Alea iacta est

Voyage of the Damned

Royal Navy's first Satanist welcome aboard
October 25, 2004

A devil-worshipping non-commissioned officer in the Royal Navy has become
the first registered Satanist in the British armed forces.

Chris Cranmer, a naval technician serving on the frigate Cumberland, has
been officially recognised as a Satanist by the ship's captain. That allows
him to perform Satanic rituals aboard and permits him to have a funeral
carried out by the Church of Satan if he is killed in action.

Leading hand Cranmer is now lobbying the Ministry of Defence to make
Satanism a registered religion in the armed forces.

Leading hand Cranmer, who has been aboard the Cumberland's tour of duty in
the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf since April, said that being
registered as a Satanist gave him "the freedom of religion I wanted,
despite its controversial nature".

Satanists are encouraged to perform devil worship rituals, to fulfil their
sexual desires and to change situations or events in accordance with their
will.

Leading hand Cranmer, 24, is single and comes from Edinburgh. He has been
in the navy for four years and was promoted leading hand - the naval
equivalent of corporal - in July last year.

He realised he was a Satanist nine years ago when he "stumbled across The
Satanic Bible. I ... came to realise I'd always been a Satanist, just
simply never knew".

He had been "warmly congratulated" by his friends and family for becoming
the armed forces' first Satanist, but did not feel that the war in Iraq was
"the devil's work".

"From a military perspective, I believe in vengeance. I don't consider
Satan to be an intelligently external force in my life; instead I consider
it an empowering internal force. If I were asked if I were evil, I would
say yes - by virtue of the common definition. However, if you asked my
family and friends you would hear a resounding 'no'. I get a massive amount
from my career, while sacrificing little."

He added: "Freedom to practise my religion irrespective of location was one
of the most important factors. I didn't want to feel I couldn't get out my
Satanic Bible and relax in bed. I didn't want to bite my tongue any more
when dealing with idiots.

"First, I can read what I want and express Satanic opinions without fear of
prejudice. Second, I no longer have to attend religious ceremonial duties
and am excused from all of them.

"Third, I will have a space provided for Satanic ritual practice - I'm not
a habitual visitor to the [ritual] chamber, but to know that I have the
facilities to use if need be is indeed a comfort.

"Fourth, I will not be subject to a denominational burial should I be
killed in action. The Church of Satan will be contacted to provide a
service ..."

The Church of Satan was founded in San Francisco in 1966 by its high
priest, Anton Szandor LaVey, author of The Satanic Bible. Adherents live by
the Nine Satanic Statements, which include "Satan represents vengeance,
instead of turning the other cheek", "Satan represents all of the so-called
sins, as they lead to physical, mental or emotional gratification", and
"Satan represents indulgence, instead of abstinence".

The arrival of the navy's first Satanist shocked veterans. Admiral Sir
Sandy Woodward, the former Commander of the South Atlantic Task Groups in
the Falklands War and a flag aide-de-camp to the Queen in 1989, said
Satanism would be "terribly undesirable" on a ship. "My immediate reaction
is 'Good God, what the hell's going on?"'

A spokesman for the Royal Navy said: "We are an equal opportunities
employer and we don't stop anybody from having their own religious values."

The Telegraph, London

Posted by Quentin George at October 25, 2004 06:03 PM