Satan is a deity, just like the any other. Summoning him would be the equivelent of calling upon any other god or goddess to commune with or ask for help in a magical working. He is not evil.
Your baseing Satan off of Christianitys beliefs not pagan beliefs remember most magical practices are pagan at heart and in order to understand paganism in general you need to think with an open clear mind or you stagnate any possible chance at personal growth and understanding.
Maybe a bit off the subject, but I wonder why so many members do not understand the word Pagan? The word merely means "unbeliever, infidel". Anybody who does not believe in one of the mainstream religions; Christianity, Islam, Judaism, et al, is a Pagan..
There is no such word in the English language as "paganism".
Brysing, I respectfully disagree. "Pagan" comes from the Latin word for "villager" because European Christianity first spread most successfully in the cities. The ways of the old faith lasted in the rural areas.
Words tend to change meaning over generations, much like the word "tragedy" used to mean something about goats in an Ancient Greek theater. Nobody would argue that there is no such English word as "tragic" just because that word changed its meaning over several generations! Words will change their meanings over several generations or even in different contexts.
Now Paganism has come to mean "anybody who doesn't follow an Abrahamic religion: Judaism, Christianity, or Islam and also self-identifies as pagan". The self-identification is very important to the definition, so if somebody is Hindu but does not also call themselves Pagan, then they are not Pagan.
Some people even write about being Urban Pagans, which is a direct contradiction of the original meaning, but that's just the way it goes. There is such a thing as Paganism. Oddly enough, my browser's spell-checker puts a red wiggly line under "Abrahamic" but not under "Paganism"! Both words exist, but paganism is a better-known and more accepted word in the language. Otherwise, what would be the noun form? Paganity?
For people who are sticklers for proper and correct word form, there's a movement mirroring Paganism that prefers the term Polytheism, but then they go on to argue about "immersive polytheism" versus "devotional polytheism" so I personally won't have any part in that sort of pedantry.
well it depends. the Christian Satan [red pyjamas, bifurcated tail, carrying a hay fork] would be pure evil, the opposite of God, and meant to punish sinners.
Lucifer is seen by many as not pure evil, but a fallen angel, a trickster, someone who rebelled against God and fell out of his good graces.
demons are not pure evil either, just manipulative and powerful. if someone summons one and doesn't know what they're doing, a demon will overpower them and used the person.
at least thats what many people i've spoken with believe, couple that with the view that Satan and demons are 'dark' and 'cool', as well as many people were born Christian and now are pagan, worshipping Satan is probably another way to 'rebel' against their parent/society. [note not all Satanist and Luciferians are like this, i've met many who don't worship or summon these beings, but i have met a lot of teens who act it as a way to stand out and be unique without actually understanding the path]
overall, i would do a lot of research before summoning a demon. when it comes to a deity [especially one with a reputation like the devil] i would focus my efforts less on summoning [which is like forcing someone against their will] and instead set up an altar and pray to/devote yourself to the deity in question. but i wouldn't worry too much, many spells on this site [especially ones to summon Satan] are fake, non-working spells. rank them one star and move on. [unless the spell seems dangerous like the instructions include self harm, drug use, or ingesting poisonous substances, in which case message Petrarca immediately so he can remove the spell]
