Church of Satan
Sigil of Baphomet, an official symbol of LaVeyan Satanism[1]
AbbreviationCoS
TypeSatanism
ClassificationNew religious movement
OrientationLaVeyan Satanism
ScriptureThe Satanic Bible
TheologyEgotheism
GovernanceCouncil of Nine
StructureCabal
High PriestPeter H. Gilmore
AssociationsNon-ecumenical
RegionInternational
HeadquartersPoughkeepsie, New York
FounderAnton Szandor LaVey
OriginApril 30, 1966
The Black House, San Francisco, California
SeparationsTemple of Set (1975), First Satanic Church (1999)
MembersNot disclosed
Other name(s)The Satanic Church
PublicationsThe Black Flame, The Cloven Hoof
Official websitewww.churchofsatan.com

The Church of Satan (CoS) is a religious organization dedicated to the religion of Satanism as defined by Anton Szandor LaVey. Founded in San Francisco in 1966, by LaVey, it is considered the "oldest satanic religion in continual existence", and more importantly the most influential, inspiring "numerous imitator and breakaway groups".[2][Note 1] According to the Church, Satanism has been "codified" as "a religion and philosophy" by LaVey and his church.[4]

Founded in an era when there was much public interest in the occult, witchcraft and Satanism, the church enjoyed a heyday for several years after its founding. Celebrities attended LaVey's satanic parties and he was invited on talk shows. His Satanic Bible sold nearly a million copies.[2][5]

LaVey was the church's High Priest until his death in 1997.[6] In 2001, Peter H. Gilmore was appointed to the position of high priest, and the church's headquarters were moved to Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City.

Members do not believe that Satan literally exists and do not worship him.[7] Instead, Satan is viewed as a positive archetype embracing the Hebrew root of the word "Satan" as "adversary", who represents pride, carnality, and enlightenment, humanity's natural instincts which Abrahamic faiths have wrongly suppressed. According to High Priest Peter H. Gilmore, Satan is "a name for the reservoir of power inside each human to be tapped at will" .[6] In LaVey's book, The Satanic Bible, the Satanist's concept of a god is described as the Satanist's true "self"— a projection of his or her own personality, not an external deity.[8] Satan is used as a representation of personal liberty and individualism.[9]

The Church dismisses the idea of a “Satanic Community” and does not share membership lists with its members, arguing they are "radical individualists" who "may share very little in common beyond" being atheists.[10] The Church rejects the legitimacy of any other organizations who claim to be Satanists.[11][12] Scholars agree that there is no reliably documented case of Satanic continuity prior to the founding of the Church of Satan.[13] It was the first organized church in modern times to be devoted to the figure of Satan,[14] and according to Faxneld and Petersen, the Church represented "the first public, highly visible, and long-lasting organization which propounded a coherent satanic discourse."[15]

Beliefs

LaVey described his religion as "just Ayn Rand's philosophy with ceremony and ritual added".[16] There is no belief in or worship the Devil or a Christian notion of Satan.[17] High priest Peter Gilmore describes its members as "skeptical atheists", indicating the Hebrew root of the word "Satan" as "opposer" or "one who questions". Gilmore rejects the legitimacy of theistic Satanists, who believe Satan to be a supernatural being or force that may be contacted or supplicated to, dubbing them "devil worshipers".[17] In an interview with David Shankbone, High Priest Peter Gilmore stated "My real feeling is that anybody who believes in supernatural entities on some level is insane. Whether they believe in the Devil or God, they are abdicating reason".[18] Gilmore defines the word "Satan": "Satan is a model or a mode of behavior. Satan in Hebrew means 'adversary' or 'opposer'; one who questions."[18] Gilmore went on to add "Satanism begins with atheism. We begin with the universe and say, 'It’s indifferent. There’s no God, there’s no Devil. No one cares!'"[18] According to Gilmore,

[W]e do not believe in the supernatural. To the Satanist, he is his own God. Satan is a symbol of Man living as his prideful, carnal nature dic tates. Some Satanists extend this symbol to encompass the evolutionary "force" of entropy that permeates all of nature and provides the drive for survival and propagation inherent in all living things. To the Satanist, Satan is not a conscious entity to be worshiped, rather it is a name for the reservoir of power inside each human to be tapped at will .[6]

