When we hear the word Satanism, we usually imagine demons, sacrifice and mutilation of animals. After all, we learn about it today and every day from various media and churches. We get a clear view of Satanism = evil, in other words, that people professing this direction are incapable of loving, and they are only concerned with how to defile and desecrate Christianity as much as possible. But how do Satanists perceive themselves?

Satanists consider the Devil to be an Adversary or Opponent. They thus fight against the status quo, which, as they believe, is carried in the spirit of the short-sighted mind of man, driven by the stupidity and ignorance that spreads in today's society like cancer. Instead, they emphasize intelligence, objectivism, individuality, and common sense, which are associated with a certain dose of selfishness.

Individualism also gives rise to the belief that only man can control his life, so God can in no way make it better for people. If, for example, we look at Santa Claus or our Santa Claus, there is a general rule: if an individual does not believe in this being, he will not honor him with his visit or give him anything. Satanists claim that this is how all religions work, that is, something for something, except Satanism. They do not believe in anything that cannot be seen, including Satan. He claims that this contradicts rationalism.

This begs the question, why is this called Satanism? We would find the answer, as the followers of this direction themselves claim, in the history of religion, where only faith and obedience have been emphasized all along. Individuality and rational thinking, on the other hand, were considered bad. Evidence of this claim can be found, for example, in the fact that until recently the Church had burned and banned books that in some way provoked and contradicted general dogma. Satanism, on the other hand, supports and seeks difference. That is why Satan is called an Adversary or an opposition to darkness.

Modern Satanism

The origins of Satanism date back to the deep past. It has many forms. Worship of the devil and demons. Practicing witchcraft and pacting with Satan in exchange for superhuman abilities. Voodoo and necromancy or even paganism, in the case where the individual is given power precisely through the Devil. However, modern, contemporary Satanism does not follow any of the above directions.

The beginnings of the modern conception of Satanism date back to 1966, when Anton LaVey shaved his head, performed a ritual and announced the establishment of the Church of Satan. The main idea was to oppose the Western conception of Christianity and social repression using natural instinct and desires.

The philosophy of the Church of Satan influenced these works:

- Aleister Crowley, Theme Abbey and Magick

- Cynical, anti-theological views of Friedrich Nietzsche

- Ayna Rand's Objectivism

- Phineas Taylor Barnum and its modern way of loud promotion

- Brutal reality of the author's writings, which appeared under the pseudonym Ragnar Redbeard

But back to LaVey. In the early XNUMXs, before the founding of the Church of Satan, he held midnight black Masses in his Victorian house. Many high-ranking people showed interest in his activities, thus securing him a kind of status of a local legend, which is why he founded the already mentioned church.

In 1969, LaVey wrote the Satanic Bible, a cornerstone of modern Satanism. It has sold more than a million copies and has been translated into several world languages.

The Church of Satan was very popular in the XNUMXs and XNUMXs. It was also visited by celebrities.

The 1975 year was a major change for the Church of Satan. It began to split into several offshoots.

It was also the year that one of the high-ranking members of the church broke away and founded the Temple of Seth. He defended his act by saying that LaVey no longer believes much in Satan, but rather takes it as a metaphor. LaVey saw the Devil as the dark force of nature rather than a supernatural being.

Between 1970 and 1992, LaVey wrote three more books: Satan Witches, Satanistic Rituals, and Devil's Notebooks.

In the XNUMXs, America was dominated by panic stemming from a growing awareness of Satanism. This topic has been the subject of talk shows, news programs and newspaper articles. It said that satanic serial killers roamed the earth and opened kindergartens run by members of the Devil's cult, where children were to be abused and sacrificed. The whole affair took on such proportions that the FBI itself got involved. However, her investigation did not show that this was the case.

After the Devil's Notebook was published in 1992, LaVey made a film called Speak of the Devil, which was actually a documentary about himself, the history of Satanism and his church. Thanks to this film, the interest in Satanism seemed to have increased a bit, but the real boom did not occur until 1996.

In 1996, the outstanding artist Marilyn Manson released the album Antichrist Superstar, which led to an unprecedented wave of interest in Satanism, especially among members of the so-called Gothic movement, which was more or less a matter of adolescents. Many young people proclaimed themselves Satanists, but rather than being them, they masked their rebellion against Christianity and their parents.

Nevertheless, for the Church of Satan it was golden harvest. Membership requests only multiplied. Ironically, however, it was during the biggest boom that LaVey died, and the heart failure at his house at night 27.10 1997.

The Satan Church after LaVey's death

It was no surprise that the end of the church's founder's functioning of the Satanist community was suspended for some time. There have also been a lot of individuals who have tried to demystify and uncover the private life of LaVey, including the Church.

Karla LaVey (Anton's eldest daughter) and Blanche Barton (she was the author of his biography and also the mother of his son); both of them fit into the position of high priestess of the Church of Satan. However, after this joint agreement, Blanche pulled out with LaVey's last will, which stated that the church, all the property and rights to Anton's books belonged to their common son (his name was Xerxes).

LaVey's daughter, Karla, challenged this will, saying that her father had written it on his deathbed and under the influence of strong drugs. Blanch's will was thus discredited and a new settlement had to be reached.

Karla then passed on her father's legacy through lectures at universities, participation in television programs and radio stations.

In 1999, she decided to establish the "First Church of Satan," which ideologically followed the Church of Satan.

Blanche now resides in San Diego and is no longer involved in the administration of the Church of Satan. The church currently operates online, the site is officially located in New York, but there is still a PO Box in San Francisco, where Blanche has a private mail.

After LaVey's death in 1997, countless other offshoots of satanic cults emerged, but most of them are limited to the Internet.

SATANISMUS DNES

Satanism was, is and will be about individualism, so its supporters do not look at the current "correct" policy. It's a bit of a cliché, but it's still true: if you want to become a Satanist, you can't associate in any organization. Only you control your life yourself.

In future works: the manifestations of Satanists in culture, politics, and social life, nine satanic sins, nine satanic basic statements, eleven satanic principles, and many other topics.