Theistic Satanism: Home > Varieties > FAQ



Frequently Asked Questions
about theistic ("traditional") Satanism



Copyright © 2003, 2006 by Diane Vera. All rights reserved.



This FAQ is a work in progress. More questions and answers will be added later.

  1. What is Satanism?
  2. Why do you worship evil?
  3. But how can a mere rebel angel win against an almighty God?
  4. Who or what is Satan, then?
  5. If you reject Christianity, why revere a figure out of Christian mythology?
  6. What do theistic Satanists think of Anton LaVey?
  7. Why worship Satan? Isn't Satanism all about being your own god?
  8. Is Satanism all about blasphemy and rebellion against Christianity?
  9. Do Satanists hate Christians?
  10. Lately, I've heard stories about vast conspiracies of child-molesting Catholic priests who worship Satan. What do you think?
  11. You're not a TRUE Satanist....
  12. Why doesn't your definition of "Satanist" exclude the nutcases?
  13. "Jesus loves you!" or "Allah is most merciful, most gracious!"

See also the separate FAQ about Diane Vera's personal beliefs.

If you have questions that are not addressed in either of these two FAQ files, then you're invited to join the appropriate one of my email groups (such as Theistic-Satanists-and-others-2) and ask your questions there.



  1. What is Satanism?

    2.

    Different kinds of Satanists define "Satanism" in very different ways and have fought bitterly over the definition of "Satanism." For purposes of this website, a "Satanist" is anyone whose worldview features a favorable interpretation of Satan. A theistic Satanist is anyone who reveres Satan as a deity, regardless of who or what one believes that Satan is.

    There also exist what I call symbolic Satanists, who don't believe in Satan as an actual being, but see Him only as a symbol of individuality, nonconformity, etc. The best-known form of symbolic Satanism is LaVeyan Satanism, but there are other kinds too. Symbolic Satanism actually has a long history. The word "Satanism" has been used by literary critics since the 1800's to refer to literature containing favorable portrayals of Satan; there was apparently quite a flurry of such literature in the Romantic era of the early 1800's.

    The remainder of this page will deal primarily with theistic Satanism, not symbolic Satanism. However, even a lot of theistic Satanists have been strongly influenced by LaVey and other symbolic Satanists, so I'll sometimes have occasion to refer to LaVey's writings.


  2. Why do you worship evil?

    3.

    What do you mean by "evil"? Things that Christians have traditionally considered "evil" might not necessarily be considered "evil" by non-Christians.

    In fact, by modern secular ethical standards, the Bible portrays Jehovah as a far more "evil" being than Satan. Jehovah is the one who orders the Israelites to slaughter all the Canaanites, and, in the New Testament, is said to punish people eternally for the sins of one little lifetime. By modern humanistic standards, it is "good," even heroic, not "evil," for Satan to rebel against such a tyrant.

    To most Satanists, Satan is "good" in at least some sense that happens to be important to the particular Satanist personally. For example, Satan is seen by many of us as encouraging individuality and independent thought. This idea is a generalization if the belief, propounded by many different Christian leaders, that Satan's main goal is to lead people away from the particular Christian leader's dogma.

    At the same time, many though not all Satanists do enjoy thinking of themselves as "evil" in one way or another, varying with the individual Satanist. As Anton LaVey put it in The Satanic Bible (p. 53, 1969 Avon paperback edition):

    Satanism is the only religion known to man that accepts man as he is, and promotes the rationale of turning a bad thing into a good thing rather than bending over backwards to eliminate the bad thing.

    Therefore, after intellectually evaluating your problems through commen sense and drawing on what psychiatry has taught us, if you still cannot emotionally release yourself from unwarranted guilt, and put your theories into action, then you should learn to make your guilt work for you. You should act upon your natural instincts, and then, if you cannot perform without feeling guilty, revel in your guilt.

    For more about "Evil," please read Satan and "Evil" in Christianity (and Satanism).

    Most of us do not see Satan as either all-good or all-evil. The very idea of an all-good God vs. an all-evil Devil is suspiciously propaganda-ish.


  3. But how can a mere rebel angel win against an almighty God?

    4.

    That is a good question to ask of those relatively few theistic Satanists who believe in almost the entirety of Christian theology except for siding with the Other Guy. However, the vast majority of theistic Satanists do not believe in Christian theology. Most of us do not believe that the Christian God, if he exists at all, is the true cosmic God. Most of us do not believe that Satan is literally a rebel angel, either.


