The Satanic Temple / LaVeyan Satanism
A family of modern, predominantly non‑theistic movements that invoke the figure of Satan as a symbol of individual liberty, skepticism, and political dissent, practiced through ritual, literature, and public advocacy.
Quick Facts
- Period
- 1901 - Present
- Region
- Americas
- Key Figures
- Anton Szandor LaVey, Lucien Greaves, Michael A. Aquino +1 more
Key Figures
Anton Szandor LaVey
Founder
Church of SatanAnton Szandor LaVey (born 1930; died 1997) is the central historical figure in what scholars and many practitioners call...
Lucien Greaves
Co‑founder / Public Spokesperson
The Satanic TempleLucien Greaves (born 1976) is widely recognized in media and academic accounts as a co‑founder and a public spokesperson...
Michael A. Aquino
Reformer / Founder of Splinter Group
Temple of SetMichael A. Aquino (born 1946; died 2019) is a significant figure in the history of modern Satanism by virtue of his role...
Peter H. Gilmore
Prominent Exponent / Administrator
Church of SatanPeter H. Gilmore (born 1958) is a prominent writer and public figure associated with the Church of Satan whose essays an...
The Story
This narrative combines documented history with dramatized scenes for storytelling purposes.
Origins and Founding
The story of modern Satanism begins in the mid‑20th century United States but draws on longer cultural and intellectual currents. In its most widely recognized ...
Beliefs and Worldview
Modern Satanism is not monolithic; its beliefs and worldviews range from rigorously non‑theistic ethical systems to occultist metaphysical claims. A central dis...
Practice and Ritual Life
Ritual and practice in modern Satanism are diverse in form and purpose. Some groups perform formal ceremonial rites in a style that draws on Western ceremonial ...
Authority and Transmission
Authority and transmission in modern Satanism are shaped by a mixture of printed texts, charismatic founders, organized institutions, and informal online networ...
The Tradition Today
As of the early 2020s modern Satanism is a plural, internationally distributed family of movements and practices that includes historical organizations with roo...
Timeline
Founding of the Church of Satan
**1966** — Anton LaVey announces the establishment of the Church of Satan in San Francisco, marking the institutional beginning of the LaVeyan current of modern Satanism. The organization's founding is often cited as a concrete starting point for the organized, textualized modern Satanic movement.
Publication of The Satanic Bible
**1969** — Anton LaVey's The Satanic Bible is published and disseminated widely; the book contains essays, rituals, and aphorisms that come to function as a canonical text for many adherents of LaVeyan Satanism.
Publication of The Satanic Rituals
**1972** — LaVey publishes The Satanic Rituals, providing ritual scripts and theatrical ceremonial material that were used in Church of Satan practice and that influenced later ritual repertoires.
Founding of the Temple of Set
**1975** — Michael A. Aquino and others depart from the Church of Satan and establish the Temple of Set, a separate organization that emphasizes initiatory occultism and metaphysical claims centered on the figure of Set.
Satanic Panic
**1980s–1990s** — A period of moral panic in North America, the United Kingdom, and other countries features allegations of ritual abuse, high‑profile criminal investigations, and extensive media coverage; subsequent scholarship documents the social dynamics of the panic and its legal consequences.
Death of Anton LaVey
**1997** — Anton Szandor LaVey dies (1997), an event that prompts debates about succession, the management of his writings, and the continued interpretation of LaVeyan doctrine within the Church of Satan and beyond.
Internet Diffusion and Community Expansion
**2000s** — The growth of online forums, social media, and digital publishing broadens access to Satanic texts and ritual resources, enabling more decentralized and diverse forms of practice across national boundaries.
Founding of The Satanic Temple
**2013** — A new organization, The Satanic Temple, is established and articulates a non‑theistic, activist orientation that uses legal and public campaigns to advance secularism and religious pluralism.
Public Campaigns and Monument Proposals
**2014–2016** — Satanic organizations engage in public proposals to place monuments (such as Baphomet statues) and to hold public rituals near government religious displays, deploying these acts as tests of church‑state separation and as media strategies.
After School Satan and Educational Initiatives
**2015–2017** — The Satanic Temple and other groups propose or organize alternative educational programs in response to religiously oriented after‑school clubs, framing the initiatives as civic, pluralistic tests of equal access to public programming.
Academic Institutionalization
**2010s–early 2020s** — Scholarly attention to modern Satanism increases, producing edited volumes and critical studies (for example, The Invention of Satanism, 2016) that examine the social construction, history, and politics of the category 'Satanism.'
Global Diffusion and Local Adaptations
**2010s–early 2020s** — Satanic symbolism and local chapters appear in multiple countries, producing adaptations to national legal systems and local culture; this diffusion challenges simple narratives about the movement's size and coherence.
Sources
- primary_textThe Satanic Bible
Anton LaVey's 1969 collection of essays, rituals, and doctrinal statements central to LaVeyan Satanism.
- primary_textThe Satanic Rituals
Anton LaVey, 1972; ritual scripts and ceremonial materials used in Church of Satan practice.
- academic_bookThe Invention of Satanism
Edited by Asbjørn Dyrendal, James R. Lewis, and Jesper Aa. Petersen (Oxford University Press, 2016); a scholarly collection examining how 'Satanism' has been constructed and contested.
- academic_bookSatanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend
Jeffrey S. Victor (1993); a sociological study of the moral panic surrounding alleged Satanic ritual abuse in the 1980s–1990s.
- reference_encyclopediaEncyclopedia of American Religions
Edited by J. Gordon Melton; contains entries on modern Satanic movements and related new religious movements.
- academic_bookSatanism Today
Edited collections and studies by scholars such as James R. Lewis and Jesper Aa. Petersen that survey contemporary Satanic organizations and practices.
- primary_institutionalChurch of Satan (official materials)
Primary organizational publications and archival material for the Church of Satan (founded 1966); used as primary source material for statements of doctrine and ritual.
- primary_institutionalThe Satanic Temple (official materials)
Publicly available statements, bylaws, and campaigns produced by The Satanic Temple (founded 2013); useful for understanding its non‑theistic, activist orientation.
- academic_journalAcademic journal articles on contemporary Satanism
Peer‑reviewed articles by scholars of religion (e.g., Joseph P. Laycock, Asbjørn Dyrendal, Jesper Aa. Petersen) that address the sociology, history, and law of modern Satanic movements.
Explore Related Archives
The creeds documented here connect to the broader record. Explore the context through our sister archives.
