In view of Satan's diabolical character, the terrible evils and unspeakable sufferings that he has brought upon the world of mankind and the final annihilation of him and of all his willing and persistently willful followers, it seems strange that any would desire to follow him and his wicked ways, and feel themselves at home with him and even worship him.
Satanism as an out-and-out worship of the Devil is the most degrading form of religious worship. It exhorts to practicing the worst kind of faults, is highly immoral and is directly linked with pornography, sexual license, sadistic practices, hallucinogenic drugs, mental problems, violence and murder. Satan and his works of darkness are becoming more and more popular in the world today.
Anton Szandor LaVey, founder of the First Church of Satan in San Francisco, is hailed as "America's Black Pope"; he styles himself "Priest of the Prince of Darkness." He and most other Satanists ridicule the generally held "Satan image"; instead they believe that Satan and God are really one and the same being, whom they must worship. "He is the Lord of this world," "so we might as well recognize him and give him his due," says LaVey.
Most Satanists do not believe in a hereafter, and they ridicule the Bible teachings of rewards and punishments depending on one's conduct, and most other precepts of Bible teaching. LaVey declares, "We emphasize the here and now—not the unreal, intangible hereafter." "Christianity is nothing more than a diabolical plot which was designed to keep mankind entrapped for several thousand years until a better mousetrap could be invented." He claims that "there is a demon inside man; it must be exercised, not exorcised—channeled into ritualistic hatred." He exhorts his First Satanic Church members to learn and indulge in the "seven deadly sins of Christianity"—lust, greed, gluttony, envy, jealousy, pride and slothfulness.
LaVey's daughter Karla, a self-proclaimed witch, speaking on behalf of his Church of Satan, at the United Methodist-related Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, reportedly stated, "People should be kind only to those who deserve it, instead of wasting it in the name of Christianity, and they should seek vengeance when necessary, rather than turning the other cheek. Each person should put himself first and worry about others later. The so-called seven deadly sins (greed, envy, gluttony, pride, sloth, lust, and anger) are actually life's motivating forces; they are natural to man and not wrong." Such are the fruits that LaVey's Satanic philosophy produce in his dupes!
LaVey's self-produced Satanic Bible, a perverted satire of the Gospels, contains such passages as "if someone hits you on one cheek, smash him on the other." In many areas of the U.S., his "Satanic Bible" outsells the Holy Bible 2 to 1. At a bookstore near Wayne State University (Indiana) it outsells the Holy Bible 100 to 1.
The "end justifies the means" philosophy in "doing your own thing," i.e., indulging the fleshly and worldly appetites, is held by most Satanist groups. Accordingly, Satanists regularly indulge in illicit sex, use hallucinogenic drugs, etc.
A SATANIC CHURCH WEDDING
A sample of one of LaVey's church weddings, according to a reporter, is as follows: He wore devil horns, and the wedding was performed in his black-walled Satanist church. A naked girl reclined on a purple velvet robe atop a mantlepiece. LaVey explained that this was to symbolize earthly pleasure. Flanking him and the two to be married was the paraphernalia of the sorcery business: human skeletons, stuffed opossum and leopard, mystic signs and a physician's examining table, used later as a bar.
Clothed with a black hood, a black robe and an amulet, LaVey rang a gong, recited an ode to the satyr Pan, then mumbled incantations in a gutteral utterance which he said was a language he invented. He pronounced the match "conceived in hell, which has kept religion alive from the beginning," and amid ominous low-toned roars from a lion caged on the back porch, the bridegroom placed a ring on the scarlet-gowned bride's finger. No marriage license was obtained. LaVey dismissed the question of the ceremony's legality, saying: "I am an ordained clergyman in the Satanic church, which I founded and which the law may not recognize." He held a sword over the heads of the couple as by the authority of "the Prince of Darkness" he pronounced them husband and wife.
A black-walled nuptial chamber decorated with drawings of deadly nightshade awaited the couple, but first a vodka punch was served, and the couple was toasted. Amid the festivities, a fire engine, with siren screaming, roared up in front of the mansion and firemen waving axes leaped out. Someone had turned in a false alarm.
