![]() ![]() Their doctrine relies on a Gnostic conception of Satan as the liberating serpent and bestower of knowledge to humankind opposed to the malevolent demiurge or creator god, mainly inspired by the Gnostic dualistic cosmology of the Ophites, Hans Jonas' study on the history of Gnosticism, and the writings of Margaret Murray on the witch-cult hypothesis. ![]() The first recognized esoteric, non-LaVeyan Satanist organization was the Ophite Cultus Satanas, which claimed to have been founded in 1948 by Herbert Arthur Sloane and therefore to allegedly precede the foundation of Anton LaVey's Church of Satan. The Sigil of Baphomet, the official insignia of the Church of Satan and LaVeyan Satanism. Currents within recent and contemporary theistic Satanism A survey found most self identified Satanists were located in the United States and Denmark. The diversity of individual beliefs within theistic Satanism, while being a cause for intense debates within the religion, is also often seen as a reflection of Satan, who encourages individualism. Gilmore, current leader of the atheistic Church of Satan, considers "Devil-worship" to be a Christian heresy, that is, a divergent form of Christianity. They worship a stricter interpretation of Satan: that of the Satan featured in the Christian Bible. However, those labelled by some as "reverse Christians" may see their concept of Satan as undiluted or sanitized. Theistic Satanists who base their faith on Christian ideas about Satan are referred to as Diabolists, although they are also referred to as "reverse Christians" by other Satanists, often in a pejorative fashion. Their religion may be based on Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Neo-Paganism, left-hand path, black magic, ceremonial magic, Crowleyan magick, Western esotericism, and occult traditions. Some may choose to live out the myths and stereotypes, but Christianity is not always the primary frame of reference for theistic Satanists. Many theistic Satanists believe that their own individualized concepts are based on pieces of all of these diverse conceptions of Satan, according to their inclinations and sources of spiritual guidance, rather than only believing in one suggested interpretation. Despite the number of self-professed theistic Satanists constantly increasing since the 1990s, they are considered by most scholars of religion to be a minority group within Satanism. It is generally a prerequisite to being considered a theistic Satanist that the believer accepts a theological and metaphysical canon which involves one or more gods that are either considered to be Satan in the strictest, Abrahamic sense (the Judeo- Christian- Islamic conception of the Devil), or a conception of Satan that incorporates "adversarial" gods from other religions (usually pre-Christian polytheistic religions), such as Ahriman or Enki. Religion academics, scholars of new religious movements, and sociologists of religion focused on Satanism have sought to study it by categorizing its currents according to whether they are esoteric/theistic or rationalist/atheistic, and they referred to the practice of working with a literal Satan as theistic or "traditional" Satanism. Since the first half of the 1990s, the internet has increased the visibility, communication, and spread of different currents and beliefs among Satanists and has led to more conflicting and diverse groups, but Satanism has always been a heterogeneous, pluralistic, decentralized religious movement and " cultic milieu". Most theistic Satanist groups exist in relatively new models and ideologies, many of which are independent of the Abrahamic religions. Another prominent characteristic of theistic Satanism is the use of various types of magic. Organizations who uphold theistic Satanist beliefs most often have few adherents, are loosely affiliated or constitute themselves as independent groups and cabals, which have largely self-marginalized. Theistic Satanism, otherwise referred to as religious Satanism, spiritual Satanism, or traditional Satanism, is an umbrella term for religious groups that consider Satan, the Devil, or Lucifer to objectively exist as a deity, supernatural entity, or spiritual being worthy of worship or reverence, whom individuals may contact and convene with, in contrast to the atheistic archetype, metaphor, or symbol found in LaVeyan Satanism. A sigil of Lucifer adapted from the Grimorium Verum ![]()
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