Baphomet

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It is written:

2 Corinthians 6:16-18-And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16  And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM. I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.” 17  Therefore “COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND BE SEPARATE, SAYS THE LORD. DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN, AND I WILL RECEIVE YOU.” 18  “I WILL BE A FATHER TO YOU, AND YOU SHALL BE MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS, SAYS THE LORD ALMIGHTY.”

Often when studying with friends in the Hazard community who are involved in religions such as Wicca and Satanism, the subject of Baphomet comes up. Many of my friends from these different persuasions have invoked this demon in their ceremonies. Interestingly enough, the subject of Baphomet has come up quite often in our country in recent years. Several public places have erected statues of Baphomet, and this being has an interesting connection with the church of Satan.

One Satanist has written:

“The Wandering Baphomet When CNN first reported on the proposed monument to Satan at the Oklahoma capitol, the article noted rather mockingly that TST had created an Indiegogo page to fund the statue, which had only raised $ 150 toward its $ 20,000 goal. 29 But by the time the fundraising ended, the public had contributed $ 30,000 to the project. 30 By some estimates, the final product—an 8-foot-6-inch bronze statue weighing one and half tons—cost over $ 100,000.31 It seemed that no one—including TST—had anticipated how much interest there would be in such a project. When I interviewed Lucien Greaves in December 2013, I asked him whether he would really create a monument to Satan. He explained they were quite serious, and anyway they had no choice because the project had been crowd-funded: there was no way to return the money, and TST was obligated to use it for its stated purpose. In fact, the founders of TST ended up paying much of the cost from their own pockets. As the plan developed, Greaves decided to make an image of Baphomet. The name “Baphomet” dates back to the fourteenth century when the Knights Templar were suppressed by the French monarchy. The knights were accused of worshipping an androgynous idol named “Baphomet,” likely an old French corruption of the name “Muhammad.” 32 In 1856 occultist Eliphaz Levi published an image of Baphomet as “the goat of the sabbath.” Levi’s illustration showed a goat-headed entity with feathery wings, female breasts, and a caduceus in its lap suggesting a phallus. Levi’s Baphomet was not meant to portray an evil entity but rather to symbolize the reconciliation of opposites. This image has been parodied and pastiched by Christian moral entrepreneurs and heavy metal culture alike ever since. TST’s Baphomet is based on Levi’s illustration, although it lacks breasts and the phallic wand (in order to meet the standards of the Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission). Jarry wanted to design the statue so that visitors could sit in Baphomet’s lap for “contemplation and introspection.” He also added a cherubic boy and girl that stand on either side of the creature reverently gazing up at its face. Jarry’s friend, David Guinan, began researching construction costs. The statue could be constructed cheaply using spray-on cement, but everyone agreed it should be made of bronze. Bronze showed this was a serious proposal and it would be more difficult for vandals to destroy. Guinan found New York sculptor Marc Porter. He recalled Porter asking him, “Are you serious about this? Because if you are, I’m going to have to clear my schedule for the next six months.” Porter worked for the next six months, using space Guinan found in a vermouth distillery in Brooklyn. Actual children were brought in as models, who had latex casts made of them. Baphomet’s rather emaciated torso was modeled on that of punk rocker Iggy Pop. When Porter’s sculpture was complete, a mold was taken and the bronze was poured in a foundry in Florida. 33 The mold was also kept so that replacements could be crafted. Greaves joked that if the statue were insured for enough, destroying it would provide the resources to build two more. TST had always emphasized that their monument was meant as a complement to, and not a replacement for, the Ten Commandments monument. In October 2014, Michael Tate Reed—a self-described “Jesus freak” diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder—destroyed the Ten Commandments monument by crashing his car into it. Greaves released a statement announcing that TST was “appalled” by this act of vandalism. He explained, “To be clear, The Satanic Temple will not seek to erect its monument unless the 10 Commandments is restored.” 34 The Baphomet statue was officially unveiled in a ceremony in Detroit held in July 2015. But only a few months later, the Ten Commandments monument was removed from the Oklahoma capitol, leaving Baphomet without purpose. Unmoored from the conflict in Oklahoma, Baphomet began a series of peregrinations across the country.” (Joseph P. Laycock, Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion, 10-12 (Now York, NY: Oxford University Press)

In describing her experiences while being inducted into a Satanist coven, one woman recounts:

