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In 1966, Anton LaVey introduced to the world the Church of Satan, an atheistic religion devoted to the philosophy of individualism and pitilessness often associated with Satan. Modern Satanism offers a comprehensive survey and analysis of the church that LaVey built. Satanism has been an open religion for forty years now and operates successfully in its self-created countercultural niche. Given the provocative nature of its name, contemporary Satanism is only superficially understood as an alternative religion/ideology, and all-too-frequently seen as a medieval superstition and associated with rumors of obscure rituals, perverse hedonism, cult-like behavior, and tales of ritual abuse and murder. These may be misconceptions, but the truth behind the unenviable reputation is no less dramatic. Satanism generally eschews supernatural beliefs and embodies a staunchly individualistic, pitiless, anti-egalitarian creed. If there is anything fundamentally diabolical about modern Satanism, it stems more from the echoes of Nazism in its theories than from its horror-comic trappings.Modern Satanism covers the history, ideology, personalities, and practices of the decentralized international movement that contemporary Satanism has become. The work addresses the various beliefs and practices espoused by those who follow it: the ideal of Satan as a rebellious emblem; Satanism's occult, literary, and philosophical influences; the history of the Church of Satan and other Satanic organizations; the ideology of Satanism; Satanism's frequent flirtations and strong parallels with neo-Nazism and other forms of extremism; Satanism in the media and popular culture; and the reasons for Satanism's continuing attractiveness to new converts. Though the tone of the work attempts to remain neutral when discussing historical matters, it is by necessity critical of the subculture's extremist rhetoric and recurring associations with the far right and racialist extremism.

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Introduction: Counter the Counterculture

1. The Morning Star

2. Baleful Eyes

3. The Black Pope

4. Man, the Animal

5. Satanic Legions

6. The Left Hand Path

7. In The Company of Killers

8. The Plague of Nazism

9. Natural Born Satanists

10. Apocalypse Cheerleaders

Conclusion: Worst Case Scenario

Notes

Bibliography

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Modern Satanism: Anatomy of a Radical Subculture by Chris ...

Before Anton LaVey compiled the philosophy of Satanism and founded the Church of Satan in 1966, who upheld its values? It is always debated whether or not these people were or were not Satanists and what they would have thought of Satanism if it existed during their lives. In The Satanic Bible, Book of Lucifer 12, it name-drops many of these groups and mentions many specific people, times and dates. I do not want to quote it all here, so if you're interested in more of the specifics buy the damned book from Amazon, already. These are the unwitting potential predecessors of Satanism.

The Satanic Bible opens with a few references to groups that are associated with historical Satanism.

In eighteenth-century England a Hell-Fire Club, with connections to the American colonies through Benjamin Franklin, gained some brief notoriety. During the early part of the twentieth century, the press publicized Aleister Crowley as the "wickedest man in the world". And there were hints in the 1920s and '30s of a "black order" in Germany.

To this seemingly old story LaVey and his organization of contemporary Faustians offered two strikingly new chapters. First, they blasphemously represented themselves as a "church", a term previously confined to the branches of Christianity, instead of the traditional coven of Satanism and witchcraft lore. Second, they practiced their black magic openly instead of underground. [...]

[Anton LaVey] had accumulated a library of works that described the Black Mass and other infamous ceremonies conducted by groups such as the Knights Templar in fourteenth-century France, the Hell-Fire club and the Golden Dawn in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century England.

Burton Wolfe's introduction to "The Satanic Bible" by Anton LaVey (1969)

This page looks at some groups, some individuals, but is nowhere near a comprehensive look at the subject, just a small window into which you might see some of the rich, convoluted history of the dark, murky development of the philosophies that support Satanism.

There is a saying that history is written by the winners. The victors of a war are the ones who get to write the school books: they write that the defeated are always the enemy of mankind, the evil ones, the monsters. The victors are always fighting desperately for just causes. This trend is historically important in Satanism. As one religion takes over the ground and the demographics of a losing religion, the loser has its gods demonized and its holy places reclaimed. For example the Vatican was housed on an old Mithraist temple, and Gaelic spirits became monsters as Christianity brutalized Europe with its religious propaganda.

There are groups, therefore, that were wiped out by the Christians. The Spanish Inquisition forced, in duress and torture, many confessions out of its victims, confessions of every kind of devil worship. Likewise its larger wars against Muslims, science, freethought, etc, were all done under the guise of fighting against the devil. In cases where their victims left no records of their own we will never know what their true beliefs were. So the legacy of Christian violence has left us with many associations between various people and Devil Worship, and we know that most of these accounts are wrong, barbaric and the truth is grotesquely forced in them.

We know now that most the Christian Churches' previous campaigns were unjustified. Various groups and individuals through have become called Satanists. Such claims are nearly always a result of rumours, mass paranoia and slanderous libel. The dark age victims of this kind of Christian paranoia were largely not actually Satanists, but merely those who didn't believe what the orthodox Church wanted them to believe. Thus, history can be misleading especially when you rely on the religious views of one group, who are clearly biased against competing beliefs!

The Knights Templar were founded in 1118 in the growing shadow of the Dark Ages. They were the most powerful military religious order of the Middle Ages. They built Europe's most impressive ancient Cathedrals and were the bankers "for practically every throne in Europe"1. Some historians trace the history of all globalised multinationals to the banking practices of the Knights Templar2. They had strong presence in multiple countries; Portugal, England, Spain, Scotland, Africa (i.e. Ethiopia) and France. They were rich and powerful, with members in royal families and the highest places including Kings. King John II of Portugal was once Grand Master of the Order. They explored the oceans, built roads and trade routes and policed them, created the first banking system, sanctioned castles, built glorious buildings, and had adequate forces to protect their prized holy places and objects. Their fleet was world-faring, and their masterly knightly battle skills were invaluable to any who could befriend them or afford their mercenary services.

The Knights Templar fell into disrepute with the powerful Catholic Church and the French kingdom, and the Catholics ran a long campaign against them, accusing them of devil worship, of immorality, subversion, and accused them of practicing magic and every kind of occult art. The organisation was finally destroyed and its members burned from 1310. Nowadays, although the accusations are thoroughly discredited, they are still equated with the Occult and sometimes with Satanism, sometimes even by practitioners of those arts themselves.

"The Knights Templar: 1. The Rise of the Knights Templar" by Vexen Crabtree (2004)

The Satanism-for-fun-and-games fad next appeared in England in the middle 18th Century in the form of Sir Francis Dashwood's Order of the Medmanham Fanciscans, popularly called The Hell-Fire Club. While eliminating the blood, gore, and baby-fat candles of the previous century's masses, Sir Francis managed to conduct rituals replete with good dirty fun, and certainly provided a colorful and harmless form of psychodrama for many of the leading lights of the period. An interesting sideline of Sir Francis, which lends a clue to the climate of the Hell-Fire Club, was a group called the Dilettanti Club, of which he was the founder.

"The Satanic Bible" by Anton LaVey (1969)

The Hell-Fire Clubs conjure up images of aristocratic rakes outraging respectability at every turn, cutting a swath through the village maidens and celebrating Black Masses. While all this is true, it is not the whole story. The author of this volume has assembled an account of the Clubs and of their antecedents and descendants. At the centre of the book is the principal brotherhood, known by the Hell-Fire name - Sir Francis Dashwood's notorious Monks of Medmenham, with their strange rituals and initiation rites, library of erotica and nun companions recruited from the brothels of London. From this maverick group flow such notable literary libertines as Horace Walpole and Lord Byron. Pre-dating Medmenham are the figures of Rabelais and John Dee, both expounding philosophies of "do what you will" or "anything goes". Geoffrey Ashe traces the influence of libertarian philosophies on the world of the Enlightenment, showing how they met the need for a secular morality at a time when Christianity faced the onslaught of rationalism and empiricism. He follows the libertarian tradition through de Sade and into the 20th century, with discussions of Aleister Crowley, Charles Manson and Timothy Leary, delving below the scandals to reveal the social and political impact of "doing your own thing" which has roots far deeper than the post-war permissive society.

