The Church of Satan Part 1

 

Anton Szandor LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan scared the hell out of a lot of people. In fact, the sheer blasphemy of his ideas scared me so much the first time I picked up his infamous book, The Satanic Bible, in the late ’60s, I would literally hide it in my bookcase and peek at it in the same way I spied the pictures of naked women in men’s magazines when I was a kid. Of course I always had a rather prurient interest in many things, especially in the occult and “dark side” of man’s nature, and I was naturally drawn to anything “spooky” or “bizarre,” thus this column, but to actually possess and read an unholy book of religion was too much—this was taboo.

Sure I read books on black magic, like the Necronomicon and Aleister Crowley’s Magick in Theory and Practice, but they weren’t real, they weren’t “religious” texts designed to affect the soul. This Satanic Bible was a book my mother said was evil and shouldn’t be touched, no less brought into the house. This was not a sacred text about virtue and sacrifice but a bible that worshipped a healthy ego and a lusty life filled with carnal pleasures—all of the things young people really want to do. It even gave instructions in ritual magic and sex!

Despite the “you’re going to go to hell” warnings from friends and family and my own natural cynicism about any new pop religion hucksterism, I was compelled to read the book. I became fascinated with its blend of “Lex Talonis” (Law of the Talon) survival of the fittest—attitude as well as the mystical and supernatural. I became so enamored with the book that I’ve read it many times, cover-to-cover over the last quarter of a century, and I still marvel at how it continues to draw new readers and remains on the shelves of most major book chains.

All one needs to do is check out the occult section of any book store and you’ll invariably see someone leafing through its pages or sneaking it off to the cash register. You can’t get much more taboo than that.

And what really bothers people is that although The Church of Satan does not proselytize, it continues to flourish with a constant influx of new members; some you’d expect, like heavy metal rockers, and many you wouldn’t, like doctors, lawyers, and those who on the surface appear to be average everyday citizens.

It’s been asked for years, each time by a new wave of Satan seekers, “Was LaVey the Devil himself finally going mainstream media?” And more importantly, if the interest, fascination and fear continues, just what in Hell is modern Satanism all about?

As my own curiosity grew, due largely to the realization that when I discussed the actual tenets of The Satanic Bible with peers they agreed that there was something to this book, it started to become clear why the fascination with the High Priest of The Church of Satan and his books has continued for nearly 40 years. To date, besides The Satanic Bible and The Satanic Rituals, LaVey’s writings include The Devil’s Notebook, a compilation of his essays and ideas, and The Satanic Witch, a handbook for female Satanists.

I’d also discovered that it’s not solely because of his blasphemous writings, his dark interests and demeanor, nor the “antichrist” label attached to him by the evangelistic throngs that causes the distress. The real reason people still fear Anton LaVey and his Church is because his writings force most of those who are familiar with his work to come to terms with the fact that they may think a lot like he does. This is frightening to people who believe themselves to be “good” and God fearing. What’s more, the idea that they may often agree with many of his philosophies is mind-boggling. And what literally makes them go running to the confessionals is that they like what they feel.

Next time, Satanism Part II – It’s not what you think!