The Church Of Satan
Description, Justification, Philosophies Satanism index page
By Vexen Crabtree, 2002 Aug 09 | Read / Write Comments
The Church Of SatanBy Vexen Crabtree, 2002 Aug 09 | Read / Write Comments
High Priest & High Priestess
High Priest and High Priestess. Sometimes both at once. For a list of previous and present High Priests see the index at the beginning of the Significant People page.
"Anton LaVey took the preservation of his Church seriously, and thus appointed many individuals to the Priesthood of Mendes to be his Devil's Advocates, and this Priesthood along with the Order of the Trapezoid and the Council of Nine continued working with Magistra Barton to forward the iconoclastic philosophy synthesized by LaVey"
Council of Nine
The chairperson's title is Grand Master/Mistress of the Temple Magistra Templi Rex
The Council of Nine is made up of select members of the Priesthood and is the ruling body of the Church of Satan, responsible to the High Priest/Priestess[1].
The Order of the Trapezoid
Consists of the individuals who assist in the administration of the Church of Satan[1].
The Priesthood of Mendes
"Members of our Priesthood are people of accomplishment in the real world—they have mastered skills and have won peer recognition, which is how they have attained their position—“as above, so below.” They are “movers and shakers” who are the core of our movement. While expected to be experts in communicating our philosophy, they are not required to speak on our behalf and they may even choose to keep their affiliation and rank secret, in order to better serve their personal goals, as well as those of our organization."
Registered Members, Active Members and Agents
There are many registered members. These are Satanists who have chosen to make a statement and align themselves with the Church of Satan. A section of this web page later deals with possible reasons and motives for doing this. There are also Active members and these are those who have signalled to the Church of Satan that they wish to partake more actively in any grotto events, perhaps set up their own grotto, or act as a basic representative of the Church.
| Year CE | Anno Satanis | |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 Apr | 1as | Anton LaVey founds the Church of Satan |
| 1997 Oct 29 | 32as | Anton LaVey dies, Barton becomes High Priestess |
| 1999 Dec 31 | 34as | Happy first anniversary for churchofsatan.com[4] |
| 2001 Apr 30 | 36as | Peter Gilmore becomes High Priest |
| 2001 Oct 17 | 36as | Black House destroyed[4] |
| 2002 Apr 30 | 37as | Peggy Nadramia becomes High Priestess in place of Barton |
The Church of Satan has been the biggest catalyst for Satanism. However it stands that most Satanists prefer not to put on paper their commitment to the Church of Satan. To commit yourself to the Church is trivial - it is irrelevant in a philosophical sense but it is necessary in a legal arena if you want to represent the Church Of Satan or to lead people to believe that you represent it[3].
The Church of Satan holds a certain respect but also is said to have a "higher than thou" character. This character is purely imaginary, invented by those who are not members. There is no significant difference between a non-member and a member of the Church of Satan with regards their philosophy or personal presence.
"Our protocol for member interaction is based on the paradigm of a "mutual admiration society." We do not expect all of our highly individualistic members to like each other, but we do require that they behave as ladies and gentlemen when dealing with each other in all situations and forums, online and face-to-face."
And, importantly:
"We must emphasize that you don’t have to join our organization to consider yourself a Satanist"
Indeed there are many that hold that joining the Church is weak - that it is merely joining for the sake of it because that's what we're supposed to do. That is a valid view but there are many valid reasons for joining.
Membership Benefits
Church of Satan affiliation Page. There is a $200 U.S. dollar joining fee! The Church of Satan is, of course, a well run company, and it needs to survive on more than good will alone. The Church has voluntarily dismissed the tax exemption that it is entitled to - all Churches should be taxed, and the first step in getting this done is to show people that it can be done.
If you want to promote Satanism all you have to do is find a Satanist and give them money! They may well waste it all. If you send some money to the Church of Satan to become a member you are doing the same thing but you get Membership from it.
There are some advantages of membership. The respect of other Satanists is not to be overlooked. If you have respect amongst Satanists then you have friends - it's a symbiotic relationship that will last as long as you continue to benefit the group.
People become members for all sorts of reasons. Some do it out of respect for the Church. Some do it to show off: If you have spare cash you can show this off by becoming a member. People become members because they want to and because they feel it is a good thing to do. Every member has different reasons.
A Satanist is a strategist. He uses his surroundings to his own advantage. Any animal, of which Humans are merely a sub class, will tell you that there are advantages in numbers. Not all members of a group are in it for no reason, and the Satanist simply uses the Church, uses its members, and uses it trust to his own benefit. There are advantages to being a member of the Church of Satan, therefore refraining from doing so is unsatanic! A Satanists that understands his own motives has nothing to fear from joining a group, especially a group of Satanists!
The Church Of Satan, for me, represents the single greatest thing within the realm of religion, the only religion it is possible for me to believe in is Satanism. The Church of Satan's aims are foresighted and powerful - there is not another company or charity that wishes the same benefits to Humanity as Satanism. It is a worthy cause. I support it. My life is wasted if I do not try to accomplish that which I want to accomplish, and it happens that the Church Of Satan and I share many ideals, therefore it is my prerogative to support them, it is in the Satanists interest to support the Church of Satan, who could claim otherwise!
Church of Satan as the Body of Satanists5
"Gerald Arbuckle, a member of a Roman Catholic religious order, writing with feeling about the struggles in his own church, has coined the useful phrase "loyal dissent". Dissent, says Arbuckle, is vital for a living church since it 'proposes alternatives' and it is only by looking at alternatives that a body can evolve creatively"C of E: The State It's In by Monica Furlong p8
Arbuckle's term was employed to describe some individials within the Church who think differently. The Church of Satan differs in that nearly all its members are of the loyal dissenter type, so much so that it is only ever noted when a person seems to lack this quality, rather than commented on when someone possesses this common Satanic trait. It is taken for granted within Satanism that dissent is a vitality!
"Disputes amongst Satanists" by Vexen Crabtree 2001 July 16
Related Pages:
Furlong, Monica
"The C of E: The State It's In". First published in GB in 2000 by Stoughton. All quotes taken from the paperback first edition, 2000. [Book Review]
LaVey, Anton [Who Is?]
"The Satanic Bible". 1969, Avon Books Inc, New York, USA.
Notes;