The Church of Satan (book)

"The Church of Satan: A History of the World's Most Notorious Religion" is a book by Blanche Barton. It provides a history of the Church of Satan. The author is an administrator of the Church.

It was published in a 200 page paperback by Hell's Kitchen Productions Inc. on November 1, 1990 (ISBN 0-9623286-2-6)

Contents

Chapters

#Let the Games Begin
#Diabolical Consequences
#The Modern Prometheus
#What Demons Conjured?
#Satanism in Theory and Practice
#Satan's Master Plan
#How to Perform Satanic Rituals
#Guidelines for Grottos and Groups

Appendices

#Letters: "Many Are Called..."
#Satanic Music: That Old Black Magic
#Satanic Cinema: Down These Mean Streets...
#Further Reading: The Devil's Bookshelf

The book is dedicated to "Ben Hecht, Robert E. Howard, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Knox Hammersly, and Walt Disney, who made their Pacts."

"Vita non est vivere sed valere vita est."

The opening epigraph is the William Ernest Henley poem "Invictus".

Chapter one, "Let the Games Begin", opens with quotes from proponents and opponents of Satanism with illustrative examples of contemporary Satanic practice. It then provides reasons for (and the context into which) Anton LaVey founded the Church of Satan (CoS) and the religion of Satanism.

The second chapter, "Diabolical Consequences", covers the media response to CoS activities and the notable personalities it attracted. The cultural and personal impact of Satanism are discussed, as is the mid-1970s re-organization of the Church.

Chapter three, "The Modern Prometheus", gives a biographical sketch of LaVey.

In chapter four, "What Demons Conjured?", a catalog of the CoS's influence on popular culture and occultism is presented; as are refutals to the claims of "Satanbusters" and "survivors of Satanic ritual abuse".

Chapter five, "Satanism in Theory and Practice", covers the unique nature of Satanism as (not just a religious identity, but) a theory of aesthetics and an ethnology. Reflections on the popularity of Satanic imagery are given. It reprints the "Nine Satanic Statements" and the "Nine Satanic Sins". LaVey responds to some of the frequent accusations against Satanism.

In the sixth chapter, "Satan's Master Plan", LaVey affirms "his commitment to destroy Christianity and herd mentality in all forms." It presents the "Five-Point Program" of Satanic goals to change the world. The "Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth" are reprinted, as is the " [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1538091 Hymn of the Satanic Empire] ".

The seventh chapter informs the reader on "How to Perform Satanic Rituals". It presents five "main elements...central to success" at achieving magical results. Several specific misconceptions of Satanism are then addressed. Advice on magical effectiveness and evading common snares are given.

The eighth and final chapter presents "Guidelines for Grottos and Groups". It begins with a description of a typical CoS ritual. LaVey's view of the desire to join groups and perform group rituals is given, with advice on what to watch out for (in a [http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/Bunco.html Satanic bunco tip sheet] ). Recommendations on how to meet other Satanists, start groups, name grottos, and execute rituals are given. LaVey encourages Satanists to "make pioneering discoveries and achievements" as a way of forcing "objective authorities... to see and acknowledge the quality, productivity and superiority of Satanic thought."

Four appendices are included: In "Letters: 'Many Are Called...'" a collection of sample letters the CoS has received is presented; "Satanic Music: That Old Black Magic"; "Satanic Cinema: Down These Mean Streets"; and "Further Reading: The Devil's Bookshelf".

atanic music

In Appendix II, "Satanic Music: That Old Black Magic", a list popular songs dealing with "Satan and his tools", songs about suicide, and classical composers with Satanic associations are provided.

Devil songs

*"At The Devil's Ball" (by Irving Berlin)
*"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"
*"Devil and the Deep Blue Sea"
*"Devil May Care"
*"Devil's Question"
*"Dream Lover" (early version by Victor Schertzinger)
*"Get Thee Behind Me Satan"
*"Ghost Riders in the Sky"
*"He's a Devil in His Own Home Town"
*"It's Magic"
*"Jezebel"
*"My Sin"
*"Old Devil Moon"
*"On the Level, You're a Devil"
*"Pack Up Your Sins and Go to The Devil" (by Irving Berlin)
*"Pagan Love Song"
*"Satan Takes a Holiday"
*"Satanic Blues"
*"Sinner"
*"Stay Down Here Where You Belong" (by Irving Berlin)
*"Strange Enchantment"
*"Taboo"
*"That Old Black Magic"
*"Witchcraft"

uicide songs

*"Blue Prelude"
*"Black Moonlight"
*"Gloomy Sunday"
*"Goodnight, Irene"
*"Here Lies Love"

