Many people seem to think that Satanism is not a true religion. People have objected similarly to my choice of Discordianism, and Scientology in the year of faith- always claiming that they are more philosophies, or systems of belief, or blood-sucking cults, rather than real religions. In this post I want to defend the Church of Satan as a true religion, claiming that it has all the necessary components of a religion, and even shedding a few that aren’t so necessary anymore.

Anton LaVey in the Satanic Bible tackles this question explicitly, he says:

Man needs ceremony and ritual, fantasy and enchantment. Psychiatry, despite all the good it has done, has robbed man of wonder and fantasy which religion, in the past, has provided. Satanism, realizing the current needs of man, fills the large grey void between religion and psychiatry. The Satanic philosophy combines the fundamentals of psychology and good, honest emotionalizing, or dogma. It provides man with his much needed fantasy. There is nothing wrong with dogma, providing it is not based on ideas and actions which go completely against human nature.

In defense of Satanism as a valid (though tax-paying) religion, LaVey identifies three central parts that make up all religions. They are- dogma, ceremony, and fantasy.

  1. Ceremony- Satanism has religious rituals, practices meant to foster a sense of community and to actualize the principles within the Satanic religion. This is similar to prayers, communion, meditation, and other ceremonies and practices performed in other religions. LaVey himself conducted Satanic weddings and baptisms. Most Satanic ceremonies are performed in order to get rid of unwanted emotions, which take the form of destruction, compassion, or lust rituals. Every religion has ceremonies or typical rituals that denote the particular faith, and Satanism is no exception.
  2. Dogma- The Nine Satanic Statements and the Eleven Satanic Rules are excellent examples of Satanic dogma. They are principles and rules of behavior by which one may judge whether or not one is fulfilling the role of a Satanist. Dogma provides rules and guidelines to which we may adhere in the face of numerous other possibilities and belief systems. Satanism has rules of behavior and ideas about the world and humanity that are largely unchallenged within the Church, ideas all of its members are expected to adhere to. Therefore, Satanism also has dogma.
  3. Fantasy- Every religion provides its members with a kind of mystery about the world, things that remain unexplained, that let the mind wander and imagine. Like a really great magic trick, we are shown how things work, but never get to see behind the curtain or ask ‘Why?’ Satanism provides the same kind of mystery, mostly thanks to LaVey’s background in magic and occultism. The Satanic Bible itself is full of little things that suggest mysterious or forbidden knowledge. Over a third of the Bible is dedicated to the Enochian Keys- a magical language used in the rituals of Satanism. Each Key although short in length, takes up one page, perhaps suggesting either a flagrant misuse of natural resources, or perhaps a complex magical nature, some sacred rule that no two Keys may occupy the same space. The symbols and practices of Satanism are deliberately shrouded in ambiguity and occultism to give it a sense of fantasy, of participating in something forbidden and strange. Though most religions invoke their mysteries in other ways- perhaps the behavior and nature of God or Karma, Satanism deliberately paints itself up to give man what he desires- the unknown.

Anton LaVey identifies these as the main components an idea must have in order to count itself as a religion, something that Satanism does in spades. But what about faith? Each religion seems to be full of things which cannot be proven or observed but are nevertheless believed to be true in and of themselves. The validity of their principles or ideas is based on faith. However Satanism does not seem to have anything that requires faith, everything in the idea is based on argument and demonstrable claims, so can we still call it a religion?

Although this was a good, thought provoking question, I do not feel that it is a damaging objection ot the case of Satanism as a religion. I first thought that since Satanism has dogma that it must employ faith in order to uphold it. But I soon came to think that dogma was a set of rules and principles that are unquestioned but are not unproven or beyond the realm of reason. Indeed, if they could not be demonstrated rationally, it would be hard to argue for them, to gain converts, or to make any sense of them.

Later I thought that since Satanism identifies the self and the ego as the center of ritual and worship, taking the place of an external deity, that perhaps belief in the potential of the self was what required faith in the Satanic religion. But this is surely absurd, as the self can always be shown to have the potential and action which we seek of it. We do not need faith in something that my be proven and shown to us everyday.

It seemed to me that there was no place for faith in the Satanic Church, and that is, I think, the best solution to this problem. Satanism has no need of faith and it remains a religion nonetheless.

I believe that a religion without faith is not contradictory, but rather it is a step in the right direction. Satanism does not seem to require that its members and adherents believe blindly in whatever LaVey posits. It just invites them to consider its world view as an alternative to every other idea trying to control you. And Satanism is more than just a form of Humanism, it is a belief system with ritual, mystery, and dogma. It is a religion that does not require you to check your brain at the door, that does not put forward anything that you cannot see or experience yourself. Faith requires men and women to trust in laws and beliefs that are hundreds of years old, in dogma that was established in a completely different context. Without faith, we can hold onto what we like, we can follow what makes sense to us, what can be shown to us as true.

Satanism may have all of these components that would classify it as a religion, but isn’t it all just smoke and mirrors? Aren’t they all just ideas and things tacked on at the last minute to make it appear like a religion? To this I think the Satanist would reply, with a certain mephistophelian smile, “Why yes, it could just be all trickery and deceit. But no more than all the other religions and churches around the world use to get you to buy into their spiritual pipe dreams. At least we are honest about it.”

PS- My apologies for the hiatus in updates. I was rather…indisposed this weekend. More on that soon.