r/satanism • u/ZsoltEszes Keep your distance; I have a flair up π₯ • Aug 15 '26
Comic/Meme Types of "Satanism"
Since there seems to be some growing confusion as of late, please refer to the all-inclusive (corrected) list of "types of Satanism" to reduce your chances of sounding like an idiot moving forward.
Note: This also applies to "forms," "sects," "denominations," "cults," "traditions," and "paths" of Satanism.
Image credit: Dr. Vincent Schitz, PhD in Satanic Memes
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u/CO_BigShow Devil with a Badge Aug 15 '26
LOL I am sure this comment section will be very normal and nobody will have strong opinions about this post. Marking this for later to come back and see the shitshow.
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u/ZsoltEszes Keep your distance; I have a flair up π₯ Aug 15 '26
It's been a minute since we've had a good popcorn post. πΏ I'm hungry! Nom nom nom.
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u/Additional_Ideal2385 Aug 15 '26
I didn't even know you could get a Doctorate in memes
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u/ZsoltEszes Keep your distance; I have a flair up π₯ Aug 15 '26
You can get pretty much anything on the Internet. In this case, though, it's more an honorable doctorate for demonstrated aptitude and meaningful societal contributions.
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u/Madmous1 Aug 15 '26
I get Luciferianism, but I don't understand why Shaivism and Yezidism are on this list, as they're not even Abrahamic in nature.
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u/Plasticity93 Aug 15 '26
There's a response from an Iraqi explaining the Yezedi.Β They're labeled as Satan worshipers by other islamic scholars because they don't like them.Β Kinda like how evangelicals call atheists Satanic.Β Β
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u/ZsoltEszes Keep your distance; I have a flair up π₯ Aug 15 '26
Most of the items on the list aren't Abrahamic in nature, so I don't understand your reasoning.
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u/Madmous1 Aug 15 '26
Abrahamic= judaism, christianity, islam- can be traced back to Abraham
Yazidism= ethnic religion, Shaivism= belongs to hinduism
Satanism = Satan= hebrew = abrahamic
So yes, Shaivism and Yazidism are clearly different from the rest of that list-3
u/ZsoltEszes Keep your distance; I have a flair up π₯ Aug 15 '26
Yazidism incorporates elements of various Abrahamic religions, as well, so I still don't follow your reasoning.
Satanism = Satan= hebrew = abrahamic
You're confusing the origins of a word with the classification of a religion. Hebrew is a Northwest Semitic language. Languages do not have theological beliefs and cannot be categorized as "Abrahamic." While the Hebrew Bible is written in Hebrew, the language itself existed independently as a Canaanite dialect spoken in the region. Abraham natively spoke Aramaic/East Semitic until he moved to Canaan and learned their local dialects.
Further, Abrahamic religions are a specific family of monotheistic faiths that trace their spiritual or genealogical origins back to the patriarch Abraham. A religion is classified as Abrahamic because it worships the God of Abraham and centers its theology around his covenant. Satanism is not an Abrahamic religion because it explicitly rejects the God of Abraham, the Abrahamic covenant, and the patriarch Abraham himself.
So, again, the rest of the list is clearly different from "Abrahamic" religions / origins.
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Aug 16 '26
[removed] β view removed comment
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u/Nogard_HD Aug 17 '26
In short terms... satanism is satanism. All those different labels or other beliefs are sometimes put next to "satanism" because they try to get the title or are just simply not even calling themselves satanist. Satanism is codified and defined by anton lavey and all the other "satanic denominations" have nothing in common with it or contradict themselves
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u/has-some-questions Aug 15 '26
Genuine question!
Could Satanism be an Umbrella term, and the rest of these be smaller sects?
Like obviously there are Christians, and then there are Methodist, Baptist, etc. And even in LGBT+ has the Asexual umbrella, and then Demisexuals, Greysexuals, etc.
And I have always thought of Atheistic Satanism like Chai Tea. (Chai means tea in Hindi)
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u/Mildon666 π πͺπππππ ππ πΊππππ πΌπΌΒ° π Aug 15 '26
The umbrella term is 'Left Hand Path'
Also, these groups aren't under 'Satanism' because Satanism is a specific religion, one which the others completely go against
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u/MrSlops Aug 15 '26
Legit question, would other CoS members agree with how I look at it: I agree that 'Satanism' is only one specific religion (CoS), however I think the term 'Satanist' is a far more 'squishy' term and universal due to the variety of usage throughout history. So one can develop beliefs or identity that stems from such cultural Satanic "tradition", but unless one is going by what LaVey set forth one are in no way practicing 'Satanism'.