Amazon Review of The Hell-fire Clubs: A History of Anti-morality by Geoffrey Ashe

An informal network of Hellfire Clubs thrived in Britain during the eighteenth century, dedicated to debauchery and blasphemy. With members drawn from the cream of the political, artistic and literary establishments, they became sufficiently scandalous to inspire a number of Acts of Parliament aimed at their suppression. Historians have been inclined to dismiss the Hellfire Clubs as nothing more than riotous drinking societies, but the significance of many of the nation's most powerful and brilliant men dedicating themselves to Satan is difficult to ignore. That they did so with laughter on their lips, and a drink in their hands, does not diminish the gesture so much as place them more firmly in the Satanic tradition.

The inspiration for the Hellfire Clubs [also] drew heavily from profane literature - such as Gargantua, an unusual work combining folklore, satire, coarse humour and light-hearted philosophy written in the sixteenth century by a renegade monk named Francois Rabelais. One section of the book concerned a monk who [...] has an abbey built that he names Thelema [which is] dedicated to the pleasures of the flesh. Only the brightest, most beautiful and best are permitted within its walls, and its motto is 'Fait Ce Que Vouldras' ('Do What You Will').

"Lucifer Rising" by Gavin Baddeley (1999)3

Gavin Baddeley's book opens with a long, fascinating and awe-inspiring chapter on histories Satanic traditions, following such trends through enlightenment, the decadents, through art, aristocracy and nobility, before concentrating the rest of the book on modern rock and roll devilry. It is a highly recommended book!

The magical and occult elements of Satanism have parallels with previous groups and teachings. Frequent references and commentary are made on certain sources. None of those listed here were Satanists except possibly Crowley:

The Knights Templar (11th-14th Centuries; France, Portugal, Europe) have contributed some symbolism and methodology but not much in the way of teachings.

Chaos Magic has contributed magical theory and psychological techniques to magical practices.

Quantum Physics has contributed high-brow theory on such areas as how consciousness may be able manipulate events.

The New Age (1900s+) has contributed some of the less respectable pop-magic aspects to Satanism such as Tarot, Divination, etc. Although Satanism was in part a reaction against the new age, some aspects of it have been generally adopted.

John Dee and Kelly (17th Century) created the Enochian system of speech used for emoting ('sonic tarot') and pronounciation in any way the user sees fit. LaVey adopted the Enochian Keys for rituals and includes his translation of them in The Satanic Bible.

Aleister Crowley (1875-1947, England) was an infamous occultist and magician, and has lent a large portion of his techniques and general character to magical practice and psychology, as well as chunks of philosophy and teachings on magic and life in general.

The Kabballah, as the mother-text of nearly all the occult arts, has indirectly influenced Satanism, lending all kinds of esoteric thoughts, geometry, procedures, general ideas and some specifics to all occult practices.

See:

Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844 Oct 15 - 1900 Aug 25, was a German philosopher who challenged the foundations of morality and promoted life affirmation and individualism. He was one of the first existentialist philosophers. Some of Nietzsche's philosophies have surfaced as those upheld by Satanists.

Life: 1875 - 1947. Scotland, United Kingdom.

Infamous occultist and hedonist and influential on modern Satanism. Some hate him and think him a contentless, drug-addled, meaningless diabolicist with little depth except obscurantism. Others consider him an eye-opening Satanic mystic who changed the course of history. His general attitude is one found frequently amongst Satanists and his experimental, extreme, party-animal life is either stupidly self-destructive or a model of candle-burning perfection, depending on what type of Satanist you ask.

Some Satanists are quite well-read of Crowley and his groups. His magical theories, techniques and style have definitely influenced the way many Satanists think about ritual and magic.

As far as Satanism is concerned, the closest outward signs of this were the neo-Pagan rites conducted by MacGregor Mathers' Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and Aleister Crowley's later Order of the Silver Star (A... A... - Argentinum Astrum) and Order of Oriental Templars (O.T.O.), which paranoiacally denied any association with Satanism, despite Crowley's self-imposed image of the beast of revelation. Aside from some rather charming poetry and a smattering of magical bric-a-brac, when not climbing mountains Crowley spent most of his time as a poseur par excellence and worked overtime to be wicked. Like his contemporary, Rev.(?) Mantague Summers, Crowley obviously spent a large part of his life with his tongue jammed firmly into his cheek, but his followers, today, are somehow able to read esoteric meaning into his every word.

Book of Air 12 "The Satanic Bible" by Anton LaVey (1969)

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Europe has had a history of powerful indulgent groups espounding Satanic philosophies; with the occassional rich group emerging from the underground to terrorize traditionalist, stifling morals of their respective times, these groups have led progressive changes in society in the West. Satanists to this day employ shock tactics, public horror and outrage in order to blitzkreig their progressive freethought messages behind the barriers of traditionalist mental prisons.

When such movements surfaced in the USA in the guise of the Church of Satan, it was a little more commercialist than others. Previous European groups have also been successful businesses, the Knights Templar and resultant Masons, etc, being profound examples of the occassional success of left hand path commerce. The modern-day Church of Satan is a little more subdued as society has moved in a more acceptable, accepting, direction since the Hellfire Clubs. As science rules in the West, and occultism is public, there is no place for secretive initiatory Knights Templar or gnostic movements; the Church of Satan is a stable and quiet beacon rather than a reactionary explosion of decadence.

It is the first permanent non-European (but still Western) Satanic-ethos group to openly publish its pro-self doctrines, reflecting the general trends of society towards honesty and dissatisfaction with anti-science and anti-truth white light religions.

Popular press and popular opinion are the worst sources of information. This holds especially true with the case of Satanism. Especially given that the exterior of Satanism projects imagery that is almost intentionally confusing to anyone unintiated. From time to time public paranoia arises, especially in the USA, claiming some company, person or event is "Satanic". The public are nearly always wrong and nearly always acting out of irrational fear, sheepish ignorance and gullibility. Public outcries are nearly always erroneous when they claim that a particular group, historical or present, are Satanic.

Similar to this is the relatively large Christian genre of writing that deals with everything unChristian. The likes of Dennis Wheatley, Eliphas Levi, etc, churn out countless books all based on the assumption that anything non-Christian is Satanic, and describe many religious practices as such. These books would be misleading if they had any plausibility, but thankfully all readers except their already-deluded Christian extremist audience cannot take them seriously. Nevertheless occasionally they contribute to public paranoia about Satanism.

In the press and sociology, the phenomenon of public paranoia about criminal activities of assumed Satanic groups is called Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) Panic. SRA claims are equal to UFO, abduction, faeries and monsters in both the character profile of the manics involved and the lack of all evidence (despite extensive searching!) to actually uncover such groups.

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Historical Satanism - dpjs.co.uk/historical.html

Modern Satanism is probably the widest-spread of the Satanic denominations, and also the biggest bone of contention amongst the others. Modernists do not worship Satan as a god or deity; theistically, they are atheists. They believe in neither a god nor a devil, nor spirits and supernatural beings. Needless to say, it is usually not the Modernists who appear on Jerry Springer or get featured in the headlines of the local newspapers. The main argument over the Modernists is that, if they are in truth atheistic, why even bother using the name Satan? Why not just call yourself atheists or humanists or secular humanists, et al., instead of dragging in the name of a Christian boogeyman? Obviously I cant answer this for them, but the section Why Satan? on the Foundations page may shed some light on the various reasons which exist.

