Who Is Anton Lavey's Character In The Development Of Modern Day Satanism

Anton LaVey, creator of the Church of Satan, was a primary character in the development of modern – day Satanism. Anton Szandor LaVey, born Howard Stanton LaVey, was brought into crime-filled 1930’s Chicago, Illinois on April 11th of 1930; although he soon moved to California at a young age. By the time LaVey was sixteen years old, he was the second oboist in the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. He dropped out of school, and eventually joined the Clyde Beatty Circus. After leaving the circus, LaVey started working in the carnival industry; He joined traveling shows that went all along the west coast and was a part of “Ten – In – One”, which was a freak show that led him to realize how it is easy to deceive people. Later, Anton began a career
in occult investigation and before too long, he turned his life over to magic and studying the occult. In 1966, Anton claimed that we were in the year of Satan, and wrote the Satanic Bible. LaVey founded the Church of Satan on Walpurgis Night, in San Francisco. The Council of Nine of the Church of Satan, the highest of Satanic hierarchy, granted Anton LaVey a doctorate in Satanic Theology. Anton LaVey said himself, that he did not want prefer to be called Doctor and most people he knew had a nickname for him. In 1984, LaVey found his 3rd partner, Blanche Barton, who we was with until his death. She was a long – time friend of his, and Barton eventually gave LaVey his first son. LaVey had three children: Karla LaVey, Zeena LaVey, and Satan Verves Carnacki LaVey.
After years of living with rheumatic heart disease, LaVey died of a massive cardiac arrhythmia in 1997. Anton was taken to a St. Mary’s Catholic hospital in his last days, and was given a small, private Satanic funeral, then cremated. Blanche Barton was appointed as the High Priestess, or Magistra Templi Rex, on the Council of Nine in the Church of Satan. Following Anton’s death, Barton extended an offer to LaVey’s oldest daughter, Karla, to share the position of High Priestess with her. When Blanche saw that Karla was only interested in the financial aspect of the position, and did not care to run the organization she revoked her offer. Before Anton’s death, Karla renounced her father when his son, Satan, was born.
She claims to have her own church, but cannot proclaim to be a complete church, as she has no literature and no one has come forward following her. Zeena broke away from the Church of Satan; she and her partner joined Michael Aquino’s Satanic Church. The Temple of Set was, at that time, a radical aspect on Satanism. At the Temple of Set, Aquinio took the direct approach and blatantly told his followers there is a Satan and if they worshipped him, they would rule with Satan in Hell. Zeena eventually joined the ranks of High Priestess in the Temple of Set, although LaVey and her partner, Nikolas Schreck, left the Temple, taking a large number of members with them. LaVey has created what she calls a movement, and no longer claims to be
Satanic. As like any religion, there are lots of common misconceptions about Satanism.
On the most common level, you are taught that the biblical entity of “Satan” was not actually real, and you are actually worshipping a light God. A close friend of Anton LaVey’s, Susan Atkins, said in an interview, “Anton told me that as a Satanists he does believe in the God of the Bible but he refused to worship Him and made a conscious decision to worship Satan instead.” In the Church of Satan, there is a hierarchy. If you are on the first or second “level” of their hierarchy, which is the majority of followers, you are all taught the same principle the Satanic Church made up, and does not even believe themselves. On the Church of Satan website, it states that, “Membership to Priesthood is by invitation only. The old truism, ‘if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.’ Is certainly highly pertinent to our Priesthood. Words to the Wise: Do not ask, ‘how do I become a priest?’” It is no secret that Satanism much darker than most followers think it is, especially on the higher levels. There is an extreme difference in thinking you’re a part of some nature – based, pagan religion, and renouncing God to worship
Satan. On the Church of Satan’s website, they have their, “Nine Satanic Statements,” which support self – indulgence, and satisfying yourself in the moment. The Satanic Church claims they are closely integrated with “the church” and says he kept in business with the church. I feel like even following the rules of the church would not make you a good person. Their code they live by supports instant gratification, and vengeance. The fourth rule is my favorite; It tells you to, “be kind to those who deserve it, but do not waste love on ingrates.” I fully agree with that, and can see where the Satanists are coming from. I don’t think they’re wrong for wanting to make themselves happy, because if there is no guaranteed promise of a life after this mortal one, then you might as well try to make yourself happy while you are here. In many new-age religions, they teach that you are your own God, or you have a God within you. This connects back to Satanism because that is what the Church of Satan teaches their lower level initiates. Albeit I do not see myself converting to Satanism anytime soon, I can understand how Anton LaVey herded hundreds of thousands of people into believing his deceitful religion. I cannot find fault with wanting to please yourself while you’re living. Especially if you do not have faith in a God to give you eternal life after this mortal one; I can understand why people would want to use Satanism to make themselves feel better about how they live. You have to be a very influential person to make people believe some of the bizarre concepts of Satanism, and Anton LaVey was a strong man to do that while ignoring the opposition from American society.