Teenage son and satanic books

[teensmom]

I don't know where to start so if I ramble I'm sorry. I signed up for this forum to see if I could get some help/suggestion in handling an issue I'm having with my teenage son.

Some background: He's 16; he's been diagnoised Bipolar, which I have a hard time with but that's another issue; he's been to church a few times before but not enough to know "what it's all about". I'm divorced and his father is not in his life at all. I consider myself a Christian, but I don't go to church. My prayers and worship I keep private, which I'm now regretting.

I can normally work through all his "teenage" issues with him by talking to him or having his therapist talk to him. But I've come upon something that I don't think the therapist will address and I'm not prepared mentally and intelligently to handle. I was in his room the other day and noticed a book on his dresser. It was a satanic dictionary... ok it said bible on it. I took it from his room and put it away ( I should have thrown it away but I didn't ) He asked for it back last night. I asked him why he was reading something like that, he said he wasn't going to debate religion with me and would I please give it back. I told him that I needed to find out what it said in it before I even thought about giving it back to him. ( I'm not going to read it, I know what it says. ) I asked him if he was getting into that kind of thing and he said yes. I told him that we'd have to talk about it and he got upset and went to his room.

My son is very intelligent, perhaps too much. I know I MUST talk to him about why it's a horrible thing and convince him to not continue reading and thinking those things. I need to find out how to do that.

What I'm asking is if anyone has ever had to deal with this kind of problem and what they did to prepare themselves for "the talk". Or if someone knows where I can get some information on how to deal with it.

 

[ContentInHim]

Hi teensmom! I've asked a mod to move this to Christian Advice in the "Faith" area or whatever it's called now.

 

[teensmom]

thank you

 

[Sketcher]

The main problem you're going to have most likely is if you try to talk to him about it, he'll slam you for hypocrisy, either to your face or behind your back. I don't know how to confront your son, but you can and should pray for him consistently.

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." - James 5:16-20

This can apply to you, too. Pray for your son consistently. Go to church again and get your life right with the Lord. Submit a prayer request - this could even be on your first visit - so that elders will also be praying for your son. It may take a short time or it may take years, but God can break through this stuff.

 

[Billnew]

I think looking at the "bible" would be a start.

Is it the social Satanist bible or the occult Satanist bible. If it the occult, there is rituals and other stuff that might cue you in to other problems.(animal torture or sacrifice)

If it is the Social side(not sure what all it incases, but it is an accepted religion in the military.) But this one doesn't call for anti-social activities.(torture or killing)

This might just be his acting out, and seeking religion in his own way. Looking for acceptance from the powerful diety that doesn't care what you do or who you are.
As opposed to the love of Jesus, who cares who you are, and who you could become.

As a teen, I called on Satan to make me special, and I would forever worship him. He made no difference in my life, and I found that Jesus made me special, even if I didn't realize it.

He may be lost, searching for the savior no one has shown him. You say you kept your religion to yourself.
Does he feel that your savior/religion doesn't(won't) accept him? So he looks to the opposition?

Reading the Devils bible won't make you burn in hell.
But it might find a path to lead your son back to the son
of God. The devil manipulates the light, he is called the god of light and darkeness. He casts shadows on truth and shows the dimly lit chambers of sin. You can cast the real light on the Satanic bible, and lead him back.

 

[heron]

Reading the Devils bible won't make you burn in hell.
But it might find a path to lead your son back to the son
of God

I agree. When I was that age, I curiously explored all sorts of things that I assumed my parents would never have explored -- it felt like discovering new worlds. People tried to take items from me, but that made me cling to and own them even more.

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective

That's what it took to get the occult items away from me. Just someone's prayer. It might seem far too vague and risky, but God is in this process -- He is completely aware of your concerns, and your son's interests. Keep praying, and we'll pray with you too.

 

[teensmom]

thank you for the replies.... I do need to get back into church and this is probably the push I've been waiting for.

This evening I'll look at the book and see what exactly it is. I remember when I was a teenager I was given a book, I think it was called "The Way" or something like that. It's an easy to read/understand bible. I'm going to go to the bookstore and buy one, give it to him and tell him when he's done reading that if he still wants the occult book back we'll talk about it or if he'd like to go to a church service and see for himself we'll do that too.

Thank you for your prayers

 

[vespasia]

Being diognosed with bi-polar is pretty tough for anyone, for a 16 year old lad thats going to hit very hard.
He may find the information on this UK website of help. MIND is the UK charity supporting people who face challenges from mental distress and illness. This URL will take you straight to thier 'young peoples' information site.
http://www.youngminds.org.uk/youngpeople/index.php

This is a booklet written for adults that you may both find helpful http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Booklets/Understanding/Understanding+manic+depression.htm

Keeping the doors of communication open with him is very important, well done for doing that.

I suspect you found a copy of Anton Lavey's 'Satanic Bible'. Removing it was okay. Throwing it away would not be as it is not yours and doing so could set off a mental 'wobbly' that will make any attempt at a rational discussion impossible.

IF you have not read the book you do not know what it says. It is focussed on self, something many teenagers are so they identify with the writing. IF you have read it, and I assure you he will have done, then you can enter into a reasoned debate of why you are not happy with that book and ask sensible questions for him to think upon.

Many of the unhappy teens who face mental distress I work with do look at this book, they are seeking answers as to why they fel so different to everyone else, why they have to endure this suffering and in the case of some of the ones prone to psychotic haullcinations why they are seeing the weird things they are. Many feel able to cope with the idea of 'I see pet demons' better than 'Your having a psychotic episode.' Being able to see demons is kind of cool being psychotic is NOT.

This website contains a great deal of sane information on satanism. I also recommend Jeff Harshbargers book as it is written to give an insight and helpful advice for parents who find themselves in similar situations to yourself. www.refugeministries.cc


Most with this diagnosis might think they can become a member of a satanic order but the reality is their periods of disorganized thinking and depression will stop them being able to seriously study.
Having a diagnosis will prevent him from being even considered for membership of the more serious and esoteric groups/orders.

 

[rocklife]

with our teens, we are very restrictive of what is in the house. they are not in charge, the parents are. We have a 19 year old and a 17 year old and they abide by parents rules. If not, they will not be welcome to live in this house. Our 27 year old was not cooperative when he was in his early 20s, he wanted his Cds and etc that were too ungodly, and he moved out. If they want their things, they don't get to live here. (Our family has become christian in the last about 10 years, so some of the family was influenced in bad ways)

with a minor, the christian parent should be in charge (not kick them out), and just take away his books and things, and bring consequences for not respecting you as needed, like no phones, no friends, no internet, no allowance, that kind of restrictions, add some chores to do if needed. And to balance that out, spend time having fun with your teen, we have family game night every night and try to have a lot of healthy quality time and fun together. Also would be helpful to continue putting him in for prayer requests too

 

[heron]

this is probably the push I've been waiting for.

God works in mysterious ways, doesn't He!

Vespasia had some very valuable things to say. I've had friends with bipolar, some who work diligently on improvement, and some who put off admitting it. Every state of mind will feel very real to your son, whether he's depressed and self-deprecating or flying off in a panic.

Being 16, he has less than two years to learn how to make wise and productive decisions before he is legally responsible for his actions. If his [bipolar...whatever] flares up in adulthood, which it likely would, he could easily find himself in handcuffs, while living a very normal responsible life. I'm not trying to scare you or condemn him -- the ailment can sort of victimize him.

It's important to keep working with him on how to prepare for his future. You can direct the focus away from his potential tangents, and toward how to get through life... avoiding potential obstacles.

Also, notice what you assign power to, and how it plays out. Things can inflate when we fear them too much.

Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.
Eph 6:10

Assume that God is behind you, and caring for your son right now. Step into that, and shake off any guilt or condemnation over being away from church. God is here with you now, and that's what matters.

 

[Sojourner<><]

I don't know where to start so if I ramble I'm sorry. I signed up for this forum to see if I could get some help/suggestion in handling an issue I'm having with my teenage son.

Some background: He's 16; he's been diagnoised Bipolar, which I have a hard time with but that's another issue; he's been to church a few times before but not enough to know "what it's all about". I'm divorced and his father is not in his life at all. I consider myself a Christian, but I don't go to church. My prayers and worship I keep private, which I'm now regretting.

I can normally work through all his "teenage" issues with him by talking to him or having his therapist talk to him. But I've come upon something that I don't think the therapist will address and I'm not prepared mentally and intelligently to handle. I was in his room the other day and noticed a book on his dresser. It was a satanic dictionary... ok it said bible on it. I took it from his room and put it away ( I should have thrown it away but I didn't ) He asked for it back last night. I asked him why he was reading something like that, he said he wasn't going to debate religion with me and would I please give it back. I told him that I needed to find out what it said in it before I even thought about giving it back to him. ( I'm not going to read it, I know what it says. ) I asked him if he was getting into that kind of thing and he said yes. I told him that we'd have to talk about it and he got upset and went to his room.

My son is very intelligent, perhaps too much. I know I MUST talk to him about why it's a horrible thing and convince him to not continue reading and thinking those things. I need to find out how to do that.

What I'm asking is if anyone has ever had to deal with this kind of problem and what they did to prepare themselves for "the talk". Or if someone knows where I can get some information on how to deal with it.

Hi there. I have a similar history. I never got into anything like satanic books, but when I was a teen I was hanging around a crowd that was into that sort of stuff. Needless to say it was a bad influence on me. If he's anything like I was back then, then he might be suffering from a painful emotional rollercoaster that can be hard to predict.

A couple of things you may not want to do: don't hit him with your 'holy stick'. In other words, don't go super spiritual on him and confront him with the gospel or something like that.... you could push him over the edge. Also, don't give him the 'hands off' treatment. My parents decided to let me learn my own lessons... big mistake. You seem pretty concerned though so that's good.

IMO, what you're kid needs is love! He needs mentoring and somone to look out for him and guide him through life. Chances are he doesn't really know what he's getting himself into. In my case, all that dark stuff was appealing because I felt hurt and bitter against family and church for being rejected. It wasn't that I believed it all, but it was like a representation of my feelings: it was an outward expression like 'hey, this is what is going on in my heart'. In retrospect I think it was really the only way for me to communicate the effect others had had on me.

Another thing I think you shouldn't do is treat your son as if something's wrong with him. Sure this stuff is wrong, but if it's a rebellious thing, the real problem might be his family or social life. This would definately be a good opportunity to pray for discernment to see where the family might be failing him. If there is something going on there, apology might be in order. Kids need to feel justice where they've been wronged just like adults.

You should also pray that the Lord would do something to show him the seriousness of what he's getting into. I'll definately pray for you two.

 

[Jakkaru]

Although as a fellow teenager, my advice or insight may not be deemed useful but being abit similiar to your son in some ways and in age I think I can relate and help you diffuse a few tricky situations or if anything else give you some info.

Firstly, the book your child posseses. Is it called "The Satanic Bible" by Anton LeVey? If so take a little sigh or relief. Your son is not planning on summoning demons or worshipping the devil or sacrificinf virgins or any of that mess. Now WHAT the book teache sis that a person is their own God. That is the basic concept behind it, but as a Christian I know this is downright scary and evil. Also despite the name the book has nothing to do with worshipping the devil but more so worshiping what Christians believe to be "The Flesh" so as some sinful activities are really good. Although the book DOES have rules that many religions including Christianity would find appealing such as, no killing, no harming small children, etc.

So what does this mean? Well your child is probaly, and as horrifying as this may seem, unhappy with Christianity and is seeking something new, and when he says he wishes to debate with you, he may just mean that he wants to debate religions with you, but please whatever you do, do NOT make him feel stupid, do not make him feel inferior and do not outright tell him he is wrong. As a teenager he will most likely pull away from you abit more for this, after all our parent's acceptance is actually something we teenagers desire even though we constantly rebel. Let him understand he can make his own decisions and don't patronize him, there is NOTHING in that book directly that will cause him to become evil.

