Torin Stone

9/20/2013
B3
Ms. Freestone
Evolution of the Devil: Modern Satanism
Sacrifices, cloven monsters, and summoning rituals have lagued eole!s vie"s
throughout histor# "ith misconcetions and false assumtions. $ ersonall# failed to full#
understand the culture of devil "orshi and, although $ had dou%ts a%out the more e&treme
actions deicted in media and o'culture, $ had no "a# of distinguishing %et"een fact and
fiction. (dditionall#, $ lac)ed an# )no"ledge "hatsoever a%out "h# Satan is vie"ed and
deicted in the "a# the figure is toda#. *riginall# $ couldn!t sa# an# more a%out the toic of
Satan than that the figure reresents sin, corrut influence, and evil in general.
*verall, religion is a highl# interesting toic, not %ecause of the m#tholog# or the leaders,
%ut as a result of the eole and the relationshi %et"een the religion and outsiders. B#
researching the +evil and Satanism $ hoed to discover "hat "as true and fa)e a%out the
deictions of +evil "orshi and the activities that the# suosedl# erformed. ,o" the religion
resented itself is also an intriguing toic, rimaril# due to ho" the similarl# controversial
religion of Scientolog# %ehaves "ith the media and eole that are not mem%ers. $ also "ished to
discover the reason %ehind the altered ercetion of the figure %et"een various ersectives in
religion, o'culture, advertising, and throughout histor#.
$n order to %egin researching $ started "ith the t#ical ste of utili-ing a search engine,
secificall# .oogle. /uic)l# $ discovered multile sources due to the Satanism home age and
the rominence of media coverage in the earlier #ears of the cult and later 0hurch of Satan
10oS2. (dditionall#, the Satanic Bi%le "as comletel# scanned into a 3+F file format that "as
convenientl# located and comletel# free. 4umerous documentaries including The ,istor# of the
+evil "ere availa%le and man# "ere %ased around a historical ersective. 0ontrar# to the
general attitude of the 0hurch of Scientolog#, the 0oS is articularl# oen and direct a%out the
availa%ilit# of information concerning the religion and encourages eole, regardless of their
motives, to e&and their )no"ledge on all asects of the it.
*riginall#, the 3ersians "ere the first to distinguish t"o figures to reresent good and
evil, %ut it "as the .ree)s "ho most closel# reflected the figure of Satan "ith their god ,ades,
the ruler of the under"orld. ,is aearance "as generall# deicted as a noticea%l# menacing
male "ith a si-a%le %lac) %eard. This "as reflected in earlier images of Satan, %ut the figure
"asn!t articularl# "ide sread until the 5omans adoted 0hristianit# as the official religion of
the emire. $n an attemt to stom out 3aganism and convert all of the 5oman citi-ens to the
0hristian faith, the aearance of the +evil "as altered to mirror the 3agan god 3an and
ultimatel# formed the image that Satan is associated "ith toda#. 1The ,istor# of the +evil2
The 5omans used fear of the +evil as the rimar# tool to eliminate 3aganism, %ut this
association "ith fear eventuall# died out and the +evil %ecame a s#m%ol of "ealth and material
ossession. The .nostic 0hristians even "ent so far as to claim that ever# iece of matter "as
created, not %# Satan himself, %ut %# some lesser evil and therefore a%stained from nearl# ever#
material ossession, save shelter, clothing, and nourishment. Slo"l#, the figure of the Satan
changed again and again, ultimatel# evolving into a reresentation of temtation, leasure, and
things of a material nature.1The ,istor# of the +evil
(dditionall#, the modern 0hristian vie" of the aearance and general aura of ,ell
originates from the to"n of .ehenna. This to"n6s rimar# urose "as to rovide an area in
"hich 7erusalem authorities could form mass graves %# %urning %odies to comensate for the
%od# count created %# "ar and disease. The fires "ere immense and conse8uentl# the to"n
smelled articularl# horri%le, artiall# due to litter and generall# lo" u)ee, so the to"n
%ecame a noticea%l# gruesome location. (t times, the fires "ere so grand that the# "ould last for
