Death of a
Devil's Advocate
by D. Trull
Enigma Editor
dtrull@parascope.com
Most people would guess that Satanism is a pretty simple affair, as religions go. Just light some candles in a pentagram, wear a lot of black and inverted crosses, listen to "Stairway to Heaven" backwards every morning, sacrifice a goat now and then, and congratulations, you're in the club. But in reality, Satanism is much more complicated than that. And following the recent death of its founding father, the dark world of the Church of Satan has fallen into a hell of a mess.
Satanism has taken countless forms dating back to medieval times, with such notorious figures as the Marquis de Sade and Aleister Crowley dabbling in its various manifestations. Crude varieties of "devil worship" have popped up here and there. But it was not until the 20th century that a legitimate, above-ground organized religion devoted to Satan was established. This was the Church of Satan, founded in 1966 by Anton Szandor LaVey.
Also known as the Black Pope, the High Priest, or simply "Doctor" to his followers, LaVey has been roundly condemned as a fraud, an egomaniac and a chronic liar, scorned by rival Satanists and fundamentalist Christians alike. So while it may be that his Church of Satan does not represent the truest expression of Satanism, it is definitely the most famous. The Satanic Bible, LaVey's manifesto published in 1969, has sold nearly a million copies, and the Church of Satan earned a listing in a U.S. Army chaplains handbook on religious groups. LaVey became a fixture of the West Coast counterculture scene, and at its height, the Church of Satan was hip enough for such celebrities as Sammy Davis, Jr., and Jayne Mansfield to be seen hanging around.
The Church's downward slide began with the Charles Manson murders in 1969. Although LaVey denounced Manson and his followers, their association with devil worship sparked a heated backlash against anything resembling organized Satanism. In the ensuing years, the Black Pope was beset with financial problems and an exodus of disgruntled Church members who challenged him with their own Satanic sects. The best known of these is the Temple of Set, founded by Michael Aquino in 1975.
On October 30, 1997, Anton LaVey died of heart failure at the age of 67. His passing on the day before Halloween may prove to be the final nail in the coffin of the Church of Satan.
Soon after his death, LaVey's earthly belongings became the object of a pitched legal battle between his oldest daughter Karla and Blanche Barton, his longtime lover and mother of his young son Xerxes. LaVey left behind a modest estate of $60,000, his assets depleted by a bitter divorce settlement and bankruptcy proceedings. Of prime concern to the Church of Satan is the fate of LaVey's infamous "black house," a ramshackle Victorian mansion plopped in an otherwise cheery San Francisco neighborhood, which has served as the headquarters for world Satanism. The house is likely to be sold and demolished, although supporters have launched efforts to save it from the wrecking ball. Some have worked to have it declared a historical landmark, and one rumor has it that Marilyn Manson may buy the house and convert it into a shrine.
Meanwhile, LaVey's younger daughter Zeena has also kept busy since her father's demise. Along with her husband, she has written an emotionally charged treatise entitled "Anton LaVey: Legend and Reality," which might be characterized as "Satanic Daddy Dearest." Far from a loving tribute, it outlines all the lies and deceptions that caused Zeena to hate her father with a blistering passion. After growing up in the Church of Satan, Zeena renounced the group and her father in 1990, and is now a priest in the Temple of Set.
Zeena revealed that the bulk of the phenomenal claims LaVey had made about himself and his Church were purely fabrications. He never really had affairs with Marilyn Monroe or Jayne Mansfield, as he had boasted. He was never the millionaire he pretended to be, and continually mooched off his friends and associates to get by. The "black house" was not a former brothel, as LaVey claimed, but simply the home of his ordinary, boring parents. But Zeena said her father often abused his female followers and pressured many of them into prostitution.
Zeena also charged that the Church of Satan was concocted not as a spiritual movement but as a publicity machine and money-making venture, co-created by LaVey and a publicist friend. And while the Church of Satan proudly estimated its membership as totaling between 10,000 and 20,000 at its peak, the official enrollment has never exceeded 300. Zeena even alleges that The Satanic Bible was conceived not be LaVey but by Avon Books, which was out to profit from the occult trends of the late '60s. LaVey dashed off the tome by liberally plagiarizing Nietzsche and Aleister Crowley, with its fundamental "Nine Satanic Statements" allegedly pulled directly from Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged:
1. Satan represents indulgence, instead of abstinence!That ninth Statement may turn out to be the most telling, for those who wish to read a deeper meaning into LaVey's word choice. And it remains to be seen whether the Devil's friendship will continue to work its magic. Can the Church of Satan survive without its founder and High Priest?
2. Satan represents vital existence, instead of spiritual pipe dreams!
3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom, instead of hypocritical self-deceit!
4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates!
5. Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek!
6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible, instead of concern for psychic vampires!
7. Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better than, more often worse than those that walk on all fours, who, because of his "divine spiritual and intellectual development," has become the most vicious animal of all!
8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!
9. Satan has been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years!
Some observers think there's no way. They say the Church has been moribund for years, coasting on the reputation of its figurehead, and is now doomed to fall apart entirely. Others say that the religion will continue, possibly under the guidance of Blanche Barton or another charismatic leader who will carry on the dark traditions. But a few of the faithful think all the dire speculation is completely pointless, including Los Angeles artist Chris Cooper, a priest in the Church of Satan.
"All that 'Who's gonna take over?' Honestly, who cares?" Cooper said. "I really don't think that's important. It's a portable feast, man. All you have to do is to go to B. Dalton's and buy The Satanic Bible. It's all there. If that loser Jesus could keep a church going for 2,000 years, I think Doctor can certainly f***ing compete with that!"
We'll just have to wait and see. But if Satan is supposed to be the Prince of Lies and the Master of Deceit, it looks like Anton LaVey was a damned good servant.
Source: SF Weekly;
© Copyright 1998 ParaScope, Inc.
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