From the "Encyclopedia Of American Religions"
-----------------------------------------------

_The Temple of Set_

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. A senior initiate, Michael A. Aquino, invoked
the Prince of Darkness in quest of a new mandate to preserve and
enhance the more noble concepts which the Church of Satan had
conceived. The mandate was given in the form of "The Book of
Coming Forth by Night", a statement by that entity in his most
ancient semblance as Set. Set ordained the Temple of Set to
succeed the Church of Satan. 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 non-conscious
environment possessed of mechanical consistency. In contrast to
the universe, and occasionally violating its laws, is Set. Set
has, over a period of millennia, 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."
----------------------------------------------------------------

"Encyclopedia Of American Religions", publisyhed by the
Institute for the Study of American Religion (ISAR), Post
Office Box 90709; Santa Barbara, CA 93190; USA. Editor(s)
unknown.
___________________

EOF