Anton LaVey

Anton Szandor LaVey, born Howard Stanton Levey, was one of the inventors of religious Satanism in the 1960s in San Francisco. From some lectures on spellcraft and occult practices they called 'The Magic Circle,' they spawned a raft of rules, including their own "Satanic Bible" and "Church of Satan". It satisfied the culture of the time that this was a real religion with proper doctrinal pedigree. The Satanism (religious philosophy) they promoted was largely atheistic and epicurean.