From J. Gordon Melton's "Encyclopedia of American Religions"
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_CHURCH OF SATAN_
Box 210082
San Francisco, CA 94121

... [Anton] LaVey is the author of three books -- "The Satanic Bible",
"The Satanic Rituals", and "The Compleat Witch" [later renamed "The
Satanic Witch" -- tn]. Each contains the teachings of the Satanic
Church.

The basic themes of LaVey's brand of Satanism are self-assertion,
antiestablishmentarianism and the gratification of man's physical
or mental nature. Satan is a Promethean figure, representing
indulgence, vital existence, indefiled wisdom, kindness to the
deserving, vengeance, responsibility to the responsible, the notion
that man is just another animal, and so-called sin which lead to
physical or mental gratification. It is LaVey's opinion that Satan
represents the source of these values. Rituals are conceived both
as psychodramas and as magical acts that focus psychokinetic force,
as in the ritual magick tradition.

Satanic philosophy is very close to the teachings of Aleister
Crowley in "The Book of the Law". Each person is seen as living
according to his own set of rules. However, the Church of Satan
opposes illegal acts at variance with laws established for the
common good. Sex is viewed as the strongest instinct (next to
self preservation) and natural. Drugs are viewed as escapist
and contrary to the realistic view of life as preached by the
church.

Ritually, the church celebrates three main holidays. For
individuals, the most important day is their birthday. For the
group, Walpurgisnacht and Halloween are the major days. Both
have sexual implications as the spring rebirth of nature and the
harvest festivals. Baptism is a ceremony of glorification of the
one baptized. There are various rituals for different magical 
and celebratory purposes. The Enochian language, which first
appeared in print in 1659 in a biography of John Dee (and was
later used by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn) is employed
in rituals. The text used for the traditional Black Mass ritual,
"Le Mess Noir," is found in "The Satanic Rituals" (published in
1972). As performed by the church, it is meant to be not simply
a blasphemous pageant against the Catholic church, but a purging
ritual, making full use of psychodrama to rid individuals of the
influence of any sacred cow.

Operating from the San Francisco headquarters, the Satanic Church
spread to urban centers across the United States, surfacing in
Miami, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York City; and through-
out the Midwest. By 1977, one spokesperson claimed more than 10,000
members for the church (lifetime membership is available for a 
$100.00 donation). In the mid-1970s, administratively centralized
grottos were deemed counterproductive and were disbanded. A more
cabalistic underground structure was instituted and continues today.
Over the years groups have emerged which use LaVeyan ritual and
philosophy, but which may or may not give LaVey credit or be
affiliated in any way with the Church of Satan.

_Membership:_ Not reported. Church membership statistics are
considered confidential. Church membership is granted for life to
new members, and there is no count on active members (estimated
to be several thousand). Internationally, the church reports
concentrations of members in England, Holland and Denmark. "The
Satanic Bible" has recently been translated into Danish.

_Periodicals:_ *The Cloven Hoof* Box 210082, San Francisco, CA 94121.

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"Encyclopedia of American Religions", Volume III, by J. Gordon Melton,
 Triumph Books, 1991; pp. 141-2.
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_ORDER OF THE BLACK RAM_
Current address not obtained for this edition.

The Order of the Black Ram is a Satanic organization based on the
belief in Aryan racial superiority and closely associated with
the National Renaissance Party, a neo-Nazi organization. 
Adherents believe that each race is the embodiment of a racial
soul which is expressed in its culture and phiosophy. 
Individuality is stressed. The Order of the Black Ram is eclectic,
drawing on the writings of Anton LaVey (founder of the Church of
Satan); Robert Heinlein's novel, "Stranger in a Strange Land"; and
Neo-Paganism. It was headquartered in suburban Detroit, Michigan,
where its grand magister, the Rev. Seth-Klippoth, resided. *Liber
Venifica* was an irregular periodical.

...

_TEMPLE OF SET_
Box 29271
San Francisco, CA 94129

The Temple of Set was founded in 1975 by members of the international
priesthood of the Church of Satan who had resigned from that
institution because of what they considered to be its over 
commercialism.... The temple describes itself as an initiatory
institution dedicated to Set, an ancient Egyptian deity, the
corrupted legends of whom became the basis for the Christian Satan.

Temple initiates ... do not consider Set an evil figure, nor do they
consider the temple merely a refutation of conventional religion.
According to temple philosophy, the universe is a nonconscious
environment possessed of mechanical consistency. In contrast to
the universe, and occasionally violating its laws, is Set. Set has,
over a period of millenia, altered the genetic makeup of humans in
order to create a species possessing an enhanced, nonnatural
intelligence. The techniques and teachings of the temple are
designed to identify and develop this higher evolutionary potential
in appropriate individuals.

The temple is governed by the Council of Nine, which appoints the
high priest of Set and the executive director. There are six
initiatory degrees: Setian, Adept, Priest(ess) of Set, Master of
the Temple, Magus, and Ipsissimus. The program is designed
principally for individuals, although there are local Pylons of
the Temple in several parts of the United States. International
conclaves for the entire temple are held annually. The temple
provides an annotated reading list containing material on a wide
range of occult, scientific, and religious subjects. Topics
covered include ancient Egypt, historical and contemporary
occultism, psychology, ethics, and experimental science.

_Membership:_ In 1984 the temple had approximately 500 members.

_Periodicals:_ *Scroll of Set*, Box 29271, San Francisco, CA 94129.
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Ibid., pp. 143-4.
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