Church of Satan
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The Church of Satan is a religious organization that promotes Satanism as strictly defined by what they call The Satanic Bible, written in 1969 by Anton Szandor LaVey. It draws its name from the Islamic-Christian concept of Satan, and claims that every individual can be his or her own god and is responsible for his or her own destiny. ("Satan" in their usage denotes a symbol and metaphor rather than an actual, anthropomorphic deity.)
It was established in San Francisco on Walpurgisnacht, 1966 by Anton Szandor LaVey, who was the Church's High Priest until his death in 1997. People who hold this belief are called "Satanists".
The Church of Satan does not have or desire tax-exempt status. As part of what it refers to as Pentagonal Revisionism the Church of Satan is actively working towards taxation of all churches, and tries to put forth a policy of "responsibility to the responsible". It neither solicits membership nor offers a set course of degrees. In the past parental consent was required for persons under 18 to join, however the Church of Satan currently accepts registrations from people of all ages. Nonetheless, member-to-member interaction through Active Membership status still requires that the applicant be 18. Members are instructed to follow the laws and statutes of their country and municipality.
After the death of Anton Szandor LaVey, his position as head of the Church of Satan passed on to his common law wife, Blanche Barton. To this day, Barton remains involved in the Church; however, in 2001 she ceded her position to long-time members Peter H. Gilmore and Peggy Nadramia, the current High Priest and High Priestess. The Central Office of the Church of Satan has also moved from San Francisco to New York City's "Hell's Kitchen" neighborhood, where the couple resides. The Church of Satan does not recognize any other organizations as holding legitimate claim to Satanism and its practice, though it does recognize that one need not be a member of the Church of Satan to be a Satanist.
Many famous figures have at one time or another been associated with the Church of Satan, including; actress Jayne Mansfield, musicians Sammy Davis Jr., King Diamond, Marilyn Manson, Boyd Rice, Marc Almond, and journalist Michael Moynihan. As the Church of Satan does not publicly release membership information, it is not known how many members belong to the Church.
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See also
Further reading
- The Church of Satan: A History of the World's Most Notorious Religion by Blanche Barton (Hell's Kitchen Productions, 1990, ISBN 0962328626)
- Satan Wants You: The Cult of Devil Worship in America by Arthur Lyons (Mysterious Press, 1988, ISBN 0892962178; Warner Books, 1989, ISBN 0445408227)
- Lucifer Rising: A Book of Sin, Devil Worship and Rock 'n' Roll by Gavin Baddeley, Paul Woods (Plexus Publishing (UK), 2000, ISBN 0859652807)
Books by Anton LaVey
- The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor LaVey, ISBN 0380015390
- The Satanic Rituals by Anton LaVey, ISBN 0380013924
- The Satanic Witch by Anton Szandor LaVey, ISBN 0922915849
- The Devil's Notebook by Anton Szandor LaVey, ISBN 0922915113
- Satan Speaks! by Anton Szandor LaVey, ISBN 0922915660
External link
- Official Church of Satan homepage (http://www.churchofsatan.com)de:Satanismus#Die Church of Satan