For other uses of the word, see Satanism and Satanism (disambiguation).

LaVeyan Satanism is a religion founded in 1966 by Anton LaVey. Its teachings are based on individualism, social Darwinism, self-indulgence, and "eye for an eye" morality, with influence from Friedrich Nietzsche and Ayn Rand, while its rituals and magic draw heavily from occultists such as Aleister Crowley. Borrowing Crowley's terminology, its adherents define Satanism as a "Left-Hand Path" religion, rejecting traditional "Right-Hand Path" religions such as Christianity for their perceived denial of life and emphasis on guilt and abstinence. Unlike Theistic Satanism, which is rejected by the Church of Satan as Christian heresy rather than Satanism, it does not literally worship Satan, but rather uses Satan as a symbol for people's natural inner desires.^[1] Peter H. Gilmore, High Priest of the Church of Satan. ... Look up satanism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Anton Szandor LaVey, born Howard Stanton Levey[1][2] (11 April 1930 – 29 October 1997) was the founder and High Priest of the Church of Satan as well as a writer, occultist, musician, and actor. ... Individualism is a term used to describe a moral, political, or social outlook that stresses human independence and the importance of individual self-reliance and liberty. ... Social Darwinism is the idea that Charles Darwins theory can be extended and applied to the social realm, i. ... This article does not cite any sources. ... Eye for an Eye is a movie starring Sally Field, Keifer Sutherland, Ed Harris, Beverly DAngelo and Joe Mantegna. ... Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15, 1844 – August 25, 1900) (IPA: ) was a nineteenth-century German philologist and philosopher. ... Ayn Rand (IPA: , February 2 [O.S. January 20] 1905 – March 6, 1982), born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum (Russian: ), was a Russian-born American novelist and philosopher. ... This article refers to the magical system of Aleister Crowley and Thelema. ... For other uses of this term, see occult (disambiguation). ... Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley, (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947, pronounced ) was a British occultist, writer, mountaineer, philosopher, poet, and mystic. ... Left Hand Path redirects here; for the debut album of the Swedish death metal band Entombed, see Left Hand Path (album). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... This article is about the practice of abstinence in general. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the concept of Satan. ...

Anton LaVey established Satanism's first and largest religious organization, the Church of Satan, in 1966, and codified Satanic beliefs and practices in the Satanic Bible in 1969. According to the Church of Satan, there are many Satanists around the world, including both members and non-members. It rejects the legitimacy of any other organizations of Satanists, dubbing them reverse-Christians and pseudo-Satanists. Although exact numbers have never been released, it has been estimated by the church that the number of adherents is in the tens of thousands.^[2] Religious activities generally need some infrastructure to be conducted. ... Church of Satan logo The Church of Satan is an organization for those who practice self-preservation as articulated in The Satanic Bible, written in 1969 by Anton Szandor LaVey. ... Satanism Associated organizations The Church of Satan First Satanic Church Prominent figures Anton LaVey | Blanche Barton | Peter H. Gilmore | Peggy Nadramia | Karla LaVey Associated concepts Left-Hand Path | Pentagonal Revisionism | Suitheism | Might is Right | Lex talionis Books and publications The Satanic Bible | The Satanic Rituals | The Satanic Witch | The Devil...

History

During the Inquisitions, the term satanic was applicable to anyone accused of witchcraft, though historical investigation reveals no evidence that any group of actual devil worshippers or witches as described by inquisitors ever existed.^[3] This article is about the Inquisition by the Roman Catholic Church. ... Witch redirects here. ...

On Walpurgisnacht of 1966, Anton Szandor LaVey began the Church of Satan. Beforehand, he had given lectures from his home, the infamous Black House, charging two dollars for admittance. He formed a "Magic Circle" with his closest associates, experimenting with ceremonial magic. It was suggested to LaVey that he had enough material to start an organized religion.^[4] Anton Szandor LaVey (11 April 1930 - 29 October 1997), born Howard Stanton Levey, was the founder and High Priest of the Church of Satan, author of The Satanic Bible, and creator of the religion known as as LaVeyan Satanism. ... For the novel by the same name, see Black house (novel). ...

The Church of Satan attracted a lot of publicity. Its use of nude women as altars and performances of a Satanic wedding and funeral service brought it a lot of attention. Anton LaVey shaved his head and wore a white clerical collar, sometimes even wearing horns to complete the image of the Devil incarnate. His flamboyant personality attracted many followers and admirers.^[5][6] This is an overview of the Devil. ...

