Cool Leitzell 1

Elizabeth Cool Leitzell

Mr. Johnson

English Composition 1201

27 October 2020

Satanism: Evil or Misunderstood?

When addressing the topic of Satanism, the first thing that typically comes to mind is the

idea of rituals where animals and babies are sacrificed. Images of insane individuals coming

together to worship a man with horns, cloven hooves, and a tail infiltrate thoughts. Although this

is the most widely known knowledge, Satanism is a much more complex concept that is cloaked

with a variety of misconceptions. Despite its varying typologies, Satanism is commonly sorted

together as a whole without any sort of distinction. Starting in the 1980s, the media has been a

prominent factor in influencing society’s perception of Satanism with exaggerated stories that

appealed to the panic of the time. Although the most popular form of Satanism, LaVeyan

Satanism, is characterized as spiritual and nonviolent, the religion has been shrouded by the

crimes of those who “serve” Satan. These crimes and stories portrayed by the media are

responsible for the negative connotations society associates with Satanism as a whole.

For centuries, the idea of Satan has been portrayed by Catholic and Christian religions as

a notion of evil. The creation of Satan, or the Devil, allowed religions to threaten their followers

and blame all wrong doings on temptations by the Devil’s hands. Before this idea was adopted

by Christianity, Satan was an angel at God’s side. When the fourteenth century hit, Satan became

twisted into an evil being of part man and part animal with goat horns and cloven hooves. This

depiction closely resembled the Greeks’ god Pan. When Christianity formed, Pagan deities, like

Pan, were perceived as evil incarnated. Christians labeled these deities as devils and Satan was
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born (LaVey 55-56). In regards to Satanism, theologies can be traced back to the archaic

religions. Ancient Greek and Roman gods were worshipped for their power, not necessarily their

admirable traits. Many of these worshippers formed cults that would perform rituals in order to

satisfy these evil deities. In the essay “Satanists Worship Evil and Power” from the collection

titled Satanism, authors Noblitt and Perskin state, “...but Satanists worship Satan because he is

perceived to be more powerful or because the cultist might view himself or herself as being

beyond redemption by a benign deity” (14). Since Satan is considered the “opposer” to

traditional religions, the idea of Satanism formed around a group too far from redemption. From

this generalized idea of Satanism, several typologies were established by those who are part of

them and their practices.

Similar to other forms of religion, Satanism has several branches. The most widely

known typologies of Satanism are Religious Satanism and Traditional Satanism. Religious

Satanism is considered the most popular typology and the “true” definition of Satanism. This

typology consists of churches dedicated to religious practices and beliefs. The most popular

organization in Religious Satanism is the Church of Satan. This organization was founded by

Anton LaVey and is also known as LaVeyan Satanism or Atheistic Satanism (Roelofse and

Bezuidenhout 84). The Church of Satan was formed in 1966 after LaVey battled with his own

beliefs. In The Satanic Bible, an interview with LaVey mentions that he “would see men lusting

after half-naked girls dancing at the carnival, and on Sunday morning when I was playing

organ… I would see these same men sitting in the pews with their wives and children, asking

God to forgive them…” (LaVey 12). From then on, LaVey began to realize that the Christian

Church “thrives on hypocrisy” (12). Later on in life, LaVey went on to work as a crime

photographer and witnessed many gruesome murders. He began to question if there genuinely
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was a God and, if so, why these crimes would be considered “God’s will” (13). After that,

LaVey became enthralled with the occult and slowly began forming his church. Although it

received setbacks, the Church of Satan formed and thrived on its spiritual and nonviolent beliefs

that encouraged man’s carnal desire as opposed to abstinence. Over the years, the Church of

Satan has recruited hundreds of members and received a variety of media coverage.

Unfortunately, despite how well known the Church of Satan is, society continues to mistake

them for Devil worshippers.

In contrast to Religious Satanism, Traditional Satanism thrives on violent acts. This

typology is known for its cults that are said to be involved in ritual abuse, mutilation, murder,

sexual ritual abuse, cannibalism, and other crimes. This form of Satanism is what society

generally imagines when they think of Satanists. Unlike LaVeyan Satanists, Traditional Satanists

worship the being Satan and perform violent rituals to please him (Roelofse 85). While this

typology of Satanism does not have a specific known date of origin, it can be traced back to the

15th-century with French nobleman Gilles de Rais. Rais was a marshal during the Hundred

