The Satanic Bible claims the heritage of a horde of evil deities--Bile', Dagon, Moloch, and Yao Tzin to name a few--but these ancient gods have no coherent connection between each other or to Satanism, except that all have been categorized by Christianity as "evil." Calling on these ancient names like a magician shouting, "Abracadabra," LaVey attempts to shatter the classical depiction of Satanism as a cult of black mass and child sacrifice. As the smoke clears, he leads us through a surprisingly logical argument in favor of a life focused on self-indulgence. The Satanic Bible is less bible and more philosophy (with a few rituals thrown in to keep us entertained), but this philosophy is the backbone of a religion that, until LaVey entered the scene, was merely a myth of the Christian church. It took LaVey, and The Satanic Bible, to turn this myth into a legitimate public religion. --Brian Patterson

Product Description

Called "The Black Pope" by many of his followers, Anton La Vey began the road to High Priesthood of the (lurch 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 halfnaked girls dancing at the carnival, and on Sunday morning when I was playing the organ for tent-show evangelists at the other end of the carnival lot, I would see these same men sitting in the pews with their wives and children, asking God to forgive them and purge them of carnal desires. And the next Saturday night they'd be back at The carnival or some other place of indulgence.

"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 . . ."

Before LaVey, nobody identified Friedrich Nietzsche, Ayn Rand or Jack London as "Satanic" philosophers. Indeed, a cursory view would suggest these three thinkers have little or nothing in common: Rand considered Nietzsche a syphilitic madman and despised Jack London's ardent socialism. Yet LaVey found common elements within their writing -- a rejection of herd mentality and consensus morality, a philosophy which placed Self-Aggrandization above Self-Sacrifice, and a militant atheism. These, and other writers, were the inspiration for LaVey's "Satanic Bible" ... which, in turn, was the inspiration for many who have followed in LaVey's footsteps.

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.


Curious about Satanism? Then read this!   July 25, 1999
 70 out of 81 found this review helpful

"The Satanic Bible" is the basis of contemporary Satanism and offers a refreshing and powerful philosophy. Portions of the text are based on sources other than Anton LaVey, for example "Might is Right" by Ragnar Redbeard and the Enochian Keys from a biography of John Dee. Although some readers have criticized LaVey for incorporating other authors' ideas into "The Satanic Bible," I think it's marvellous to find a religion which was developed from research, experience, and logic instead of a lunatic's "divine revelations." Here you will find a religion based on good common sense, the law of the jungle, and human nature. Whatever your beliefs may be, I strongly recommend that you read this book. You'll learn what Satanism is really about, which you won't find in any of those old episodes of "Geraldo" or in fairy tales about ritual abuse. However, be warned! Reading this book might just change your outlook on life. Hail Satan!


Frightening for it's convincing logic !   April 28, 1997
 67 out of 75 found this review helpful

I bought the Satanic Bible out of pure interest. I wanted to know why there could be people who are interested in these kind of ideas.The book though takes a turn when you start reading it. This is not some idiot who writes about the devil and sacrificing virgins for fun, but an intellectual person who clearly explains that all other religions are wrong....and he seems to be right in practically all ways.LaVey tells us that Satanism ( in this logical form ) has never said a bad word about other religions, but that all other religions have been putting Satanism down since the beginning of it all. It's a scary tought that he's actually right. Luckily it has "sort of" a happy ending, where also LaVey slowly changes from the Mr.Spock of religion into the priest we'd expect him to be and Satanism turns into just another one of those religions ( created by human hand rather than some God ( or Devil that is ) ). This is not a novel, but a bible that is 10 times easier to read than the Christian one. It also contains a reference part for everyone who wants to indulge into Satanic rituals or masses. I wouldn't try it out at home but for everyone who still thinks that Anton Szander LaVey ( Still the most famous Satan-whorshipper ) is a lunatic, this book may just change your mind completely on the basis of Satanism.


Objectivism + Christian Hate + "Black Magic"   March 24, 2001
 39 out of 52 found this review helpful

Perhaps I should begin this review by saying i'm an Atheist, not a Christian. With that out of the way, let me tell you a bit about LeVay's book.

Here you have the primer for those interested in pursuing Religious Satanism. Religious Satanism is not Gothic Satanism - that is to say it's not the pretend Satanism you hear the media talking about. Nor is it Biblical Satanism... LeVay named it Satanism because of the sharp contrasts between it and the teachings of Christianity. LeVay feels that the only things that are really important are pursuing pleasure in the here and now. He talks about how restrictive Christianity is, and spends some time speaking of pursuit of the "Seven Deadly Sins" with other consenting adults. Not a bad idea.

I loved it when I read it in highschool, but shortly after I was exposed to another author... one who published a bit before LeVay. Ayn Rand. And after reading Ayn Rand's works I went back and reread some parts of LeVays works. He speaks of his respect for Ayn Rand and her ideas within the Satanic Bible - and well he should, for many of "his" ideas are rewritten Objectivism (Ayn Rand's Philosophy).

Those ideas, combined with some - unnecessary - Christian hate comprise about two thirds of the book. The last portion is mostly "black magic". I found this especially strange as most Satanists are atheists or agnostics themselves (worshiping Satan as a concept, not as an actual creature) and I would think this portion fo the book to be totally unnecessary. Perhaps LeVay included it to make his book appealing to an even wider audience - I don't know. It doesn't add anything to the philosophy and you can skip over it without missing a thing.

In summation, the book isn't half bad. There are a lot of good ideas presented within, and the "questing" the book has many people do is excellent. However, the unnecessary elements and borrowed ideas force me to rate the book lower than it could have been.