Beliefs

Satan

In the Satanic Bible, Anton LaVey describes Satan as a motivating and balancing dark force in nature. Satan is also described as being the "Black Flame", representing a person's own inner personality and desires. Satan is seen as synonymous with the nature and even, metaphorically, with certain conceptions of a supreme deity or God. This article is about the concept of Satan. ... Natural World (sometimes in the past titled Wildlife On One or Wildlife On Two) is a long-running BBC television series on natural history. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the term Deity in the context of mysticism and theology. ... This article is about the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...

Satan is said to appear in mythology and literature around the world as a trickster, rebel, and hero. Figures such as the Greek Prometheus are said to perfectly exemplify the qualities of Satan, the prideful rebel. Other deities, such as Ahriman, Apep, and Loki, are seen as examples of different manifestations of the same archetype.^[7] Satan is seen as the powerful individual who acts regardless of what others might say.^[8] For other uses, see Trickster (disambiguation). ... Prometheus Brings Fire to Mankind, by Heinrich Füger, (1817). ... Angra Mainyu or Ahriman was the evil spirit in the dualistic strain of Zoroastrianism. ... For the Cypriot football team, see APEP Kyperounda FC. An Egyptian deity wards off the snake-like Apep [1] In Egyptian mythology, Apep (also spelled Apepi, and Aapep, or Apophis in Greek) was an evil demon, the deification of darkness and chaos (isfet in Egyptian), and thus opponent of light... For other uses, see Loki (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Archetype (disambiguation). ...

The word satan is Hebrew for "adversary", and Satanists claim to be adversaries of mainstream behavior which they define as "herd conformity", seeing it as stifling to individuality, creativity, and progress.^[9] It has been suggested that Herding instinct be merged into this article or section. ...

God

Satanists do not believe that Satan is a god; rather, the function of God is performed and satisfied by the Satanist him/herself. That is, the needs of worship, ritual, and religious/spiritual focus are directed, effectively, inwards towards the Satanist, as opposed to outwards towards a God.

LaVey proposes instead that as all gods are creations of humans, worship of an external deity is worship of its creator by proxy. He suggests, then, that the rational Satanists should instead internalize their gods and therefore worship themselves; hence the Satanic maxim, "I am my own god."

It follows that Satanism shuns the idea of belief in all other deities as well. Belief in any such externalized deities is generally considered grounds for excluding someone as a Satanist, and devil worship in particular is considered nothing more than a misguided inversion of Christianity.

Philosophy

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Image File history File links Question_book-3. ...

Fundamental individualism

Satanism is often mistaken as being a religion that encourages cruelty and irresponsible behaviour, but LaVey's brand is very different. Central is the idea inherited from Nietzsche that an individual must enforce their own meaning on life and rise above the perceived conformity of the masses. The Satanist is seen as equivalent to Nietzsche's Übermensch; LaVey claimed "Satanists are born, not made" and that "[Satanists] have a disease called independence that needs to be recognized just like alcoholism." There is a libertarian element here; diversity is encouraged, everyone is expected to discover their own sexuality, chart their own personality, and decide their own ambitions in life. In this stress on individuality, Satanism is considered a "Left-Hand Path" religion. Look up cruelty in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Friedrich Nietzsche, 1882 Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15, 1844 - August 25, 1900) was a highly influential German philosopher. ... As commonly used, individual refers to a person or to any specific object in a collection. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ... See also Libertarianism and Libertarian Party Libertarian,is a term for person who has made a conscious and principled commitment, evidenced by a statement or Pledge, to forswear violating others rights and usually living in voluntary communities: thus in law no longer subject to government supervision. ... This article is about human sexual perceptions. ... Left Hand Path redirects here; for the debut album of the Swedish death metal band Entombed, see Left Hand Path (album). ...

Satanism and self-transformation

Adherents to "life-denying" religions are often regarded as self-abnegating in their devotion to their own servility. LaVey's Satanic creed viewed religion as promoting an impersonal relationship with what the churches referred to as "God". Satanism was presented as an opportunity to self-identify with one's own concept of God. Great attention was paid to details gleaned from Noir films like White Heat and The Big Sleep in creating one's ideal Self from deliberately invoked forms. Satanism encourages a follower of the religion to grow throughout their life as they see fit. Noir could refer to: Noir is the French language word for black. Film noir is a genre of movie. ... White Heat is a 1949 crime film starring James Cagney, Edmond OBrien and Virginia Mayo. ... The Big Sleep (1946) is the first film version of Raymond Chandlers 1939 novel of the same name. ...