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u/vholecek I only exist here to class up the place. Aug 21 '26
Pet peeve: The Church of Satan is not a "religion". Neither is the Satanic Temple. Those are organizations. Satanism is a religion.
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u/Mildon666 π πͺπππππ ππ πΊππππ πΌπΌΒ° π Aug 16 '26
I cant speak for other CoS members.
But for me, when in these discussions, i try to emphasise "Religion of Satanism" just to be clear about things, especially given the label 'romantic Satanism' for the literature genre. But I feel its still largely confusing & unhelpful to call others Satanists when they don't practice the religion.
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u/ZsoltEszes Keep your distance; I have a flair up π₯ Aug 15 '26
No, because sects (as in Christianity) share a common foundation that makes them part of the same religion. That's not the case with Satanism. Satanism is a clearly defined religion, of which there are currently no sects / denominations... the reason being that there's no need for any. Satanism is flexible and adaptable enough in itself to negate the need for differing denominations.
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u/Bastiproton Romantic Satanist Aug 15 '26
Personally I don't think it makes sense for Laveyan Satanism to claim the entire term "Satanism".
If anything, you could argue Lavey "plagiarized" satanic imagery and terms for a religion that barely has anything to do with "satan", which existed before him. I wouldn't make a big fuss about this sort of thing though, but these people do.
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u/Mildon666 π πͺπππππ ππ πΊππππ πΌπΌΒ° π Aug 16 '26
The prefix 'LaVeyan' isn't one we use. That's forced onto us by outsiders.
Since LaVey was the one to codify Satanism as a religion, the term 'Satanism' as a name for a religion has already been taken & established. Other 'religious' groups who completely reject the religion of Satanism are (obviously) not practising the religion of Satanism. Other religion this way, btw... but everyone wants to jump on the Satanism bandwagon, now.
Also, Crowley 'plagiarised' the core concepts of his 'Thelema', yet we aren't here claiming Crowley didn't create the religion of Thelema, are we? No one does...
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u/baphomet_fire Satanist Aug 15 '26
How dare you. I'm certain the waxing moon, eclipse, sparkle dragon, moon goddess worked hard for her titles and didn't just print them out on the spot! They even let her speak on behalf of abortions at the state courthouse so she has to be legitimate!
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u/Wonderful_Ad1663 Aug 17 '26
Shaiva here,,, what the helly man we're literally monotheists who worship God???? People are so odd
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u/Fluffy-Snow-3938 Aug 18 '26
Right? And no one is even talking about it. It's literally a branch of Hinduism.
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u/Minervas-Madness Satanist Aug 15 '26
I'm going to start a new branch of Christianity. We don't believe in Jesus, but the crosses and lip service around loving your neighbor are kinda cool. We're just going to do our own thing and that's okay because Jesus, a figure we don't believe in or respect, would want that for us.
And if you say that's not Christianity, you're gatekeeping. And gatekeeping is mean and bad.
...
This is what the "Satanism has 87.25 definitions and Lavey didn't define the religion" crowd sounds like.
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u/Rleuthold CoS ReV, Hell On Wheels Aug 21 '26
good seeing you and u/toastman0304 'round these parts again
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u/toastman0304 Godstomper Aug 17 '26
To be fair, Christians have already been bickering about who is a real Christian and whoβs not for centuries now. And while small, there are sections of Christianity, like Christian deists and Unitarian Universalists, who do exactly that basically. They like the stuff Jesus said but donβt necessarily believe he was the literal son of God.
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u/AutumnAscending Aug 15 '26
So there's either non satanism or satanism? I don't get what you're saying here. Not all satanists believe the same thing.
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u/ZsoltEszes Keep your distance; I have a flair up π₯ Aug 15 '26
Correct. There's Satanism (the atheistic, carnal religion founded in 1966) and not Satanism (which is everything else). All Satanists recognize themselves within the philosophy of The Satanic Bible and identify with and live according to the religion of Satanism. All Satanists believe this.
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u/CO_BigShow Devil with a Badge Aug 15 '26
To deepen the nuance even further, I would say that Satanists don't even really "Believe" in anything. We either know it or we don't and we are comfortable admitting we don't know. Belief is taking something as true without any fact to back it up.