The church has stated its contention that they are the first formally organized religion to adopt the term "Satanism" and describes the term "Theistic Satanism" as "oxymoronic".[19]

LaVey's views on magic were ambiguous. He insisted Satanism was a "materialist philosophy" but also often talked of magic.[20] He included this rule in his "Rules of the Earth":[20]

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.”[21]

LaVey also often talked of a "Satanic magical formula" of "nine parts respectability to one part outrageousness",[22] satanism requiring some element of sinisterness but not so much as to frightening off potential congregants. The "Rules of the Earth" in LaVey's Satanic Bible specifically prohibited unwanted sexual advances and harming animals or children,[23][24] but the Church also "often featured a nude woman serving as an altar" in its black masses.[25]

Though not emphasizing social or political causes, like Ayn Rand, LaVey explicitly opposed egalitarianism and supported social stratification, calling for the end of the “myth of ‘equality’”, which only “supports the weak at the expense of the strong”.[26] But he also suggested that in loving themselves, hedonists developed the ability to love others. He was quoted as saying, “If Satanists didn’t care, they wouldn’t be so dark and pessimistic.”[27][22]

History

Early years

In the 1960s Anton Szandor LaVey formed a group called the Order of the Trapezoid, which later became the governing body of the Church of Satan. The group included: "The Baroness" Carin de Plessen, Dr. Cecil Nixon, Kenneth Anger, City Assessor Russell Wolden, and Donald Werby.[28][29] According to the Church of Satan historiography, other LaVey associates from this time include noted science fiction and horror writers Anthony Boucher, August Derleth, Robert Barbour Johnson, Reginald Bretnor, Emil Petaja, Stuart Palmer, Clark Ashton Smith, Forrest J. Ackerman,[30] and Fritz Leiber Jr.[31]

The Church of Satan was established at the Black House in San Francisco, California, on Walpurgisnacht, April 30, 1966, by LaVey, who was the church's High Priest until his death in 1997.[6]

In the first year of its foundation, LaVey and the Church of Satan publicly performed a Satanic marriage of Judith Case and journalist John Raymond. The ceremony was attended by Joe Rosenthal. LaVey performed the first publicly recorded Satanic baptism in history for his youngest daughter Zeena, which garnered worldwide publicity and was originally recorded on The Satanic Mass LP.[32][33][34][35] A Satanic funeral for naval machinist-repairman, third-class Edward Olsen, was performed at the request of his wife, complete with an honor guard.[36]

The Church of Satan was the subject of a number of books, magazine and newspaper articles during the 1960s and 1970s. It is also the subject of a documentary, Satanis (1970). LaVey appeared in Kenneth Anger's film Invocation of My Demon Brother, acted as technical adviser on The Devil's Rain, which starred Ernest Borgnine, William Shatner, and introduced John Travolta. The Church of Satan was also featured in a segment of Luigi Scattini's film Angeli Bianchi, Angeli Neri, released in the United States as Witchcraft '70.[37]

One attempt to establish the church abroad was done in connection with Maarten Lamers of the Netherlands who read The Satanic Bible and in 1971 flew to San Francisco to meet LaVey. Back in Amsterdam, Lamers established the first CoS grotto outside the U.S. -- the Magistralis Grotto or the Kerk van Satan. The "Kerk" was in the Red Light District and connected to club called Walpurga Abbey where customers could paid by the minute to observe “monastic sisters” of the Abbey masturbate on stage. Lamers insisted that since the sisters were "performing religious acts of sexual magic", Walpurga Abbey was tax-exempt. The Dutch government disagreed and in 1987, "after a decade of police raids and legal battles", Lamers was compelled to pay 10 million guilders in back taxes.[38]

In 1972, LaVey stopped holding weekly rituals at the Black House and announced these would be done at the local grottos. Then on September 27, 1974, he declared the end of all regional organizations and that individual members and grottos should report to the Church's Central Grotto in San Francisco. LaVey called this move “Phase IV of his master plan”[38] In 1975, Michael Aquino, the editor of the church newsletter and a fairly high level leader in the church, who disagreed with LaVey's changes, left to found the Temple of Set, taking a significant portion of the CoS leadership with him. LaVey announced that this was not a setback but "Phase V" of his master plan.[38]