There are, as I see it, primarily three flavours of Modern Satanism: Naturalist, Psychologic, and Symbolic. They are not necessarily mutually exclusive:

The Naturalists view Satan as the natural force of the universe, the underlying current of nature. The power which makes trees grow, earthquakes shatter, stars form and die.all these, the raw energy of What Is, is Satan. As such it has no good or bad side in and of itself; it is everything. But, it is not intelligent or self-aware. Just like electricity or wind power, it exists without consciousness, but may be tapped by the conscious user (magician). This is the basis of Modern Satanic magick: that by training oneself to tap into this force Satan one may subtly warp reality into a form more advantageous to ones desires. However, it is not an external godhead or force which enables you to accomplish this; it is the force of your own willpower and emotions, exerting a draw on the Satan, attracting it to you so that you can mold it into a more suitable shape.

The Psychologic viewpoint centres around Satan as being the primordial side of the human psyche which the majority of humanity seeks to control and eliminate, instead of accepting and utilizing. The Freudian id, the Jungian shadow, the animal within these are perhaps the best parallels to the Satanic self which the Psychological view of Modern Satanism desires to seek out and liberate.

There is a great tendency by non-Satanists to reflect on this particular viewpoint and come to a conclusion that developing ones Satanic self is tantamount to reverting to childhood akin to an infants gimme gimme gimme mine mine mine outlook on life. While some may think this, it is my personal belief and the belief of most Satanists I have met that truly coming to terms with ones inner self, coming to terms with both the proper civilized part and the unruly animal part, is infinitely harder than shoving a piece of yourself in a closet and pretending that it does not exist.

The Symbolists view Satan as a mental/mythic archetype, as the Adversary or the Light-bringer. As such, the figure of Satan as an anthropomorphic being is completely fictional: he does not exist as such. However, the mental conception of the figure draws us to him. We identify with him, respect him, admire him, even as a fictional character. The archetype or mythic figure embodies a lot of what Symbolists consider important and good qualities. Some of them may include pride, independence, free-will, intelligence, knowledge, truthfulness, and ambition. The exact list will vary on who you ask. The qualities of the archetype may be draw from various sources, such as the Christian Bible, Miltons Paradise Lost, the Apocrypha, The Satanic Bible, and personal experience or thought. For some, the admirable qualities may include destruction, cruelty, hatred it truly depends on what the individual Satanist sees as desirable and undesirable, or as admirable and inadmirable. Again, he Symbolists do not worship Satan-Lucifer, or acknowledge his literal existence, but view him as a mythic figure much like Peter Pan, Uncle Sam, Zeus, or King Midas.

Finally, no discussion of Modern Satanism would be complete without discussing the LaVeyan Satanists (Church of Satan).

LaVeyan Satanism was founded in the 1960s by Anton Szandor LaVey. It is without a doubt the most well-known of the Satanic denominations, and is the only one (as far as I am aware) with federally recognized religious status. Officially, it is known as the Church of Satan, and is head quartered in San Francisco. Anton LaVey passed away in late October of 1997, at which time leadership of the Church passed into the hands of Blanche Barton (a long-time associate of LaVey). Although at one time Karla LaVey (LaVeys daughter) was participating as a co-High-Priestess, she has since split from the Church of Satan over ideological differences. She is now the acting High Priestess of the First Satanic Church (founded Oct 31st, 1999), which claims to be a resurgence of Satanic ideals closer to the spirit of her fathers original teachings.

Although it is true that Satanism existed before him, LaVey can be said to be (with relative authority) the father of Modern Satanism. Before LaVey went public with his new Church, and with his many works on Satanic philosophy (The Satanic Bible, The Satanic Rituals, The Devils Notebook), Satanism was an underground, disorganized, and chaotic religion. Since the formation of the Church of Satan, information has become much more readily available and people had, for the first time, a sense of Satanic identity and organization.

The core philosophy of the Church of Satan is that of indulgence; of living ones life to the utmost of intellectual and material/carnal fulfilment. This includes fulfilling all of ones desires, so long as it does not involve the unwilling (children and animals are classed as unwilling). If fulfilment of these desires comes from illegal actions, so be it but the Satanist must be prepared to pay for any actions which he or she performs (the doctrine of personal responsibility).

Lastly, we come to the point of semantics. LaVeyan Satanists generally contend that they are the real Satanists, and that without LaVey none of Modern Satanism would be possible, as it was LaVey who opened up the doors to Satanism in the 1960s. Satan-worshippers or Devil-worshippers, they tend to regard as foolish and trapped in Christian behavioural patterns (turning to a god or otherworldly force). Similarly, Traditionalists (those who worship Satan as a spiritual or divine being), tend to call the LaVeyans pseudo-Satanists or pretenders, claiming that they are just atheists who use the name Satanist for shock value and capitalistic gain.

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Modern Satanism | Spiral Nature

The Satanic Philosophy

The Modern Church of Satan is inspired by the philosophy and spirit of The Satanic Bible written by Anton Szandor LaVey. We consider this book to be an excellent starting-point or introduction into Satanism, but further study is required in order to grow and evolve.

Our Libertines strive to be more astute, scholarly, and accomplished within the Satanic community and most have further developed their Satanic comprehension through extensive reading, discussion, introspection, intuition and reasoning in their daily lives.

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." ~ Anais Nin

Reading the Satanic Bible has never converted anyone to Satanism. Some readers simply find their own world-views and lifestyle eloquently articulated by LaVey. These readers were already Satanists without even realizing it, the Satanic Bible merely put a label to their existing beliefs and core philosophies.

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple." ~ Oscar Wilde

The Modern Church of Satan has the utmost respect for Anton Szandor LaVey, his wisdom, his teachings, and the accomplishments of the early Church of Satan.

No Creed must be accepted as authority of a divine nature. Religions must be put to the question. No moral dogma must be taken for granted - no standard of measurement deified. The Book of Satan (Fire) I:6

As Modern Satanists question even our own philosophies, we put to test the traditions and teachings of old while holding nothing as infallibly sacred. If it is not found to be useful, and if the teachings no longer serve their purpose, then they are discarded to make way for modern enlightened thi ing.

The world has evolved, and communication now takes place with the ease of a cellular phone and a wireless computer. Massive bookstores are now found online. Books that were thought to be lost for centuries are easily found and reprinted with just a few minutes of research on the internet. The largest occult libraries ever amassed are all available for download to your hard drive with just the click of a mouse.

Of even further significance is that most of us are fortunate enough to live in a country where we have a legal right to pursue such knowledge and declare religious beliefs that in the past were considered dangerous and occasionally even criminal. We no longer need to fear being burned at the stake for our beliefs or imprisoned for the literature we read or house in our libraries.

"It must be remembered that the purpose of education is not to fill the minds of students with facts it is to teach them to think. " ~ Robert M Hutchins

Regardless of the name chosen to acknowledge a life and how it is expressed; lesser magic, ritual, tradition, customs, inspiration, and even celebration or routine: they all develop patterns of energy that are focused towards a desired end state. This is why Modern Satanists participate in carnal rituals of the body, to focus their energy and bring about their Will.

The MCoS understands that it is the emotional response of the individual that is of the utmost importance, not the blind adherence to dusty traditions. Some Modern Satanists create their own rituals, while others do not find a need or use for ritual at all. Individuals are free to choose whatever methods serve them best.

As the next generation of Satanist emerges, the MCoS must evolve to meet their needs. Rituals that produce the strongest emotional output and focus are the essence of developed concentration. It is rare to find old organ music in an MCoS ritual, for this music has no emotional meaning to most modern Satanists. Instead, an MCoS altar is more likely to have multiple LCD or plasma screens displaying contemporary imagery relevant to the Modern Satanist. The music would vary as greatly as the personal taste of the individual varies, but regardless of its genre it would evoke an emotional response relevant to the ritual being performed.

The Modern Church of Satan is not intent on recruitment into the philosophy of Satanism. We are not on a membership drive, nor do we believe there is strength in numbers. Instead we know there is strength in the strong and that more is not better, BETTER is better. If you are new to the Satanic philosophy and religion we recommend that you begin your journey by reading The Satanic Bible written by Anton Szandor LaVey. We also strongly encourage you to research The Church of Satan and perhaps visit it online. There are also several other Satanic organizations out there with varying degrees of legitimacy and success. We suggest that you research all of them before choosing your affiliation. You may even find that you do not wish to affiliate with anyone.