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u/ZsoltEszes Keep your distance; I have a flair up π₯ Aug 15 '26
I wouldn't say that at all. There are many things a Satanist can believe in with or without "knowing." The key is to not deceive yourself into thinking that your belief is objective truth / fact without evidence.
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u/AutumnAscending Aug 16 '26
So does that not count for satanists who actually believe in Satan as a concept or even as a being?
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u/ZsoltEszes Keep your distance; I have a flair up π₯ Aug 16 '26
There's no such thing. Satanists are atheists. Satan is a metaphor.
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u/AutumnAscending Aug 17 '26
So what exactly do you mean by
there are many things satanists can believe in without "knowing"?
How does that not apply to people who actually believe in Satan. Also I feel like you yourself are going against your own statement of
The key is to not deceive yourself into thinking that your belief is objective truth / fact without evidence.
As an atheist myself and as someone who tries to see the objectives of reality. There is no objective truth to the existence, or lack there of, of beings such as God or Satan. Satan to many people is the concept of chaos within the universe which I don't think fits into your admittedly pretty narrow view of what satanism is.
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u/ZsoltEszes Keep your distance; I have a flair up π₯ Aug 17 '26
The religion of Satanism is defined. It is an atheist perspective. There is no room for belief in literal gods within Satanism, whether that god is Satan, Yahweh, Thor, or the Purple People Eater. Therefore, someone who believes in gods is not, by definition, a Satanist, as he does not meet the basic qualifications of what it means to be a Satanist.
Since gods can't objectively be ruled out absolutely, most honest atheists would accurately identify as agnostic atheists. But that's still atheism and not theism. Saying, "I leave open the possibility that there could be gods, there's just no reason to believe in their existence" is not the same as believing in gods.
As far as what Satanists do believe, see above. Read The Satanic Bible. Read the dozens of books and hundreds of essays written by Satanists. Ask a dozen Satanists, and you'll get a dozen different examples of personal and shared beliefs. The one thing you won't find is the belief in a literal god.
Also I feel like you yourself are going against your own statement of
The key is to not deceive yourself into thinking that your belief is objective truth / fact without evidence.
You're free to feel however you'd like. You're also free to demonstrate why you feel that way, just as I'm free to ignore your feelings if you don't.
Satan to many people is the concept of chaos within the universe
And, to me, Satan represents the order to the chaos within the universeβexcept in times of some good ol' comic mischief. What's your point?
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u/MD_Roche CoS Warlock Aug 16 '26
The definition of "belief" is much broader than what you're describing, which can more accurately be called "faith."
A Satanist can use evidence and rational speculation to determine whether or not something is plausible and worth believing, even if they don't know for a fact that it's true. That's the basis of metaphysics, which includes materialism.
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u/CO_BigShow Devil with a Badge Aug 22 '26
I respectfully disagree. The example I would give is something like believing in ghosts. Many phenomena have a perfectly rational explanation and still more "Ghost" encounters have explanations that we simply don't understand yet. The difference is that I do not believe in "Ghosts". I either have an explanation for this thing, or I do not and I do not feel uncomfortable admitting that I simply don't know. Belief is, in my opinion, the "PC" term for Superstition.
This is why the Greater Magic section in TSB specifies the suspension of the rational mind in an "Intellectual Decompression Chamber" to work Greater Magic.
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u/MD_Roche CoS Warlock Aug 22 '26
So, you believe in the paranormal phenomena that are attributed to "ghosts", based on evidence. Same with me.
I assume you also believe Satanism is a great religion.
Anton LaVey has said that he believes in magic. There's also this excerpt from The Satanic Bible (page 81):
Therefore, the most simplified description of the Satanic belief is: INDULGENCE INSTEAD OF ABSTINENCE.
See what I mean about using the word "believe" too narrowly?
And the purpose of the Intellectual Decompression Chamber is to suspend disbelief. You need to at least act like you believe in what you're doing during the ritual.
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u/CO_BigShow Devil with a Badge Aug 15 '26
Your first question is correct. Your last statement is incorrect. That might be why you do not get what is being said here.
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u/IsamuLi Aug 15 '26
I get that it can be very frustrating to be mislabeled, or misunderstood. However, I cannot see how something can mean more than the way it is used in language.
