Baphomet: Theological Views

Perhaps the Baphomet was a figment of the imagination of the inquisitors

torturing the Templars for confessions. You have read the many theories of its o
rigin and symbolism. Presented here are representations of the Baphomet from the
view of Satanism and Christianity. Other views are welcome. simply email your c
ommentary to magicworks@intranet.ca
The Baphomet In Satanism
The following information has been provided to me from our good friend Herbert P
aulis of Herberts Dark Corner Of The Web.
As a start, let me quote a text from The Satanic Bible by the
founder of The Church of Satan, Anton Szandor LaVey. Please
forgive him for the first sentence, which is of course
incorrect down to the bones and grossly simplifying, leaving
out almost every known detail about the subject. We have to
see this in the context of the whole thing, which is of course
a Satanic book and not concerned too much with history. So,
let's go:
"The symbol of Baphomet was used by the Knights Templar to
represent Satan. Through the ages this symbol has been called
by many different names. Among these are: The Goat of Mendes,
The Goat of a Thousand Young, The Black Goat, The Judas Goat,
and perhaps most appropriately, The Scapegoat.
"Baphomet represents the Powers of Darkness combined with the
generative fertility of the goat. In its 'pure' form the
pentagram is shown encompassing the figure of a man in the
five points of the star - three points up, two points down symbolizing man's spiritual nature. In Satanism the pentagram
is also used, but since Satanism represents the carnal
instincts of man, or the opposite of the spiritual nature, the
pentagram is inverted to perfectly accomodate the head of the
goat - its horns, representing duality, thrust upwards in
defiance; the other three points inverted, or the trinity
denied. The Hebraic figures around the outer circle of the
symbol which stem from the magical teachings of the Kabala,
spell out 'Leviathan,' the serpent of the watery abyss, and
identified with Satan. These figures correspond to the five
points of the inverted star."
(Anton Szandor LaVey, The Satanic Bible, p. 136, Avon Books,
New York 1969)
The Baphomet in Christianity
The following commentary on the Baphomet, Templar, Christian issue came to us
via email from Rob Frey who in his own words claims:"My opinion is that of an
amateur theologian, philosopher and historian." I'd like to thank Rob for
offering his perspective to the research.
As a Born Again Christian the most important thing that I have
learned is that "Christianity" is relationship with God.
Relationship is a two way street. Give and take. God is alive!
I, by secular standards becuase of my biblical beliefs am

considered conservative.
As I understand the definition of Baphomet, my source of
information being The Satanic Bible, Baphomet is a demon or
fallen angel. This being the case....IF the historical Knights
Templar indeed worship Baphomet, then;breifly put, they were
Satanically oriented whether or not they were aware of it. The
organization today ( Freemasonry) as far as I'm aware is
Satanically oriented.
The Christian Church would by all means reject anything
Satanic and as far as the Knights go in an historical context;
acceptance or approval would depend on the degree of
acceptance regarding the historical facts or the definition of
said facts.

The following commentary has been provided to us from Chris of Mysteries of

Freemasonry: A Christian Persective
Well, examining some of the factors(power & wealth) involved &
the actions of both parties involved(i.e. King Philip/the
Popery & deMolay/Templar Knights), I would say both were
wrong.
As far as all of the "conspiracy" theories is concerned, it is
not important to be able to point the finger at any one group
in particular. The only evidence of a so-called "consiracy"
would seem to point that such groups/orders were utilized in
continuing or passing down various forms of the Mystery
religions. Like the Freemasons and other Fraternal Orders
which exist today, I don't believe that the members of Templar
Knights as a whole were conspiring to take over the world,
etc., things of that nature. When a change in the world's
political and/or religious infrastructure does occur, its not
going to be caused solely by the actions/beliefs of any one
singular group.
Many Christian's misunderstand the purpose of the Gospel. The
Gospel was never intended to "conquer the world" & usher in an
age of euphoria and peace, nor was the Gospel meant to be
spread through the use of force or violence.
Another thing which I feel needs to be pointed out is that
when a person truly accepts Jesus Christ as their savior,
they're not going to be condemned to hell for being a member
of the Masonic Fraternity, a Shriner, etc. Remember, that the
gift of eternal life for a believer is a given, and that
his/her rewards are based upon their works AND motives. As far
as the subject of Baphomet is concerned, I haven't delved into
the matter to any great extent. What I do know is that such a
profane character called "Baphomet" is worshipped in Satanic
cults/groups and is also referred to as the Goat Head of
Mendez, He-Goat, etc. While the supposed worship of such a
figure by the Templar Knights(as a whole) is possibly
unlikely, it would be complete ignorance to think that some of
its members(including deMolay himself) didn't become corrupt
by some of the other religious sects found in the regions
which they occupied.