Every man is free to rise as far as he's able or willing, but the degree to which he thinks determines the degree to which he'll rise ~ Ayn Rand

You should have a reasonable grasp on the fundamental concepts of Satanism before you choose to align yourself with anyone, including the Modern Church of Satan. Always make an informed and educated decision, do your homework and understand what it is you are getting into.

"The idea of God is the sole wrong for which I cannot forgive mankind" ~ Marquis De Sade

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The Modern Satanic Philosophy - Modern Church of Satan

Satanism is a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on the character of Satan.[1] Although the public practice of Satanism began with the founding of the Church of Satan in 1966, historical precedents exist: a group called the Ophite Cultus Satanas was founded in Ohio by Herbert Arthur Sloane in 1948.[2]

Satanist groups that appeared after the 1960s are widely diverse, but two major trends are theistic Satanism and atheistic Satanism. Theistic Satanists venerate Satan as a supernatural deity, viewing him not as omnipotent but rather as a patriarch. In contrast, atheistic Satanists regard Satan as merely a symbol of certain human traits.[3]

There are signs that Satanistic beliefs have become more socially tolerated. Satanism is now allowed in the Royal Navy of the British Armed Forces, despite opposition from Christians,[4][5][6] and in 2005, the Supreme Court of the United States debated over protecting the religious rights of prison inmates after a lawsuit challenging the issue was filed to them.[7][8]

Contemporary Satanism is mainly an American phenomenon, the ideas spreading with the effects of globalization and the Internet.[9] The Internet promotes awareness of other Satanists, and is also the main battleground for the definitions of Satanism today.[9] Satanism started to reach Eastern Europe in the 1990s, in time with the fall of the Soviet Union, and most noticeably in Poland and Lithuania, predominantly Roman Catholic countries.[10][11] It was estimated that there were 50,000 Satanists in 1990. There may now be as many as 100,000 Satanists in the world.[1]

In their study of Satanism, the religious studies scholars Asbjorn Dyrendal, James R. Lewis, and Jesper Aa. Petersen stated that the term "Satanism" "has a history of being a designation made by people against those whom they dislike; it is a term used for "othering"."

Elsewhere, Petersen noted that "Satanism as something others do is very different from Satanism as a self-designation". Eugene Gallagher noted that as commonly used, "Satanism" was usually "a polemical, not a descriptive term".

Historically, some people or groups have been specifically described as worshiping Satan or the Devil, or of being devoted to the work of Satan. The widespread preponderance of these groups in European cultures is in part connected with the importance and meaning of Satan within Christianity.

The Yazidis, a minority religion of the Middle East who worship Melek Taus, are often referred to as Satan worshippers by some Muslims.[28] Due to this, they have been targeted for conversion and extermination by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[29]

In his history of Satanism, Gareth Medway labelled the Satanic Ritual Abuse hysteria "a rerun of the old witch-hunts".

European Enlightenment, some works, such as Paradise Lost, were taken up by Romantics like Byron and described as presenting the biblical figure of Satan as an allegory representing a crisis of faith, individualism, free will, wisdom and enlightenment.[citation needed] Those works actually featuring Satan as a heroic character are fewer in number but do exist. George Bernard Shaw and Mark Twain (cf. Letters from the Earth) included such characterizations in their works long before religious Satanists took up the pen. From then on, Satan and Satanism started to gain a new meaning outside of Christianity.[9]

Black metal has often been connected with Satanism, in part for the lyrical content of several bands and their frequent use of imagery often tied to left hand path beliefs (such as the inverted pentagram). More often than not musicians associating themselves with black metal say they do not believe in legitimate Satanic ideology and often profess to being atheists, agnostics, or religious skeptics.[31] In some instances, followers of right hand path religions use Satanic references for entertainment purposes and shock value.[32] Most of black metal's "first wave" bands only used Satanism for shock value; one of the few exceptions is Mercyful Fate singer King Diamond, who follows LaVeyan Satanism[33] and whom Michael Moynihan calls "one of the only performers of the '80s Satanic Metal who was more than just a poseur using a devilish image for shock value".[34] One early precursor to Satanic metal was the 1969 rock album Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls, which contained numerous references to Satanism that reappeared in later Satanic rock music.

Glen Benton, vocalist and bassist of the band Deicide, once openly claimed to be a practitioner of theistic Satanism, and has spoken publicly to profess staunch anti-Christian sentiment. The controversial Dissection frontman Jon Ndtveidt openly spoke about his "chaos-gnostic" satanic beliefs, being a member of the Misanthropic Luciferian Order, and called his band "the sonic propaganda unit of the MLO".[35]Norwegian black metal artists such as Euronymous from Mayhem and Infernus from Gorgoroth have also identified themselves as Satanists and actively promoted their beliefs.[36] Numerous church burnings that covered parts of Norway in the early 1990s were also attributed to youths involved in the black metal movement, which included people promoting theistic Satanic beliefs and strong anti-LaVeyan attitudes.[37] However, the legitimacy of such actions as Satanic endeavors, rather than simply rebellious actions done for publicity, is something that has been doubted by even some of those who contribute to the genre.[38]

Rather than being one single form of religious Satanism, there are instead multiple different religious Satanisms, each with different ideas about what being a Satanist entails. Dyrendal, Lewis, and Petersen believed that it was not a single movement, but rather a milieu. They believed that there was a family resemblance that united all of the varying groups in this milieu, and that most of them were self religions. They argued that there were a set of features that were common to the groups in this Satanic milieu: these were the positive use of the term "Satanist" as a designation, an emphasis on individualism, a genealogy that connects them to other Satanic groups, a transgressive and antinomian stance, a self-perception as an elite, and an embrace of values such as pride, self-reliance, and productive non-conformity.

Dyrendal, Lewis, and Petersen argued that the groups within the Satanic milieu could be divided into three groups: reactive Satanists, rationalist Satanists, and esoteric Satanists. They saw reactive Satanism as encompassing "popular Satanism, inverted Christianity, and symbolic rebellion" and noted that it situates itself in opposition to society while at the same time conforming to society's perspective of evil. Rationalist Satanism is used to describe the trend in the Satanic milieu which is atheistic, sceptical, materialistic, and epicurean. Esoteric Satanism instead applied to those forms which are theistic and draw upon ideas from other forms of Western esotericism, Modern Paganism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

Satanic rhetoric and elements featured in the Third Term of the Trinity, an esoteric group founded in Paris, France in 1935 by the Russian occultist Maria de Naglowska.

Palladists are an alleged theistic Satanist society or member of that society. The name Palladian comes from Pallas and refers to the Greco-Roman goddess of wisdom and learning.

Our Lady of Endor Coven, also known as Ophite Cultus Satanas (originally spelled "Sathanas"), was a satanic cult founded in 1948 by Herbert Arthur Sloane in Toledo, Ohio. The group was heavily influenced by gnosticism (especially that found in the contemporary book by Hans Jonas, The Gnostic Religion), and worshiped Satanas, their name for Satan (Cultus Satanas is a Latin version of Cult of Satan). Satanas (or Satan) was defined in gnostic terms as the Serpent in the Garden of Eden who revealed the knowledge of the true God to Eve. That it called itself "Ophite" is a reference to the ancient gnostic sect of the Ophites, who were said to worship the serpent.

Theistic Satanism (also known as traditional Satanism, Spiritual Satanism or Devil worship) is a form of Satanism with the primary belief that Satan is an actual deity or force to revere or worship.[45][46] Other characteristics of theistic Satanism may include a belief in magic, which is manipulated through ritual, although that is not a defining criterion, and theistic Satanists may focus solely on devotion.