Law of Satanism

Lex talionis, the Law of Retaliation (lex/legis f. nom, "law" and talio/talionis f. gen, "retaliation, returning like unto like") informed much of LaVey's Satanic formulation. "Do unto others as they do unto you" supplanted the directive to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", so that you are only to give compassion and sympathy to those who deserve it. It is a reactive rule, compared with the Christian proactive rule; by the rule, love, compassion, and sympathy are not to be wasted upon "ingrates"; these are to be given only to those who the practitioner feels deserves them. The religion of Satanism, as LaVey espouses it, is centered almost exclusively upon the concept of being one's own god; as such, values and attachments such as love, affection, and caring, along with opposing concepts such as hate and wrath, are to be disseminated at the discretion of the individual Satanist. LaVey felt that intelligent and strong people spent too much time caring for psychic vampires — weak individuals who always demanded attention and care, yet would never give any back. He taught that Satanists should strive to remove themselves as much as possible from such people in order to live in accordance to their instincts and individual wills. Lex talionis (literally the Latin for law as retaliation) or law of retaliation is the belief that one of the purposes of the law is to provide retaliation for an offended party. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... In New Age terminology, an energy vampire or psychic vampire is a being said to have the ability to feed off the life force (called, variously, chi, prana, or vitality) of other living creatures. ...

The Nine Satanic Statements

1. Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence!
2. Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams!
3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit!
4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates!
5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek!
6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires!
7. Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours, who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all!
8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!
9. Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years!^[10]

Look up Indulgence in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the practice of abstinence in general. ... Pipe Mania Pipe Dream is also the name of Binghamton Universitys student newspaper. ... Look up kindness in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Revenge is retaliation against a person or group in response to wrongdoing. ... Almanac · Categories · Glossaries · Lists · Overviews · Portals · Questions · Site news · Index Art | Culture | Geography | Health | History | Mathematics | People | Philosophy | Science | Society | Technology Wikipedia is an encyclopedia written by its users in over 200 languages worldwide. ... An energy vampire, or psychic vampire, in mythology, is a being said to have the ability to feed off the life force (aka chi, prana, vitality) of other living creatures. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Sin (disambiguation). ... For the architectural structure, see Church (building). ...

The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth

1. Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
2. Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them.
3. When in another’s lair, show them respect or else do not go there.
4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat them cruelly and without mercy.
5. Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
6. Do not take that which does not belong to you, unless it is a burden to the other person and they cry out to be relieved.
7. Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained.
8. Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
9. Do not harm little children.
10. Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
11. When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them. ^[11]

The Nine Satanic Sins

1. Stupidity — The top of the list for Satanic Sins. The Cardinal Sin of Satanism. It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid.
2. Pretentiousness — Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn’t applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. This is on equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone’s made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not.
3. Solipsism — Projecting your reactions, responses, and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are can be very dangerous for Satanists. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won’t. Instead, Satanists must strive to apply the dictum of “Do unto others as they do unto you.” It’s work for most of us, and requires constant vigilance, lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As it has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point.
4. Self-deceit — It’s in the “Nine Satanic Statements”, but deserves to be repeated here. It is another cardinal sin. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it’s fun, and with awareness. But then, it’s not self-deceit!
5. Herd Conformity — That’s obvious from a Satanic stance. It’s all right to conform to a person’s wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely, instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many.
6. Lack of perspective — Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain for a Satanist. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints: Know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world.
7. Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies — Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it’s something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society.
8. Counterproductive Pride — That first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: If it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you’ve painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I’m sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it.
9. Lack of Aesthetics — This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time, so they are discouraged in a consumer society; but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It’s not what’s supposed to be pleasing: It’s what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one’s own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied.^[12]

