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The Satanic Bible
The Satanic Bible
Author: Anton Szandor LaVey
Called "The Black Pope" by many of his followers, Anton LaVey began the road to High Priesthood of the church of Satan when he was only 16 years old and an organ player in a carnival: — "On Saturday night I would see men lusting after half-naked girls dancing at the carnival, and on Sunday morning when I was playing the organ fo...  more »

"I knew then that the Christian Church thrives on hypocrisy, and that man's carnal nature will out!"

From that time early in his life his path was clear. Finally, on the last night of April, 1966 -- Walpurgisnacht, the most important festival of the believers in witchcraft -- LaVey shaved his head in the tradition of Ancient executioners and announced the formation of The Church Of Satan. He had seen the need for a church that would recapture man's body and his carnal desires as objects of celebration. "Since worship of fleshly things produces pleasure," he said, "there would then be a temple of glorious indulgence . . ."
ISBN-13: 9780380015399
ISBN-10: 0380015390
Publication Date: 12/1/1969
Pages: 272
Rating:
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 31

3.3 stars, based on 31 ratings
Publisher: Avon
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Satanic Bible on + 113 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
LaVey was perhaps the first person to embrace the label "Satanist." He did not, however, take himself as seriously as some who come after him have done. From an Amazon.com review:

"LaVey's book is *not* an occult text: he is openly contemptuous of "occultniks." Rather, it is a bitter yet ultimately life-affirming rant, in the tradition of Great American Misanthropes like Mark Twain and Ambrose Bierce. If you read it the way you might read *Huckleberry Finn* or "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," you'll Get the Point... and the Joke. (LaVey was also a humorist who frequently wrote with tongue-in-cheek... something which many of the Deadly Serious Death Metal Types all too often forget)....If you want to understand modern Satanism -- or if you want to receive a refreshing blast of bitterness and misanthropy from one of the last great cynics -- this book is a must for your collection." --Kevin T. Filan

This is an entertaining work in small doses, but imo it's a bit much all at once. I find cynicism wearing after a time. Still, this is a valuable work that should not be overlooked in any study of modern religious and spiritual paths.
drbee avatar reviewed The Satanic Bible on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
The author provided a useful perspective on the nature of man and society, as long as the author isn't taken too seriously. Fun and irreverent.

There was a lot of anti-satan worshiper talk when I was growing up, and I dislike talking about things when I don't really know, so I sought out information. They do not sacrifice babies or dogs in the woods. They revere animals and children as ideal spirits, and are respectful of all wild things. Satanism is essentially ritualized atheism for horndogs who love pissing off christians. I agreed that the human animal needs ritual and fellowship in the ritual structure. The big problem for atheists is filling that need without compromising belief. The big problem with the church of satan is that it's progenitor structured it in a way that even now after his death it's a bit of a personality cult.
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laureenoluv avatar reviewed The Satanic Bible on
This book was both good and bad.

Bad, because LaVey did not supply a bibliography and hardly any references throughout the book. He talks shit about Crowley when his chapter in the Satanic Bible is called Satanic Magic in Theory and Practice. Crowley was the only guy who made a book with the title Magic in Theory and Practice.
Also bad because he copied many ideas from Nietzsche, Ragnar Redbeard, Crowley, and also poorly mistranslated the Enochian Keys.

However, I have some respect for this book because it was what brought Satanism to be an official religion, and also I love some of the rituals described in the Book of Belial. The four crown princes of hell were also copied from another source but I forgot where.

As a Satanist, this book belongs on my bookshelf, but I don't hold it in the highest regard as I would other books. Make sure you read The Satanic Bible with an open mind but take everything with a grain of Salt. I would say that the Satanic Bible was the first thing I read that set my path in stone when it comes to philosophy. LaVey's writings lead me to read the works of Nietzsche and Crowley, which I highly recommend. You will get more out of the Satanic Bible if you read the original books that LaVey used in his writings.


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