It brings to my mind how many Christians in those times were

persecuted, tortured, and put to death(martyred) by the
Popery(i.e. by pouring molten lead into their ears, eyes, and
the employment of many other torturous apparatuses) simply
because they believed that many parts/teachings of the Gospel
were being withheld from them & that they were being led
blindly to rely on the Pope himself(and on those whom the Pope
appointed in his stead. i.e. nikos + laity =Nicolaitans) for
the light of God's Word.
My only questioning would be of those Templar Knights who did
confess to the accusations made by King Philip. Could their
tortures have been any worse than those that I've mentioned
previously so as to cause them to deviate from truth if they
were indeed innocent of those charges? I don't know the exact
number of Templar Knights who confessed to the charges made
while being tortured. And I also think back to how Peter, with
the threat of persecution & possible death looming over him,
allowed his fear to rule over his faith, and denied Jesus
three times. In other words, he lied to save his own skin.
What would be the case with the Templar Knights? Well, I look
upon the Word of God as being a two-edged sword: it works both
ways. While King Philip's charges may have been valid & was
right to pursue those responsible, the way he dealt with the
Templars certainly couldn't be defined as that of a
Christian-like manner which would raises some questions from
me about the true motives surrounding King Philips actions. If
King Philip died as deMolay stated upon his execution, then
perhaps it was God's way of dealing with both.
Nevertheless, we could probably dig up endless dirt on the one
side and paint the other white, while at the same time
bringing other factors & assumptions into the picture which
probably have nothing to do with the subject. Assumptions
based upon "unconfirmed truth" has a funny way of obscurring
facts and can sometimes lead to an incorrect conclusion. Then
there are some who will see only what they want to see.
Anyway, my main argument about the Templar Knights & many
other philanthropic/universalist orders is that many
Christians are joining these groups(some of which are
secretive) and fail to see that their philosophies & reading
material/teachings conflict with what the Bible says. Also,
God doesn't want people to worship Him as a "universal" God
that can be made to fit in with anyone's religion for the sake
of making this a better & peaceful world. Either you have
Jesus Christ in your life, or you don't have God in it. Plain
and simple. A man could spend his entire life devoted to
performing good works, but without Christ, it would be all in
vain. A person's moral acts/actions motivated by the physical
needs of mankind and the betterment of the earth is not where
Christianity starts, nor is it where a Christian should put
his or her hopes at. Why should a Christian waste time joining
and taking part in the activities of an Order that simply
embraces the moral concepts of the Bible and neither rejects
nor acceps the rest, when they could be doing those works for
& with the Church(i.e. the Body of Christ)? Its like standing
in the middle of a doorway, being neither in one room nor the

other.(see The Lukewarm Church. Revelation 3:14-22) The exact

ordering of words in the Bible often contains in itself a
valuable lesson. It may seem unimportant whether we read
1Thessalonians 5:13- "Your whole spirit, soul, and body," or
body, soul, and spirit. But there is a reason for the inspired
order. Not only is the spirit the highest part in man's
complex being, but it is here that the God of Peace begins
when He would sanctify us wholly. he illumines man's spiritual
being with His Light of Truth, quickens it into new energy and
vitality by His Eternal Life, and renews it by His Love. Then
through the transformed spirit, He reaches the soul with its
emotions, desires and propensities; and through that, reaches
downward and outward to the body with its appetites and lusts.
Man's mistaken method is too often the reverse. He begins with
body, and hopes by improving the physical conditions and
material surroundings to prepare the way for mental
improvement and culture and so finally uplift and enlarge the
spiritual being. God's way is to begin with the highest and
work toward the lowest.