Anton Lavey

Anton Lavey started Satanism’s first and largest religion. He started a new age of Satanism. It’s not based on the horrific beliefs that old school Satanism believed in, such as sacrificing children to Satan. It’s called Laveyan Satanism. Laveyan Satanism was founded in 1966 by Anton Szandor Lavey. Lavey’s teachings are based on being individualism, self-indulgence, and “eye for an eye” morality, drawing influences from the rituals and ceremonies of Occultist Aleister Crowley, and the philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche and Ayn Rand-(Wikipedia). It’s defined as a left hand path, rather than a right hand path, such as Christianity. Theistic Satanism worships Satan as a deity, while Laveyan Satanism merely uses Satanism as a symbol of carnality and earthly values. It primarily focuses on mankind’s nature, such as what Christians believe are the Seven Deadly Sins.

Anton Lavey created the Satanic Bible in 1969. The popularity of Satanism grew by large numbers as he begins to share his knowledge to the public. Lavey’s Church of Satan used nude women as altars, and performances of satanic weddings and funeral service brought it lots of publicity. He also appealed to the gay/homosexual community, as he performed satanic weddings of all kinds. It was his willingness to perform gay weddings in the Church of Satan that lure homosexuals to believe in his religion. Lavey shaved his head and would sometimes wear horns on his head to create a Satan incarnate image. It would be an understatement to say that Anton Lavey's dream crashed and burned. After Lavey’s death, the Church of Satan ultimately shifted into a commercial, money making scandal.