Theistic Satanism

Satan is an entity in Abrahamic religions who entices humans into sin or falsehood. He is usually depicted as the embodiment of evil. In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the yetzer hara, or 'evil inclination'. In Christianity and Islam, he is usually seen as a fallen angel or jinn who has rebelled against God, who nevertheless allows him temporary power over the fallen world and a host of demons. Devil in Christianity '' (1847) by Alexandre Cabanel A large percentage of theistic Satanists worship Satan conceived as the Devil in the Christian religion. The Devil is described and depicted as being perfect in beauty. He was so enamored with his own beauty and self, that he became vain, and so prideful that he corrupted himself and began to desire the same honor and glory that belonged to God. Eventually he rebelled and tried to overthrow God, and as a result was cast out of heaven. Satan is also portrayed as a father to his daughter, Sin, by the 17th-century English poet John Milton in Paradise Lost. ==Overview of theistic Satanism==

Since the first half of the 1990s, the Internet has increased the interaction, visibility, communication, and spread of different currents and beliefs among self-identified Satanists and has led to the propagation of more conflicting and diverse groups, but Satanism has always been a heterogeneous, pluralistic, decentralized religious movement and "cultic milieu". Religion academics, scholars of New religious movements, and sociologists of religion focused on Satanism have sought to study it by categorizing its currents according to whether they are esoteric/theistic or rationalist/atheistic, and they referred to the practice of working with a literal Satan as theistic or "traditional" Satanism. It is generally a prerequisite to being considered a theistic Satanist that the believer accepts a theological and metaphysical canon which involves one or more gods that are either considered to be Satan in the strictest, Abrahamic sense (the Christian-Islamic conception of the Devil), or a conception of Satan that incorporates "adversarial" gods usually borrowed from pre-Christian polytheistic religions, such as Ahriman or Enki. Despite the number of self-professed theistic Satanists constantly increasing since the 1990s, they are considered by most scholars of religion to be a minority group within Satanism. although they are also referred to as "reverse Christians" by other Satanists, often in a pejorative fashion. Peter H. Gilmore, current leader of the atheistic Church of Satan, considers "Devil-worship" to be a Christian heresy, that is, a divergent form of Christianity. The diversity of individual beliefs within theistic Satanism, while being a cause for intense debates within the religion, is also often seen as a reflection of Satan, who is believed to encourage individualism. ==Recent and contemporary theistic Satanism==