  4. Who or what is Satan, then?

    5.

    Theistic Satanists hold a wide variety of different beliefs as to who and what Satan is. Some are pantheistic, some are polytheistic, and some are Gnostic-based, among other possibilities. theologies. For brief summaries of some of the more common Satanist theologies, see my page on The varieties of theistic Satanism.

    Despite wide variation in our theology, metaphysics, and epistemology, most theistic Satanists do tend to agree on at least some aspects of the character of Satan as He relates to human beings. For example, many of us see Satan as a being who encourages us to be true to ourselves, think for ourselves, excel at whatever our talents may be, and do what we can to better our material situation.

    This positive view of Satan is actually not a very far stretch from the traditional Christian view of Satan. According to many Christian leaders, Satan's number one goal is to lead people away from the particular Christian leader's dogma. One can easily generalize this idea to see Satan as a being who challenges dogmatism in general, not just Christian dogma.


  5. If you reject Christianity, why revere a figure out of Christian mythology?

    6.

    Different kinds of theistic Satanists will answer this question in very different ways. Here is a non-exhaustive list of possible answers:

    • Many of us have had profound spiritual experiences involving Satan.

    • Our god, Satan, is really Set, Enki, or some other ancient pre-Abrahamic god, but was called "Satan" by Christians and/or by the ancient Hebrews. So, "Satan" is the name by which He is best known today. (Theistic Satanists who answer the question this way usually stop calling themselves "Satanists" at some point, in favor of calling themselves Setians, Enkians, etc.)

    • There really is a Jehovah, although he's not nearly as all-powerful as he claims to be, and he's out to enslave us all. Therefore we humans should support his enemy, who favors human freedom.  (Note:  Not all theistic Satanists believe that Jehovah exists in any form; many don't.)

    • Although the Christian myths of Satan aren't literally true, a god who encourages people to think for themselves will naturaly show up in a guise adversarial to a given culture. In our own culture, the adversary is Satan. In a different culture He might show up under a different name, such as perhaps Apep in ancient Egypt, but "Satan" is His most natural name within our own culture.


  6. What do theistic Satanists think of Anton LaVey?

    7.

    Some theistic Satanists love his writings, others hate them, and many, including myself, have mixed feelings.

    My own opinion is that The Satanic Bible is worth reading, but should not be regarded as a sacred text or as the definitive work on Satanism. Because it is influential, I occasionally cite The Satanic Bible as a source of ideas that are common among Satanists, both theistic and symbolic.

    For some of my own criticisms of LaVey, see Comments on Anton LaVey's writings elsewhere on this website.


  7. Why worship Satan? Isn't Satanism all about being your own god?

    8.

    First, "worship" does not mean groveling or self-abasement. It means love, adoration, and devotion.

    Second, we're not gods yet. "Becoming as gods" is a worthy goal -- toward which the human race as a whole is indeed making great progress, thanks to advances in science, technology, and medicine. But we're not there yet. To think of oneself as having godlike powers already is to court delusions of grandeur, in my opinion.

    Why worship Satan? For some of us, "worship" is a natural response to our spiritual experiences.

    However, worshipping Satan does not absolve us of our responsibility to think for ourselves. In my opinion, we should indeed be "our own gods" in the sense of thinking for ourselves. (Alas, many Satanists -- of both the theistic and symbolic kinds -- have been too quick to swallow the nearest available "Satanic" dogma and then cling to it for dear life.)


  8. Is Satanism all about blasphemy and rebellion against Christianity?

    9.

    In most forms of Satanism (of both the theistic and symbolic kinds, including LaVey Satanism), blasphemy and rebellion against Christianity are considered a helpful phase for the Satanist to go through, as a catharsis or as part of self-initiation. But they are NOT the central long-term focus of most forms of Satanism.

    For more information, see my collection of links on rites of blasphemy, especially my article on the purpose of blasphemy in Satanism.


  9. Do Satanists hate Christians?

    10.