The same year LaVey painted the Black House beige to lessen unwanted attention and "largely retired from public life".[39] According to at least one critic, James R. Lewis, LaVey was not instituting "a Master Plan" but demonstrating that he “was not up to making the necessary personal sacrifices that being a founding prophet and leader required" because his motives for founding the Church were personal enrichment and self-aggrandizement, not spreading some religious truth.[40]

1980s, early 1990s, and "Satanic Panic"

In the 1980s the media reported concerns of criminal conspiracies within the Church of Satan. The FBI would later issue an official report refuting the criminal conspiracy theories of this time. This phenomenon became known as the "Satanic Panic". According to a report released in 2020, LaVey indicated to FBI agents who interviewed him on October 31 1980 that he had lost interest in the Church.

“LAVEY STATED THAT HE IS WELL AWARE THAT MOST PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHURCH OF SATAN ARE IN FACT ‘FANATICS, CULTISTS, AND WEIRDOES.’ HE STATED HIS INTEREST IN THE CHURCH OF SATAN IS STRICTLY FROM A MONETARY POINT OF VIEW AND SPENDS HIS TIME FURNISHING INTERVIEWS, WRITING MATERIALS, AND LATELY HAS BECOME INTERESTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY.”[41][38]

In 1986, the Black House was repainted black (over beige) but LaVey grew even more reclusive. He began sending his daughter Zeena to represent the CoS. In 1988, Zeena married Nikolas Schreck, a prominent CoS member and changed her name to Zeena Schreck.[38] LaVey "sent" his daughter Zeena to represent the CoS, and she became High Priestess in the Church during the 1980s.[42] During this period, she appeared on television and radio broadcasts, in part to educate about the Church, and in part to debunk the mythology surrounding the Satanic Panic — a period of time in the same era in which Satanism was blamed for the actions of Satanic ritual abuse.[43]

Church founder Anton LaVey, was no longer interested in making media appearances, and from this time then until her renunciation of the Church of Satan in 1990, Zeena appeared on behalf of her father as the spokesperson of the Church on such nationally syndicated programs as The Phil Donahue Show, Nightline with Ted Koppel, Entertainment Tonight, The Late Show, Secrets & Mysteries and the Sally Jesse Raphael Show. [Note 2]

In the 1980s and 1990s remaining members of the Church of Satan became active in media appearances to refute allegations of criminal activity. Members of the Church who were active in producing movies, music, films, and magazines devoted to Satanism include Adam Parfrey's Feral House publishing, the musician Boyd Rice, musician King Diamond, and the filmmaker Nick Bougas (a.k.a. A. Wyatt Mann).[45][46]

After LaVey

After Anton Szandor LaVey's death on October 29, 1997, the role of High Priest was empty for some time. On November 7, 1997[47] Karla LaVey made a press release about continuing the church with fellow high priestess Blanche Barton. Barton eventually received ownership of the organization, which she held for 4 years. Karla LaVey ultimately left the Church of Satan and founded First Satanic Church. On October 16, 2001, the Black House, the original home of the Church, was demolished after a fundraising effort failed to raise enough to buy it.[48] (In 1992 LaVey had sold the house to a real estate developer to raise money to settle a divorce but the developer allowed LaVey to continue to live in the house for free.)[38]

High Priest Peter H. Gilmore
Wikinews has related news:

In 2001, Blanche ceded her position to longtime members Peter H. Gilmore and Peggy Nadramia, the current High Priest and High Priestess and publishers of The Black Flame, the official magazine of The Church of Satan, who managed an active CoS group in New York. 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.