LaVeyan Satanism was founded in 1966 by Anton LaVey through the establishment of the Church of Satan. Its central text, The Satanic Bible, was published in 1969. The fundamentals of the religion's creed are synthesized in The Nine Satanic Statements, The Nine Satanic Sins, and The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth. Contrary to popular belief, LaVeyan Satanism does not involve the worship of deities. It is an atheistic philosophy that asserts the individual as his or her own god. Adherents instead see the character of Satan as an archetype of pride, carnality and enlightenment. Adherents to the philosophy have described Satanism as a non-spiritual religion of the flesh, or "...the world's first carnal religion".[48][49]

Luciferianism can be understood best as a belief system or intellectual creed that venerates the essential and inherent characteristics that are affixed and commonly given to Lucifer. Luciferianism is often identified as an auxiliary creed or movement of Satanism, due to the common identification of Lucifer with Satan. Some Luciferians accept this identification and/or consider Lucifer as the "light bearer" and illuminated aspect of Satan, giving them the name of Satanists and the right to bear the title. Others reject it, giving the argument that Lucifer is a more positive and easy-going ideal than Satan. They are inspired by the ancient myths of Egypt, Rome and Greece, Gnosticism and traditional Western occultism.

The Church of Satan was established at the Black House in San Francisco, California, on Walpurgisnacht, April 30, 1966, by Anton Szandor LaVey, who was the church's High Priest until his death in 1997. In 2001, Peter H. Gilmore was appointed to the position of high priest, and the church's headquarters were moved to Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. The Church is dedicated to the religion of LaVeyan Satanism as codified in The Satanic Bible. The church rejects the legitimacy of any other organizations who claim to be Satanists.[51][52]

After LaVey's death in 1997, the Church of Satan was taken over by a new administration and its headquarters was moved to New York. LaVey's daughter, the High Priestess Karla LaVey, felt this to be a disservice to her father's legacy. The First Satanic Church was re-founded on October 31, 1999 by Karla LaVey to carry on the legacy of her father. She continues to run it out of San Francisco, California.

The Temple of Set is an initiatory occult society claiming to be the world's leading left-hand path religious organization. It was established in 1975 by Michael A. Aquino and certain members of the priesthood of the Church of Satan,[53] who left because of administrative and philosophical disagreements. ToS deliberately self-differentiates from CoS in several ways, most significantly in theology and sociology.[54] The philosophy of the Temple of Set may be summed up as "enlightened individualism" enhancement and improvement of oneself by personal education, experiment and initiation. This process is necessarily different and distinctive for each individual. The members do not agree on whether Set is "real" or not, and they're not expected to.[54]

Setianism, in theory, is similar to theistic Satanism. The principle deity of Setianism is the ancient Egyptian god Set, or Seth, the god of adversary. Set supposedly is the Dark Lord behind the Hebrew entity Satan. Set, as the first principle of consciousness, is emulated by Setians, who symbolize the concept of individual, subjective intelligence distinct from the natural order as the "Black Flame". (Some people who are not members of the Temple of Set find spiritual inspiration in the Egyptian god Set, and may share some beliefs with the organization. The belief system in general is referred to as Setianism.)

Members of the Temple of Set are mostly male, between the ages of twenty and fifty.[54]

The authors Per Faxneld and Jesper Petersen write that the Order of Nine Angles (ONA, O9A) "represent a dangerous and extreme form of Satanism".[55] The ONA first attracted public attention during the 1980s and 1990s after being mentioned in books detailing fascist Satanism. They were initially formed in the United Kingdom and are presently organized around clandestine cells (which it calls traditional nexions)[56][57] and around what it calls sinister tribes.[58][59]

The Satanic Temple is an American political activist organization based in New York. The organization actively participates in public affairs that have manifested in several public political actions[60][61] and efforts at lobbying,[62] with a focus on the separation of church and state and using satire against Christian groups that it believes interfere with personal freedom.

The Satanic Temple does not believe in a supernatural Satan, as they believe that this encourages superstition that will keep them from being "malleable to the best current scientific understandings of the material world". The Temple uses the literary Satan as metaphor to construct a cultural narrative which promotes pragmatic skepticism, rational reciprocity, personal autonomy, and curiosity.[63] Satan is thus used as a symbol representing "the eternal rebel" against arbitrary authority and social norms.[64][65]

Continued here:

Satanism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jan 17, 2014

Jan 17, 2014

The occult is a broad and general term, and in the context of religion, means hidden knowledge secrets not known to a wider population.

Jan 16, 2014

Jan 16, 2014

As it turns out Haitian Vodou ceremonies are an ecstatic mix of African drums, Catholic iconography, and booze with a little bit of supernatural possession thrown in.

Jan 17 2014

Jan 17 2014

Thomas Morton got a firsthand look at the realities of being possessed by Vodou's multitude of rowdy, rum-thirsty spirits.

Jan 13, 2014

Jan 13, 2014

We went to Cleveland for the Satanic ritual, and stayed for the lesson on maximizing our potential. Thomas Morton meets Satanism expert Eric Freeman.

Jan 13, 2014

Jan 13, 2014

Despite the spooky overtones, modern Satanism actually has a lot in common with self-help, the green movement, and spunky American individualism. We traveled to Cleveland with Thomas Morton to meet Eric Freeman, authority on the duality of evil, to learn

Dec 27, 2013

Dec 27, 2013

Devil's Due tells the story of a newlywed couple dealing with an earlier-than-planned pregnancy that takes an unexpected turn. As months pass, it becomes evident that changes to the expectant mother's body and mind have a sinister origin.

Read the rest here:

