Anton LaVey

[[File:Anton LaVey Signature.jpg|thumb|165px|The autograph of the Beast.]]{{satanism}}
'''Anton Szandor LaVey''' (born '''Howard Stanton Levey''')<ref group=note>His birth name, Howard Stanton Levey (no capital "V"), kind of lacked the edge he needed to be a spooky devil worshipper, so you can't blame him for changing it.</ref>{{lived|1930|1997}} was a notorious [[United States|American]] cosplay occultist and musician, as well as the founder of the Church of Satan and [[author]] of ''{{wpl|The Satanic Bible}}''. We at RationalWiki abase ourselves before him and his master, and humbly request the dark blessings of Lucifer.{{nofact}}

==His so-called "life"==
Ironically for a man who started a religion themed around the "father of lies" himself, LaVey also had a habit of manufacturing entire aspects of his life story in order to sell himself better. These tall tales include claiming to have quit high school to join up with the circus at 16, becoming a cage boy with the big cats then later playing the calliope. Noticing that the same patrons for the Saturday night shows also happened to attend tent revival meetings, Levay claimed this made him develop a more cynical attitude towards religion. In his early adulthood, he supposedly graduated to playing the organ at burlesque clubs, where also dubiously claimed to have a brief sexual affair with a pre-fame {{wpl|Marilyn Monroe}} while she was working a dancer. However, when LaVey's past was investigated by journalist {{wpl|Lawrence Wright}} (who also happened to have looked into a [[L Ron Hubbard|similarly infamous bullshit artist]]), Wright could find no collaborating evidence for any of these stories.<ref>https://www.maryellenmark.com/bibliography/magazines/article/rolling-stone/symphony-for-the-devil-637526317790416749/R</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1EXeurb4lI Anton Lavey reprising one of his carny skills.]</ref> He also supposedly made something of a name for himself as a [[paranormal]] researcher for the [[San Francisco]] police department and eventually formed the Order of the Trapezoid. Again, Wright found no proof of being a paranormal investigator either. Presently, he shaved his head and declared the founding of a new church.<ref>[http://www.churchofsatan.com/history-anton-szandor-lavey.php Anton Szandor LaVey biography] at The Church of Satan.</ref>

LaVey died from a pulmonary edema in San Francisco on October 29, 1997. Ironically enough, he was taken to {{wpl|St. Mary's Medical Center (San Francisco)|St. Mary's Medical Center}} – a Catholic-run medical facility – but that was merely because it was the closest hospital available and was reputed to specialise in treating coronary problems (and it would be downright unethical not to admit anyone regardless of beliefs anyway). Perhaps as a result of his stay at a Catholic-run hospital, LaVey had been the subject of an oft-circulated rumour from religious groups claiming that he underwent a deathbed conversion renouncing his satanic beliefs in favour of reverting to Christianity after supposedly having an epiphany and became somehow terrified by what he had done in his life. The church itself denied said rumours and deemed it "utterly fictional".<ref name="Wazer">{{Cite web |last=Wazer |first=Caroline |date=2024-10-05 |title=Real Last Words of Church of Satan Founder Anton LaVey Were, 'Oh My, What Have I Done'? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/anton-lavey-final-words-church-of-satan/ |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=[[Snopes]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Church of Satan==
Contrary to what many think, LaVeyan Satanists do not actually worship [[Satan]], or any deities at all. It's actually an [[Atheism|atheistic]], [[Nihilism|nihilist]] [[philosophy]] that uses the [[Christianity|Christian]] character of Satan as a symbol of defiance, with a healthy dose of [[trolling]]. Think of it as a 1960s counterculture version of the [[Church of the SubGenius]]. This does not stop many Christians from flipping out whenever it's mentioned, which was probably ''exactly'' the kind of reaction that Levay and his colleagues wanted.

===Nine Satanic Statements and Sins===
The epitome of his creed was given as the "Nine Satanic Statements", appearing in ''The Satanic Bible'' (1969):<ref>LaVey, Anton. [http://feastofhateandfear.com/archives/lavey.html "9 Satanic Statements, 9 Satanic Sins & Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth."]</ref>
#Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence!
#Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams!
#Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of [[hypocrisy|hypocritical]] self-deceit!
#Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates!
#Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek!
#Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires!
#Satan represents [[man]] as just another [[animal]], sometimes better, 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!
#Satan represents all of the so-called [[sin]]s, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!
#Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years!

As an extension of Statement #8, LaVey has his own list of what he feels constitute sins. His "Nine Satanic Sins" are as follows: stupidity, pretentiousness, [[solipsism]] (defined here as projecting your own biases onto those around you), [[Willful ignorance|self-deceit]], [[Groupthink|herd conformity]], [[Ignorance|lack of perspective]], [[Appeal to novelty|forgetfulness of past orthodoxies]], counterproductive pride, and lack of aesthetics (i.e. being a slob).

===Atheism===
LaVey's Church of Satan is at some pains to explain that it is an officially [[atheist]]ic association that does not endorse the practice of [[magic]], [[witchcraft]], or indeed any [[supernatural]] beliefs at all. "Satanism is an atheist philosophy, hence it is not congruent with any other philosophy or religion which endorses the belief in supernatural entities, whether they be considered [[gods]] or devils."<ref>[http://www.churchofsatan.com/faq-occultism-wicca-voodoo.php Church of Satan FAQ], "Occultism / Crowley / Wicca / Voodoo".</ref>  "Satanists do not believe in [[demon]]s or other supernatural beings, nor do we believe in spells."<ref>[http://www.churchofsatan.com/faq-possession-dreams-destiny.php Church of Satan FAQ], "Demonic Possession, Strange Dreams, and/or Diabolical Destiny"</ref> Notwithstanding this disclaimer, LaVey's Church of Satan uses many of the [[grimoire|traditional trappings]] of the Black Mass and other traditional forms of [[Western esotericism|ritual magic]]. ''The Satanic Bible'' invites its readers to recite gibberish derived from the [[Enochian]] keys from the Elizabethan-era magician John Dee, but to its eternal cosmic credit, does come with the disclaimer that 'Herein you will find truth — and fantasy. Each is necessary for the other to exist; but each must be recognised for what it is." Dodgy grammar aside, the disclaimer would fit as well inside most religious texts, and since LaVeyan Satanism is based on the whole aesthetic idea, the idea of babbling in gibberish that you know full well is gibberish doesn't seem too far off.

