http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanism

There are an assortment of people all over the world who identify themselves as Satanists. Many are simply people who enjoy being shocking, will improvise bizarre rituals to "worship" the devil, and may engage in practices such as murder or child abuse which they aim to justify with their "religion". Whilst, as they identify themselves as such, one could argue these people are Satanists of a kind (as one does not deny that the terrorist extremists of Al-Qu'ieda are Muslims, despite many contradictions between their activities and Islam as taught by the Qu'aran)their activities have little to do with the official Church of Satan, as established by Anton LaVey in the mid-twentieth century. (and of which rock star Marilyn Manson is famously a priest!) The history of the Church is well-worth reading about but probably too detailed to go into here. The establisment of the religion itself grew out of LaVey's own hedonistic and anti-authoritarian philosophies, combined with his interest and practice of occult arts (including tarot divination, necromancy and magic spells) which he developed together with a group of like-minded individuals calling themselves The Order of the Trapezoid. It was not until the 1960's that he decided their shared beliefs merited the title of "religion" rather than mere philosophy. Consequently he produced the religion's primary text- The Satanic Bible. The first half of the Bible reads more as a philosophical essay, explaining LaVey's objections to traditional religion (and Christianity in particular) and some ways he believes this can be counteracted. The second half details suggestions for rituals and spells. LaVey's main theories hang around a few key beliefs: - That man himself is his own highest authority. That to worship or bow down to any other being is to display weakness. -Weakness, of the body, and particularly of the soul, is the highest sin, as it is man's sin against himself. Seems to be heavily influenced by the Nietzchean idea of the "Superman". -That we should not deny our own true natures, which have capacity for spite, lust, envy and wrath. -We should create our own rules, not unquestioningly follow those laid down by an outside authority (i.e. God) -The only moral rule is that man is free to do as he wishes, to pursue his own pleasure and satisfaction, and indeed he has a duty to do so. He celebrates many of the traditional sins- such as materialism, gluttony, anger, and fornication. Interestingly, he does specify that a man should not do anything which interferes with another's ability to excercise his own free will- therefore he explicitly disallows acts of rape, or forcing a person to participate in Satanic ceremonies. He advocates acts of revenge, but states that the perpetrator should be prepared for the revengee to take equal and opposite action against him! The main things that are often misunderstood about Satanists are: - They do not worship Satan. They consider worship itself to be an act of weakness and submission, which is against the principles of the religion. - They do not believe in a physical anti-christ. The idea of Satan or an anti-christ is a symbol for ideas which are out-of-place in conventional morality and outside of the pressures of what is considered acceptable behaviour. Some Satanists have claimed that in his day, Jesus himself was in fact a kind of anti-Christ! - illegal activities are not tolerated within the official church. Members have in the past been expelled from the church for engaging in such activities. Because the beliefs and history are way too complex to go into here (and because they explain it better than I ever could!) please do check out the following links, and give The Satanic Bible a read - the first section in particular may pleasantly surprise you. Church of Satan website http://www.churchofsatan.com/ Wikipedia on Church of Satan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Satan Nine Statements (similar to the Ten Commandments) http://churchofsatan.com/Pages/NineStatements.html

I'm proud to say that I am a Satanist, more precisely, The Church of Satan kind, since people insist on considering "Devil-Worship" to be Satanism, despite the obvious differences *sigh* Quick Summary of the Church of Satan: There are 9 Statements, 11 Rules, 9 Sins, and 21 Points which are laid out in the Satanic Bible: 1) Satan represents indulgence, instead of abstinence! 2) Satan represents vital existence, instead of spiritual pipe dreams! 3) Satan represents undefiled wisdom, instead of hypocritical self-deceit! 4) Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates! 5) Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek! 6) Satan represents responsibility to the responsible, instead of concern for psychic vampires! 7) Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours, who, because of his "divine spiritual and intellectual development", has become the most vicious animal of all! 8) Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification! 9) Satan has been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years! 1. Do NOT give opinions or advice unless you are asked. 2. Do NOT tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them. 3. When in another's lair, show him respect or else do NOT go there. 4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy. 5. Do NOT make sexual advances unless you are given the signal. 6. Do NOT take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved. 7. Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained. 8. Do NOT complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself. 9. Do NOT harm little children. 10. Do NOT kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food. 11. When walking in open territory, bother NO ONE. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, DESTROY HIM. 1. Stupidity - The top of the list for Satanic Sins. The Cardinal Sin of Satanism. It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid. 2. Pretentiousness - Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn't applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone's made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not. 3. Solipsism - Can be very dangerous for Satanists. Projecting your reactions, responses and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won't. Instead, Satanists must strive to apply the dictum of "Do unto others as they do unto you." It's work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point. 4. Self-deceit - It's in the "Nine Satanic Statements" but deserves to be repeated here. Another cardinal sin. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it's fun, and with awareness. But then, it's not self-deceit! 5. Herd Conformity - That's obvious from a Satanic stance. It's all right to conform to a person's wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many. 6. Lack of Perspective - Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain for a Satanist. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints - know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world. 7. Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies - Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it's something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society. 8. Counterproductive Pride - That first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you've painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it. 9. Lack of Aesthetics - This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It's not what's supposed to be pleasing - it's what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one's own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied. I. Respect not pity or weakness, for they are a disease which makes sick the strong. II. Test always your strength, for therein lies success. III. Seek happiness in victory - but never in peace. IV. Enjoy a short rest, better than a long. V. Come as a reaper, for thus you will sow. VI. Never love anything so much you cannot see it die. VII. Build not upon sand but upon rock And build not for today or yesterday but for all time. VIII. Strive ever for more, for conquest is never done. IX. And die rather than submit. X. Forge not works of art but swords of death, for therein lies great art. XI. Learn to raise yourself above yourself so you can triumph over all. XII. The blood of the living makes good fertilizer for the seeds of the new. XIII. He who stands atop the highest pyramid of skulls can see the furthest. XIV. Discard not love but treat it as an imposter, but ever be just. XV. All that is great is built upon sorrow. XVI. Strive not only forwards, but upwards for greatness lies in the highest. XVII. Come as a fresh strong wind that breaks yet also creates. XVIII. Let love of life be a goal but let your highest goal be greatness. XIX. Nothing is beautiful except man: but most beautiful of all is woman. XX. Reject all illusion and lies, for they hinder the strong. XXI. What does not kill, makes stronger. Sorry for the HUGE post... But this is a good of a place as any to finally, once and for all, clear up (Church of Satan) Satanism's name here...