“Michael was much older than all of us, and he wasn’t in the military. He was from California and had studied at the Church of Satan. Michael was a high priest in the occult. Learning this really unlocked my fascination for dark things. I had seen Satan stuff in movies, and as a teen I listened to dark music, but deep down never believed in him or knew that people actually worshipped him….I traveled with Michael that night to our meeting place. The black candles were lit. The altar of Baphomet was always used in our rituals, and this was no exception. Dressed in black cloaks, Michael and a few others led the ritual. Michael cut his arm and bled into the chalice. He offered words to me, the group, and Satan. In turn I had to offer to the group my total dedication, and to Satan I offered my life. The chalice was passed to each of us, and we had to take a sip of human blood. To end the ceremony Michael offered a hail to Satan, and we as a group followed. I was then a complete Satanist and belonged to a cult. My life changed for the worse, but I didn’t recognize it until almost a whole year later.” (Becky Hutchinson, “Grace Changes Everything, in Jeff Harshbarger, Dancing With the Devil: An Honest Look Into the Occult from Former Followers, 61-64 (Kindle Edition); Lake Mary, FL; Charisma House)

It is also interesting to notice that Baphomet has an important part in the Masonic Lodge. Specifically, the Knights Templar branch of the Lodge has a noteworthy connection with this being. Famed Masonic scholar, Albert Mackey, noted regarding the name Baphomet:

“Baphomet was indeed a common medieval form of the word Mahomet and that not only meant a false prophet but a demon.” (Albert G. Mackey, Encyclopedia Of Freemasonry, 531-532 (Kindle Edition))

Mackey also points out that the symbolism of Baphomet likely dates back at least as far as the second to third century A.D., when a Gnostic group known as the Manicheans was prominent.

“King, in his learned work on the Gnostics, thinks that the Baphomet. may have been a symbol of the Manicheans, with whose wide spreading heresy in the Middle Ages he does not doubt that a large portion of the inquiring spirits of the Temple had been intoxicated.” (Albert G. Mackey, Encyclopedia Of Freemasonry, 532 (Kindle Edition))

To the modern day Satanist and pagan, Baphomet usually represents the idea of opposites: good and evil, male and female, yin and yang, etc. The history of Baphomet, however, tells a far more demonic story.

One former Satanist-turned-Christian (who was also a member of the Lodge), William Schnoebelen, describes what he learned in his study of Baphomet:

