LaVeyan Satanism

The church considers humans to be animals existing in an amoral universe, and promotes a philosophy based on individualism and egoism, coupled with Social Darwinism and anti-egalitarianism.

[4] Church doctrines are based on materialism and philosophical naturalism, rejecting the existence of the supernatural (including Satan and God), body-soul dualism, and life after death.

[21] The sociologist of religion James R. Lewis even described LaVeyan Satanism as "a blend of Epicureanism and Ayn Rand's philosophy, flavored with a pinch of ritual magic.

[50] He defined Satanism as "a secular philosophy of rationalism and self-preservation (natural law, animal state), giftwrapping these ideas in religious trappings to add to their appeal.

[54] He perceived Christianity as a lie, exerting a negative force on humanity, by promoted idealism, self-sacrifice, altruism, community mindedness, self-denigration, herd behavior, and irrationality.

[60] LaVey was influenced by the writings of Herbert Spencer (strongly associated with Social Darwinism and the expression "the survival of the fittest"), Friedrich Nietzsche (who opposed emphasis on mercy, charity, and helping the weak as a 'slave's morality'),[1] and Ayn Rand (whose overarching philosophical theme was that "unfettered self-interest is good and altruism is destructive").

However he finds some differences, such as Rand's hesitancy to accept either "the use of force to cause others to submit to the will of the stronger or cleverer individual", or the axiom of "personal needs as absolutely reliable to determine the best course of action in any circumstance".

[73] For LaVey, non-human animals and children represent an ideal, "the purest form of carnal existence", because they have not been indoctrinated with Christian or other religious concepts of guilt and shame.

[76] LaVey believed that the ideal Satanist should be individualistic and non-conformist, rejecting what he called the "colorless existence" that mainstream society sought to impose on those living within it.

[91] The anthropologist Jean La Fontaine highlighted an article that appeared in a LaVeyan magazine, The Black Flame, in which one writer described "a true Satanic society" as one in which the population consists of "free-spirited, well-armed, fully-conscious, self-disciplined individuals, who will neither need nor tolerate any external entity 'protecting' them or telling them what they can and cannot do.

[93] Outlined in The Satanic Bible, LaVey defined magic as "the change in situations or events in accordance with one's will, which would, using normally accepted methods, be unchangeable",[94] a definition that reflects the influence of the British occultist Aleister Crowley.

[6] The space in which a ritual is performed is known as an "intellectual decompression chamber",[105] where skepticism and disbelief are willfully suspended, thus allowing the magicians to fully express their mental and emotional needs, holding back nothing regarding their deepest feelings and desires.

[113] This system encourages a form of manipulative role-play, wherein the practitioner may alter several elements of their physical appearance in order to aid them in seducing or "bewitching" on object of desire.

[112] LaVey developed "The Synthesizer Clock", the purpose of which is to divide humans into distinct groups of people based primarily on body shape and personality traits.

[111] Drawing insights from psychology, biology, and sociology,[116] Petersen noted that lesser magic combines occult and "rejected sciences of body analysis [and] temperaments.

[118] While part of the text was LaVey's original writing, other sections of the book consisted of direct quotations from Arthur Desmond's right-wing tract Might Is Right and the occultist Aleister Crowley's version of John Dee's Enochian Keys.

He also states: "With a clear-eyed appreciation of true human nature, a love of ritual and pageantry, and a flair for mockery, LaVey's Satanic Bible promulgated a gospel of self-indulgence that, he argued, anyone who dispassionately considered the facts would embrace.

"[152][153] According to one CoS priest (and journalist) Gavin Baddeley, LaVey's satanism was "a bizarre beast, sustained by a web of conflicting values and concepts", including "a love of life garbed in the symbols of death and fear.

[151] LaVey emphasized that in his tradition, Satanic rites came in two forms, neither of which were acts of worship; in his terminology, "rituals" were intended to bring about change, whereas "ceremonies" celebrated a particular occasion.

[170] The upturned pentagram had previously been used by the French occultist Eliphas Lévi, and had been adopted by his disciple, Stanislas de Guaita, who merged it with a goat's head in his 1897 book, Key of Black Magic.

[171] LaVey learned of this variant of the symbol after it had been reproduced on the front cover of Maurice Bessy's coffee table book, Pictorial History of Magic and the Supernatural.

[173] In its formative years, the church utilized this image on its membership cards, stationery, medallions and most notably above the altar in the ritual chamber of the Black House.

LaVey created a new version of Guaita's image, one which was geometrically precise, with two perfect circles surrounding the pentagram, the goat head redrawn, and the Hebrew lettering altered to look more serpentine.

[203] Following the success of the film Rosemary's Baby, LaVey wrote the book The Satanic Bible,[118] borrowing from Arthur Desmond, Aleister Crowley[119] and Ayn Rand.

[123] LaVey's Church emerged at a point in American history when Christianity was on the decline as many of the nation's youth broke away from their parental faith and explored alternative systems of religiosity.

The Black House was sold to a wealthy friend, the property developer Donald Werby, who agreed to allow LaVey to continue living at the residence for free.

[220] Barton attempted to purchase the Black House from Werby, but was unable to raise sufficient funds; the building had fallen into disrepair and was demolished in 2001, subsequently being replaced with an apartment block.

[226] In 1986, Paul Douglas Valentine founded the New York City-based World Church of Satanic Liberation, having recruited many of its members through Herman Slater's Magickal Childe esoteric store.

[31] "Reflecting the dominant influence of Anton LaVey's thought", Lewis noted that the majority of those whom he examined were atheists or agnostics, with 60% of respondents viewing Satanism as a symbol rather than a real entity.

[22] Examining the number of LaVeyan Satanists in Britain, in 1995 the religious studies scholar Graham Harvey wrote that the Church of Satan had no organized presence in the country.