Satanism

• Formation: 1966 (Church of Satan); 1975 (Temple of Set); 2013 (The Satanic Temple)
• Founders: Anton Szander LaVey (Church of Satan); Michael A. Aquino (Temple of Set); Lucien Greaves (Satanic Temple)

The charge of Satanism, or the worship of Satan, was leveled over the years against groups deemed heretical or undesirable by official Christian denominations, often without justification. Perhaps the most notable example of a targeted group is the Knights Templar, a powerful military order that the Catholic Church was determined to expel from its ranks in the thirteenth century. Although a few individuals over the centuries may have pursued devil worship, no significant, organized efforts were made to establish a Satanic church until the late twentieth century. Since the 1960s, however, the label Satanist has been adopted or applied to several small movements, although they are not actual devil worshippers.

Asbjørn Dyrendahl, James R. Lewis, and Jesper Petersen, who have written extensively on alternative religions, contend that Satanism began with the founding of the Church of Satan by Anton Szander LaVey in 1966. The central focus of the movement, these authors write, is the "realization of one’s true, inner self, discovered and authorized through self-experience." In an interview that is reported in their book, LaVey once characterized his church as "Ayn Rand with trappings."

The exact number of Satanists is unknown. The Pew Research Center and the Public Religion Research Institute similarly estimate that this group—along with followers of Native American religions, New Age believers, Scientologists, Wiccans, and several other groups—comprises about 1.5 percent of the population. The three most prominent Satanic groups are the Church of Satan, the Temple of Set, and the Satanic Temple.

History

LaVey, who held a variety of jobs while studying magic and the occult, came to believe that Christian churches were hypocritical. Seeking a new path to fulfillment, he formed the Church of Satan, with himself as its high priest. LaVey adopted a social Darwinist position, saying that life was a struggle that required the individual who wanted to succeed to develop his or her potential. He adopted new kinds of rituals aimed at helping members shed human weaknesses and embrace their full humanity, including physical desires. LaVey led the movement for just over three decades. He died in 1997, and Peter H. Gilmore assumed leadership of the church in 2001. In 2006, the Church of Satan held a fortieth anniversary ritual mass in a Los Angeles theater.

Over time, LaVey developed a following and even trained other priests. Within just a few years, however, dissidents emerged on the scene, some objecting to LaVey personally, saying that he was establishing something of a personality cult. Michael Aquino, a leading figure in the Church of Satan, led many followers out of it in 1975, forming the Temple of Set. This offspring sect was named for the Egyptian god Set, whom members saw as a form of Satan. The split was a vicious one, with Aquino and his followers claiming that LaVey had gone astray and lost what they called Satan’s mandate. The Church of Satan, in turn, criticized the new group. The Temple of Set eventually spawned its own splinter group. LaVey’s daughter, Zeena Schreck, joined it for a while and then left to form her own group, resulting in a new round of acrimony.

Another Satanist institution, the Satanic Temple (TST), was formed in Salem, Massachusetts in 2013 by Lucien Greaves, the pseudonym of writer Douglas Mesner. This group does not worship Satan, and in fact, it does not believe in supernatural powers. Instead, they believe that Satan is "the Eternal Rebel in opposition to arbitrary authority." TST has continued to grow and has congregations in Australia, Canada, Chile, Finland, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In 2019, TST received tax-exempt status for being recognized as a church by the IRS and the Federal Court System, making it the only Satanist organization with that recognition.

Beliefs and Practices

Why do people become Satanists? Typically, people join the movement because it expresses beliefs or ideas they already have. The Dyrendahl book quotes one believer, who stated, "Discovering what Satanism actually was, explained who I was as a person—it fit like an old pair of shoes." Belief, a person’s worldview—how does he or she fit in the world?—is thus important to understanding Satanism. Adherents are often individuals who feel alienated and powerless.

