Church of Satan

The Church of Satan is a religious organization that promotes Satanism as strictly defined by The Satanic Bible, written in 1969 by Anton Szandor LaVey. It draws its name from the Islamic-Christian concept of Satan, and claims that every individual can be his or her own god and is responsible for his or her own destiny. ("Satan" denotes a symbol and metaphor rather than an actual, anthropomorphic deity.)

It was established in San Francisco on the night of Walpurgisnacht, 1966 by Anton Szandor LaVey, who was the Church's High Priest until his death in 1997. People who practice this belief are called "Satanists".

The Church of Satan does not have or desire tax-exempt status. As part of what it refers to as Pentagonal Revisionism the Church is actively working towards taxation of all Churches, and tries to put forth a policy of "responsibility to the responsible". It neither solicits membership nor offers a set course of degrees. In the past parental consent was required for persons under 18 to join, however the Church of Satan currently accepts registrations from people of all ages. Members are expected to follow the laws and statutes of their country and municipality.

Since the death of Anton Szandor LaVey, Peter H. Gilmore has been appointed to his current position as High Priest of the Church; the Church headquarters has also since moved to New York City.

Many prominent figures have at one time or another been associated with the Church of Satan, including; actress Jayne Mansfield, musicians Sammy Davis Jr., King Diamond, Marilyn Manson, Boyd Rice, Marc Almond, and journalist Michael Moynihan. As the Church of Satan does not publicly release membership information, it is not known how many members belong to the Church.