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| Satanic Bible | 
 enlarge | Authors: Anton Szandor Lavey, Peter H. Gilmore
Publisher: Avon
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (412 reviews)
Sales Rank: 6087
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0380015390
Dewey Decimal Number: 133.422
EAN: 9780380015399
ASIN: 0380015390
Publication Date: December 1, 1969
Release Date: December 1, 1976
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Called "The Black Pope" by many of his followers, Anton La Vey began the road to High Priesthood of the (lurch of Satan when he was only 16 years old and an organ player in a carnival: "On Saturday night I would see men lusting after halfnaked girls dancing at the carnival, and on Sunday morning when I was playing the organ for tent-show evangelists at the other end of the carnival lot, I would see these same men sitting in the pews with their wives and children, asking God to forgive them and purge them of carnal desires. And the next Saturday night they'd be back at The carnival or some other place of indulgence. "I knew then that the Christian Church thrives on hypocrisy, and that man's carnal nature will out!" From that time early in his life his path was clear. Finally, on the last night of April, 1966 -- Walpurgisnacht, the most important festival of the believers in witchcraft -- LaVey shaved his head in the tradition of Ancient executioners and announced the formation of The Church Of Satan. He had seen the need for a church that would recapture man's body and his carnal desires as objects of celebration. "Since worship of fleshly things produces pleasure," he said, "there would then be a temple of glorious indulgence . . ."
Amazon.com Review
One might expect The Satanic Bible at least to offer a few prancing demons or a virgin sacrifice, but if you hopped this train expecting a tour of the house of horrors, you're on the wrong ride. Far from a manual for conquering the realms of earth, air, fire, and water, The Satanic Bible is Anton LaVey's manifesto of a new religion separate from the "traditional" Judeo-Christian definitions of Satanism. While LaVey rails against the deceit of the Christian church and white magicians, he busily weaves his own deceptions. The Satanic Bible claims the heritage of a horde of evil deities--Bile', Dagon, Moloch, and Yao Tzin to name a few--but these ancient gods have no coherent connection between each other or to Satanism, except that all have been categorized by Christianity as "evil." Calling on these ancient names like a magician shouting, "Abracadabra," LaVey attempts to shatter the classical depiction of Satanism as a cult of black mass and child sacrifice. As the smoke clears, he leads us through a surprisingly logical argument in favor of a life focused on self-indulgence. The Satanic Bible is less bible and more philosophy (with a few rituals thrown in to keep us entertained), but this philosophy is the backbone of a religion that, until LaVey entered the scene, was merely a myth of the Christian church. It took LaVey, and The Satanic Bible, to turn this myth into a legitimate public religion. --Brian Patterson
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| Customer Reviews: Read 407 more reviews...
 Ingenius December 29, 2008
I have read this many times through and have found it more profound every time I read it. Having said that you will assume that I am probably biased, but to the contrary; my first times reading this I was not interested in exploring any religion. In fact I more or less read it as to only be a Devil's advocate(no pun intended) to act out. That was now 5 years ago, so needless to say I was indulged; but as far as religious books go this is probably a little far out for most. But once you get a grasp on the idea and not some sort of stereotypical grander that the largely Christian following would like to produce about Satanism, I would like to find it thought provoking and revealing. Also it is philosophically amazing, the genuine sarcasm and creativity it took to create such a work. So before I into a much longer and most likely boring chasm about how in love with the book and the religious value in which holds I will only say that if you are eccentric enough to want to read this than it should be a very surprising experience.
Satanism Without the Nonsense December 13, 2008
This is truly an amazing book. LaVey brings Satanism out of the shadows and reveals what it truly is. There are no demons, no Satan-worshippers, no supernatural aspects of any kind, just pure and simple self-indulgence. You will find no flimsy "turn the other cheek" mentality in this book. Satan stands as a symbol for the carnality of mankind, for the law of "might is right," and LaVey blasts the life-denying quality of fundamentalist religions, with their proscriptions and their guilt. If you're a thinking person and an atheist, you'll love "The Satanic Bible."
Perfect for White Wiccans November 13, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book goes to show that if your a white wiccan and have some reservations about being christian too, you can still sin and get away with it.Reign on Templars!
OsirisMidnight
The Satanic Bible August 10, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Well, as Peter H. Gilmore said in the Introduction to the newest edition of this book, it has changed my life. If you're a Satanist you know that after reading this is when you took upon that title. You won't find Satanic Priests going about handing these out: you have to find it. The basic philosophy of Satanism is written herein, and with it you will have concrete evidence of a tool you can use to get the absolute most out of life.
The Foundation For Modern Satanic Belief July 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Ah, Satan the old nemesis, the great rebel, the stand-by rouser and the trigger point of the superficial, the ignorant, the rabble and the narrow-minded...
The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor LaVey was conceived in 1969 three years after the man's public conversion to Satanism in California. With the founding of the Church Of Satan in San Francisco came the need for a volume encapsulating the beliefs and the agenda of the development, which lead to the creation of The Satanic Bible. Seeking to introduce man to a more natural and unaffected way of life congruous to humankind's nature, LaVey sought to not only launch a new level of discourse regarding life and religion, but also to free Satan from its Christian/Luciferian pigeonhole into a more honest and vital force.
The Satanic Bible is essentially made up of two parts. The first part enlightens man on his true nature, free from predisposition and ingrained ignorance. The second part - collects from the past and philosophers like Nietzsche, John Dee and Aleister Crowley - to teach symbolic rituals and rites, as well as the devil's own Enochian language in which the nineteen keys have been written.
As controversial as the text is today one can imagine how it would have been received 30 years ago. Anti-hypocritical, open and pioneering the book is obviously mischievous as it tries to awaken the reader and his senses. The devil is not occult or evil, as these themes are demystified - unless man wants it to be. Inspiring and fresh, the bible corrodes conformity as it casts aside uniformity in contradiction of its own name. Rites and words are given symbolic power that is only alive in the will of the practitioner. Satan is not about animal sacrifice, virgins or harm - unless one wants it to be. Free sex and unencumbered intercourse are not endorsed as Satanic - unless the reader wishes it for himself. Those fables are reserved for the devil of the major mainstream religions. That is where LaVey's major thrust lies, a fact obfuscated often by the majority and the organized.
The Satanic Bible requires just a little bit of an open mind. With the door left ajar, the teachings resonate easily given their direct appeal to man's true nature. Therein lie the problems. Such willingness is not easy in a society rooted in ...isms and ...ity. To live free one has to acknowledge the uncomfortable and the absence of good or bad. What will a society free from guilt and a population unrestrained by self-denial mean? The answers explain why the book is of limited appeal and the cause of worry and scare-mongering to this day and surely many more years to come.
Being written by a man and acknowledged with pride as such, The Satanic Bible is both imperfect and inconsistent. Nevertheless, being free from hypocrisy and in touch with a higher level of intellectual honesty, The Satanic Bible is the path to a world free from 'good' and 'evil' and living a life worthy of man's taste for honesty.
Now, if only LaVey had told us about Yankee Rose...
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