Years’ War and was praised for his fearlessness on the battlefield. After his military service, Rais

went back to his estates and began his journey into the occult. He started engaging with

alchemists in hopes of turning ordinary metals into gold and ultimately fell under the influence

of Francois Prelati. Prelati dabbled in demon summoning and persuaded Rais into completing a

ritual sacrifice of an infant. This single act turned into a desire as Rais went on to abduct,

sexually abuse, and sacrifice at least 140 children. When he was captured, Rais confessed to his

crimes as well as being a Devil worshipper (Andrade 130). From then on, later generations began

to fear Satanists and connected them to gruesome murders. This mindset ultimately led to the

witch craze in Europe and later into the Satanic Panic and Ritual Abuse Scare of the 1980s in the
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United States (Andrade 131). The media coverage of these Devil worshippers is considered to be

the main factor of the negative connotations surrounding Satanism as a whole. Due to the violent

acts committed by psychopaths labeling themselves as Devil worshippers, the Satanic Panic took

over and led society to believe that all Satanists are evil.

Starting in the 1980s, a new wave of fear washed over the United States in the form of

the Satanic Ritual Abuse Panic. A mass hysteria broke loose as vicious murders were conducted

in Satan’s name. Acts of ritual abuse spreading across society heightened the budding fear

towards Satanism. Ritual abuse eventually became the key factor in regards to identifying

Satanic influence. According to the article Satanic Abuse, False Memories, Weird Beliefs and

Moral Panics, the official definition of “ritual abuse” is as follows: “Rites that allegedly include

the torture and sexual abuse of children and adults, forced abortion and human sacrifice,

cannibalism and beastiality may be labelled Satanic or Satanist” (Waterhouse 16). Another

definition and summary of the Satanic Panic is from the article Satanism and Psychopathology:

Some Historical Cases and is as follows:

This 1980s moral panic was about Ritual Cult Abuse. This is the idea that, in particular

religious manifestations, criminal activity is performed as part of the rituals.

Nonconventional religious groups (Satanic or not) have always aroused the curiosity of

outsiders, especially if some of their doctrines and practices are surrounded by some

aspects of secrecy. This curiosity has unfortunately all-too-often turned into elaboration

of grotesque stories about despicable ceremonies as part of their ritual cult. Groups such

as Masons and the Mormons have been the object of speculation regarding their alleged

abuses within the confines of their temples. By the end of the 20th Century, Ritual Cult

Abuse now focused on alleged worshippers of Satan. The media, lobbied by groups
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associated with the religious right and the Anti-Cult Movement, constantly presented the

theory that secret Satanist groups proliferated in America, and they performed hideous

rituals as part of their Devil worship. (Andrade 126-127)

This original panic regarding ritual abuse and Satanism increased as a result of the publication of

Michelle Remembers. This publication was a biography written by psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder

about his former patient, Michelle Smith. In this novel, Michelle was hypnotized to recall

memories from her childhood that she had forgotten due to trauma. She remembered her parents

conducting child abuse on her as a result of a Satanic ritual. This publication led to research into

other cases of forgotten memories as a result of Satanic ritual abuse (Andrade 137). In addition,

accusations of pedophilic behaviours in the name of Satan increased at an alarming rate. People

began spewing fictional information regarding networks of Satanists conducting rituals on

children at school and later returning them to their parents. The idea of sexual abuse in Satanic

rituals became popular knowledge to society as the Satanic Panic reached its peak (Andrade

133).

Despite the accusations made during the Satanic Panic, criminal investigation ultimately

debunked many theories regarding Satanists and ritual abuse. Distinctions were beginning to be

made between the Church of Satan and the psychopaths that indulged in criminal behaviour. In

the chapter titled “Satanic Sex” from The Satanic Bible, Anton LaVey writes, “Satanism

condones any type of sexual activity which properly satisfies your individual desire - be it

heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or even asexual, if you choose. Satanism also sanctions any

fetish or deviation which will enhance your sex life, so long as it involves no one who does not

wish to be involved” (LaVey 67). LaVeyan Satanism stresses the fact that unwanted sexual

advances are prohibited and to only perform sexual acts on those who consent. As long as the
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participants are willing, Satanism encourages behaviors such as transvestism, sadism,

masochism, exhibitionism, and others. These same sexual behaviours were connected to

instances of sexual ritual abuse during the Satanic Panic. In addition, it became clear that there

was a distinction between LaVeyan Satanism and the violence conducted by Traditional

Satanists. Part of this distinction came from knowledge of the Church of Satan’s Eleven Satanic

Rules of the Earth. These rules outline only a few of LaVeyan Satanist’s beliefs when it comes to

the treatment of others.

