The Church of Satan’s 1970s reorganization

Record summary

Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan continued to shape modern Satanism during the 1970s through ritual performances, publications, media appearances, and an emphasis on theatrical symbolism, individualism, and secular self-interest. The group’s rituals drew on ceremonial and literary sources while rejecting conventional Christian morality. This lead matters for comparing invented tradition, countercultural identity, and the difference between symbolic Satanism and claims of literal demon worship. The organization and its publications are well documented, but outsiders frequently misrepresented its beliefs and activities during the era’s Satanic panic.