==Relationship with the far right==
The roots of LaVey's brand of Satanism trace themselves back to a range of radical individualist and [[Social Darwinism|Social Darwinist]] ideas, the same grounds from which many [[far-right]] [[racial]] philosophies grew from, including [[white supremacy]] and [[neo-Nazism]].<ref name="detox">[http://www.detoxorcist.com/satanism-and-the-far-right.html ''Satanism and the Far Right''. Detoxorcist]</ref> Indeed, many passages and ideas from The Satanic Bible appear to be heavily influenced by and/or stolen from Ragnar Redbeard's ''[[Might is Right]]''. The Church's inner circle included figures from various underground far-right/neo-Nazi groups and subcultures, including Nikolas Schreck (who married LaVey's daughter Zeena before they both turned away from Satanism), Boyd Rice,<ref name="detox"></ref> and [[Nick Bougas]], the man considered to be the author of the A. Wyatt Mann cartoons that produced the infamous "[[Evil Jew#Le Happy Merchant|Le Happy Merchant]]" caricature.<ref>[https://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/the-surprisingly-mainstream-history-of-the-internets-favorit?utm_term=.oxnRAdKOP#.wsDgvBQ43 Bernstein, Joseph (2015) "The Surprisingly Mainstream History Of The Internet’s Favorite Anti-Semitic Image". Buzzfeed]</ref>

LaVey, who was of part-[[Jewish]] ancestry, was well aware of the [[irony]] of his radically individualist philosophy finding traction among believers in a political system that calls for subsuming individual identity to the will of the nation and/or race. In his essay "A Plan", published as part of the posthumous compendium ''Satan Speaks!'', he noted that, for the longest time, the Jewish people were the largest group of religious "rebels" within the Christian world, and were frequently smeared as being in league with Satan by the authorities of the time; as such, he drew intellectual and philosophical connections between Judaism and his philosophy. He envisioned Satanism as a way for modern, non-practicing young Jews (especially those from mixed Jewish/Gentile marriages), who don't fit in with the synagogue, the church, or the white supremacist movement, to claim a new, "tough" identity as an alternative to the [[humanism]] of the [[secular]], liberal Jewish mainstream, jokingly suggesting that the Church of Satan was where a "[[Zionist]] [[Odinist]] [[Bolshevik]] [[Nazi]] [[Imperialist]] [[Socialist]] [[Fascism]]" could thrive.<ref>LaVey, Anton. [http://www.e-reading.club/bookreader.php/144801/LaVey_-_Satan_Speaks!.pdf ''Satan Speaks!''] "A Plan", p. 8-9. ([http://www.satannet.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=481057 Plus commentary.])</ref>

==Other bizarreness==
===Jayne Mansfield===
[[File:Jayne Mansfield and Sam Brody May 1967.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Brody and Mansfield in 1967]]
One of LaVey's disciples was the actress Jayne Mansfield {{lived|1933|1967}}, known as a blonde bombshell in the [[Marilyn Monroe]] mold (although arguably with less acting talent). She apparently sought the assistance of LaVey with her career in the late 60s. However, she was at the time dating her attorney Sam Brody, who despite being married to someone else got jealous and told LaVey to knock it off. In response, LaVey allegedly put a hex on Brody, warning Mansfield to stay away from him. She did not, and, so the story goes, she died in a car accident alongside Brody because of it.<ref name="Hoffman">[https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/10/jayne-mansfield-death-satan-documentary "Did the Devil Kill Jayne Mansfield?," Jordan Hoffman, ''Vanity Fair'', October 24, 2017.]</ref><ref>Blanche Barton, ''The secret life of a Satanist: The authorized biography of Anton Szandor LaVey'', 2014.</ref> (It is claimed she was decapitated in the accident but that's one of many picturesque but untrue details about the whole thing.) Whether Mansfield was really killed by the [[devil]] is something only you can decide: proponents of the idea include filmmakers Todd Hughes and P. David Ebersole, along with trashmeister {{wpl|John Waters||,}} in their "documentary" ''Mansfield 66/67'' ("one of the least [[peer review]]ed documentaries I’ve ever seen" — Jordan Hoffman, ''Vanity Fair'').<ref name="Hoffman"/> ''Mansfield 66/67'' also includes some commentary by [[Kenneth Anger]].<ref name="Hoffman"/>

==Not to be confused with…==
* [[Davis Aurini]], a [[Neoreactionary movement|neo-reactionary]] [[Men's rights movement|MRA]] whose personal appearance and manner of dress is very similar to LaVey's, possibly intentionally. LaVey probably wouldn't be so thrilled to have a fan who falls afoul of so many of the Satanic Sins, though.
* The [[Satanic Temple]], in fact the Church of Satan and the Satanic Temple don't really get along.<ref>[https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/church-of-satan-vs-satanic-temple Church of Satan vs. Satanic Temple], ''The Satanic Temple''</ref> Yes, even Satanists have petty factional squabbling.
==Notes==
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==References==
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Categories: Authors, California, Pagan and occult leaders, Atheists, Religious leaders, Satanism, Shysters, Trolls