Central Authority In a Single, Charismatic Leader
While Peter Gilmore currently heads the Church of Satan, he is mostly an administrator and teacher. He is considered neither a prophet nor a deity, nor is he infallible. He does not dictate the behavior of individual Satanists and cannot invoke any punishment on members other than having them kicked out for breaking rules of the organization (most commonly law-breaking). He welcomes debate and discussion.
The Founder of the Church of Satan, Anton LaVey, passed away in 1996.
Control Over Life and Death
Satanists are generally against suicide and always consider it a personal choice. Anyone who killed in the name of Satanism would be kicked out and law enforcement would be encouraged to deal with them harshly.Commission of Felonies
Law-breaking is specifically forbidden by the Church of Satan, and the commission of such is grounds for membership being revoked. The Church also supports swift, severe and just punishment for offenders.Strict Control Over Lives of Members
Individuality is a core value of LaVeyan Satanism. Attempting to control how members live their lives is completely contrary to their teachingsSeparation From Contacts Outside The Group
None. Satanists may associate with whomever they please.Polarized Worldview
The Church often sees itself as combating herd conformity, mediocrity and other wider social ills, but it doesn't use "good and evil" language, nor does it speak in terms of literal impending battles or wars.Living In Communal Isolation
Satanism is highly non-centralized. I personally have never hear of a Satanic commune, and if such exists I imagine it would be entirely voluntary with members able to come and go as they please.Large Required Donations
There is a membership fee to officially join the Church of Satan. However, Church writings repeatedly say that you can be just as effective a Satanist without being a member.Conformity: Subjection of Individual Desires and Thoughts
Conformity is one of the
Nine Satanic Sins.
Punishment For Defection or Criticism
Debate and discussion are generally encouraged, members are welcome to leave at any time, and membership is completely optional.Group Is Small
When Satanists do work together, groups are generally small. The vast majority of Satanists, however, practice on their own. It is not a highly ritualized religion, and many Satanists never actually perform any rituals. Instead, the principles of Satanism are applied to their daily life and how they live. The total number of LaVeyan Satanists is unknown, but is probably at least in the tens of thousands.Conclusion
Despite the continuing rumors labeling Satanism as a cult, LaVeyan Satanism scores extremely low on the common warning signs. Many of the behaviors commonly found in dangerous cults are actually specifically contrary to Church of Satan teachings.