Classical music

*Daniel Auber — "Fra Diavolo"
*Johann Sebastian Bach — "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor"
*Hector Berlioz — "Symphonie Fantastique", "Funeral and Triumphal Symphony"
*Frederic Chopin
*Paul Dukas — "The Sorceror's Apprentice"
*Georges Enesco
*Franz Liszt — "Mephisto Waltz", "Faust Symphony", "Dante Symphony"
*Felix Mendelssohn — "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Die Erste Walpurgisnacht"
*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — "Don Giovanni"
*Modest Mussorgsky — "Night on Bald Mountain"
*Giacomo Puccini
*Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov — "Russian Easter Overture"
*Camille Saint-Saens — "Danse Macabre", "Omphale's Spinning Wheel"
*Jean Sibelius — "Valse Triste", "Finlandia"
*Richard Strauss — "Don Juan", "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", "Ein Heldenleben"
*Igor Stravinsky — "The Firebird", "The Rite of Spring"
*Giuseppe Verdi
*Richard Wagner — "The Ring of the Nibelung"

atanic Cinema

Appendix III, "Satanic Cinema: Down These Mean Streets...", aserts that a "complete education in Satanic philosophy is available at your local video store." It provides a list of films included for being philosophically instructional; seeming to "delight those with a Satanic sense of irony, justice or aesthetics"; or for being "clear examples of the effect on technology, societal norms, and religion that the Church of Satan has had" over its history.
*"Abominable Dr. Phibes, The"
*"Alice, Sweet Alice"
*"All the King's Men" (1949 version)
*"An Inspector Calls"
*"Bedazzled" (1967 version)
*"Bitter Tea of General Yen, The"
*"Black Cat, The" (1934 version)
*"Black Zoo"
*"Bladerunner"
*"Blue Velvet"
*"Boy With Green Hair, The"
*"Brotherhood of Satan, The"
*"Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The"
*"Car, The"
*"Carnival of Souls"
*"Citizen Kane"
*"Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean"
*"Comic, The"
*"Crawlspace"
*"Crimes of Dr. Mabuse, The"
*"Criminal Life of Archibaldo Delacruz, The"
*"Curse of the Demon"
*"Dead of Night"
*"Death Wish"
*"Doll, The"
*"Double Life, A"
*"Duel in the Sun"
*"Evilspeak"
*"Fantasia"
*"5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, The"
*"Flaming Urge, The"
*"Freaks"
*"Gangster, The"
*"Gizmo!"
*"Great Flamarion, The"
*"Great Gabbo, The"
*"Hans Christian Andersen"
*"Hell on Frisco Bay"
*"I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang"
*"I Bury the Living"
*"Inherit the Wind"
*"Island of Lost Souls, The"
*"It's Alive!"
*"Key Largo"
*"Kiss Me Deadly"
*"Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye"
*"Koyaanisqatsi"
*"Leopard Man, The"
*"M" (1931 version)
*"M" (1951 version)
*"Marjoe"
*"Masque of the Red Death, The"
*"Metropolis" (1927 version)
*"Most Dangerous Game, The"
*"Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell"
*"Murder, Inc."
*"Night Has a Thousand Eyes"
*"Night of the Generals, The"
*"Night of the Hunter, The"
*"Night Tide"
*"Nosferatu, the Vampire" (1922 version)
*"Pennies From Heaven" (Steve Martin version)
*"Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover, The"
*"Private Parts" (1972 film)
*"Puritan, The" (1938 version)
*"Radio Days"
*"Roman Scandals"
*"Rosemary's Baby"
*"Ruling Class, The"
*"Satanis"
*"Scarface" (1932 version)
*"Scoundrel, The"
*"Seance on a Wet Afternoon"
*"Sea Wolf, The" (1941 Robinson version)
*"Serial"
*"Seventh Victim, The"
*"Shadow of a Doubt"
*"Simon, King of the Witches"
*"Simon of the Desert"
*"Smile" (1975 version)
*"Snowman, The"
*"Soylent Green"
*"Specter of the Rose"
*"Stardust Memories"
*"Strangers on a Train"
*"Stepford Wives, The" (1975 version)
*"Svengali" (1931 version)
*"Tourist Trap"
*"Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The"
*"Two Thousand Maniacs!"
*"Victors, The"
*"Westworld"
*"Wicker Man, The" (1973 version)
*"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"
*"Wise Blood"
*"Yanco"
*"Zelig"