Fig. 1. Anton LaVey’s Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth (“Eleven Satanic Rules of the

Earth”).
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For instance, one of these rules is: “Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for

your food” (Official Church of Satan Website). In addition, there are other rules stating that

harming children and making unwanted sexual advances are prohibited. Criminal investigations

took these facts into consideration as the article Satanism and Psychopathology: Some Historical

Cases states:

Although in the popular perception, Satanism has been associated with Ritual Cult Abuse

(which, again, has proven to be lacking in evidence), in Western religious history there

has also been a tradition of Satanism that, although retaining ritual aspects (but not

necessarily with the elements of Ritual Cult Abuse), takes Satan as a notorious symbol

for particular philosophical views. This has been particularly true with the so-called

“Church of Satan”. In 1966, Anton LaVey launched the Church of Satan, a religious

movement supported by LaVey’s skills in public relations and savvy relations with the

media. LaVey made clear that he was a Satanist, but not a Devil worshipper. (Andrade

128-229)

In terms of violence connected to Satanism as a whole, these assumptions are discarded when it

comes to Laveyan Satanism. Since LaVeyan Satanists do not worship the Devil and refuse to

cause harm to animals or humans, they cannot be related to the murders and ritual abuse that they

have been blamed for. Instead, these crimes are linked to Traditional Satanists who consist of

murderers, psychopaths, and cannibals (Roelofse 85).

Since LaVeyan Satanism discourages violence, the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and ritual

abuse scares have no relation to the Church of Satan. There were many famous psychopaths that

contributed to society’s negative perception of Satanism during the height of the Satanic Panic.

Charles Manson, for example, was one of these well known psychopaths. Manson was a cult
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leader that murdered at least seven victims. His beliefs and tendencies were connected to

society’s knowledge of Satanism simply because of his atrocious acts and formation of a cult.

Although Manson was reportedly called “Satan” by his cult members, he truly had no connection

to Satanism in any form. The only reason he was linked to Satanism was due to society’s

ignorance and panic. In 1989, another group of crimes, labeled the Matamoros murders, were

wrongly associated with Satanism. These murders, instead, were related to drug-trafficking

activities. Adolfo Constanzo was charged with these ritualistic murders that were inspired by his

involvement in the Afro-Cuban religion Palo Mayombe. Since these rituals involved sacrificing

animals and sometimes human remains, society automatically linked it to Satanism. In addition

to these men, Richard Ramirez, or “The Night Stalker,” was another popular serial killer that

contributed to the Satanic Panic. Ramirez was said to have a strong connection with Satanism.

He committed at least thirteen murders in the name of Satan and would often leave Satanic

symbols at his crime scenes. Although Ramirez did in fact read Satanic documents written by

LaVey, he still worshipped the Devil and murdered in his name. This behavior does not correlate

with that of the Church of Satan despite his apparent affiliation with it. Since these men’s crimes

took place at the height of the Satanic Panic, society strictly saw Satanism in a negative light

(Andrade 131-132). From there, the term “ritual abuse” was connected to Satanism without a

second thought.

As a result of the Satanic Panic, Satanism became grouped as a whole without any

distinction of typologies. The crimes committed during this time contributed to the

misconceptions regarding Satanism and its followers. One of the most popular misconceptions

is the idea that Satanists sell their souls to the Devil. This misconception stems from the

knowledge society holds of Traditional Satanists and those who perform horrific rituals in the
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name of the Devil. LaVeyan Satanism became associated with this misconception despite their

completely different views. Not only do LaVeyan Satanists find the idea of selling souls to the

Devil to be absolute ludacris, but they address it in The Satanic Bible by stating:

To become a Satanist, it is unnecessary to sell your soul to the Devil or make a pact with

Satan. This threat was devised by Christianity to terrorize people so they would not stray

from the fold. With scolding fingers and trembling voices, they taught their followers that

if they gave in to the temptations of Satan, and lived their lives according to their natural

predilections, they would have to pay for their sinful pleasures by giving their souls to

Satan and suffering in hell for all eternity. People were led to believe that a pure soul was

a passport to everlasting life. (LaVey 61)

As stated by LaVey, selling one's soul is completely false and an excuse to keep followers of

Christianity and Catholicism to remain “pure” and free of sin. Secondly, another popular

misconception is that Satanists do not believe in God. While God is seen as a powerful deity in

other religions, Satanists see “God” as a balancing force of nature that has no care for the

suffering or happiness Earth’s creatures endure. Hand-in-hand with this is the idea that Satanists

worship the Devil. Although this is true for Traditional Satanists, LaVeyan Satanists view

“Satan” as another powerful force the same way they view “God” (LaVey 40). With this in mind,

it becomes impossible for LaVeyan Satanists to commit acts of violence in the name of Satan or

sell their souls. They do not believe in committing violence in the way Traditional Satanists do.

On the contrary, there is reasoning that Satanism, regardless of the type, encourages

violent behavior. Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan and The Satanic Bible have been credited with

inspiring violent acts despite its spiritual teachings. This was the case with Richard Ramirez.

