the major challenges that this brand of Satanism espouses, is that Satan or the devil is not a physical or spiritual being. Satan is a metaphor for the belief system within Satanism.” 

“The belief is that God or religion is whatever is the most important thing in your life and if we are honest, the most important thing in our lives is ourselves,” Wardinski said. “Satanism becomes a religion of the self. It focuses on the fulfillment of the person’s ego and the fulfillment of the person’s desires and not being ashamed of who you are.” 

Baddeley has written three books, including the critically acclaimed Lucifer Rising. 

Wardinski read Lucifer Rising in a Satanism and Witchcraft special topics course taught by Professor Jim Lewis. 

  (Advance Titan -The Student Newspaper of the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh