LeVey Satanism and Church of Satan do not believe in a personal devil. The whole Satan schtick is a provocateur thing they've got going. It's entirely compatible with atheism, and while it's not my cup of tea, I admire their creative trolling of political and social conservatives.

Umm, no. No, you seem to be very confused and speaking from a place of ignorance here.

Satanists DON'T BELIEVE IN SATAN OR ANY GOD.
But he is a pretty damn great fictional character... Particularly the romanticized version of the character within literature. Satan as the "original rebel, the first free thinker, the emancipator of worlds!" Who always stood in the way of tyrannical authority.

The difference between Satanists and most other religions is that we don't delude ourselves into believing the story of our character as reality, nor need it to be real in order to draw from it. Nor do we believe in any supernatural shit that often goes with it.

The difference between Satanists and most Atheists is that Satanism has shared values, culture, and community, and that Satanists don't want to convince others to change their beliefs; we just want others to not impose those beliefs and ideologies on everyone else.

Although it takes many forms and has many motivations, I've found that those who critique atheists as "fundamentalist" or "authoritarian" have a few things very much in common. First, as you suggest, when you unpack their complaints, they are more concerned that fellow atheists don't agree with them (and/or fail to disagree in some very particular contrived genteel style) than anything else. Also as you suggest, these folks generally don't evidence any clear understanding of what fundamentalism and authoritarianism actually is. It also is a false equivalency in that US Christian fundamentalists like to portray themselves as a persecuted and beleaguered minority when in fact they are a privileged majority in most parts of this country. Meanwhile, atheists are by any measure an actual minority.

It is really just a variation on the theme that theists generally use. They over-identify with their ideology and confuse it with their identity, so that when someone disagrees with them (or simply passively fails to agree and/or be impressed), it is equivalent in their inner experience to an existential threat. It's intolerable, and they react as if they were being set upon by ruffians when actually nothing has happened ... they have just not had their ideas given an unwarranted free ride in the marketplace of ideas and they've been denied the un-level playing field they've been accustomed to. In other words they project their own fervid, overwrought paranoia on their perceived enemies when in fact the only thing we unbelievers are guilty of is indifference and failure to validate. This is what they really take umbrage to. It's why they are always trying to style us as "angry", "rebellious", "hateful", and a whole bunch of similar things that we are not, anymore than all theists are snake-handling, child-abusing asshats.

Some skeptics want to avoid the "scarlet A" by professing to float above it all, to be too erudite and dignified to receive the hateful projections of the faithful, and they like to pretend that those of us who are willing to identify as godless, bring that ridicule and hatred upon ourselves.

Look, if someone wants to "lay low" and not argue with believers, that's pretty much what everyday Real Life looks like, and maybe they should just stay out of fora like this and the public sphere generally. There's nothing wrong with that as such; one is not obligated to defend one's right to freedom of thought and intellect and lifestyle and beliefs. In fact, in real life, most of us who are assertive about it in fora like this that are specifically designed for such discussions, mostly don't engage outside that context. In fact outside the Bible Belt the topic simply doesn't even arise in my experience. The whole thing is a tempest in a teapot.

@mordant I very much agree with you, well said.

Just to clarify, i am not nor have i ever argued for people to be more polite or less offensive when arguing with people who are attempting to impose their ideology or faith upon you. I spent years in the punk scene, I am an anarchist, and a Satanist so shit son, being offensive is my second language.

You say people like me are confused about fundamentalism and authoritarianism... I think you are confused about the difference between standing up for your own values and beliefs and rights, as opposed to imposing those on others.

@PolyComrade I'm not sure if we disagree here. There are atheist who are authoritarian with their believes and want to impose them on others, but they are a vast minority. I don't and didn't want to put words in your mouth. If you just wanted to point out this small minority I have no problem with that but the way I read your post it seemed to me that you meant a large number of atheist, which I would argue is wrong.
What mordant said is true. There are people who want to lable atheist in general as authoritarian and fundamentalist. He didn't really say that you belong to this group of people, neither did I. But you tell us. Would you argue that all/most/a large number of atheists are authoritarian?

Yes! Exactly.

Uhg... I should have expected that the guy arguing against the MeToo movement would be the kind of guy who would call ANTIFA fascist.

ANTIFA stops Nazis and other racists form becoming organized, which is quite different form gassing 6 million Jews, queers, POCs, anarchists and communists. It's quite different from lynchings and burning crosses. It's quite different from hate crimes targeted towards queers, Jews, or people from racialized backgrounds. To call ANTIFA fascist is ridiculous and shows you lack an actual understanding of what that word means. Fascism as defined by Mussolini is the total marriage of corporation and state. Fascism is more than just use of violence, many non fascist use violence. I get that the alt-right seems to try and use the word as a weapon against anyone who disagrees with them openly, but this diminishes the seriousness of fascism as a real threat.

If you want to actually learn what fascism is, look up the 14 point's of Fascism, it's a good start. It also will make it abundantly clear why groups doing ANTIFA work are certainly not fitting of that label

@PolyComrade ANTIFA started with reasonable people. Now they engage in violence. Very disappointing.
They are no longer defending freedom of speech. They are actively stopping people from speaking.
That is the definition of fascism.
All evils derive from suppression of free speech.

@Jacar actually no, it's not the definition of fascism, not even close. Control of media is a part of what fascism is, a part, but it's far more than just that and ANTIFA doesn't have state control of media. In fact the only so called free speech ANTIFA is stopping is that of fascists and other white supremacists. There's also a massive difference between protesting someone being invited and paid by a university to speak, and actual censorship.

Quit talking out of your ass, your not Jim Carrey

@PolyComrade Thank you for the confirmation: everything you listed is about freedom of speech. Controlling speech is the first step to fascism. And some of ANTIFA members are actively involved in stopping people speaking. Therefore they are fascistic..
.

Since you seem unable or unwilling to do any research yourself, here's the 14 point's, although I imagine if you even bother reading them you will likely just continue repeating the same stale freedom of speech crap anyways

Powerful and Continuing Nationalism

Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights

Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause

Thepeople are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

Supremacy of the Military

Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

Rampant Sexism

The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

Controlled Mass Media

Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

Obsession with National Security

Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

Religion and Government are Intertwined

Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

Corporate Power is Protected

The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

Labor Power is Suppressed

Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts

Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

Obsession with Crime and Punishment

Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

Rampant Cronyism and Corruption

Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

Fraudulent Elections

Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

Awesome.
That said don't thank me for anything they have done as I don't live in an area with an active chapter and haven't been able to be involved in any of TST's campaigns. Maybe one day I will find my way to contribute more meaningfully to the organization, but at this point I am only a member, so my involvement in Satanism is primarily in how I live and how it has influenced my ideas

I hope you can find a group. I am impressed by the member's intelligence, wit, and humanity every time they are in the news.