Running head: THE SATANIC CHURCH
Community Problem Report: Satanism in the Media
Brandon A. Salgado
University of Texas at El Paso
Rhetoric & Composition 1301
Professor Jose Gomez
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Abstract
The very mention of anything involving Satan will send the media, and the people, into a frenzy
of having to stamp it out and call out anyone who may be involved. It is a religion that is
frowned upon by many due to its retaliation against the Church of Christianity. But is this any
reason to have so much hate for this philosophy to use as a scapegoat on any crime they can
deem Satanic? Is Satanism a serious issue that must be dealt with? And if so why has the
media chosen what is a truly peaceful group of people? What can be done about their portrayal in
the media? The first step is raising awareness. Through the conduction of research through
websites of Satanic groups, articles on Satanism and books that explain the whole history of
Satanism to a direct copy of Anton LaVeys The Satanic Bible It is easy to get an in-depth look at
the truth behind Satanism. This truth is that the followers of this belief are all about
individualism, self-power, not harming others, and that they are the ones that may be hurting the
most.
Introduction
The Satanism that was introduced by Anton LaVey in the year 1969 is different from
what is portrayed in the movies, music, or news that you see today. It is much more complex
than having Satan or demons possessing your soul, or a member sacrificing an animal in the
name of Lucifer. It is a way of thinking in life and understanding yourself. The linkage to Satan
is what causes one to stray away from this philosophy due to what is said about that deity in
religions and how the media informs the public about so called members through the music that
is associated with Satanism in all the wrong ways.
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The best way to get an understanding of this philosophy is to dive straight into it by
connecting to their website. One may feel uncomfortable when first going onto their website and
seeing all the satanic symbols, but there is nothing to fear. There are no hateful messages by the
Church of Satan, for they are not that type of people. The only hateful message is on their FAQs
from Christians sending spiteful emails to them and condemning them to Hell. But the website
responds in a respectful way because they are a peaceful organization that does not put down
others as other organizations are doing to them. A simple viewer can get a great understanding on
what this philosophy is about by reading about their history in the tabs provided or in the
scriptures or films that are referenced in the website. And if one would like more information
that can not be answered through the texts or the website then you can always contact the Church
directly through email with any questions and they will be more than happy to help you get a
better understanding (Church of Satan website).
Once a person becomes more open minded they will be able to see that Satanism is not a
threat and what is causing such a disgrace to the followers of Satanism is the connection of
Church and State clouding the peoples mind and not allowing one to think and explore for
themselves. Not only will this realization help Satanists from being persecuted but it can lead to
great changes in the world that will lead to peace and people accepting one another. The media
feeds the people with what they are hungry for, so it is time for the people to go on a diet.
With the legalization of gay marriage, which Satanists are advocates for, it is helping in
having the separation of Church and State and allowing people to not be afraid to express who
they really are. As much as the media can degrade a faction it can also help to promote it. This is
being done by CNN reporter Tricia Escobedo in her article 5 Things You Didnt Know About
Satanists. She has a purpose in wanting to bring a new light to the people and maybe change
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their thoughts on what they think that Satanism is. She interviews members of the Temple of
Satan and the conflict that they were having with their Snaketivity scene being placed on the
steps of the Michigan Capitol alongside a Nativity scene. She shows that they do not have evil
intentions by putting up this sculpture, but want to use it as a way to express their freedom of
religion and to have a separation of Church and State. She continues to explain the common
misconceptions about Satanists stating that they do not worship the devil and that there are not
various Satanic Churches that are spread out all over the country. With her talking directly with
the members the audience gets to see the true
intentions of a Satanist and how pleasant they
truly are to have the people get a closer look
instead of turning away because the word Satan is
used. \
A Satanic group that has been keeping prominent in the medias eyes is that of The
Satanic Temple. This is the group that was covered in the previous paragraph with the CNN
reporter Tricia Escobedo. On their website they have the links to the news stories that have been
covered about them to give any observer the information on what this community is about.
Paired with these news stories is the different campaigns that they take part in. Some of these
campaigns include their stances on abortion, satanic education in schools, and same sex marriage
among other battles. The beliefs of these people are very similar to that of the public and yet they
stay unheard due to their background,
For a direct source of the ideals of modern day Satanists who follow Anton LaVey you
will need to read The Satanic Bible. Within these pages you will find the outline on how a person
should be living their life. Within the outline has the rules on how to become your own person by
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knowing how to use love, have sex, stand up for yourself, who to surround yourself with and
understand the needs and wants of your life. Upon reading this book the reader will gain first
hand insight on how a true Satanist under Anton LaVey should think and act. This will help to
differentiate the radical members who
have excommunicated themselves to
form their own malicious groups that
Anton LaVey does not wish to be
associated with. These people can
easily be related to radicals of the
Muslim religion who have become terrorists, or even those of the Christian faith such as the
Westboro Baptist Church. People do place a separation between this Church and that of
Christianity, but yet they wont separate any Satanic group from another which is very unfair.
