Satanism is one of the most controversial belief systems in the world today, in whatever expression it takes. Satan, who not all satanic groups acknowledge or recognize, is presented in the Hebrew and Christian Bible as the chief enemy of God and the most evil being in the universe. As a result, many people both fear, and are intrigued by, certain versions of this Satanism, especially expressions that incorporate things such as satanic worship and satanic symbols.
The different approaches of Satanism
Terms like “Satanism,” "satanic," and even the name "Satan," encompass a variety of ideological, philosophical, and spiritual beliefs today. "Satanic" groups can be quite different from one another, but use the same terminology. There are different ways to classify satanic groups according to how each group believes and behaves. Not every group performs satanic rituals, participates in satanic worship, reads theThe Satanic Bible, uses traditional Satanic symbols, or attends "the Church of Satan." (Note: These links also appear in the index below.)
First, not every form of Satanism professes a belief in gods or spirits. While some forms of Satanism believe in spiritual entities, others have a materialistic worldview, and in relation to faith and religion, they are atheists or agnostics. Satanic spiritualists on the other hand, contend that Satan is a god or a chief evil spirit and they pursue interaction with him and other evil spirits. In contrast, those Satanists who are professed atheists and agnostics see Satanism as a philosophical worldview manifesting in a particular lifestyle often characterized by questioning authority. The spiritualitsts are more likely to perform satanic rituals, while the non-spiritualists don't.
Second, satanic groups include a wide range of adherents. Some Satanists are teenagers who are dabbling in self-proclaimed diabolical groups and covens These young people practice Satanism recreationally. and their activities often include fantasy role-playing games, heavy metal music with satanic lyrics, and drug use. Other Satanists belong to groups whose purpose is less recreational. This type of satanic order is often esoteric and regularly practices occult rituals. It's also populated by adults, not teenagers.
Third, satanic organizations have different purposes. Some are public, while others are private. Public groups are sometimes incorporated as non-profit religious organizations and can even have tax-exempt status in the United States. This subset of Satanism produces the most literature and is even recognized by the United States military. There are, however, private groups as well, which largely operate in secret.
LaVeyan Satanism:
is a new religious movement founded in 1966 by the American occultist and author Anton Szandor LaVey. The religion's doctrines and practices are codified in LaVey's book, The Satanic Bible. Its core philosophy is based on individualism and egoism, encouraging an epicurean pursuit of fleshly indulgence, an eye for an eye ethical code, and the concept of "self-deification". The philosophy positions itself in favor of Social Darwinism and opposes egalitarianism, seeing it as a conservator of mediocrity and decadence, and to a larger extent, the Abrahamic faiths, which are seen as lies which promote idealism, self-denigration, herd behavior, and irrationality. The philosophy seeks more draconian measures taken in the realm of law and order, and may also support some forms of eugenics. The religion propagates a naturalistic worldview, seeing mankind as animals existing in an amoral universe.
LaVey established LaVeyan Satanism in the U.S. state of California through the founding of his Church of Satan on Walpurgisnacht of 1966, which he proclaimed to be "the Year One", Anno Satanas—the first year of the "Age of Satan".[2] His ideas were heavily influenced by the ideas and writings of Nietzsche, Rand, and Jung. The Church grew under LaVey's leadership, with regional grottos being founded across the United States. A number of these ceded from the Church to form independent Satanic organizations during the early 1970s. In 1975, LaVey abolished the grotto system, after which Satanism became a far less organized movement, although remained greatly influenced by LaVey's writings. In coming years, members of the Church left it to establish their own organisations, also following LaVeyan Satanism, among them the First Church of Satan and Karla LaVey's First Satanic Church.
The religion is atheistic and materialist, rejecting the existence of supernatural beings, body-soul dualism, and life after death. Practitioners do not believe that the character of Satan literally exists and do not worship him. Instead, Satan is viewed as a positive archetype who represents pride, carnality, and enlightenment, and of a cosmos which Satanists perceive to be motivated by a "dark evolutionary force of entropy that permeates all of nature and provides the drive for survival and propagation inherent in all living things". He is embraced as a symbol of defiance against the Abrahamic faiths which LaVey criticized for what he saw as the suppression of humanity's natural instincts. Moreover, Satan also serves as a metaphorical external projection of the individual's godhood.
LaVeyan Satanism involves the practice of magic, which encompasses two distinct forms; greater and lesser magic. Greater magic is a form of ritual practice and is meant as psychodramatic catharsis to focus one's emotional energy for a specific purpose. These rites are based on three major psycho-emotive themes, including compassion (love), destruction (hate), and sex (lust). Lesser magic is the practice of manipulation by means of applied psychology and glamour (or "wile and guile") to bend an individual or situation to one's will.LaVey defined magic as "the change in situations or events in accordance with one's will, which would, using normally accepted methods, be unchangeable." LaVey espoused the view that there was an objective reality to magic, and that it relied upon natural forces that were yet to be discovered by science.