In October 2004, the Royal Navy officially recognised its first registered Satanist, 24-year-old Chris Cranmer, as a technician aboard HMS Cumberland.[49]

6/6/06 High Mass

On June 6, 2006, the Church of Satan held the first public ritual Satanic Mass in 40 years at the Steve Allen Theater in the Center for Inquiry in Los Angeles. The ritual, based on the rites outlined in The Satanic Bible and The Satanic Rituals, was conducted by Reverend Bryan Moore and Priestess Heather Saenz.[50]

The event was by invitation only, and over one hundred members of the Church of Satan from around the world filled the theatre to capacity. Many members of the Church of Satan were interviewed by the BBC with permission.[51] The main ritual, based on the rites outlined in The Satanic Bible and The Satanic Rituals, was conducted by Reverend Bryan Moore and Priestess Heather Saenz.[50][52] The music for the mass was created and performed by Lustmord and was subsequently released on his album Rising.[53]

Example of law abidingness

In December 2007 the Associated Press reported on a story concerning the Church of Satan, in which a teenager had sent an email to High Priest Gilmore stating he wanted to "kill in the name of our unholy lord Satan". Gilmore then reported the message to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who informed local police, who arrested the teenager.[54]

Membership

The Church of Satan claims they do not solicit memberships nor proselytize. Individuals seeking membership must be legally defined as adults in their nation of residence. As of at least January 2023, no one "under the legal age of consent" may join the Church of Satan, with the exception those whose "parents or legal guardians are already members in good standing".[55]

Active Members begin at the First Degree. One must apply and be approved for an Active Membership, and this is subject to one's answers to a lengthy series of questions. One cannot apply for higher Degrees, and the requirements for each degree are not open to the public. Promotion to a higher degree is by invitation only. Members of the Third through Fifth degrees constitute the Priesthood and may be addressed as "Reverend" (although the titles of "Magister/Magistra" and "Magus/Maga" are more often used when referring to members of the Fourth and Fifth Degrees, respectively). Members of the Fifth degree may also be known as "Doctor", although "The Doctor" usually refers to LaVey. Memberships may be terminated at the discretion of the ruling body of the Church of Satan consisting of the High Priest, the High Priestess and the Council of Nine.

The church emphasizes that one does not have to join the organization to consider themselves a Satanist, and that one only needs to recognize themselves in The Satanic Bible and live according to the tenets outlined therein.[56]

As the Church of Satan does not publicly release membership information, it is not known how many members belong to the Church. However, according to an interview with the Church of Satan, "interest in the Church of Satan and Satanism is growing all the time if our mailboxes, answering and fax machines, and e-mail is any indication."[57] Another source (The Washington Post) states the church claimed to have "hundreds of thousands" of members.[58] However, according to Joseph Laycock, the Church grew rapidly in its first five years before declining, and had an estimating 250 members (according to one source). According to The Washington Post, up until at least 1998, Church membership was never totaled "more than 300".[58]

Hierarchy

The church follows a formulated system of degrees based on meritocracy. These degrees are not open to application or to request and are only awarded to those who demonstrate excellence in the understanding and communication of Satanic Theory coupled with personal achievements in the outside world.[59]

These degrees are:

  • Registered Member (no degree)
  • Active Member/Satanist (first degree)
  • Witch/Warlock (second degree)
  • Priestess/Priest (third degree)
  • Magistra/Magister (fourth degree)
  • Maga/Magus (fifth degree)

Agents of the Church of Satan are individuals who have been trained to serve as contacts for local media and other interested parties.[59]

Priesthood of Mendes and Council of Nine

Members of the Priesthood make up the Council of Nine, which is the ruling body of the Church of Satan, of which Magistra Templi Rex Blanche Barton is the chair-mistress. Individuals who are part of the priesthood are those who act as spokespersons of the Church of Satan. The priesthood is exclusive to third-, fourth-, and fifth-degree members. Members of the priesthood may be referred to as "reverend".[59] The High Priest and Priestess act as administrative chiefs and primary public representatives; each position (High Priest and High Priestess) is held by a single individual at a time. The current High Priest is Peter H. Gilmore,[60] the current High Priestess is Peggy Nadramia.[61]

The Church of Satan evaluates active members for the Priesthood by their accomplishment in society—mastered skills and peer recognition within a profession—rather than by mastery of irrelevant occult trivia. While expected to be experts in communicating the Satanic philosophy, members of the Priesthood are not required to speak on behalf of the Church of Satan and may even choose to keep their affiliation and rank secret in order to better serve their personal goals, as well as those of the organization. Membership in the Priesthood is by invitation only.