If one is interested in discovering the beginnings of Satanism they can read the book
Satan Wants You written by Arthur Lyons. He describes its start in ancient civilizations and how
Satan has been adopted into the the teachings of various religions. In America he describes the
Counterculture Club of American teens and how they wrongfully used Satan in order to rebel
against society. He also explains the Satanism that was brought by Anton LaVey and the different
groups that branched off from his philosophy. He couples of all this information with debunking
the conspiracies and legends that have placed Satanism as a hot topic in the media. His writings
help to understand that not all that is said about the Satanic community is true.
To every light in the world there must be a dark, and that dark is known as Black Metal.
This genre of music is all about hating Christianity and praising Satan. They are part of the
reason that Satanists are viewed under a dark shadow, and the book Lords of Chaos written by
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Moynihan and Soderland helps to explain why. Nowadays whenever a person hears a screamo
song they automatically believe it is about Satan and that the members are Satanic. But more
often than not this is not the case. As told through the interviews in the book the band members
who sing about Satan are not Satanic. They just use all the lyrics and imagery for shock value
and to bring attention to themselves. And the ones that do believe in Satan are not apart of the
Satanism that Anton LaVey has created. They believe that LaVey is too soft with his philosophies
so they went out and made their own with their beliefs. And of the musicians that are true
Satanists they do not use the music to try to convert the people to Satanism. As King Diamond
said he believes Satanism is something you need to discover on your own. The burning of the
Churches in Norway in honor of Satan by Black Metal musicians did not help the case of
LaVeyan Satanism in terms of the medias portrayal of them, but this helps in differentiating his
group from the others are have dedicated their lives to cause fear and harm onto others.
Another very popular time of unrest within the Satanic community was the Satanic Panic
in America in the 1980s. The Satanic Panic was a time when a Satanic Ritual Abuse craze swept
the nation with neighbors going against each other and having allegations that the other person
was a satanist and was holding rituals that involved children, such as animal sacrifices and
pedophilia. These sexual crimes were proved untrue with the most famous being the case of the
McMartin Preschool case. These heinous allegations continued to grow due to the widespread
media rumors adding fuel to the fire. As people saw what was going on they believed they had a
lot of power in being able to prosecute anyone that they choose. This situation is very similar to
what happened in the Salem Witch Trials and the Second Red Scare and the use of McCarthyism
and how each neighbor pointed fingers at each other just because they can. But these allegations
had a negative impact on the defendants, as well as the so called victims through destroyed
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reputations and separating families. The most heavily affected were the children who had to be
put through the stress of improper police interrogations and the nations focus being on them. In
this case the media hurt the people they wanted to protect more than the ones that they wanted to
destroy.
Conclusion
If the people can be accepting of the African Americans and members of the LGBTQ
community then why cant that same kindness go towards Satanists that deserve it. It is very sad
when a person feels that they must hide what they believe in because it opposes what the major
population thinks. With all the social changes happening in todays society the acceptance and
understanding of Satanism should be included in this movement. Yet this motion is not only for
Satanism, but for the acceptance of everyone. Humans are a sick minded species that like to
ostracize others based on who they are, but this can change. And it all starts with your mind.
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References
Church of Satan and Hells Kitchen Production. (1999-2016). Church of Satan. In Church of
Satan. Retrieved November 8, 2016, from [Link]
Escobedo, T. (2015, December 11). 5 Things You Didnt Know About Satanists. CNN. Retrieved
from [Link]
LaVey, A. (1969). The Satanic Bible. New York, NY: Avon Books.
Lyons, A. (1988). Satan Wants You. New York, NY: Mysterious Press.
Moynihan, M. and Soderlind, D. (2003). Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal
Underground. Townsend, WA: Feral House.
Victor, J. S. (1996). How should stories about satanic cults be understood?. Harvard Mental
Health Letter, 12(8), 8.
The Satanic Temple. (n.d.). The Satanic Temple. In The Satanic Temple. Retrieved November
9th, 2016, from [Link]