Devil's Due | VICE | United States

Anglo-American Satanists The best-organized Satanist forces operating presently inside the United States include the following prominent organizations: THE LUCIS TRUST This is the leading, putatively respectable Britain-based Satan cult (it worships Lucifer). The Lucis Trust, which runs the only religious chapel at the New York United Nations headquarters, The Temple of Understanding, was originaly founded as the Lucifer Trust, in London, in 1923. The Lucis Trust associated with the UNO is the New York affiliate of the British organization. The name was changed from Lucifer Trust, to Lucis Trust, to make the nature of the organization less conspicuous. The Lucis Trust's leading sponsors include the following prominent figures: Henry Clausen, Supreme Grand Commander of the Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, Southern District Scottish Rite Freemasons Norman Cousins John D. Rockefeller IV The Rockefeller Foundation The Marshall Field family Robert McNamara Thomas Watson (IBM, former US Ambassador to Moscow) The United Lodge of Theosophists of New York City U. Alexis Johnson, former Undersecretary of State Rabbi Marc Tannenbaum, American Jewish Committee Prominent front-organizations sponsored by the Lucis Trust, include the following: The Theosophical Order of Service (founded by Annie Besant in1908) The Theosophical Society (founded by Helena P. Blavatsky in 1875) The United Nations Association The World Wildlife Fund UK The Findhorn Foundation Greenpeace International Greenpeace USA Amnesty International The Nicholas Roerich Society (chief connection to Russian mysticism, spirituality) The Anthroposophs of Rudolf Steiner The Rudolf Steiner School [these could not be genuine followers of Steiner] UNESCO UNICEF The American Friends Service Committee THE ORDO TEMPLI ORIENTIS (OTO) This is today's best-known of the hard-core, British-based Satanist cults. Like the Lucis Trust, the OTO is a direct off-shoot of the work of Britain's leading twentieth-century Satanist, Theosophy leader Aliester Crowley. OTO enthusiasts claim this organization is an offshoot of Templar freemasonry, and hint at very influential protection from among Templars very high in British freemasonry. THE WICCA CULT The WICCA cult came to the surface early during the post-war period, as a legalized association for the promotion of witchcraft. It is the leading publicly known international association of witches in the world today. In the United States, WICCA's outstanding sponsor is the New York Anglican (Episcopal) diocese, under Bishop Paul Moore. Officially, New York's Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Divine has promoted the spread of WICCA witchery through its Lindisfarne center. The late Gregory Bateson conducted such an operation out of the Lindisfarne center during the 1970s. No later than the 1970s, and perhaps still today, the crypt of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, is the headquarters for solemn ceremonies of the British (Venerable) Order of Malta. Key figures, such as Gregory Bateson's former spouse, Dame Margaret Mead, associated with that British order, have been associated with projects in support of the Satanist "Age of Aquarius" cause. For obvious reasons, U.S. witches have chosen Salem, Massachusetts, as their national center. One of the most important operations of these witches is their coordination of the hardcore of U.S. astrology rackets. THE AGE OF AQUARIUS The "Age of Aquarius," or "New Age," is the generic name adopted by the modern Satanist movement. The best-publicized among the founders of the Age of Aquarius movement include Fyodor Dostoevsky, Friedrich Nietzsche, Alex Muenthe (of Capri notoriety), and Aleister Crowley. Most Aquarians trace the origins of modern Satanism to Nietzsche and Crowley. Anti-Christ cultist Nietzsche announced that the twentieth century would see the end of the Age of Pisces, which Aquarians associate with the figures of Socrates and Christ; Nietzsche prophesied that the New Age would be the Age of Aquarius, which he identified with the Satanic figure Dionysos. Crowley announced himself publicly a devotee of Nietzsche's New Age cult in his Vienna Theosophy magazine, near the beginning of this century, and indicated as his preferred choice of name for Satan. Among hard-core insiders, the New Age models its dogma on the Magis' cult of Mithra, as Nietzsche did. The cult has notable affinities to the Bulgarian-Cathar Bogomil cult(from which the slang term "buggery" is derived). The New Age's most celebrated historical figure, its choice for the original "incarnation" of the Anti-Christ, is the Roman Emperor Tiberius who ordered the execution of Christ. [Some Roman emperors, most notably Caligula, became possessed by being initiated without being suitably prepared.] Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering were among the notable figures who followed this cult. The best-known coordinating-center for the Age of Aquarius project in the U.S.A. today is Palo Alto, California's Stanford Ressearch Institute, whose Willis Harman is the relevant leading personality. See Harman disciple Marilyn Feruguson's 1980 Aquarian Conspiracy for a popular exposition of Harman's views and program for subversion of the United States. Ferguson is accurate when she reports that the Fabian Society's H.G. Wells (World War I boss of British intelligence) is a key figure of the Aquarian Conspiracy. Also key are Wells' ally, Bertrand Russell, and such Russell cronies as Robert M. Hutchins (Chicago University, Ford Foundation, Fund for the Republic, Aspen Institute, and the project). Both Margaret Mead and her husband Gregory Bateson were close collaborators of Russell and Hutchins from no later than 1938. The brothers, Aldous (Hollywood) and Julian (UNO) Huxley were collaborators of H. G. Wells, and were recruited to Crowley's Satanist cult during the late 1920s. SATAN ROCK Since the launching of the Beatles as an international project via TV in 1963, "rock" has been the most influential recruiter to Satanism. Rock was created, and is still coordinated by Crowley's followers and by the OTO network, in cooperation with WICCA. It is, not so incidentally, also the Satanist's biggest money-maker, and believed to provide the chief logistical support for deployments and other activities of the OTO-WICCA efforts world-wide. There is nothing spontaneous or accidental about "rock." It is a product of classical studies of the ancient Phrygian terrorist cult of Satan-Dionysos, the model for the Roman Bacchic cults of similar characteristics. Crowley's control of the "rock industry" has been documented by a team of [private] investigators, who have also noted, that in addition to the Satanist lyrics, Satanist messages embedded sublimally in rock recordings are a key feature of this subversive operation. The "rock rythm" itself is copied from the old Dionysian-Bacchic cults. Even without the drugs and sexual orgies which are characteristic features of hard-core rock affairs, repeated,frequent, hours-long exposure to constant repetition of "rock rythms" produces lasting, drug-like effects on the mind of the victim. Reducing sexual practices to the level of bestiality,is a crucial feature of Satanism in all historical periods studied, from Phrygian Cybele-Dionysos cult-period onward. From western continental Europe, among the threats to the U.S. from this quarter, the two leading open centers for hard-core Satanism today, are Turin, Italy (where actress ElizabethTaylor's "Live AIDS" project attempted to sponsor an aborted Satan-rock festival), and Lausanne, Switzerland. The Satanist Mind Satanists already have numerous victims. Most of the sexual and related atrocities perpetrated upon "disappeared" infants and other children, are done as part of the rituals outlined in manuals of Satanist organizations. A leading police association has received expert estimate, that of all known murders, one in five is a ritual murder, like the ritual London assassination of Italy's Roberto Calvi, perpetrated by members of Satanist cults. The "Son of Sam" murders in New York, and the Cobb County-based cult operations in the so-called "Atlanta child-murders," fit into this pattern. Satanism is not "just another nutty occult fad." The mind of the Satanist is pure evil; the Satanist is a former person who has been transformed into something no longer human. It begins like drug-addiction; the prospective recruit to Satanism "gets into something" on a playful impulse, but then finds himself or herself gripped by compulsions which he or she can no longer control. Drugs and other special circumstances may be significant collateral features of the initiation, but not necesarily. The key is "letting oneself go," into the depths of acting-out impulses which combine sexual impulses and rage as a unity, and expressing this form of "pleasure" in the form of an act which violates an important precept of one's own conscience. Nietzsche's writings, especially toward the last period of life preceding his mental breakdown, address these special sorts of emotions, and refer implicitly to terrible obscene acts as the prospective fulfilment of such impulses. Nietzsche recognized these impulses as Satanic --dionysiac-- in quality. [Dionysiac activity, or wild abandon, by itself leads to non-demonic possession. Becoming demonically possessed requires killing, torturing, or tormenting someone with a neutral or positive attitude.] Ordinarily we think of the criminal mind as representing a person whose goals are based on "normal human impulses," but whose choice of means is immoral. Doing something illegal is not necessarily immoral; the useful definition of the criminal mind, is the person inclined to prefer immoral means as short-cuts to some goal usually not inconsistent with normal human impulses. In the case of the Satanist, we touch upon something way beyond such a mere criminal mind. Imagine a criminal mind which has undergone a curious transformation. Perhaps, formerly, this fellow was an habitual thief, even of that sort of twisted mind which delighted in occasions he might have imagined he had pretext to exert the power of life or death over some chance victim on the scene of his crime. Yet, up to that point, robbery or kindred results were always the prompting of his criminal activity. Now, he has changed. Crime is no longer motivated by the impulse to employ cruel means for personal gain. Instead, the pleasure of the sense of power realized in employing viciously cruel means, becomes an end in itself. This form of criminal pleasure becomes a blend of rage and sexuality. Jaded appetites create the mental state in that man, that he must do something more monstrous than he has done before, to realize the desired level of orgiastic pleasure from the evil deed. Evil for the purpose of doing evil, has become for him, a goal in and of itself. This man has become a beast, a virtual Satanist. That is the state of mind which Satanism seeks to develop