"ee)s rior to finall# dieing out, leaving a si-a%le ile of the remnants of the sic), and those
claimed through conflict. From this, it is understanda%le that eole %egan associating .ehenna
"ith evil and the suernatural. 1,istor# of the +evil2.
The +evil continued to change and evolve again and again %ut it "asn6t until the 1990s
that it started influencing "hat "ould %e the 0oS. +uring this time there "as a lot of re%ellion
against nearl# ever#thing and religion "as not e&cluded from that. The 0oS started "ith a man
named (nton :a;e# "hen he "ould reform miscellaneous rituals and ceremonies in his %lac)
house in San Francisco, %ut the grou did not officiall# %ecome a religion until 1999. The
decision to ma)e the grou official "as for little more than financial gain and actuall# had
nothing to do "ith an# legitimate %elief in Satan as a deit# to %e "orshied. $n fact, the mem%ers
of the 0oS are ver# largel# atheists %elonging not for the urose of faith or %elief, %ut %ecause
the# all identif# "ith the hilosohies ortra#ed in the "riting of (nton :e;a#. 1The ,istor# of
the +evil2
The 0oS identifies "ith the 19
th
centur# image of the +evil "hich ortra#ed him more as
a fallen hero or victim, not a villain 1,istor# of the +evil2. This translates into their strong %eliefs
surrounding the concet of doing unto others as the# have done unto #ou. 0ontrar# to t#ical
interretation of the sa#ing, the 0oS uts emhasis on retaliation to"ards those "ho have done
something undesira%le to"ards #ourself. Much li)e the Satan of the 19
th
centur#, the 0oS
considers resenting #our "rongdoer "ith #our "rath is more imortant than %ehaving ositivel#
to"ards ever#one, regardless of their actions. $n other "ords, %ehave to"ards others %ased on
ho" the# have treated #ou in the ast, as aosed to %ehaving ositivel# since initiall# meeting
in order to incite a similar reaction 1The Satanic Bi%le2.
$n addition to the 0oS, there are other unassociated and mostl# unofficial organi-ations of
Satanists )no"n as Theistic Satanists. These are the eole "ho hold legitimate faith that the
Satan is a deit# to %e "orshied and revered to influence an outcome, in life and death, outside of
the ersons o"n influence. These grous, ho"ever, a%stain from activities such as sacrifice and
a %elief in things li)e demon ossession is not a t#ical trait. 1Theistic Satanism2
4eo'Satanists or Fascist Satanists are 8uite close to the traditional stereot#e of dar)
men, sacrificing the virgin in the entagram of candles. <ssentiall# this grou com%ines the
vie"s of Satanism and those of 4eo'4a-is into one %elief s#stem. Strangel#, these e&tremel#
small grous are t#icall# more acceting than a traditional 4eo'4a-i organi-ation, articularl#
"hen it comes to the su%=ect of homose&ualit#. The other ma=or difference %et"een the grous is
that Satanists have assigned challenges focused to"ards self imrovement and, although not in
grou settings, encourage the act of human sacrifice. Surrisingl# enough ho"ever, animal
sacrifice is fro"ned uon "ith the reasoning that it is %etter to sacrifice something "orth
sacrificing >given the a%undance of human dross.? 10hurch of Satan2
+ue to m# research into this toic $ no" have an understanding of the various forms of
Satanism and the difference %et"een legends and realit#. Because of this )no"ledge $ have
ade8uatel# fueled m# curiosit# of Satanism and "h# the +evil is vie"ed the "a# that it is toda#,
as "ell as overtime. (ll in all, it6s a highl# intriguing toic and $ am left satisfied "ith "hat $
have learned.
Bibliography:
12 :a;e#, (. 119992. The Satanic Bible. San Francisco@ (von Boo)s.
22 Moodie, .. 1+irector2. 120122. The History of the Devil A+ocumentar#B. Cales@ Siren
;isual.

32 ;era, +. 1n.d.2. 0ommon %eliefs of theistic 1traditional2 Satanists. Theistic Satanism:
Diane Vera on today's new kinds of Satanists. 5etrieved *cto%er D, 2013, from
htt@//theisticsatanism.com/%goat/essa#s/c

4) Celcome to the 0hurch of Satan. 1n.d.2.Welcome to the Church of Satan. 5etrieved
*cto%er D, 2013, from htt@//""".churchofsatan.com/3ages/inde&.html