Hi 1Simmy Satanism is a religious, semi-religious and/or philosophical movement whose adherents recognize Satan, either as an archetype, literal being, pre-cosmic force, or anything inbetween. Some Satanists celebrate aspects of human nature represented by the usually Christian or literary (Milton, Goethe) Satan archetype. Many Satanists do not worship a deity called Satan or any other deity. ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanist

A Satanist is generally a member of the Church of Satan, and subscribes to the philosophies of Anton Szandor LaVey. Most are Atheist. They celebrate the allegory and metaphor of human nature as represented by the archetype of Satan. Their beliefs have little to do with Christian beliefs in Satan. A list of their beliefs and practices can be found at: http://www.churchofsatan.com Those who worship the Christian idea of Satan do exist, but are very rare. This is generally known as devil worship.

instead of worshiping god they worship satan.

Philman had a semantic difference with you. That's what he stated in his first comment. There is no reason to come down on him for that. When the term "lengthy" is used in regard to religions, one must keep in mind that religions are thought of in terms of thousands of years. Tough there are many newer religions, their histories cannot be thought of as "lengthy." But if you were speaking of the history of say, a restaurant, a history of forty years--or even twenty years--would be considered "lengthy."

Satanism to me is: You follow the teachings of: Anton Levay or Aliester Crowley... UNLESS.... You follow your own creedo or committ illegal activities...

Someone who worships Satan. And someone who removes eyeliner immediately ;-) EDIT: To the idiot who DRed me. The second line of my answer is a private joke between Peyton and me. Humorless cretin.

To my knowledge, in its purist form its someone who puts the focus on themselves. 'How can I serve/pleasure my own needs.' Most religions are based on outward, selfless living. . However, if someone says they're a satanist, they probably just mean there a rebellious cool little bugger.

1. I AM A CHRISTIAN i respect all religion because as a chrsition our main thing is freewill so u have the option to do what u want. i never disrespect other viewpoints so plz afford me the same courtsy its wierd to me to accept a firgure that is usually seen as such a leper ive sen other ppls post about christinity means accepting false whatever but it seems liek thru ther rules or principlas that anton levey is pushing his own opinion on ppl. just kuz u agree doesnt mean that its not a mans opinion thats being widely accepted 2.to me it seems to me the religion is uh freelance like do whatever you want as long as it doesnt hurt anyone whereas in Christianity its more of a do what u want but when they tiem comes if ur still doing your own thing u will be dealt with accordingly, i think the structure and discipline in christianity is great. God is like a loving father and he doesnt want to see anything happen to his children rather then explore hit the wall shake it off repeat. 3.im not sure if what i read was true..but this part really upset me i cried. sammy davis jr. (not sure if his affiliation was factual) was said to be high preist or whatver and the he initated Elvis by sodomizing him with a flaming introverted cross...is this this true? is this common practice? why and im asking with respect why woul du stand for something like that??? it seeems so dark (much of it biting bats heads, contorted images dark makeup...i know some of it is coustom and for entertainment purposes)i cried kuz i cant even wrao my mind around the fact that ppl do thigns like that. call me naive...and in christinaity u dont have to be accepted and u cant get kicked out...its all love. and with satanism love is weakness. THATS WRONG love is the strongest thing of all. i just think idk im getting emotional ive started crying again lol i just cant understand. ppl say christionity is not factual and that its inconsistent. it really isnt. you just have to allow your heart to accept that love.

The same as Lucifer, kill, rebel against God, do it quietly so no-one knows, = The Illuminati and there plan for a New World Order.