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Appendix III: Satanist Survey 335
curse a truly “bad” person as it is to punish a lawbreaker,
particularly in a society that often neglects to
rein in abusers. Thus while there are undoubtedly more
than a few immature Satanists who unthinkingly curse
anyone who irritates them, for most, cursing is a kind of
vigilante justice, undertaken only as a last resort.
Even if a ritual curse does not “work,” however, it
can be a valuable practice, if only to vent one’s anger:
“The positive effect of cursing is that it can be mentally
healing for the magician by allowing her to dispel pent
up negative energy toward a person.” This venting can
be effective self-therapy even if it has no observable
external impact: “My cursings have always had the
secret motivation of being more effective on me, to get
that nice avenged feeling without ever really knowing if
the curse worked.”
It should be noted in passing that my interest in
negative public images of Satanists caused me to focus
one-sidedly on destructive (cursing) magic. With the
benefit of hindsight, I should also have asked about lust
(love) and compassion (healing) magic. (In this regard,
see Part 4 of LaVey 1969.) In other words, Satanic ritual
magic has a much brighter side that my questionnaire
did not address.
Respondents themselves expressed concern about
Satanism and the way it is perceived. Several people
were concerned about the tendency of society to apply
traditional stereotypes to modern Satanism: “Satanists
DO NOT sacrifice virgins and drink blood and so on,
and I hope Satanism will be taken seriously as a religion.”
Perhaps the single greatest concern expressed
was the alarming tendency of many Satanists to try to
make Satanism into another clique: “Conformity as a
movement can be a useful tool, given the need to
mobilize ourselves for a task, but a lack of individuality
and personal meaning is detrimental to the very
essence of Satanism. Then the movement is not of
Satanists but rather one of angry sheep looking to
reclaim their wool.”
A rhetorical strategy often employed when Satanists
criticize other Satanists is to accuse them of being
crypto-Christians. Thus another respondent expressed
concern over conformity within the movement in the
following way: “I hate to see people praising the name of
Satan when to them it’s nothing more than some
Picasso Christianity. Satanism is in the individual, and
to really be able to proclaim oneself a Satanist (the
ANTITHESIS of Christian follow-the-leader tactics)
they should be able to say ‘F**k Satan’ quicker than they
get down on all fours and start singing Christian hymns
backwards.” This concern spills over into the concern
about the phenomenon of adolescent Satanism
(discussed earlier), which tends to create the impression
that the movement is not a serious religion. “Many tend
to view Satanic practitioners as troubled adolescents
with poor education and family backgrounds. This is
not necessarily the case . . . . Of course, the view of Satan
as a rebel is a draw to most teens that dabble in Satanism
or ‘Reverse Christianity’ (the latter is most often the
case), but these types tend to outgrown the fascination
when they reach their twenties.” At its best, according
respondents, mature Satanism is an attractive religion
that, like all religions, provides a structure of meaning
and enhances one’s life: “Religion is an integral part of
the human experience. There are people who can live
without it, but I find the life of an Atheist rather sterile.
Satanism gives me a connection to things greater than
myself and opens a door of new sights, sounds, smells,
ritual, art, music, and a connection with a tribal underculture.
[Finally], Satanism provides me with a moral
view of the Universe in which I live.”
Conclusion
As we noted earlier, the author of The Psychology of
Adolescent Satanism unwittingly praises Satanism for
its empowering influence in the lives of confused young
people. In fact, many of Moriarty’s observations about
the first Satanist he encountered in his professional
practice dovetail nicely with the findings of this study,
and it is perhaps fitting to bring our discussion to a
close with one final citation from The Psychology of
Adolescent Satanism:
[The young Satanist] presented himself with a
sense of power and control that was eerie. He
controlled the venting of his anger with the accuracy
of a marksman. His targets were those in
authority, most notably his parents. He knew
exactly what he was doing. He also praised Satan for
giving him this new lease on life. He reveled in this
power. He practiced rituals that he thought gave
him more power. His authority was The Satanic
Bible. This kid was really different.
Perhaps ironically, Moriarty has spelled out not only
some of the factors that initially draw individuals to
Satanism, but also some of the important reasons that
they stay.
One becomes a Satanist for much the same reasons
as one joins any religion—to achieve a sense of
meaning, a supportive community, personal empowerment,
and so forth. Sometimes these choices are impulsive
or ill-considered, and many converts disaffiliate
soon after joining. The majority who remain, however,
eventually integrate their new religion into their
personal identities as they mature in their “faith” (if I
may be permitted to use this traditional term in the
present context). Satanism, it turns out, is no exception
to this general rule. Far from being confined to adolescent
rebels, the data examined in this study indicates
that many Satanists are reflective individuals who—
despite the fact that youthful rebellion was often a factor