“Stupid” redirects here. ... characterized by assumption of dignity or importance. ... Solipsism (Latin: solus, alone + ipse, self) is the philosophical idea that My mind is the only thing that I know exists. Solipsism is an epistemological or metaphysical position that knowledge of anything outside the mind is unjustified. ... Machiavellianism is primarily the term some social and personality psychologists use to describe a persons tendency to deceive and manipulate others for personal gain. ... This article is about the telling of falsehoods. ... Conformity is the act of consciously maintaining a certain degree of similarity (in clothing, manners, behaviors, etc. ... Perspective in theory of cognition is the choice of a context or a reference (or the result of this choice) from which to sense, categorize, measure or codify experience, cohesively forming a coherent belief, typically for comparing with another. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The word orthodoxy, from the Greek ortho (right, correct) and doxa (thought, teaching, glorification), is typically used to refer to the correct theological or doctrinal observance of religion, as determined by some overseeing body. ... This article is about the emotion. ... Aesthetics is commonly perceived as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste. ... For beauty as a characteristic of a persons appearance, see Physical attractiveness. ...

Magic

Magic, as defined by Satanism, is "the change in situations or events in accordance with one's will, which would, using normally accepted methods, be unchangeable." This definition incorporates two kinds of magic: Lesser Magic (manipulative) and Greater Magic (ritual). Satanism, however, draws no distinction between White and Black magic which correlates with its view of an impersonal universe.^[13] Not to be confused with Magic (illusion). ...

Lesser Magic

Lesser Magic is a system of manipulation that mainly involves three main themes of sex, sentiment, and wonder. On this point, Anton LaVey seems to take inspiration from a book on photography called The Command to Look. Lesser magic capitalizes on these themes, prompting Satanists to expand on whichever themes they naturally fall under.

LaVey later expanded his system of manipulation in The Satanic Witch. The book was written from the woman's perspective because LaVey believed that women could more fully apply his concepts, but much of the book can be applied by men also. He relates ideas worked out from watching the proprietors of carnival stalls and fortune tellers in their manipulation of customers. The Satanic Witch also proposes The LaVey Synthesizer Clock, a form of soma typing that adds a fourth body type, the "feminine." The synthesizer is used in identification of personality in order to know how best to manipulate a person through traits often associated with their types and what LaVey referred to as their "demonic" personality, or their opposite on the clock. The Satanic Witch is a book by Anton LaVey. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with The Satanic Witch. ...

Greater Magic

Greater Magic involves ritual and ceremony in order to focus one's emotional energy for a specific purpose. Satanic ritual is highly variable, with a basic format given in The Satanic Bible. Satanists are encouraged to use whatever elements that suit them in order to bring them to an emotional height. It must be noted that the Church of Satan claims that a better mastery of Lesser Magic will contribute to a better mastery of Greater Magic.

The ritual room is referred to as an "intellectual decompression chamber." Disbelief is temporarily suspended and the magician is encouraged to best express themself and not hold back on what they may be feeling. Also, it is notable that Satanism draws a line at the participants, stating that a successful working is more likely with a few Satanists who are concentrated on what they are doing than many who may be distracted.

Greater magic is most commonly divided into three categories: Destruction, lust, and compassion. Each is considered a basic motivation for all actions, and Satanic ritual is said to fall into these three categories. LaVey elaborates on methods for focusing these motivations. For destruction, one can either act out or destroy a person symbolically in order to vent their anger and hatred. Lust rituals involve masturbation and orgasmic overtones. Compassion rituals concern sadness and crying is encouraged. Overall, full self expression is encouraged in Satanic ritual.

Much emphasis is placed on evocation and music. The last part of The Satanic Bible is dedicated to invocations and the nineteen Enochian Keys, originally written by John Dee. Music is encouraged because it is said to easily manipulate one's emotions, which contributes to the overall success of the rituals. For the American college basketball coach, see John Dee (basketball coach). ...

The Black Mass

The "Black Mass", a symbolic opposition of the church used in the past, but are not used in the current day by Satanists, as Anton LaVey explained in an interview with Occult America.^[14] // the people of hte black mass religion should ill go worship god insted. ...

"He did not, however, go along with the dramatization of evil as performed in the original Black Mass. “Those,” he explained, “were psychodramas at a time when people needed them. They had to express their opposition, their rebellion against an established church. Our rituals are suitably modified to express the needs of our particular era.”

Anton LaVey stated in The Satanic Bible (The chapter in the Book of Lucifer called The Black Mass): Satanism Associated organizations The Church of Satan First Satanic Church Prominent figures Anton LaVey | Blanche Barton | Peter H. Gilmore | Peggy Nadramia | Karla LaVey Associated concepts Left-Hand Path | Pentagonal Revisionism | Suitheism | Might is Right | Lex talionis Books and publications The Satanic Bible | The Satanic Rituals | The Satanic Witch | The Devil...

