Satanism

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 | Survival of the fittest | Might is Right

Books and publications
The Satanic Bible | The Satanic Rituals | The Satanic Witch | The Devil's Notebook | Satan Speaks! | The Black Flame | The Church of Satan | The Secret Life of a Satanist | The Satanic Scriptures

"Satanism" is a term which has been used since the end of the Middle Ages to describe a number of different belief systems in a number of contexts. People claiming to be Satanists, or outsiders claiming to describe Satanism, ascribe a wide variety of beliefs to Satanism. At the same time there is no established, common sense of this word. These range from the obviously fanatiс sects to the groups of people in search of themselves; from the literal deistic worship of a spiritual being (Theistic Satanism) to the monography of the atheistic philosopher; from a subversive ritual performance stressing the mockery of Christian symbols (most notably the Black Mass) to denying all rituals; from the claimed rediscovery of an ancient but misunderstood religion (e.g. Setianism, associated with the Egyptian god Set who is conflated by some with the biblical Satan) to the exaltation of hedonistic recreation and the celebration of selfishness and pleasure.