Others give praise to the Devil as the ungendered avatar of pleasure. However, their view of pleasure is essentially predatory; they view their fellow creatures as vast reservoirs of jouissance that can only be fully enjoyed through exploitation. The greatest ecstasies, they say, are only found in siphoning off pleasure from others, as a miner might steal away with a mountain's hidden gold--leaving the mountain itself empty and barren. These believers practice their faith in minor ways, such as letting their companions buy rounds of drinks without purchasing any in return, or in horrendously abusive ways too hideous to contemplate.
A forever-dwindling sect of Devil worshipers offer up their prayers in the form of addiction. They see being bound to a vice--whether chemical, sexual, or behavioral--as a sacred covenant that evidences the depth of their willingness to sacrifice for their creed. To be an addict is to lay one's free will upon the altar--what offering could be sweeter to the Devil than that particular property of the soul which separates us from the lower creatures of the world? Salvation is a lie, they reason, and spiritual ascent is only possible from the bottom of a deep well of addiction from which escape appears impossible. Such are the dictates of a faith that requires abject slavery to open the door to enlightenment.