LaVey’s Church of Satan sees Satan not as a spiritual force but as a symbol, representing life force, free will, and clear thinking. The tenets of the church are found in LaVey’s "Nine Satanic Statements." According to five of those statements,

1. Satan represents indulgence, instead of abstinence!
2. Satan represents undefiled wisdom, instead of hypocritical self-deceit!
3. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates!
4. Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek!
5. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!

In "The Nine Satanic Sins," LaVey also identified certain behaviors that he considered to be sins for Satanists. Such sins include stupidity, pretentiousness, solipsism, self-deceit, "herd conformity," "lack of perspective," "forgetfulness of past orthodoxies," "counterproductive pride," and "lack of aesthetics." Practices include ritualistic events that aim both to help followers shed what are seen to be weak character attributes or attitudes and to embrace the desired behaviors and ideas.

According to Patty Hardy, a high priestess in the Temple of Set, her sect’s mission is "to provide an environment in which individuals discover, pursue, and realize their unique purpose and destiny…[through]…self-awareness, self-knowledge, and self-creation." Satan, to believers, is real and is the goal to which adherents aspire—a being who is fully aligned with his true nature. This group accepts as members only those who are invited to join. New members undergo teaching and training to move into higher levels of status—something akin to gaining higher degree belts in the martial arts. Much of the group’s practices are concealed in secrecy; only members can observe and participate in rituals.

TST promotes "rational inquiry" and "reasonable agnosticism." Its seven tenets emphasize rationality and science while insisting on acting "with compassion and empathy toward all creatures," promoting the "struggle for justice," respecting "the freedom of others," and accepting that "people are fallible." TST is an activist group that challenges what it sees as inappropriate incursions of mainstream churches into public life. Thus, it staged a rally in opposition to a Florida law that allowed for student-led prayer in public schools, and it has worked to challenge state laws that require counseling before a woman can obtain an abortion. The group also promotes the well-being of its members through programs like the Satanic Temple Sober Faction, a support group that offers a Satanic approach to addiction recovery, and After School Satan, a program designed to provide after school activities for students to study science and nature, develop critical thinking skills, and partake in community service. TST does engage in some ritualistic events that include elements mocking the practices and beliefs of traditional churches.

Bibliography

"America’s Changing Religious Landscape." Pew Research Center, 12 May 2015, www.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/05/12/chapter-1-the-changing-religious-composition-of-the-u-s/. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

Dyrendahl, Asbjørn, James R. Lewis, and Jesper A. Petersen. The Invention of Satanism. Oxford UP, 2016.

"Frequently Asked Questions." The Satanic Temple, thesatanictemple.com/faq. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

Gilmore, Peter H. The Satanic Scriptures. Scapegoat Publishing, 2007.

Hardy, Patty A., IV. "From the High Priestess." Temple of Set, xeper.org/pub/pub‗hp‗welcome.html. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

LaVey, Anton Szandor. "The Nine Satanic Sins." Church of Satan, 1987, www.churchofsatan.com/nine-satanic-sins.php. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

LaVey, Anton Szandor. "The Nine Satanic Statements." Church of Satan, 1969, www.churchofsatan.com/nine-satanic-statements.php. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

LaVey, Anton Szandor. The Satanic Bible. Avon, 1976.

Ottens, Allen, and Rick Meyer. Coping with Satanism: Rumor, Reality, and Controversy. Rosen, 1998.

Petersen, Jasper Aagaard, ed. Contemporary Religious Satanism: A Critical Anthology. Ashgate, 2009.

“Temple of Satan Gains Ground in Chile as Faith in Traditional Religions Wanes.” VOA, 10 Nov. 2024, www.voanews.com/a/temple-of-satan-gains-ground-in-chile-as-faith-in-traditional-religions-wanes-/7857905.html. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

“2022 PRRI Census of American Religion: Religious Affiliation Updates and Trends.” Public Religion Research Institute, 24 Feb. 2023, www.prri.org/spotlight/prri-2022-american-values-atlas-religious-affiliation-updates-and-trends/. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.