Currents The diversity of beliefs amongst Satanists, both theistic and non-theistic, was examined in a demographic survey conducted in 2001 by the American religion scholar and sociologist of religion James R. Lewis and subsequently published in the Marburg Journal of Religion. van Luijk writes there were "two possible cases" in Europe of "isolated religious Satanism, both dating from the very end of the nineteenth and the threshold of the twentieth century". One example was a small group led by Polish writer Stanisław Przybyszewski (1868–1927), who, "Faxneld argues [...] developed a more or less coherent philosophy or spirituality in which Satan played a major symbolic role, amounting to 'what is likely the first attempt ever to construct a more or less systematic Satanism.'" The other example was the Danish writer Carl William Hansen (1872–1936), also known as Ben Kadosh. In the census of 1906, Hansen "declared himself a Luciferian by religion, making himself without doubt the first officially registered Satanist in history". That same year Hansen published a short booklet titled "Den ny morgens gry: erdensbygmesterens genkomst" (in English: "The Dawn of a New Morning: The Return of the World’s Master Builder"), of which van Luijk writes: "in which he announced the establishment of a cult of Satan/Lucifer and proposed the formation of a Masonic Luciferian organization." There were, according to van Luijk, several other organizations might be considered examples of theistic Satanism from the early to mid-20th Century. The Fraternitas Saturni, founded in 1926 and led by Eugen Grosche (1888–1964), referenced both Lucifer and Satan in their rites. Another group was the Order of the Knights of the Golden Arrow, founded in Paris in 1930 by Maria de Naglowska. She declared herself a "Priestess of Satan” and spoke of the “Truth of the Wholesome Satanic Doctrine" and according to van Luijk her group can "arguably be considered the first known organized body of religious Satanism." However, van Luijk also notes "Satanism was only one component of her religious system, which could probably best be described as an intricate semi-Hegelian compound of Christian, occultist, and Satanist elements". Aleister Crowley also explored Satanic themes in his own system and was an influence on many later occultists, but "cannot be called a Satanist himself" given the relatively small place Satan played in Crowley's overall concept. Apart from these earlier cases the first recognized esoteric, non-LaVeyan Satanist organization was the small group Our Lady of Endor Coven, which claimed to have been founded in 1948 by Herbert Arthur Sloane and therefore to allegedly precede the foundation of Anton LaVey's Church of Satan. However, definitive proof the Coven's existence does not exist before 1966; van Luijk allows the group probably existed before that year but likely not before 1953. Their doctrine relied on a Gnostic conception of Satan as the liberating serpent and bestower of knowledge to humankind opposed to the malevolent demiurge or creator god, mainly inspired by the Gnostic dualistic cosmology of the Ophites, Hans Jonas' study on the history of Gnosticism, and the writings of Margaret Murray on the witch-cult hypothesis. "Our Lady of Endor Coven" seems to have been the only existing coven of this Satanist organization, which was disbanded shortly after the death of its founder during the 1980s. Additionally, van Luijk argues the Process Church of the Final Judgement (founded in 1965) might classify as theistic Satanism, but "it is not altogether clear when precisely Satan and Lucifer made their appearance in Process theology" before the concepts were promoted openly in 1967; the concepts might have been influenced by LeVey or developed independently. First Church of Satan The First Church of Satan (FCoS), a splinter group that separated from LaVey's Church of Satan during the 1970s, attempts to rediscover the teachings of Aleister Crowley and believe that Anton LaVey actually was a magus in the early days of the Church of Satan but gradually renounced his powers, became isolated and embittered. Furthermore, the First Church of Satan strongly criticizes the current Church of Satan as a pale shadow of its former self, and they strive to "maintain a Satanic organization that is not hostile or manipulative toward its own members". Turku Society for the Spiritual Sciences Pekka Siitoin founded the theistic Satanist group called the Turku Society for the Spiritual Sciences (Turun Hengentieteen Seura) on September 1, 1971. The society stated its founding principles as "promot[ing] nationalist patriotic activity [and] development of Aryan spirituality". The society also stated opposition to capitalism, communism and "the Jewish religion based on Jehovah's tyranny." Siitoin believed in neo-Gnosticism and Theosophy and combined these with antisemitism and satanism. To him, Lucifer, Satan and Jesus were subordinate to the Monad, and could be worshiped together. According to Siitoin, Moses invented magic, but jealous Demiurge-Jehova seeks to obscure its knowledge from the gentiles. Lucifer was a Promethean figure who created the original humanity and granted them wisdom so that they would evolve to be equal to Gods in time, while Jehova created the Jewish race to usurp Lucifer's power and lord over humanity. Siitoin was also influenced by Christian apocrypha, like Gospel of Judas and to him Jesus was an agent of the Monad and Lucifer against the Demiurge. These are combined with elements of Finnish folk magic. The society allegedly performed satanic orgies which researcher of religion Pekka Iitti opined might not be "far off from the truth". Several of the perpetrators of the Kursiivi printing house arson in November 1977 were members of the society. Order of Nine Angles The Order of Nine Angles, claiming to have been established in the 1960s, rose to public recognition in the early 1980. This movement expressed the idea that groups like Church of Satan were "too benevolent and law-abiding" to be true Satanists. This notion grew, particularly among musicians and fans of extreme heavy metal music, where being more extreme meant being more authentic. These antinomian and amoral Satanic (or post-Satanic) groups are sometimes called the "sinister tradition" of Satanism. Aquino's anger that LaVey had devalued his high level grade of "magister" in the church may have initiated his break, but Aquino also disagreed with LaVey's materialist philosophy, arguing that while the church might publicly be materialist, Satan as symbol was "only part of the truth". Aquino held a ritual to ask Satan "where to lead" his CoS defectors and, on the night of 21–22 June 1975, Satan allegedly told him to "Reconsecrate my Temple and my Order in the true name of Set. No longer will I accept the bastard title of a Hebrew fiend." Thus Aquino came to believe that the name Satan was a corruption of the name Set, the Egyptian god of darkness. The philosophy of the Temple of Set may be summed up as "enlightened individualism"—enhancement and improvement of oneself by personal education, experiment, and initiation. This process is necessarily different and distinctive for each individual. The members do not agree on whether Set is real or symbolic, and they're not expected to. Temple of the Black Light The Temple of the Black Light, formerly known as the Misanthropic Luciferian Order, is a Satanic occult order founded in Sweden in 1995. The group espouses a philosophy known as "Chaosophy". Chaosophy asserts that the world that mankind lives in, and the universe that it lives in, all exist within the realm known as Cosmos. Cosmos is made of three spatial dimensions and one linear time dimension. Cosmos rarely ever changes and is a materialistic realm. Another realm that exists is known as Chaos. Chaos exists outside of the Cosmos and is made of infinite dimensions and unlike the Cosmos, it is always changing. Members of the TotBL believe that the realm of Chaos is ruled over by 11 dark gods, the highest of them being Satan, and all of said gods are considered manifestations of a higher being. This higher being is known as Azerate, the Dragon Mother, and is all of the 11 gods united as one. The TotBL believes that Azerate will resurrect one day and destroy the Cosmos and let Chaos consume everything. The group has been connected to the Swedish black/death metal band Dissection, particularly its front man Jon Nödtveidt. Nödtveidt was introduced to the group "at an early stage". The lyrics on the band's third album, Reinkaos, are all about beliefs of the Temple of the Black Light. Nödtveidt committed suicide in 2006. Temple of Zeus The Temple of Zeus is a western esoteric occult organization that combines Satanism, the ancient alien theory, and antisemitism. It was originally founded as the Joy of Satan Ministries in the early 2000s by Maxine Dietrich (pseudonym of Andrea Maxine Dietrich), wife of the National Socialist Movement of the United States' co-founder and former leader Clifford Herrington. With its inception, spiritual Satanism was born—a current that until recently was regarded only as "theist", but then defined into "Spiritual Satanism" by theistic Satanists who concluded that the term spiritual in Satanism represented the best answer to the world, considering it a "moral slap" toward the earlier carnal and materialistic LaVeyan Satanism, and instead focusing its attention upon spiritual evolution. light bringer, and/or guiding spirit to darkness, or even as the true god, as opposed to Jehovah. adopted symbol of some left-hand-path systems, including some theistic Satanist groups. Seeking knowledge is seen by some theistic Satanists as being important to Satan, due to Satan being equated with the serpent in Genesis, which encouraged humans to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Some perceive Satan as Éliphas Lévi's conception of Baphomet – a half-human and half-animal hermaphroditic bestower of knowledge (gnosis). Some of such Satanists, such as the former Our Lady of Endor Coven, equate Yahweh with the demiurge of Gnosticism, and Satan with the transcendent being beyond. Some Satanists seek to remove any means by which they are controlled or repressed by others and forced to follow the herd, and reject non-governmental authoritarianism. As Satan in the Old Testament tests people, theistic Satanists may believe that Satan sends them tests in life to develop them as individuals. They value taking responsibility for oneself. Despite the emphasis on self-development, some theistic Satanists believe that there is a will of Satan for the world and for their own lives. They may promise to help bring about the will of Satan, and ONA member Stephen Brown claimed that "the Temple of Set seems intent only on creating a 'good public impression', with promoting an 'image'". The order emphasises that its way "is and is meant to be dangerous" and "[g]enuine Satanists are dangerous people to know; associating with them is a risk". Similarly, the Temple of the Black Light has criticized the Church of Satan, and has stated that the Temple of Set is "trying to make Setianism and the ruler of darkness, Set, into something accepted and harmless, this way attempting to become a 'big' religion, accepted and acknowledged by the rest of the Judaeo-Christian society". Theistic Satanism often involves a religious commitment, rather than being simply an occult practice based on dabbling or transient enjoyment of the rituals and magic involved. Practitioners may choose to perform a self-dedication rite, although there are arguments over whether it is best to do this at the beginning of their time as a theistic Satanist, or once they have been practicing for some time. == Historical mentions of theistic Satanism ==