"The usual assumption is that the Satanic ceremony or service is always called a black mass. A black mass is not the magical ceremony practiced by Satanists. The Satanist would only employ the use of a black mass as a form of psychodrama. Furthermore, a black mass does not necessarily imply that the performers of such are Satanists. A black mass is essentially a parody of the religious service of the Roman Catholic Church, but can be loosely applied to a satire on any religious ceremony."

LaVey went on to call it a redundancy, and it is commonly misinterpreted that the Church of Satan has performed actual Black Masses, however using baby-fat candles and kissing the devil's buttocks (both are common practices outlined in the chapter) would be both contradictory and hypocritical for a Satanist to do. In the 1950s Anton LaVey held a magic circle, or coven, at his home for a charge before the legendary event of shaving his head and announcing Anno Satanas. Afterwards, the prominent members of The Church of Satan held 'High Mass' on Friday nights at The Black House, as verified in the Occult America interview aforementioned. The videos and articles of the rituals and Satanic Marriage performed there are legendary.

Satanic holidays

Main article: Satanic holidays

The most important holiday in Satanism is one's own birthday, as it is the birthdate of one's own god. This is as a reminder that to a Satanist, you are the most important being in the universe, and to honor your own vital existence and your life. LaVey recommends that a Satanist celebrate their own birthday in any way they choose, with as much pomp and ceremony as they see fit. The Satanic celebration of the birthday can also be seen as a mockery of the holidays commemorating the birth of various gods or saints in other religions.

Three Satanic holidays are named by Anton LaVey in The Satanic Bible but are not considered sacred.

One among these holidays is Walpurgisnacht, which in addition to the occult significance the date carries, also marks the formation of the Church of Satan in the year 1966, or I Annos Satanas. This date is commonly celebrated by Satanists with private or group rituals, and private parties or family celebrations to commemorate the foundation of the Church of Satan. Walpurgis Night (Valborgsmässoafton in Swedish, Vappu in Finnish, Volbriöö in Estonian, Valpurģu nakts or Valpurģi in Latvian, Walpurgisnacht in German) is a holiday celebrated on April 30, in Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Germany. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ...

LaVey also mentions the summer and winter solstices, and the spring and fall equinoxes as lesser holidays. These are likewise often celebrated by ritual or private party; however, they are sometimes also used to substitute popular holidays that Satanists wish to avoid imparting a Christian overtone to but still wish to celebrate in some form.

Halloween is very commonly celebrated by Satanists, but typically there is far less occult significance attached to the date by Satanists than the public might imagine. Halloween is a popular date for both private and group ritual ceremonies, but also a popular date for Satanists to hold private parties for no other purpose than to enjoy the dark fun that is commonly celebrated on that date by the public at large. If anything, Satanists seem to take a sense of irony and humor in the holiday.^{[citation needed]} This article is about the holiday. ...

Satanism does not specifically forbid the celebration of any holidays or festivals held by other cultures or even other religions. Entirely secular holidays are commonly celebrated by Satanists either for personal reasons or merely as an excuse to have a good time. It is not entirely uncommon for Satanists to even celebrate overtly Christian holidays such as Christmas, though the religious trappings are generally stripped from the holiday, secularizing it. Many Satanists, however, either transfer such holidays as Christmas to the Winter Solstice and either place a darker spin on it or secularize it entirely, or decline to celebrate such holidays altogether. The December solstice occurs on December 21 or December 22 of most years, and is known by different names in different hemispheres of Earth: Winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; the shortest day of the year. ...

Of recent note, June 6th, 2006 marked a Satanic High Mass in Hollywood, California by the Church of Satan. This celebration was by invitation only and limited to 100 attendees, and was held in large part to mock the superstitious fear of the date by the public. The date 06/06/06 does not hold special religious significance in Satanism, nor does the number 666. The event was documented, and many members of the Church of Satan were interviewed, by the BBC with permission.^{[citation needed]} ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

Criticisms

A common criticism of Satanism is that it is reactionary and an invention of the Christian churches. It is thought that because of its chief symbol is that of the enemy in Christianity, it is a reaction against what were social problems at the time, rather than a positive growth.

