Satanism
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Satanism can refer to a number of belief systems depending on the user and contexts. Common use of the word generally refers to "worship of Satan or the powers of evil"[1]. Among LaVeyan Satanists, one of the more organized and visible Satanic groups, it indicates "the first carnal religion in human history"[2]. Careful use of the word, according to one widely-respected source, refers to "a very small religious group that is unrelated to any other faith, and whose members feel free to satisfy their urges responsibly, exhibit kindness to their friends, and attack their enemies"[3]. By this definition, according to the same source, "There are perhaps ten thousand Satanists in North America. By far the largest Satanic organization is the Church of Satan. Accurate membership numbers are quite impossible to estimate."
Varieties of Satanism range from belief in and worship of an actual spiritual being (Theistic Satanism) to belief in the Christian devil; from the practice of an ancient but misunderstood religion (e.g. Setianism associated with the Egyptian god Set who is conflated by some with the Biblical Satan), to the atheist[4] exaltation of hedonistic recreation and the celebration of self-interest and pleasure as rational practices[5].
Notes
See also
Religious Organizations
- The Church of Satan
- Temple of Set
- First Church of Satan {"Astra" or "Allee Shadow Tradition"}
- First Satanic Church
Books on the history of Satanism
- Michelet, Jules (1862). Satanism and Witchcraft: The Classic Study of Medieval Superstition. ISBN 978-0806500591. Considered the first modern work to discuss Satanism.
- Cavendish, Richard (1967). The Black Arts: An Absorbing Account of Witchcraft, Demonology, Astrology, and Other Mystical Practices Throughout the Ages. ISBN 978-0399500350. Summary of the history of Witchcraft, Satanism, and Devil Worship in the last part of the book.
- Zacharias, Gerhard (1980). The Satanic Cult. Translated from the German by Christine Trollope
- Medway, Gareth (2001). Lure of the Sinister: The Unnatural History of Satanism. ISBN 978-0814756454.
References
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