The age of accusations 's ''Witches' Sabbath'' (1789), which depicts the Devil flanked by Satanic witches. The witch-cult hypothesis states that such stories are based upon a real-life pagan cult that revered a horned god. In the history of Christianity, the worship of Satan was a frequent accusation used since the Middle Ages. The first ones formally accused to be Devil-worshippers were the Albigensians, a Gnostic Christian movement considered to be heretical and persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church; the charge was formulated during the Catholic Inquisition by the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), convoked by Pope Innocent III. (the prophet of the people who the Templars fought against), and that Baphomet was falsely portrayed as a demon by the people who accused the Templars. During the Reformation Era, Counter-Reformation, and European wars of religion, the charge of Devil-worship was used against people charged in the witch trials in early modern Europe and other witch-hunts. Paul Tuitean believes the idea of acts of "reverse Christianity" was created by the Inquisition, but George Bataille believes that inversions of Christian rituals such as the Mass may have existed prior to the descriptions of them which were obtained through the witchcraft trials. Grimoire Satanism of Lucifer, as it originally appeared in the Grimorium Verum In the 1700s, various kinds of popular "Satanic" literature began to be produced in France, including some well-known grimoires with instructions for making a pact with the Devil. Most notable are the Grimorium Verum and The Grand Grimoire. The Marquis de Sade describes defiling crucifixes and other holy objects, and in his novel Justine he gives a fictional account of the Black Mass, although Ronald Hayman has said Sade's need for blasphemy was an emotional reaction and rebellion from which Sade moved on, seeking to develop a more reasoned atheistic philosophy. or the account may have been based on the masses carried out by Étienne Guibourg, rather than by Huysmans attending himself. Quotations from Huysmans' Black Mass are also used in some Satanic rituals to this day, since it is one of the few sources that purports to describe the words used in a Black Mass. The type of Satanism described in Là-bas suggests that prayers are said to the Devil, hosts are stolen from the Catholic Church, and sexual acts are combined with Roman Catholic altar objects and rituals, to produce a variety of Satanism which exalts Satan and degrades the god of Christianity by inverting Roman Catholic rites. George Bataille claims that Huysman's description of the Black Mass is "indisputably authentic". and Anton LaVey included a different Church of Satan Black Mass, the Messe Noire, in his 1972 book The Satanic Rituals. LaVey's books on Satanism, which began in the 1960s, were for a long time the few available which advertised themselves as being Satanic, although others detailed the history of witchcraft and Satanism, such as The Black Arts by Richard Cavendish published in 1967 and the classic French work Satanism and Witchcraft, by Jules Michelet. Anton LaVey specifically denounced "devil-worshippers" and the idea of praying to Satan. Although non-theistic LaVeyan Satanism had been popular since the publication of The Satanic Bible in 1969, theistic Satanism did not start to gain any popularity until the emergence of the Order of Nine Angles in western England, and its publication of The Black Book of Satan in 1984. The next notable theistic Satanist group to be created was the Misanthropic Luciferian Order, which was created in Sweden in 1995. The MLO incorporated elements from the Order of Nine Angles, the Illuminates of Thanateros, and qlippothic Qabalah. The Dakhma of Angra Mainyu (Church of Ahriman), founded in 2012, is a theistic Satanist organization led by Adam Daniels. Its worship includes celebrations of a Black Mass that involve desecration of consecrated hosts that are used in Christian celebrations of Holy Communion. The Church of Ahriman performs rituals that involve the desecration of Christian statuary of the Virgin Mary using menstrual blood (which they refer to as "The Consumption of Mary"), as well as desecration of religious texts such as the Qur'an. The Dakhma of Angra Mainyu performs Satanic exorcisms, an inversion of Christian exorcisms. == Symbolism ==

