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LaVeyan Satanism is a religion based upon the philosophy of Anton LaVey as outlined in The Satanic Bible and other works. It has an extremely egoistic bent, viewing the self as the most important entity in the universe; this stance of positively-viewed selfishness stands in contrast to the doctrines of most other religions.
Philosophically, it could be described as heavily influenced by the writings of Aleister Crowley, Niccolò Machiavelli, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ayn Rand, Ragnar Redbeard and a few others; "Satan" is appropriated as a positive symbol of this worldview, and is not considered to exist in a literal fashion. Theologically, each individual Satanist is viewed as his or her own god; its rituals are essentially magick in the original sense given by Crowley, with an eye towards furthering the Satanist's ends.
History
The seeds for LaVeyan Satanism were planted in the 1950s, when LaVey and several others formed a group known as the Order of the Trapezoid; the group worked with a combination of magick and LaVey's hedonistic, egoistic philosophy. Seeking to change the world with his ideas, LaVey later decided that only a religion, and not a mere philosophy, would be sufficient to do so; with this in mind, he founded the Church of Satan in 1966. Three years later, in 1969, LaVey wrote and published the Satanic Bible, drawing heavily upon Redbeard's 1890's virulent satire, Might is Right.
Organizations
There are two primary organizations based upon this type of Satanism, which tend to be at odds with each other despite their shared basis: the Church of Satan, founded by LaVey and now administered by Peter H. Gilmore, and the First Satanic Church, administered by LaVey's daughter Karla. These are not the only organizations based upon LeVeyan Satanism; furthermore, there are many individual LaVeyan Satanists who do not affiliate with any religious organization.
The LaVeyan organizations do not have (nor do they seek) the tax-exempt status normally granted to religious organizations in the United States. The religion as a whole does, however, enjoy the same legal protection afforded any other religion in the United States by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
Philosophy
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 his own meaning on life and rise above the perceived conformity of the masses. The Satanist is seen as equivalent to Nietzsche's Ubermensch; LaVey claimed "Satanists are born, not made" and that "[Satanists] have a disease called independence that needs to be recognised 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.
Man's role vis-à-vis Nature
There is also a belief in the necessity for cultivating man's carnal nature and its appetites. Nature is viewed not as a wilderness to be tamed, such as is found in many aspects of Christian thought, but as a volatile force reflected in the deepest part of man's soul. Modern man is seen as cut off from nature, and, therefore, from life itself. Indeed, one of the fundamental tenets of Lavey's Satanic worldview is that "Life is the great indulgence." This comes more from Aleister Crowley's idea of "Do What thou Wilt" than Nietzsche's self-controlled ethics. Guilt is rejected as the labor of weak, petty minds. Animals and children are celebrated in Satanism as embodiments of pure instinct and indulgence. Contrary to perceptions of ritually sanctioned animal sacrifice, LaVey adamantly denounced such practices and did not advocate the implementation of them into the Satanic rite.
Sexual Satanism
The "seven deadly sins" of Christianity are recognized as leading to "forbidden" pleasure and psychological satisfaction and are thus encouraged. Similarly, total abstinence from sensorium pleasures is discouraged as a form of indirect masochism. Many Satanists distinguish between this form of masochism and the type that informs certain sexual relationships based upon premises of power and submission. States of weakness, servitude and submission have their place in Modern Satanism, provided they are intentionally provoked in the pursuance of pleasure. There are many points in common between sadomasochists and Satanists. Both view the body as a vehicle for transhuman experiences beyond the reach of contemporary interpretions of morality. Both see pain as useful for their ends. Both feel that man makes his own gods and is fully capable of assuming that role for his Self.
Satanic Social Planning
In addition to these ideas runs a sometimes polemic misanthropy coupled with pronounced elitism. Human beings are viewed by many Satanists as utterly contemptible. Anton LaVey advocated a type of natural stratification into castes, where the (Satanic) elite could be protected from "interference from apologists for incompetence". He denounced democracy, the welfare state, and feminism as systems that viewed mass uniformity amongst races, sexes and varying intelligences as virtuous. LaVey encouraged women to exploit their "femininity" to gain power and pleasure, rather than what he saw as the feminist mentality of "hating your femininity". He published The Compleat Witch (later republished under the title, The Satanic Witch in 1971 in a climate of much feminist agitation.
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 a 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.
The Satanic Golden Rule
Lex talionis, or the law of "tooth and claw" informed much of LaVey's Satanic formulation. "Do unto others as they do unto you" supplanted the Christian directive to "do unto others as you would have them to do unto you", so that you are only to give compassion and sympathy to those who deserve it. Love, compassion, and sympathy are not to be wasted upon ingrates. 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.
As time has gone on, the magic and anti-Christian elements of Satanism have become less and less prevalent compared to the misanthropic element.
The Black Mass
The "Black Mass", a symbolic inversion of Catholicism, is often attributed to LaVeyan Satanism; this "mass" is merely an elaborate prank played on occasion by various Satanists for the media. Various theatrical elements are intentionally incorporated into the performance in order to elicit labels of blasphemy from Christians. It is not, and never has been, an act of serious worship by LaVeyan Satanists.
The first Black Mass performed by the Church of Satan took place in 1968.
Criticisms
Some critics believe that despite the encouragement for individuality within Satanism, most of the members seem to conform to a certain stereotype. Another criticism lies with the initiation process, which includes nothing more than a $200 membership fee.
There are only three magic spells taught to members, and from the perspective of a non-member, the church does not appear to research further into the occult as many other "alternative" religions do.
It is not made certain to the general public whether Satanism's main enemy is Christianity, or the traditional targets of the political right; criminals, welfare recipients, feminists, et cetera.
The Church has expressed contradictory views that while criminals should be dealt with harshly for their lack of moral fiber, Christians are condemned for being "guilt-ridden" and "weak" in their display of morality. LaVey, on numerous occasions, made broad allegations against Christianity for being responsible for most of the world's problems.
Satanism has an ethical code in its 9 statements (listed in the Satanic Bible) and 11 rules, yet it does not try to convince the reader why the Satanic moral code is superior to and should be chosen over any other.
Its 11 'Rules of the Earth', composed in 1967, were omitted from the Satanic Bible for what LaVey saw as their brutal realism; the eleventh urges the Satanist: "When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him." Satanists do not advocate murder, however; this is often seen as urging the use of ritual magic to destroy an enemy, and they actively discourage criminal activity. Such ritual magic is also viewed as a form of catharsis. It is clear, though, that they view the lives of animals as having more intrinsic worth than that of many humans.
A number of Satanists are involved in the military and law enforcement, and many are prepared to kill in self-defense, in the case of a serious threat to their own life or that of their loved ones. However, responsibility for ones actions, in particular towards the law, is stressed here.
"Love of life" is said to be the general theme of the Satanist as opposed to the abstinence or hatred of Christianity, yet within Satanic literature there frequently appears pessimistic statements about the angst of life; intelligent people are portrayed as suffering from their awareness. This contradiction can also be found in Friedrich Nietzsche's writings.
See also
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