Szandor Anton Lavey, better known as the founder of the Church of “Faux” Satan, has often been mislabeled as a satanist. But this is far from the truth. In fact, Lavey was an atheist and the members of his church are atheists as well.
This might come as a surprise to many people, as there is an assumption that all members of the Church of Satan are satanists. However, in reality, the Church of Satan does not promote any specific belief system regarding gods or demons; instead its focus is on self-empowerment through individualism and personal responsibility. The two main tenets of the Church are indulgence and vital existence – living life to its fullest with no apology.
The term “satanism” implies that one believes in a literal devil or some other form of supernatural being. This is not what Lavey believed. Instead, he rejected any belief in divine beings and instead embraced atheism. He saw religion as a means of social control and argued that people should be free to make their own decisions without external moral guidance.
The idea that members of the Church of Satan are atheistic rather than satanists is further supported by my previous researches showing that most self-identified satanists today identify themselves more with atheism than with any particular religious tradition or faith system. In addition, many members view themselves more as part of an individual lifestyle than an organized religion—embracing ideas such as personal freedom and pleasure-seeking behavior rather than submitting to any kind of external authority or dogma from religious institutions.
Ultimately then it can be said that Szandor Anton Lavey was neither a satanist nor an occultist; instead he was an atheist who used symbols associated with devil worship in order to challenge oppressive religious values while promoting personal freedom and autonomy through rational thought processes. While his legacy continues to live on today through various organizations like The Satanic Temple which draw inspiration from his teachings.
To be continued