Satanism has been spreading at an alarming rate, with Satanist churches springing up in various countries. Dr. Kurt Koch, of Germany, author of "The Devil's Alphabet" and many other books on subjects pertaining to Satanism and occultism, is considered one of the world's best authorities on these subjects. He has counseled over 22,000 individuals in 65 countries, many of them Christian converts from demonism. He estimates that between 1 and 2 per cent of the world's population are devil worshipers, including some 2 million in the U.S.A., well over 20,000 of whom are said to be followers of LaVey.
Dr. Koch points out that the present spiritual revival, especially among the younger generation, is paralleled by the phenomenal spread of Satanism and the occult—a mystical movement, which holds some attraction of its own, and offers help and advice about life, the future and contact with the dead. In Satanist churches there is not only the direct worship of the Devil, but also séances, speaking in tongues, the bizarre Black Mass practice and agreements written in blood. He correctly states that at their séances no real contact is made with the dead, but that it is demons who take the form, face and voice of dead people.
In describing the celebration of the Black Mass, Dr. Koch says: "A naked woman lies in the center of a large group of people, serving as a table for their 'desecration' of the Lord's Supper and as the object of their sexual atrocities. A group of village witch doctors dance frantically around a roaring fire, slashing themselves with knives until the blood cascades down their arms and wishing death upon a common enemy. Within 24 hours the victim is dead."
MURDERS COMMITTED BY SATANISTS
Since Satan "was a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44), when he caused the whole human race to come under the death sentence, it is not surprising that those who worship him and follow his practices are led to commit murder; for of such Jesus said, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." A number of murders and other atrocities have been perpetrated by worshipers of Satan. We note a few such cases here:
In Livingston County, Michigan, a group of Satanists tortured and killed a 17-year-old girl. When charged with her murder they claimed to be "Satan's satanic servants."
In New Jersey, Patrick Newell was killed "so that he could return to earth as leader of 40 legions of demons."
In 1971, Miss Kim Brown, age 22, who boasted of being a Satan worshiper, murdered Myron Amerman, a Florida businessman, stabbing him 46 times. She was charged with first degree murder, but after negotiations between her court-appointed attorney and the prosecutor she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was given a 7-year sentence. She attributed her light sentence to intercession by the Devil.
"I should have got [a] life [sentence]," Miss Brown said, "but I have been a devout Satanist for five years." She showed the sign of Satan, an upside-down cross with a triangle at its zenith and three stars below, tattooed between the thumb and forefinger of her left hand.
Amerman's death was revenge for an incident that took place between them several years before. "I had something against him," she explained, "and he paid me back with his life." Most of the stab wounds were in "groupings," around the chest and neck. "I do have sadistic tendencies," she boasted, "and I really did enjoy it." A broken chain with a cross and religious medal was found beneath his body.
Miss Brown wore black rosary beads around her neck "for kicks." "I got into witchcraft and Satanism at the same time—and saw it worked." (A man who had cheated her died in an auto accident a week after a spell was cast on him at a coven meeting.)
In 1973, Ross Cochran of Fresno, California, working as a change boy in a Florida beach pinball arcade, was strapped to a table and tortured for a day before being murdered by a group of six young Satan worshipers as a ritual sacrifice, police say.
Young Cochran (age 17) was a major state witness in a suit to close a nearby private school as a "place of lewdness." "They must have hated this kid because they really tortured him," Police Chief Robert Palmer said. The mangled body, trussed with ropes, was found lying in a remote wooded area 15 miles away.
Palmer described the altar on which the Satanists tortured the youth, while he pleaded for his life, as an old work table painted black and lined with black-painted bottles and candles. Motorcycle chains and symbols in red paint adorn the walls of the room, he said.
Members of the group told newsmen that initiates to the coven were asked "to denounce God and everything He stands for."
Witchcraft is closely associated with Satanism. It is estimated that some 200,000 witches are operating in the U.S. In England an evil black magic craze is invading the schools and playgrounds. In a recent survey among 80,000 school children it was found that four out of five had a working knowledge of the ouija board and other means of occult communication. A large proportion of the 30,000 witches in England are said to be teenagers. In both countries, marauders periodically invade cemeteries, desecrating graves, breaking crosses and opening coffins. In Florida, heads were stolen recently from six graves, apparently for use in a witches' ceremony.