Ramirez, having a close connection with "Satan," twisted the words of The Satanic Bible into
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murderous scripture. Instead of interpreting the text as peaceful, Ramirez believed it was

encouraging him to commit horrific sacrifices in the name of Lucifer (Andrade 132). In addition,

LaVey’s words can easily be misinterpreted as encouraging violence in the form of rituals and

carnal desires. In the chapter “Satanism Threatens Youth” in the collection Satanism, author

Elizabeth Karlsberg writes, “With Devil worship, there are no laws, no rules, no cannots. The

founder of the Church of Satan, Anton LaVey, once said that ‘Instead of commanding members

to repress their natural urges, we teach that they should follow them. This includes physical lust,

the desire for revenge, the drive for material possessions.’” (Karlsberg 9). Without any

explanation, it can automatically be assumed that LaVeyan Satanism encourages violence in the

same way Traditional Satanism does. This idea, however, is refuted in the writings of Anton

LaVey and the Church of Satan. It is made clear on numerous counts that LaVeyan Satanism

prohibits the use of human sacrifice and any violence towards others. While the idea of sacrifice

is mentioned in The Satanic Bible, it has no correlation with the act of spilling blood. Instead, the

term “sacrifice” refers to the discharge of energy through heightened emotions such as: “sexual

orgasm, blind anger, mortal terror, consuming grief, etc” (LaVey 88). In addition to this specific

description, LaVey goes on to discuss how those who need to kill an innocent creature are absurd

and “poor conscience-stricken fools” (88). Therefore, despite possible misreadings of LaVeyan

Satanism text, it evidently becomes clear that this typology does not fall into the violent

perceptions society holds.

In summary, Satanism is a broad concept that consists of varying branches. The most

known typologies of Satanism are Traditional Satanists and Religious Satanists. LaVeyan

Satanism is the most popular typology and is considered the official definition and organization

of Satanism. With this is mind, Satanism can be described as a philosophical religion that
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focuses on spirituality and being the adversary for other religions (Official Church of Satan

Website). Satanism as a whole is shrouded in numerous negative connotations because of stories

presented in the media. The horrific crimes committed by those who worship Satan lead to the

rise of the Satanic Ritual Abuse Panic that ultimately drove society to perceive Satanism in a

negative light. The exaggerated stories published in the media fed into the moral panic and

labeled Satanism as violent. Numerous pieces of evidence proved the fact that Satanism is not all

that society believes it is. There is no man with cloven hooves, horns, and a forked tail that

condones violence. Instead, there is a religion that is buried deep under misconceptions and is

still fighting its way out.

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Works Cited

Andrade, Gabriel, and Redondo, Maria Susana Campo. “Satanism and Psychopathology: Some

Historical Cases.” Journal of Psychohistory, vol. 47, no. 2, 2019, pp. 126-143,

https://web-a-ebscohost-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?

vid=1&sid=f7963c20-506c-4801-895d-51a52341470b%40sdc-v-sessmgr01. Accessed 16

Oct. 2020.

“Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth.” Official Church of Satan Website. Church of Satan,

https://www.churchofsatan.com/eleven-rules-of-earth/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2020.

Karlsberg, Elizabeth. “Satanism Threatens Youth.” Satanism, edited by Tamara L. Roleff,

Greenhaven Press, 2002, pp. 9-12, http://www.demes.teiwest.gr/spoudastirio/E-

NOTES/S/Satanism_Viewpoints.pdf#page=9.

LaVey, Anton. The Satanic Bible. Avon Books, 1969.

Noblitt, James R., and Perskin, Pamela S. “Satanists Worship Evil and Power.” Satanism, edited

by Tamara L. Roleff, Greenhaven Press, 2002, pp. 12-18,

http://www.demes.teiwest.gr/spoudastirio/E-

NOTES/S/Satanism_Viewpoints.pdf#page=9.

Official Church of Satan Website. Church of Satan, https://www.churchofsatan.com/. Accessed

13 Oct. 2020.

Roelofse, Cornelis J., and Bezuidenhout, Christiaan. “Satanism: Crime, Deviance and

Disorders.” Index Copernicus International, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 79-96, 2018,

https://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=069917c9-92e3-4c37-

a10d-0fa20a6add50%40pdc-v-sessmgr05. Accessed 17 Oct. 2020.

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Waterhouse, Rosalind. “Satanic Abuse, False Memories, Weird Beliefs and Moral Panics.” City

University London, Jan. 2014, https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/11871/1/Satanic

%20abuse,%20false%20memories,%20weird%20beliefs%20and%20moral

%20panics.pdf. Accessed 18 Oct. 2020.