inits initiates. It might begin with an ordinary sexual act performed under the influence of an ugly state of mind. Soon, something much more degraded becomes a need for the prospective initiate's rapidly jaded appetites. In contrast to the healthy mind, which seeks always to become better in what is being mastered, for the initiate to Satanism, a sense of need develops, to seek to muster oneself to do something much worse than one has ever done before. Satanic cults organize that degraded process of self-degeneration. The potential for endemic incidence of individual bestiality within society, is transformed into an organized,institutionalized form of social behavior. The tradition of the "Black Mass," points to the mechanisms of Satanism as such. Nietzsche's instruction is much to the point. Perform some really monstrous act of blasphemy, and associate that blasphemous doing with some sort of degraded,orgiastic pleasure. Go back to ancient Mesopotamia, whence Satanism was transmitted to western Europe. The relevant figure of Satanism is not a male, but a female figure. The male figure --Satan, Baal, Lucifer, and so on--is a subordinate figure; the female principle of evil is pre-dominant. Hence, Satan's mother, the "Whore of Babylon,"known otherwise as the Chaldean Ishtar, the Caananite Astarte,Isis, Venus, or the Phrygian Cybele. The ritual of the priestesses of Ishtar was an obscene "religious service" which concluded with the priestesses' fornicating with the congregation. Hence, "Whore of Babylon," and the associated position of Ishtar, Athtar, Astarte, Isis, and Venus as the patron goddess of prostitution. This satanic cult-practice was introduced to Mesopotamia from pre-Aryan India [which was Inanna/Ishtar's assigned domain - see Sitchin's Wars of Gods and Men]. The so-called "Harrappan" culture, featuring the Earth-Mother and fertility goddess Shakti and her satanic male figure Siva, established a set of colonies in the Middle East. The Sumer established as a colony by what the local semites named "the black-headed people" (Dravidians), was a Harrapan colony. There, among the semites, Shakti became known as Ishtar. In the Harrapan colony of Sheba-Ethiopia, Shakti became known as Athtar. In the Caananite ("Phoenician") offshoot of Harrapan colonizing, she became known as Astarte. The Hellenic cults of Isis and Osiris, were offshoots of the Harrapan cult of Shakti-Siva, by this route. When the same cult spread to an Indo-european people, the Phrygians, Shakti-Siva assumed the Indo-european forms of Cybele and Dionysos (day-night). Apollo and Lucifer are variants of the name for Satan-Osiris-Dionysos. [Ishtar was ambitious.] Among the Caananites, for example, Satanism expressed itself in such forms as the worship of Moloch, with the included custom of making a human sacrifice of the first-born of each marriage. Notably, that Caananite tradition is featured in the modern Satanists' ritual sexual and homicidal rituals upon infants and children used as human sacrifices. By combining the means by which men and women are degraded into potentially satanic forms of beasts, as rituals associated with Satanism practised as an "anti-religion," large-scale Satanic movements are developed through systematic proselytzing. The result of this initiation, as we have already stressed,is no human being, but a former human being transformed into something which is not human. Modern liberals and others frown on reports of savage witch-hunts from earlier centuries. Usually, the special British COINTELPRO operation, run in Salem Massachusetts as a covert operation against the independence of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, is commonly referenced. A better comparison is the proliferating of Satanist movements during the fourteenth century; these witches were actually sub-human, Satanist beasts, who represented that sort of mass threat to the population of that period. So, the population, as its only defense against a genuine Satanic force of that sort, hunted them down and sought to wipe them out. Not for nothing, does the Old Testament warn, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." The witches of the old Middle East and fourteenth-century Europe were very real, very evil witches, no longer human, but murderous beasts. Modern Witchcraft The modern spread of witchcraft in English-speaking nations, began during the sixteenth century, in the setting of imported cabalist and rosicrucan cults built up around Oxford and Cambridge. Francis Bacon and his secretary Thomas Hobbes were part of this movement. The endemic inculcation in Satanism which this prompted in seventeenth-century England, exploded after the accession of King George I, in the form of the Hell-fire Clubs which proliferated among degenerate English nobility during the long Liberal prime ministry of Hugh Walpole. During the Stuart Restoration period, the pro-satanic rosicrucean and cabalist cultism around the Stuart court siezed upon the case of Robert Bruce to reorganize the cult in a newform. Robert Bruce had been the leader of a group of Satan-worshipping (Baphomet) Templars, who had fled to Scotland, away from the angered justice of the Papacy and the King of France. What they brought with them, was the Templars' exploitation of the Cathar (Bogomil) tradition in the region of Toulouse and Albi, to build up the syncretic sort of Satanic worship the Templars had acquired in the Middle East. The Papacy had enough of this, and the King of France acted to shut down Templars by the means customary in those times. A group of Templars under Bruce fled to Scotland, and after some initial difficulties, made themselves the lords of the place. The character of the Stuart court is illustrated by the characterization of one Stuart government of that period as the "Cabal." In his history, Macauley offers an amiable description of the affair. During this century, when the chest of Isaac Newton's laboratory papers was opened and examined, the content of Newton's acutal "scientific work" turned out to be a selection of lurid and rather insane experimetns in "black magic." The circles around Francis Bacon and Hobbes were, as we say today, "a prize collection of real kooks." So, the Templar mish-mash of Bogomil Gnosticism blended into Hashishin Satanism, caused Bruce's Templar credentials to be viewed as suitable myth-building material for the taste of the Stuart kooks of the period. The Liberal aristocracy of Britain became a principal concentration of this filthy stuff. When the Liberals came to full power, under Walpole, this Liberal stuff came out in such form as the proliferating Hell-Fire Clubs. That tradition was cultivated under the Second Earl of Shelbourne's puppet prime minister, William Pitt the Younger, with Satanic figures such as the powerful Jeremy Bentham in the fore. Satanism gained new ground under the protection of Liberalism and Romanticism during the nineteenth century. In England,the more virulent new forms surfaced around Oxford University'sJohn Ruksin and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Out of this came theosophy, British "guild" socialism, the Fabian Society, Bertrand Russell, H. G. Wells, and Aleister Crowley -- Satanists all. This spilled over into the United States, notably in the circles of putative "Great Awakening" evangelist Johnathan Edwards, and his protege, Princeton Hell-Fire Club activist Aaron Burr. During the late nineteenth century, the sort of spoon-bending kookery associated with such figures as Oliver Lodge and A. Conan Doyle spilled generously among the wealthy anglophile liberals of the United States. In short, this sort of witchery has been endemic over the centuries. The difference is, that what was endemic has become epidemic. To Journalism on Satanism page: http://www.econcrisis.homestead.com/JournalismOnSatanism.html Comment Randy Littlejohn 1-17-5 Dear Jeff, The Real History of Satanism is not a real history at all. It is Christian Fundamentalist propaganda written for the purpose of demonizing perceived enemies of fundamentalist beliefs. I would like to encourage your readers to read The Origin of Satan by historian Elaine Pagels (Author of The Gnostic Gospels) for the actual history of Satanism. What interests Elaine Pagels is the social implications of the figure of Satan. She invites readers to consider Satan as a reflection of how we perceive ourselves and those we call "others." The article "The Real History of Satanism" appears to be just this, propaganda in which the "others", in this case pagans, are cast as disciples of Satan as a way of demonizing those with opposing beliefs. If this tendency in the Christian movement over the ages resulted in nothing more than a tool for Christians defining themselves against opposing values, there would be no problem. Instead, we see an excuse for intolerance. What's true is that those perceived as enemies of Christianity have often been violently persecuted. Comment Shamanoak 1-18-5 Jeff, I'm stunned. Did you post this article as a satire? I laughed out loud when I came to "the 'Bloods' and the 'Crypts'" (sic) choosing Satanic names. However, when the article rambled on and on casting a wide net of paranoia and misinformation over every group the writer disagrees with, I began to wonder about why you would post this. LaRouche obviously knows little about New Age or (Neo)Pagan beliefs if he believes they have anything whatsoever to do with Satanism. While some "New Agers" do incorporate some degree of Christian beliefs into their spiritual paths (and therefore believe in Satan), not all do. And as an ordained New Age minister, I have yet to meet anyone following a New Age path who could possibly be considered a Satanist. His labelling of (Neo)Pagans as Satanists is ludicrous. Pagans follow pre-Christian or non-Christian spiritual paths. Satan belongs almost wholly to Christians. He is the dark god of the dualist Christian faith. It's but the flipside of the Christian coin: Good & Evil, Light & Darkness, God & Satan. Has he not considered that Satanists are simply those who follow the dark side of his own faith? Most Pagans do not even believe in Satan, much less "worship" him! As a lifelong spiritual seeker I endeavor to maintain a joyous, empowering, and life-affirming connection to the divine. I take offense at anyone's hateful, arrogant, & very misinformed attempt to equate people of my (or similar) beliefs with pedophiles and their like. Peace & blessings. Comment Robert Bolske 1-20-5 Hi Jeff, After 40 years of research into the subject of satanism, I can only say that the article was...right on. Those who are a part of the New Age Movement simply have no concept of the roots of their various religions. Every occult religion which I have studied over the years (no matter how innocent it seems) appears to have roots in Occult Satanic Babylon. If I could find fault in the article, it would be that in order to truly report on the subject, one would need about 4,000 pages of text. Robert Bolske Spokane, WA