What can you do though? I say the best way to handle the situation is to give him the same philosophy.. but away from the aura of Satanism. Therefore he does not adopt the teachings as dogma and this way you can keep him open to your bible. I recommend that you brush up on your bible.. ALOT.. ALOT! And when he wants light debate, give it to him, but if it gets heated be sure to call it off. Also go out and gather some books by philosopher's such as Friedrich Neitzsche and Plato. Knowing your son he will dive into these for something new and this way you feed his desire for new ideas seperate from Christianity without the dogma of Satanism. Another good read for your child is the writings of C.S. Lewis. He too was a deep Christian and his writings also coincide with the same principles of Neitzsche and others but with Christian overtones. The key is to use a subtle approuch not fire and brimstone and unacceptance.

Make it clear you want him to broaden his intellect and please encourage him to research more but the important things it to steer him away from Satanism, although the book he has won;t damage him, it COULD if it becomes dogmatic lead to deeper things.

 

[MethodMan]

Thread has been move to Christian Advice.

PM me with any questions

 

[bornagain01]

FIRST things FIRST. YOU need to get into a good Bible based church. Once you get your life right with God, he will start working in your son's life. Obviously, I can't tell you when or how because ultimately your son has to make decisions either for God or Satan. The ONE THING your son should be seeing right now is how you are living your life for Christ. If you have never been Baptized, take your son and your family to see it. Get involved with the church you choose. YOU become a "help" to others and God will send someone to "help" your son. No matter what kind of trouble your son may get into, keep your eyes on God and he will be with you throughout. My wonderful 20 year old son was caught by the police with drugs in his car. As a family, we went through a year of Hell as we dealt with his addiction, jail time and the court system. He is now free of his addiction and going to church on his own.

 

[Tenebrae]

Vespasia speaks sense

 

[AutumnSnow]

I read the Satanic bible (the one by Lavey - from the church of satan") when I was 14-15. I thought it was the most wonderful, mind opening piece of "literature" I'd ever read ... of course, now I know what the words actually meant.

One thing you need to understand, which I'm sure you already do, is that this is VERY serious. You see, the Satanic Bible does not contain spells, incantations, black magic, or anything else we'd normally associate with Satan. Thats what makes it so dangerous in the hands of teenagers. Lavey goes on about how there actually is no God, no devil. He claims not to worship Satan, and does not encourage anyone else to do so, because they do not exist. So, he goes on to say, why waste your time on prayer? Why be kind to others? Why tolerate complacency & stupidity & weakness? Lavey especially loathes the weak ... Why not give in to perverted sexual desires? Why pray - its a waste of time! Add to that his claim that he calls his organization the Church of Satan not because he worships the devil, but because Satan stands for the old addage "if it feels good, do it!" This is a very appealing, convincing argument, especially for a biopolar teenager who is searching to find his identity.

Personally speaking, I did not view these things for what they were. I did not realize that by doing what LaVey spoke about, it actually was a form of devil worship because they are counterproductive to being saved.

If I was in your situation, I would do what was done for me. My aunt recognized what I was being lured into and bought me christian books aimed at teenagers, christian rock music, etc. Oh, yes, I made fun of it at the time, but I did get around to reading and listening to what she bought The books, I was shocked to learn, were not preachy at all, and more importantly, they helped. When I had nowhere else to turn, I had those books to read. They offered the true advice that those filthy Satanic nonsense books could NEVER give!!! One of those books was Life on the Edge by Dr. James Dobson - I'm sure its outdated by now, but if you can find that one, or any others by the same author, thats a good start.

Your son needs to have Christian values ingrained on his subconscious. I hate to say it, but forget Church, for now. He'll only resent it at this age. My mother & a close family friend would take me and the friend's son & daughter on retreats. Yes, they are Catholic, and even if you are not of that denomination, youth retreats are awesome!!! Believe me, both teenagers and adults can take positive results from them- they are not preachy the good ones focus more on teenagers dealing with real life social problems.

