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Recording Artist
In his 1998 autobiography he says �I believe I am God. I believe everyone is their own God.� Manson was a LaVeyan Satanist, though that tailed off. When asked about his Church of Satan membership card in a 1998 issue of Creem he pithily said: �I don�t think I have it anymore. I lost it.� It�s very unlikely he still ascribes to this group.
Another point: in a 1998 press-conference for his album �Mechanical Animals� a Christian asked him why he was so critical of the religion, and �Why he says God doesn�t exist.� Manson responded �That�s half true. I�m more against the guilt that Christianity imposes but I think that God exits in art and that there�s much more spirituality in music then you can find in religion a lot of the time.� Kind of ambiguous, though Manson does use a lot of religious imagery and references in his songs and album artwork. He is also interested in the occult and that kind of thing. Also, I seriously doubt the veracity of the claims of the bottom entry about him saying he does believe in God. It looks like a joke to me.
Submitted by Dominic Martin on 28 Nov 2004
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Marilyn Manson's latest tour was called "Against all Gods". This doesn't have to mean anything, but it might be - and probably is - a clue as to where he stands on this matter. I would consider him an atheist myself.
-skribb, 30 aug 2006.
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Manson (a.k.a. Brian Warner) practices an LaVeyan form of Satanism which is often (although not universally) atheistic. LaVeyans are said use the term "Satan" as an archetype and caution that their views are not to be confused with the Temple of Set which does believe in "Satan" as a deity.
On MTV's Alternative Nation, Manson said that wanted to be known as the person who brought an end to Christianity.
--JLa, M
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A reader reports that during the (1997?) MTV Music Video Awards, Manson asked "Do you really want to go to a place filled with a bunch of assholes?!?"
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Editor's Note: readers continue to question the validity of this controversial entry due to their skepticism that atheism and satanism can be compatible points of view. The editor will remain neutral on this subject and try to present the different points of view fairly.
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Some Manson quotes sent in by a reader:
"People are very surprised to hear me say that a lot of my values are Christian values. I think that's part of my shock. I just don't like the way that Christianity combined with the influence of television has bred a nation of weakness. (Christian television do get the facts wrong sometimes and the image they portray turns most people off.)"
"People are all into the bullshit magic aspects of it, black masses and all that stupid Devil Worship crap. Satanism is all about individuality and doing what you need to do. So once again stuff gets misinterpreted."
"I'm into philosophers like Nietzche, Freud, Darwin, Crowley, LaVey, Roald Dahl (wonka), Dr. Seuss, even the King James Version of the Holy Bible."
"I don't care if something's good or bad or if it's Christian or Anti-Christian. I want something that's strong, something that believes in itself."
"I've never been a spokesperson for Satanism."
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2-Mar-02 - Reader Aaron Jacques wrote to offer some more info on Manson: "In regard to your info on Marilyn Manson, I do have a clear memory of an MTV interview in which he was asked about his association with the Church of Satan (it has long been publicized that he is an "ordained minister"). I do recall Manson giving the explanation that he was, indeed, a priest in the CoS but that it was merely an "honorary thing" that he accepted from a friend (the late Anton LaVey). I don't believe I've ever heard that he actually "practiced", as was reported in your info. As to whether or not he believes in a god, I'm quite unsure."
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In an interview with Adam Carolla, Manson was asked "do you believe in God, or do you worship the Devil?" he specifically said that he didn't believe in either.