By Catherine Beyer

Updated January 16, 2016.

LaVeyan Satanism is one of several distinct religions identifying itself as Satanic. Followers are atheists who stress dependence on the self rather than reliance on any outside power. It encourages individualism, hedonism, materialism, ego, personal initiative, self-worth and self-determinism.

To the LaVeyan Satanist, Satan is a myth, just like God and other deities. Satan is also, however, incredibly symbolic, representing all of those things within our natures that outsiders might tell us is dirty and unacceptable. The chant of Hail Satan! is really saying Hail me! It exults the self and rejects the self-denying lessons of society. Finally, Satan represents rebellion, just as Satan rebelled against God in Christianity. Identifying oneself as a Satanist is to go against expectations, cultural norms, and religious creeds.

Anton LaVey officially formed the church of Satan on the night of April 30-May 1, 1966 and published the Satanic Bible in 1969.

The Church of Satan admits that early rituals were mostly mockeries of Christian ritual and reenactments of Christian folklore concerning the supposed behavior of Satanists: upside down crosses, reading the Lords Prayer backward, using a nude woman as an altar, etc. However, as the Church of Satan evolved it solidified its own specific messages and tailored its rituals around those messages.

Because Satanism celebrates the self, ones own birthday in held as the most important holiday. Satanists also sometimes celebrate the nights of Walpurgisnacht (April 30-May 1) and Halloween (October 31-November 1), because these days have been traditionally associated with Satanists through witchcraft lore.

Satanism has been routinely accused of numerous onerous practices, generally without evidence. There is a common mistaken belief that because Satanists believe in serving themselves first that they become antisocial or even psychopathic. In truth, responsibility is a major tenet of Satanism. Humans have the right to do as they choose and should feel free to pursue their own happiness. However, this does not render them immune from consequences. Taking control of ones life includes being responsible about it. Among the things LaVey explicitly condemned:

In the 1980s, rumors and accusations abounded about supposedly Satanic individuals ritually abusing children. Many of those suspected worked as teachers or day care workers. After lengthy investigations, it was concluded that not only were the accused innocent, but that the abuses never even happened. In addition, suspects were not even associated with Satanic practice. The Satanic Panic is a modern day example of the power of mass hysteria.

Read more:

An Introduction to LaVeyan Satanism and the Church of Satan