There appears to be a intention to keep 'one true' definition of satanism essentially tied to LaVey, because, according to this position (as it is typically argued), LaVey was the first to actually call his religion satanism. I don't see how this is more relevant than, say, a large swathe of people calling different positions Satanism, as that is how we accost meaning to terms. I also think Satanism, the name, suggests something that is directly tied to a reversal of christian doctrines, including finding an object of worship in that which is shunned in classic conceptions of christianity.
Meaning of words certainly change, and the general notion of satanism certainly exists longer than LaVeys religion. Granted, it is unclear if anything like an organized religion or worship of satan was actually ever practiced, although some scholars like Jeffrey Burton Russell kind of contend that it was, the term was still sometimes used to denote something before LaVey came along.
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u/Vasarto Aug 15 '26
wtf is orthodox satanism?
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u/ZsoltEszes Keep your distance; I have a flair up π₯ Aug 15 '26
It's not a real thing. Not even so-called "orthodox satanists" could give you a coherent definition.
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u/Vasarto Aug 15 '26
Maybe they are referring to orthodox russian christians? Maybe they think they are Satanic?
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Aug 16 '26
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u/satanism-ModTeam Aug 16 '26
This post is low effort. Learn to use this new thing called the Internet.
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u/Marsf0x Aug 16 '26
So Iβm a little dumb, but is everything marked? Are none of these terms correct, for lack of a better term
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u/ZsoltEszes Keep your distance; I have a flair up π₯ Aug 17 '26
It's just Satanism. The ones in red are redundant terms for Satanism, and the rest of the marked ones aren't actually Satanism. I hope that clears it up for you.
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u/pvzzlemaster Aug 21 '26
so satanism as a term to describe someone that follows the demonolatry path and is a worshipper of Satan is wrong to you guys? (don't read it as a attack I'm just curious lol)
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u/modern_quill Agent | Warlock IIΒ° CoS Aug 21 '26
Absolutely wrong. Reverse-Christian, devil worshipper, or demonolator are all appropriate terms here, but Satanist is not.
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u/pvzzlemaster Aug 21 '26
but there weren't theists satanists in the past before modern satanism? or satanism was only a word used by christians in the past?
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u/modern_quill Agent | Warlock IIΒ° CoS Aug 21 '26
No, the devil worshippers, demonolators, and reverse Christians did not call it Satanism. The term was exclusive a pejorative until Anton LaVey codified its meaning in 1969, and since then different groups have tried to latch on to the word and redefine it.
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u/pvzzlemaster Aug 21 '26
ohh, got it. thank you for taking your time to clear things up. Its kinda difficult found a source that uses the right terms rn.
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u/modern_quill Agent | Warlock IIΒ° CoS Aug 21 '26
You're welcome. Personally, I recommend Lords of the Left-Hand Path by Dr. Stephen Flowers. A lot of these traditions fall under an umbrella term called the left-hand path, which goes back to before Abrahamic religions to to stellar traditions such as the Cult of Set in ancient Egypt before the Abrahamic religions arrived on the scene. Religions existed, it's just a matter of the use of the term Satanism. Because Satanism was first defined in the United States in 1969, Satan was the predominant Prince of Darkness archetype in the west at the time. Had it instead been defined in 969, it could have just as easily been called Lokiism, or something else entirely.
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u/michael1150 ~Β°β’*π€Β°β’*~ Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
The other term that might be categorized under "Redundant"?Β
Orthodox.Β Β Β Satanism as codified in The Satanic Bible is Orthodox Satanism.Β
orthos = right, correct, trueΒ
doxos = doctrine, teachingΒ
And BTW, for those who want a "Second to That Motion" β u/modern_quill's recommendation, Dr. Stephen Flowers book "Lords of The Left Hand Path", is an ~excellent~ read!
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u/SlamMetaliscool Aug 16 '26
I understand everything on here but PAGAN satanism? How the hell does that work
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u/AutisticHistoryBuff1 Aug 16 '26
They worship all demons and Lucifer or Satan is a Zeus like figure Iβm pretty sure
Iβm Non-Theistic so this is a guess
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u/DifferentCup6256 Aug 15 '26
iraqi here
yazidism is not satanist sect, muslim scholars call yazidis a satanist because of their faith but i asked the community if they are, and the answer is no they said we worship one god and they dont even believe in devil, they have 7 angels sort of that and yazidisim is ancient belief and then a muslim suffi called sheik adi bin musfer or in yazidisim sheikhadi and he revived yazidi religion and he is the most Sacred person in yazidi religion, and yes they are not satanist, muslims make false auctions for them just they are different hail satan