Written by three experts in the field, The Invention of Satanism examines contemporary religious Satanism as the product of historical, ideological, and social processes.

A 17th-century French haberdasher invented the Black Mass. An 18th-century English Cabinet Minister administered the Eucharist to a baboon. High-ranking Catholic authorities in the 19th century believed that Satan appeared in Masonic lodges in the shape of a crocodile and played the piano there. A well-known scientist from the 20th century established a cult of the Antichrist and exploded in a laboratory experiment. Three Italian girls in 2000 sacrificed a nun to the Devil. A Black Metal band honored Satan in Krakow, Poland, in 2004 by exhibiting on stage 120 decapitated sheep heads. Some of these stories, as absurd as they might sound, were real. Others, which might appear to be equally well reported, are false. But even false stories have generated real societal reactions. For the first time, Massimo Introvigne proposes a general social history of Satanism and anti-Satanism, from the French Court of Louis XIV to the Satanic scares of the late 20th century, satanic themes in Black Metal music, the Church of Satan, and beyond.

Discover the fascinating history and culture of Satanism through the ages and learn why many Satanists today stand up for free inquiry and personal liberty. Satanism is too often misunderstood as a religion that makes blood sacrifices to an evil, horned Prince of Darkness. In reality, modern Satanists are nonviolent and nontheistic, and consider the Devil to be a meaningful metaphor for the pursuit of knowledge, reason, and justice. The Little Book of Satanism details the “mark of the beast” in cultural and historic movements over the centuries, which have informed the sincerely held beliefs and practices of Satanists today. Written by award-winning alternative culture journalist and blogger La Carmina, this comprehensive guide includes: A foreword from Lucien Greaves, activist, spokesperson, and cofounder of The Satanic Temple Information on Satan’s biblical origins, and his various names, appearances, and symbols Details on his age-old role as a scapegoat, from medieval witch trials to the 1980s Satanic Panic An overview of modern philosophy and practices, focusing on The Church of Satan, The Satanic Bible, and The Satanic Temple Examples of the Devil’s influence on art, literature, music, and films—from Paradise Lost to Rosemary’s Baby This accessible book explains how Satanism developed in the context of social history while debunking lurid conspiracy theories about serial killers and ritual abuse. It includes a primer on various Satanic practices such as social activism, rituals, and holidays. In the spirit of the fallen angel Lucifer, be inspired by Satanism’s affirmative values that courageously oppose arbitrary authority and champion nonconformity.

Satanism adopts Satan, the Judeo-Christian representative of evil, as an object of veneration. This work explores the historical origins of this extraordinary 'antireligion.'

Lucifer Rising is a popular history of Satanism: from Old Testament lore to the posturing of the world's most notorious heavy metal rock bands, all is made accessible. Containing many candid interviews with modern-day Satanists and controversial rock stars, this book makes light of popular culture's darkest secret.

In this book-length study of The Satanic Temple, Joseph Laycock, a scholar of new religious movements, contends that the emergence of "political Satanism" marks a significant moment in American religious history that will have a lasting impact on how Americans frame debates about religious freedom. Though the group gained attention for its strategic deployment of outrage, it claims to have developed beyond politics into a religious movement. Equal parts history and ethnography, Speak of the Devil demonstrates why religious Satanism is significant to larger conversations about the definition of religion, religious freedom, and religious tolerance.

In 1966, Anton LaVey introduced to the world the Church of Satan, an atheistic religion devoted to the philosophy of individualism and pitilessness often associated with Satan. Modern Satanism offers a comprehensive survey and analysis of the church that LaVey built. Satanism has been an open religion for forty years now and operates successfully in its self-created countercultural niche. Given the provocative nature of its name, contemporary Satanism is only superficially understood as an alternative religion/ideology, and all-too-frequently seen as a medieval superstition and associated with rumors of obscure rituals, perverse hedonism, cult-like behavior, and tales of ritual abuse and murder. These may be misconceptions, but the truth behind the unenviable reputation is no less dramatic. Satanism generally eschews supernatural beliefs and embodies a staunchly individualistic, pitiless, anti-egalitarian creed. If there is anything fundamentally diabolical about modern Satanism, it stems more from the echoes of Nazism in its theories than from its horror-comic trappings. Modern Satanism covers the history, ideology, personalities, and practices of the decentralized international movement that contemporary Satanism has become. The work addresses the various beliefs and practices espoused by those who follow it: the ideal of Satan as a rebellious emblem; Satanism's occult, literary, and philosophical influences; the history of the Church of Satan and other Satanic organizations; the ideology of Satanism; Satanism's frequent flirtations and strong parallels with neo-Nazism and other forms of extremism; Satanism in the media and popular culture; and the reasons for Satanism's continuing attractiveness to new converts. Though the tone of the work attempts to remain neutral when discussing historical matters, it is by necessity critical of the subculture's extremist rhetoric and recurring associations with the far right and racialist extremism.