The Grotto System

Within Satanism, a Grotto is a clandestine association or gathering of Satanists within geographical proximity for means of social, ritual, and special interest activities.[62] The Church of Satan no longer formally recognizes or charters grottos.[63] The primary reason for the end of the Grotto system is that only a small minority of members ever participated. This was further compounded by the fact that a publicly listed Grotto defeated the ability to remain secret and unknown to the larger populace. The Grotto system was in practice replaced by social media, private online forums, and other methods for members to interact with one another outside of the need for a so-called Grotto Master and annual reports to the central office of the Church of Satan.[63]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Religious studies scholar R. Van Luijk writes, “Genealogically speaking, every known Satanist group or organization in the world today derives directly or indirectly from LaVey’s 1966 Church of Satan, even if they are dismissive of LaVey or choose to emphasize other real or alleged forerunners of Satanism.”[3]
  2. ↑ She explained that whe did this on behalf of her father while being interviewed alongside her husband by televangelist Bob Larson.[44]

Citations

  1. ↑ Gilmore, Magus Peter H. "F.A.Q. Symbols and Symbolism". Church of Satan. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  2. 1 2 Laycock, Satanism, 2023: section 4. The Church of Satan
  3. ↑ R. van Luijk, Children of Lucifer: The Origins of Modern Religious Satanism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016), p. 305.
  4. ↑ Ethan, Joel. "The Satanic Temple Fact Sheet". Church of Satan. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  5. ↑ Owen Davies, Grimoires: A History of Magic Books (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 274.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Official Church of Satan Website". Churchofsatan.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-01. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  7. ↑ Abrams, Joe (Spring 2006). Wyman, Kelly (ed.). "The Religious Movements Homepage Project - Satanism: An Introduction". virginia.edu. University of Virginia. Archived from the original on 29 August 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  8. ↑ Wright 1993, p. 143.
  9. ↑ Cavaglion & Sela-Shayovitz 2005, p. 255.
  10. ↑ Gilmore, Peter H. "Myth of the 'Satanic Community' and other Virtual Delusions by Magus Peter H. Gilmore". Church of Satan. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  11. ↑ Ohlheiser, Abby (2014-11-07). "The Church of Satan wants you to stop calling these 'devil worshiping' alleged murderers Satanists". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
  12. ↑ Wikinews:Satanism: An interview with Church of Satan High Priest Peter Gilmore
  13. ↑ Asprem & Granholm 2014, p. 75.
  14. ↑ Lewis 2002, p. 5.
  15. ↑ Faxneld & Petersen 2013, p. 81.
  16. ↑ Lewis 2002, p. 9.
  17. 1 2 "Satanism: An interview with Church of Satan High Priest Peter Gilmore". Wikinews. 5 November 2007. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
  18. 1 2 3 Interview with Peter H. Gilmore, David Shankbone, Wikinews, November 5, 2007.
  19. ↑ "F.A.Q. Fundamental Beliefs". Church of Satan. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  20. 1 2 Laycock, Satanism, 2023: section 5. The Temple of Set and Esoteric Satanism. The Temple of Set
  21. ↑ LaVey, “Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth.”
  22. 1 2 Laycock, Satanism, 2023: section 4. The Church of Satan. LaVey’s Satanism
  23. ↑ A. S. LaVey (1967). "The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth". Church of Satan. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  24. ↑ A. S. LaVey (1987). "The Nine Satanic Sins". Church of Satan.
  25. ↑ Laycock, Satanism, 2023: section 4. The Church of Satan. From the Magic Circle to the Church of Satan
  26. ↑ LaVey, Anton (1988). "Pentagonal Revisionism: A Five-Point Program". Church of Satan. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  27. ↑ B. Barton, The Secret Life of a Satanist: The Authorized Biography of Anton LaVey (Los Angeles, CA: Feral House, 1990), p. 213.
  28. ↑ Lacey, Michael. "Pieces of the Action: What's worse? A venture capitalist or a guy who smokes cunderage hookers?". SF Weekly Jun 20 2007.