The symbol of Satan is criticized as deliberately confrontational. Often it is cited as being purely for shock value and having no real purpose whatsoever.^{[citation needed]} Some who agree with the philosophy of Satanism, fall short of calling themselves Satanists because it is seen as simply a rebellion against Christianity and not a valid, stand alone set of ideas. It has also been suggested that much of the power of Satanism was in shock which has waned since the 1960s.[1]

Satanism is also criticized as a recycled version of older ideas such as existentialism and perhaps individualism. LaVey has described his Satanism as "just Ayn Rand's philosophy with ceremony and ritual added" [2]. Critics have suggested that LaVey simply took the philosophy of Satanism from Rand and Friedrich Nietzsche, adding on the symbol of Satan and watered down versions of magical ideas taken from Aleister Crowley.^{[citation needed]} Existentialism is a philosophical movement that posits that individuals create the meaning and essence of their lives, as opposed to deities or authorities creating it for them. ... Individualism is a term used to describe a moral, political, or social outlook that stresses human independence and the importance of individual self-reliance and liberty. ... Ayn Rand (IPA: , February 2 [O.S. January 20] 1905 – March 6, 1982), born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum (Russian: ), was a Russian-born American novelist and philosopher. ... Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15, 1844 – August 25, 1900) (IPA: ) was a nineteenth-century German philologist and philosopher. ... Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley, (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947, pronounced ) was a British occultist, writer, mountaineer, philosopher, poet, and mystic. ...

See also

• The Church of Satan
• First Satanic Church
• Anton LaVey
• Peter H. Gilmore
• Karla LaVey
• The Satanic Bible
• The Satanic Scriptures
• Church of Satan Book
• Satanism: An interview with Church of Satan High Priest Peter Gilmore

Church of Satan The Church of Satan is a religious organization that promotes Satanism as strictly defined by what they call The Satanic Bible, written in 1969 by Anton Szandor LaVey. ... Satanism Associated Organizations Church of Satan First Satanic Church Prominent Figures Anton LaVey | Blanche Barton | Peter H. Gilmore | Peggy Nadramia | Karla LaVey Associated Concepts Left-Hand Path | Moral Majority | Pentagonal Revisionism | Suitheism | Survival of the fittest | Objectivism | Might is Right Books and Publications The Satanic Bible | The Satanic Rituals | The... Anton Szandor LaVey, born Howard Stanton Levey[1][2] (11 April 1930 – 29 October 1997) was the founder and High Priest of the Church of Satan as well as a writer, occultist, musician, and actor. ... Peter H Gilmore. ... Karla LaVey making one of her regular appearances on Fox News as a Satanism and Occult Expert LaVeyan Satanism Associated organizations The Church of Satan First Satanic Church Prominent figures Anton LaVey | Blanche Barton | Peter H. Gilmore | Peggy Nadramia | Karla LaVey Associated concepts Left-Hand Path | Pentagonal Revisionism | Suitheism | Might... Satanism Associated organizations The Church of Satan First Satanic Church Prominent figures Anton LaVey | Blanche Barton | Peter H. Gilmore | Peggy Nadramia | Karla LaVey Associated concepts Left-Hand Path | Pentagonal Revisionism | Suitheism | Might is Right | Lex talionis Books and publications The Satanic Bible | The Satanic Rituals | The Satanic Witch | The Devil... Peter H. Gilmore Peter H. Gilmore was appointed High Priest of the Church of Satan in 2001 by Magistra Blanche Barton, former High Priestess appointed by Anton LaVey. ... Satanism Associated organizations Church of Satan First Satanic Church First Church of Satan Prominent figures Anton LaVey | Blanche Barton | Peter H. Gilmore | Peggy Nadramia | Karla LaVey Associated concepts Left-Hand Path | Pentagonal Revisionism | Suitheism | Survival of the fittest | Might is Right Books and publications The Satanic Bible | The Satanic Rituals...

References

Anton Szandor LaVey, born Howard Stanton Levey[1][2] (11 April 1930 – 29 October 1997) was the founder and High Priest of the Church of Satan as well as a writer, occultist, musician, and actor. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Anton Szandor LaVey, born Howard Stanton Levey[1][2] (11 April 1930 – 29 October 1997) was the founder and High Priest of the Church of Satan as well as a writer, occultist, musician, and actor. ...

External links

• Official Church of Satan website
• Religious Tolerance Official Page on The Church of Satan
• First Satanic Church
• Satanism 101
• Satanic Community Forum
• Description, Philosophies and Justification of Satanism