. Since the 19th century, various small religious groups have emerged that identify as Satanists or use Satanic iconography. The Satanist groups that appeared after the 1960s are widely diverse, but two major trends are nontheistic Satanism and theistic Satanism. Theistic Satanists venerate Satan as worthy of worship, viewing him not as omnipotent but rather as a patriarch. In contrast, atheistic Satanists regard Satan as a symbol of certain human traits. Baphomet, a deity allegedly worshipped by the Knights Templar, frequently appears in Satanic symbolism, with usage based on claims that Freemasonry worshipped both Satan and Baphomet, as well as Lucifer, in their rituals. Both Satan and Baphomet are often depicted or symbolized as a goat, therefore the goat and goat's head are significant symbols throughout Satanism. The inverted pentagram is also a significant symbol used for Satanism, sometimes depicted with the goat's head of Baphomet within it, popularized by the Church of Satan. In most recent and modern times the "inverted cross" is used and seen as an anti-Christian and satanic symbol, used similarly in the way of the inverted pentagram. == Personal theistic Satanism ==

self-identified as a theistic Satanist. The American serial killer Richard Ramirez claimed that he was a theistic Satanist; during his 1980s killing spree he left an inverted pentagram at the scene of each murder and at his trial called out "Hail Satan!" Ramirez made various references to Satan during his legal proceedings; he notably drew a pentagram on his palm at his trial. Ramirez stated during his death row interview he believed in a "malevolent being" and that Satan's "description eludes" him. Ramirez also enjoyed frequently degrading and humiliating his victims, especially those who survived his attacks or whom he explicitly decided not to kill, by forcing them to profess that they loved Satan, or telling them to "swear on Satan" if there were no more valuables left in their homes he had broken into and burglarized. == Modern-day public image of theistic Satanism and moral panics ==

As a moral panic between the 1980s and the 1990s in the United States and Canada, there were multiple allegations of sexual abuse and/or ritual sacrifice of children or non-consenting adults in the context of Satanic rituals in what has come to be known as the Satanic Panic. Allegations included the existence of a worldwide Satanic conspiracy formed by large networks of organized Satanists involved in criminal activities such as murder, child pornography, sexual exploitation of children, and human trafficking for prostitution. These notorious cases were launched after children were repeatedly and coercively interrogated by social workers, resulting in false allegations of child sexual abuse. In 2025, members of the sextortion network 764, described in some medias as a 'Satanist group' were arrested for "blackmailing children—mainly girls—into carrying out sexual acts, harming themselves or even attempting suicide." ==See also==