See if you can find a Bible for him that is geared towards his age group. That was another book my Aunt gave me. It had a section in the beginning that explained the Christian take on certain drug abuse, depression, the occult, etc. Again, I still have this Bible, still refer to it, even 10 years later

Whatever you do, don't preach to him - don't let on that you know about the Satanic Bible. Do more things as a family, and it doesn't have to be Christian related, but that helps! My mother, and again, the same family friend took me and her kids to see the Passion of the Christ when it came out. Its a hard movie to watch, but if he hasn't already, this is one movie he should watch.

I hope this has helped. This is serious business, and if he gets too far into this, he'll be struggling with it for a long time to come. Some parents wouldn't even bother to do anythign about this, so you should know that is probably the most powerful thing that will help him to see through this nonsense ... a parent that cares

 

[Octeron]

Hello there,

As a teenager myself, I hope I am able to try and relate to your son, and see what he would be thinking in different situations. I do come from a clearly different and non-religious background, with two atheist parents who have never encouraged nor discouraged any religious beliefs - just for me to believe in what ever I perceive to be the truth. I certainly do not believe in any kind of God, demon or Devil, and will be speaking as someone who views religious beliefs as slightly strange - but please, at least listen to my advice.

I personally believe you should allow your to son to read any material he wishes. It is his choice to follow whatever path he chooses to, Christian or otherwise. I think it is wrong to channel someone strictly into one belief. The chances that he will read this book and instantly become a 'devil worshiper' are extremely low - a lot of people I know have read similar material, and I can assure you none of them have become one. Reading books on the occult is a phase many people go through, and is often just a way of rebelling against the norm; or even just exploring something that seems exciting and different at the time.

Of course, a large factor in this will be actually what the book is about. If the book is The Satanic Bible, you will have less to fear as a Christian than you might initially expect from a book with such a title. It does not preach the traditional darkness and demon summoning traditionally associated with occultist religions - nor of any actual deity at all, and is, to a degree, a satire on organized religion in general. The principal teachings are that you are your own God; something I can see that does obviously go against Christian teaching, but is far removed from what you might have expected to find in there.

If you really do wish to discourage him, or stop him reading these materials altogether (something which I would be very much against, although it is of course your choice) the very worst thing you could choose to do would be to take the book away from him. As well as serving to heighten his curiosity, it will make him feel annoyed - as a teenager, being told something is off-limits is often the one way to guarantee that you will work to find a way to get at it! As Jakkaru said, if he wants some light debate, engage in some with him, but if you do get into a full blown argument about your beliefs, make sure you stop. If you do not, it will only serve to weaken the relationship between you, and will also increase the chance that he will rebel against the beliefs you wish for him to hold.

Good luck in choosing the right course of action

P.S. - make sure you do read the book, instead of just assuming you know what it says. You can't stick every book with 'Satanic' in the title into the same category.

 

[bunced]

Be careful not to go too heavy on the "Don't do that, it's dangerous approach." Because teenage nature is that if a parent says you musn't do something, you instantly want to do it as form of rebellion and independence. It's part of life.

Instead, do as other posters have said - light debate, explain your position, pray, and let God do the rest. The dictator attitude won't work here

 

[Octeron]

Your son needs to have Christian values ingrained on his subconscious.

Also, this sounds a lot like brainwashing to me. Not something I would recommend.

 

[CShephard53]

I'll add my two cents. Step back, let him do what he wants to do (as long as it doesn't hurt others), and pray. Why? You cannot force him to make choices. He needs to make choices on his own. Now, you'll probably throw that out because I'm 20 and don't have kids. Well, prayer is far more effective than getting in his face about it in any way, shape, or form. Confrontation is not the way to solve this. Gently asking why he's interested in satanism would be better. Let him do it if he wants- ask for reasoning in the matter.