Further reading

In the fourth appendix, "Further Reading: The Devil's Bookshelf", a list works that "will provide food for discussion groups or diabolical rumination" is provided. The list is considered supplementary to the bibliography of "The Satanic Witch".

Non-fiction

*Dr. Robert U. Akeret: "Photoanalysis"
*Dr. Robert O. Becker and Gary Selden: "The Body Electric"
*Ambrose Bierce: "The Devil's Dictionary"
*Jan Harold Brunvand: "The Vanishing Hitchhiker", etc.
*Elias Canetti: "Crowds and Power"
*Robert Eisler: "Man Into Wolf"
*Michel Foucault: "Madness and Civilization"
*Sigmund Freud: esp. "The Interpretation of Dreams", etc.
*Paul Fussell: ""
*William Lindsay Gresham: "Monster Midway: An Uninhibited Look at the Glittering World of the Carny"
*James A. Haught: "Holy Horrors"
*Ben Hecht: "A Guide for the Bedevilled" (esp. "Kegs of Dynamite in a Window") and "1001 Afternoons in Chicago"
*"The Johnson Smith Company Catalogue: Surprising Novelties, Puzzles, Tricks, Jokegoods, Useful Articles, etc."
*Carl Jung: "Man and His Symbols"
*Niccolò Machiavelli: "The Prince"
*Thomas Malthus: "An Essay on the Principle of Population"
*Jerry Mander: "Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television"
*Daniel P. Mannix: esp. "History of Torture", "We Who Are Not As Others", "The Hell-fire Club", "The Beast", etc.
*H.L. Mencken: esp. "The American Language"
*Friedrich Nietzsche: esp. "Beyond Good and Evil", "The Anti-Christ" and "Twilight of the Gods"
*Wilhelm Reich: esp. "The Function of the Orgasm", "Character Analysis", etc.
*Herbert Spencer: esp. "The Study of Sociology" and "Principles of Sociology"
*Peter Viereck: "Metapolitics: The Roots of the Nazi Mind"
*Benjamin Walker: "Encyclopedia of Esoteric Man"
*James Yaffe: "The American Jews"

Fiction

*Horatio Alger, Jr.: any
*Ambrose Bierce: "eerie" short stories
*Ray Bradbury: "Something Wicked This Way Comes"
*Emily Brontë: "Wuthering Heights"
*Robert W. Chambers: "The King in Yellow"
*Fyodor Dostoevsky: "Notes from Underground"
*Charles G. Finney: "Circus of Dr. Lao"
*Jeffrey Frank: "The Creep"
*William Lindsay Gresham: "Nightmare Alley"
*Ben Hecht: "Fantazius Mallare", "The Kingdom of Evil", and his "film noir" screenplays
*Shirley Jackson: "We Have Always Lived in the Castle"
*Ira Levin: "Rosemary's Baby"
*Jack London: esp. "The Sea-Wolf", and "books of lycanthropic transformation"
*W. Somerset Maugham: esp. "Rain" and "A Writer's Notebook"
*A. Merritt: "Seven Footprints to Satan"
*John Milton: "Paradise Lost"
*Bob Randall: "The Fan"
*Fred Saberhagen: "The Dracula Tape"
*George Bernard Shaw: esp. "Man and Superman"
*Terry Southern: "The Magic Christian"
*Jules Verne: "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"
*H.G. Wells: esp. "The Island of Dr. Moreau"
*Nathanael West: "A Cool Million"
*Oscar Wilde: "The Picture of Dorian Gray"
*Cornell Woolrich: "The Bride Wore Black", "The Black Curtain", etc., short stories and screenplays
*"Weird Tales" and Arkham House writers: H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Frank Belknap Long, Clark Ashton Smith, George Haas, August Derleth, et al.