Editor’s Note: We’re digging into our ample archives to find some great articles you might have missed over the years. This one comes from 2012.
As the father of a 13-year-old self-proclaimed Satanist, I can honestly say I’m proud of my son, Noam.
His beliefs are at once jokingly provocative and seemingly serious. He says he doesn’t believe in God but does believe in Satan “because Satan is cooler. And if you think about it, Satan is actually ‘good’ because he’s punishing bad people, right?” He’s got a point. To me his being a Satanist is like a person trying on a wild-looking hat out in public, to see what the reactions will be.
That said, Tamara, my son’s mom, no doubt contributed to Noam’s professed beliefs. He was raised on a steady diet of Tim Burton films, like Nightmare Before Christmas, and horror classics that cherish the macabre. Noam’s favorite toy at age 3 was a doll named “Spooky.” It looked like a chubby vinyl black teddy bear with a simplified skeleton printed on its front.
For at least a year, Noam also towed around a two-foot-long creepy-looking Frankenstein monster doll with a grotesquely large head, its veins popping out left and right. At age 3, the doll was practically the same size as he was.
Today, at 13, he now has a tendency to draw zombie clowns and multi-horned devils. So should I really be surprised when my son announced his Satanism? At least he is showing conviction, right?
Tamara is also the daughter of a Jehovah’s Witness. She wasn’t raised that way – her mom converted only a few years ago, possibly at the behest of Tamara’s grandmother who has been a Jehovah’s Witness for decades. I bring that up because it’s interesting to witness, if you will, the disruption, variety and rediscovery of beliefs all in one extended family. Tamara and her partner – Noam’s stepdad – do not practice any religion. But as far as I know, they both believe in God, just not organized religion. And Noam spends the majority of his time living with them.
I came into my own non-religious or atheistic tenets at around the same age as Noam is now. As I studied for my Bar Mitzvah I questioned the fantastical stories of the Torah. The tales are such an intrinsic part of Jewish life that they are retold year after year, holiday to holiday, and every day in between.
After years of Hebrew school, in which I barely communicated with the rabbi, I distinctly recall wandering up the synagogue’s back stairwell toward the offices to speak with him. I walked down the dimly lit office hallway, where the tiled floors were angled to point toward Jerusalem. The rabbi, a kind but distant man, invited me in and asked me what I had on my mind.
“In the Torah, it says that the flood that Noah escaped killed everyone else in the world. Does that mean we descend from Noah and his wife, not Adam and Eve?” I asked.
“Well, probably at that time it felt like the whole world was flooded, but it was just the area around Israel,” he replied. “Besides, they are just stories that are told, they are metaphors.”
“Oh,” I said.
My nonbelief was solidified that day I finally had the courage to question the rabbi.
I can only imagine that this disjuncture of shared beliefs within a family system is increasingly common in an era when co-parenting or split parenting is prevalent. With that in mind, I admire Noam’s questioning, searching and playfulness as he discovers the world around him and what beliefs he will hold onto as “the truth.” Even if he is a Satanist.
About the author
Fivel Rothberg is a New York-based father, media maker, producer, educator and activist. He is not a satanist.
Photo: © Andrey Kiselev / Adobe Stock.
No matter what path someone takes it is critical that they understand and stick with the values system behind it.
Every country and our societies are based on religions that benefit the masses that control that specific state.
If we don’t forget that everyone has a right to their beliefs and that we are all human things would be a lot easier everywhere interesting post.
Gosh Raul. I’m not sure that I agree with the first line in your post for this particular case. I kind of hope it’s just a phase for Fivel’s son. If he really sticks with Satanism and closely adheres to the “values system” behind it, that might be a bad thing. Think of the kind of people he’ll attract. I understand getting excited because your child is making a choice, but if we’re encouraging Satanism then what’s next? Where’s the line? Is there a line? Animal sacrifice? Witch hunt? When do we sit down with our kids and honestly say, “Hey, you know Satan is evil and may not be someone you want to emulate.” Whether you believe in Satan or God or what have you – Satan still represents doing harm to others. Not sure if that’s something you want to encourage. Plus, those animal sacrifice costs can get pretty high.
I have nothing to add and the fact this comment was made 11 years ago makes me doubt anyone will ever see this – but we dont harm animals, it’s one of the 11 rules of the earth