“Children of Baphomet The Templars are a fascinating curiosity which have excited the interest of more people over the centuries than any other military order. Their actual history is controversial and their exploits ranged from the noble to the depraved. No history of the Freemasons can be understood apart from the Templars. Oddly enough, the Templars have also inspired the interest of an incredible host of occultists, witches, satanists and other curious folk. The Templars began with a noble idea—to protect pilgrims on their way to visit the Holy Land during the Crusades. The “Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon” (as they were known) began in 1118 as an order of warrior monks.[ 11] Their first Grand Master (note that title) was Hugues de Payens. Unlike other knightly orders, the Templars were monks, and required vows. They represented “the first time in… history (that) soldiers would live as monks.”[ 12] Part of the reason for their name was that they built their headquarters at the site believed to be the place of the Temple in Jerusalem, a key place in Masonic legend. However, things went sour. The Order grew quite rich and corrupt. The Templars established themselves as the most powerful institution in Christendom—easily the mightiest institution in all of Europe, equalled, but not surpassed by the papacy.[ 13] Then, in 1291, disaster struck. The crusaders were routed and the Templars were driven out. A Royal Plot The Templars were fighting men, with no battles to fight. They returned apparently vanquished from a long, unpopular war in an distant land. Their morale was not very high, but they returned to Europe with an incredible fortune and a system of garrisons, and the finest fleets in the world. They aroused the wrath of Philippe IV of France, one of the most powerful kings in Europe. He had succeeded in murdering one pope, poisoning a second, and installing a hand-picked successor, Clement V. He then took the papacy, lock, stock and papal tiara out of Rome and plunked it down in Avignon, France.[ 14] Philippe had feared the Templars but was determined to have their wealth. Confident that his “pet pope” would cooperate, the king arrested all French Templars. On Friday, October 13, 1307, dawn raids began. All the property that belonged to the Templars was confiscated. Although most Templars were arrested, their wealth was not found. Apparently the Order knew the raid was coming, for the Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, had many of the order’s books burned.[ 15] Horrid oaths of secrecy guarded the nature of the actual Templar rites. This lack of source material has created the controversy. Under Philippe, many of the knights were tortured. Obviously, any confession extracted under torture must be regarded with suspicion. However, there are certain elements in common which lead one to think there may be a kernel of truth to some of the confessions. The Talking Head The Templars were accused of practicing black magic, pederasty, homosexuality, murdering babies, blaspheming the name of Jesus, and giving each other “obscene” kisses.[ 16] Also frequently mentioned is the allegation that the Templars worshiped a mysterious idol called Baphomet. This idol was described in various ways: a man with the head of a goat, a head with three faces, or a head with a beard, which taught the knights of the Order magical secrets. Baphomet Let’s look at this mysterious figure closely. A common theory for the origin of Baphomet is that it is a variation of the name, Muhammed (Mahomet).[ 17] Even if this is the least bothersome of the explanations, it is still of grave concern. Worshipping Muhammed would be both political and spiritual treason. A second explanation is that the name is a riddle, called Notariqon. It is a way the Kabalists (ceremonial magicians) wrote words backwards and as acronyms. In Notariqon, Baphomet is rendered “Tem.-O.-H.-P.-Ab.” In Latin, it means “Templi Omnium Hominum Pacis Abbas, or Father of the Temple of the Peace of All Men.”[ 17] That doesn’t sound bad, except in the context of the age in which it is found. For knights in the midst of a religious war to worship a strange talking head called the “Father of the Temple of Peace of all Men” does sound odd, especially when we look at Freemasonry, the New Age movement, and their doctrines of “the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of men.” Leading Islamic mystic, Idris Shah, claims that Baphomet is derived from the Arabic Abufihamat, which means “Father of Understanding.”[ 18] This fits quite well with the theory that Templars were a survival of a Mid-eastern Gnostic sect of phallic-worshippers which believed in salvation through gnosis (or knowledge).[ 19] Another theory advanced is that the name is actually Bapho-Mitras, meaning “Father Mithras.”[ 20] Mithras was a sun god worshipped in Rome about the time of the rise of Christianity. He was regarded as a rival to Jesus, and his birthday was December 25.[ 21] Mithras was represented as a man with the head of a bull or as a bull-slayer, close to the one version of the idol as a goat-headed man. The Freemason, satanist and pervert Aleister Crowley took the name Baphomet when he assumed leadership of the occult/ Masonic organization, the O.T.O. (Order of Eastern Templars). Crowley wrote of Baphomet as representing a type of phallic god.[ 22] Kenneth Grant, the modern world leader of the O.T.O., claims that Baphomet conceals a formula of homosexual sex magic from the Templars.[ 22] Another world-class occultist of the last generation, the late Dion Fortune said Baphomet stands for a practice, which in its debased form, was “one of the causes of the degeneration of the Greek Mysteries.”[ 23] A Masonic scholar, Manly P. Hall, clearly identifies Baphomet with the satanic “Goat of Mendes,” probably the best known representation of Lucifer in all occultism. He says they probably obtained it from the Arabs.[ 24] The Horned God These are deep waters which reveal the multiple layers of meaning used in mystery cults. However, two common threads also emerge in these confessions—the disembodied male head, and the horned man-animal. The charges drawn up by the Inquisition against the Order in 1308 said they worshipped a head which had the power to make the land fertile.[ 25] These qualities of the head fit with the ancient Druidic worship of the severed head, the head of Bran the Blessed, a god from the Welsh poem, the Mabinogion.[ 26] They fit right into the Celtic Witchcraft pantheon, especially in terms of their fertility bringing qualities. Baphomet is another name for the god of the Witches, which is the god of the Templars as well! This god is also known as the “Horned God” because he is often shown with horns, or in the appearance of a horned animal (stag, goat or bull).[ 27] This god is worshipped today in covens all over the world and may be one of the oldest idols in history. Cave paintings in Ariége, France show shaman or “sorcerer” wearing a horned costume.[ 28] Even Nimrod is often shown wearing a horned headdress.[ 29]”. (William Schnoebelen, Masonry: Beyond the Light, 162-168 (Kindle Edition); Ontario, CA: Chick Publications)

Some may object that the Templars are negatively portrayed here. Whether or not the Templars practiced all these things, however, is not the point of this study.

The point is that Baphomet represented an ancient deity/demon that stood for many beliefs and actions which the Bible describes clearly as wicked. Modern day Satanists and Wiccans endorse this symbol as an anti-Christ representation (perhaps in some cases unaware of these connections), and Christians should have nothing to do with a being such as this.

Baphomet is one of a number of fallen angels and demons which oppose the one true God, and who is defeated by Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary. If you follow this being, please turn away from him today.

Acts 22:16-And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.