Read the original:

Real History Of Satanism - Rense

On this podcast Reap talks with Doug Mesner about the current activism involving TST including the problem Arizona has with Satanists giving theinvocation at the Phoenix city council meetings.

Visit http://thesatanictemple.com to learn more about The Satanic Temple and Satanism.

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Modern Satanism returns.

After a brief break the podcast returns to its regular schedule. Topics included are-

and more. enjoy

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During this episode of Modern Satanism Reap talks about-

You can tweet Jonh Hagee here- https://twitter.com/pastorjohnhagee

Thanks to Ben Radford for his contribution. You can find more from Ben here

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Reap talks with The Satanic Temple Saint Louis Chapter HeadDamienBaal

Remember the lady who attacked the Satanic display last X-mas? Update on her punishment.

Sunlight Atheist group denied status as a religion

TST fights for removal of in god we trust or inclusion of E Pluribus Unum

THE FRIENDS OF SATAN FORUM

The Satanic Temple St. LouisChapter

The Satanic Temple Website

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Sara and Beth hang out with Reap totalk about the satanic panic and some of the people who have kept it going . This latest campaign headed by TST is called Grey Faction and will be an ongoing effort to dispel the falsehoods of the satanic panic claims which to this day continue to do harm and give Satanism a bad name.

The San Jose Chapter of The Satanic Temple is about to hold its first meetup on March 21st http://www.meetup.com/The-Satanic-Temple-San-Jose-Chapter/

Related links-

Where the Witch-hunters are: pseudoscience and Mental Health

Dissociation and Trauma: Join ISSTD!

Judy Byington, author of 22 Faces

Dr.Randy Noblitt, SRA-pushing professor at Alliant University

Mike Warnke

Doreen Irvine

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On Modern Satanism #16 you will hear from Doug Mesner about Grey Faction and get an update on TST. Along with-

Dont forget to visit The Satanic Temples website and share the podcast. Just say the devil made you do it, it works for everyone else.

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Daemeon Gravesjoins Reap to talk about the need for Satanism in Chicago. Pat Robertson says more crazy shit. And a little fly named Tom Raspotnik is still buzzing even as a flyswatter swings towards his head.

The Satanic Temple carries on with its work despite attempts to thwart its efforts. Check out the website to learn more.

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On this episode of Modern Satanism

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Modern Satanism | Satanism based on atheism, skepticism ...

Prior to LaVey forming the Church of Satan, LaVey in the early to mid sixties would hold Midnight Masses at his Victorian home in San Francisco's Richmond District. It would attract many high profile figures from the San Francisco area, which made LaVey somewhat of a local legend. This is what caused LaVey to start the "Satanic Church" later renamed the "Church of Satan" (often referred to "CoS" for short).

In 1969 LaVey wrote the Satanic Bible, which would prove to be the bedrock for modern Satanism. To date it has sold nearly 1,000,000 copies worldwide and has been translated into several languages.

The Church of Satan thrived vigorously in the late sixties and early seventies attracting many celebrities including Sammy Davis Jr., and Jayne Mansfield to name a couple.

In 1975 many changes occurred within the CoS, LaVey had done away with the Grotto system. A network of sub-churches setup across the country. Some structural re-organization had also been done.

It was at this time that Michael Aquino, member of the Church of Satan, broke away from the Church and formed his "Temple of Set." Aquino maintained that LaVey had changed his stance from believing in an actual Satan to referring to it as more of a relative term. LaVey claimed that he had always referred to Satan as a "Dark force of Nature" rather than an actual deity.

Between 1970 and 1992 LaVey had written three other books. The Compleat Witch (Re-released as "The Satanic Witch"), The Satanic Rituals, and The Devil's Notebook.

During this period in the '80's there was a wave of Satanic panic as many talk shows, news media, and various papers across the country began reporting on Satanic Serial Killers, and Groups of Satanists that were opening day care centers, molesting, and sacrificing children. This sparked an FBI investigation, which concluded that there was no such activity taking place.

Just after the release of the Devil's Notebook in 1992 LaVey made a film entitled "Speak of the Devil" It was a documentary about the Anton LaVey, the history of Satanism, and the Church of Satan. It seemed to revive the Satanic movement a little but not nearly as much as would be seen in 1996.

A musician by the name of Marilyn Manson release an album entitled "Antichrist Superstar" which fueled a pop-culture trend of Goth teenagers proclaiming to be Satanists. Many of these children were nothing more than alienated teens that were simply rebelling against religion, and their parents.

This created a surge of attention for LaVey and the Church of Satan. A revitalized church had sky rocketing membership applications and a renewed interest in Satanism. Ironically in the midst of the Goth culture phenomenon LaVey would die of heart failure in his home on the night of Oct. 27, 1997.

The Aftermath of LaVey's Death

Not surprisingly the death of LaVey created a frenzy in and outside of the Satanic community. Detractors came out from rocks to demystify, or debunk nearly all parts of LaVey's personal and private life, and of course the Church of Satan itself.

Karla LaVey (Anton's eldest daughter) and Blanche Barton (LaVey's Biographer, and mother of his Son) had agreed to run the Church together as co-High Priestess's. It was just after this agreement that Blanche produced a handwritten will and claimed that the Church, LaVey's personal property, and all rights to LaVey's writings were the sole property of Blanche, and LaVey's youngest Son Xerxes.

Karla had contested the will citing a Doctors statement that LaVey was heavily medicated and had just come out of a death experience when he was coerced to write the Will. The Will was later invalidated and an agreement was made.

Feeling that her fathers personal items were more important than the organization itself Karla agreed to let Blanche have the "Organization known as Church of Satan" in return LaVey's three children (Karla, Zeena, and Xerxes) were to equally divide his personal belongings, and the rights to his works.

During this time Blanche and clergy of the Church had begun a vicious campaign against Karla claiming she was not qualified to run the Church, had not contributed to the Church, and went through long periods of not speaking to her father.

In reality Karla LaVey had gone on numerous lecture tours at University's regarding Satanism. Appeared on countless television talk shows and radio interviews, promoting the Church, her father's work, and the philosophy itself. She was even featured on the Cover of Brazil's most popular magazine giving an interview on the Satanism, and the Occult.

Karla then decided to form the "First Satanic Church" in 1999, an identical organization to her father's old Church in order to carry on the family tradition. Her church is operating out of San Francisco just as her father had run the Church of Satan.

Blanche currently resides in San Diego, California and has no longer handles CoS administration. The Church of Satan is now run mostly online, based out of New York where memberships are processed, while still maintaining the P.O. Box in San Francisco for personal correspondence to Blanche.

A large number of new Satanic Churches have popped up since the death of LaVey in 1997. Most of them Internet based and lacking any real substance. That just seems to be par for the course these days.

A Word about Satanism Today

Satanism has always been about being an individual; it therefore makes sense that regardless of organizational politics the primary focus should be on the individual. It has become a bit clich yet it still holds true that you do not have to join any organization to be a Satanist. Only you can determine where you want to go in life.

In closing I would like to say that Satanism is the Bedrock philosophy of human existence. It is the philosophy that is your primer paint before you put several layers of other paints on the wall. It is the first stepping-stone in life's journey for infinite knowledge. In the long run it's really what keeps you grounded and your head out of the clouds.

I would encourage you to do your own research and studying on the subjects of Satanism & the Occult Sciences. Click below to learn a few basic tennets of Satanism.

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An Introduction to Modern Satanism - ahftu.net