    Satanists hold a variety of attitudes toward Christians. Some Satanists will say that they regard all Christians as enemies. (Such Satanists usually, though not always, live in very fundamentalist-dominated regions.) Other Satanists are indifferent toward Christians and Christianity. (Such Satanists usually, though not always, live in very liberal, secularized regions.) My own position is as follows:

    I don't have a problem with those Christians who just mind their own business. Furthermore, some liberal Christians - and even a rare few moderate Christians - may even be valuable allies in the fight for religious freedom and against creeping theocracy.

    However, I do have a problem with the fundamentalist mindset - which can manifest not just in Christianity but in any religion, including Satanism. I also have a big problem with Christian political activists trying to erode the separation between church and state. And I have a big problem with the growth of the more fundamentalist/traditionalist forms of both Christianity and Islam, and with the threat that this poses to the religious freedom of all other people.


  10. Lately, I've heard stories about vast conspiracies of child-molesting Catholic priests who worship Satan. What do you think?

    11.

    It's the latest version of the "Satanic Ritual Abuse" (SRA) scare, older forms of which have all been thoroughly debunked.

    There do exist child molesters who use Satanic trappings, either as a way of scaring their victims into silence or as part of a strategy to get themselves declared insane in the event that they get caught. Some of them might even genuinely believe that they are serving Satan somehow, and some of them might be Catholic priests. But they are, in most cases, isolated individuals. They are not representative of Satanism. And a large-scale conspiracy of "Satanic pedophiles" is highly unlikely.

    For more information, see my Against Satanic Panics website, including this large collection of articles debunking the "Satanic Ritual Abuse" scare of the 1980's and early 1990's. See also "Ritual abuse" and "occult crime" witchhunts, here on my Theistic Satanism site.


  11. You're not a TRUE Satanist....

    12.

    For purposes of this website, a theistic Satanist is anyone who reveres Satan as a deity, regardless of who/what that person believes Satan is. Some people consider this definition to be too broad.

    The problem here is that nearly all theistic Satanists (1) have had profound spiritual experiences involving Satan, yet (2) regard at least some aspects of Christian theology as absurd. Hence we all must reinterpret the figure of Satan somehow. Even those who claim to be "Bible based" theistic Satanists reinterpret Christian theology enough so that they can see Satan as having at least a chance - if not a guarantee - of winning. So, on what reasonable basis can we classify some interpretations as "true Satanism" and others as not "true Satanism"? I see no good way to draw the line without getting into endless bickering. Furthermore, in my opinion, none of us can really be sure of our interpretation. Hence my preference for an inclusive definition.

    Theistic Satanism is not one single religion. It is a category of religions and spiritualities with the common feature of revering Satan in one way or another. Perhaps it might be more accurate to speak of Satanisms (plural) than Satanism (singular).

    You'll never convince me, or the general public, that your particular belief system is the one and only "true" form of Satanism. If you want a word that refers uniquely to your own specific belief system, coin a new word and register it as a trademark. You can't do that with the word "Satanism," which has been in dictionaries since long before Anton LaVey was even born.


  12. Why doesn't your definition of "Satanist" exclude the nutcases?

    13.

    To avoid still more pointless arguing over labels.

    Unfortunately for the rest of us, there do exist people who commit violent crimes in the name of Satan. Sometimes I refer to them as Black Circle Boys. after the movie of that name, and sometimes I just call them our criminal fringe. Many public Satanist spokespeople have insisted that the Black Circle Boys are "not Satanists." However, hardly anyone outside the Satanist scene has been convinced to exclude Black Circle Boys from their definitions of "Satanism.:

    So, instead of saying that the Black Circle Boys are not Satanists, it is probably more convincing to say that they are not representative of Satanists.

    Somewhat similarly, the medieval and Reformation-era Inquisitors were indeed Christian, but are not representative of Christians -- or, at least, not representative of today's Christians, though they were indeed representative of official Christianity in their own time.

    For more about this, see Satanism's real-life criminal fringe: How should law-abiding Satanists respond? on my Against Satanic Panics website.


  13. "Jesus loves you!" or "Allah is most merciful, most gracious!"

    14.

    You can't spam my email groups. They're moderated. Among my Theistic Satanism forums, the only ones in which Christians, Muslims, and other mainstream folks are welcome to post are Theistic-Satanists-and-others-2 and Theistic-Satanists-and-others-3. Even there, if you wish to post, you must be willing to dialogue with us. Begin by introducing yourself and telling us how you found this website. Repeated preach-and-run behavior will not be tolerated.



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