  29. ↑ ""Satan's Den in Great Disrepair" Lattin, Don (January 25, 1999)". San Francisco Chronicle. January 25, 1999. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  30. ↑ Boulware, Jack (June 17, 1998). "Has the Church of Satan Gone to Hell?". SF Weekly. San Francisco. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  31. ↑ "A Brief History of the Church of Satan 2. The Magic Circle". Churchofsatan.com. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
  32. ↑ "The Satanic Mass/Zeena's Baptism Track A9 go to 3:42". YouTube.
  33. ↑ "The Satanic Mass, Track A9 (Zeena's Baptism)". Murgenstrumm, 1968 Vinly LP. 1968.
  34. ↑ "Satanist Anton LaVey Baptising Daughter". San Francisco, California, USA: Bettmann/CORBIS. May 23, 1967. LaVey [...] said the mystic ceremony was the first such baptism in history.
  35. ↑ "clippings of Zeena's baptism world wide".
  36. ↑ "Navy Machinist's Mate Third Class Edward D. Olsen, 26". Almy. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  37. ↑ "Witchcraft '70 Original title: Angeli bianchi... angeli neri". IMDb. Retrieved 7 January 2024. A mondo style report of satanic rites from around the world. Includes devil worshipping, voodoo cults, church of satan, black magic, naked exorcism and pagan rituals.
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Laycock, Satanism, 2023: section 4. The Church of Satan. The Rise and Fall of Anton LaVey
  39. ↑ R. van Luijk, Children of Lucifer: The Origins of Modern Religious Satanism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016), p. 363
  40. ↑ R. Lewis, Legitimating New Religions (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2003), p.111.
  41. ↑ Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Acts Release – Subject: Anton LaVey,” spelling and capitalization as in original. quoted in Joseph Laycock, Satanism, 2023
  42. ↑ "Zeena Schreck Interview in Vice Magazine, Beelzebub's Daughter, by Annette Lamothe-Ramos". 26 September 2012.
  43. ↑ "KJTV Interviews Zeena LaVey". YouTube. Los Angeles. 1987.
  44. ↑ "The First Family of Satanism". YouTube. Denver Colorado. 1989.
  45. ↑ "Nick Bougas, a.k.a. A Wyatt Mann".
  46. ↑ "Buzzfeed article by Joseph Bernstein "History Of The Internet's Favorite Anti-Semitic Image"". BuzzFeed. 5 February 2015.
  47. ↑ Quinn, Andrew (November 7, 1997). "'Black Pope' of Satanic Church dies aged 67". San Francisco. Reuters.
  48. ↑ Gilmore, Peter H. ""Yes, We Have No Occultism."". Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  49. ↑ "UK | Navy approves first ever Satanist". BBC News. 2004-10-24. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  50. 1 2 "Los Angeles CityBeat — The Devil's Advocates". Lacitybeat.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-23. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  51. ↑ "The Nick of time". BBC News. 2006-06-06.
  52. ↑ "Church Of Satan High Priest: 6/6/06 Is 'Just A Day, Like Any Other'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 24 April 2006.
  53. ↑ "Albums". Lustmord. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
  54. ↑ "Teen Held After E-Mailing Satanic Group Threat to Kill Grandparents". FoxNews.com. 2007-12-15. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  55. ↑ "Church of Satan Youth Communiqué". Church of Satan. Retrieved 7 January 2024. So, we simply cannot allow anyone under the legal age of consent to join the Church of Satan. The only exception to this rule would be if your parents or legal guardians are already members in good standing.
  56. ↑ "Join the Church of Satan". Church of Satan. Retrieved 7 January 2024. ABOUT THE MEMBERSHIP FEE. We must emphasize that you don't have to join our organization to consider yourself a Satanist, you only need to recognize yourself in The Satanic Bible and live according to the tenets outlined therein. We don't proselytize, or otherwise campaign for people to join—that is your prerogative.
  57. ↑ "The Church Of Satan – Interview - Worm Gear". Worm Gear. 5 January 2009.
  58. 1 2 Boulware, Jack (30 August 1998). "A DEVIL OF A TIME". Washington Post. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  59. 1 2 3 Gilmore, Peter H. "Hierarchy - churchofsatan.com". churchofsatan.com.
  60. ↑ "Peter H. Gilmore". Church of Satan. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  61. ↑ "Peggy Nadramia". Church of Satan. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  62. ↑ The Church of Satan Website Archived 2012-07-01 at the Wayback Machine, under Affiliation: The Grotto System Retrieved December 3, 2010
  63. 1 2 Gilmore, Peter H. "The Grotto System | churchofsatan.com". www.churchofsatan.com. Retrieved 2015-08-23.

Works cited

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