The Mirror, Darkly: Understanding Christianity-Created Pseudo-Satanism

To many Christians, especially evangelical Christians, anyone who is not a Christian – even an atheist – is understood to be "trapped" in some or other form of "devil worship." This absolutist, exclusionary worldview even extends to other Christians who do not share their particular radicalized religious perspective.

The fascination with a literal, Christian version of "devil-worship" is traceable all the way through the generational horrors of the Spanish Inquisition and the Salem Witch Trials, right through to the popular American hysterical evangelical religious literature that emerged in the 1970s – such as “The Satan Seller”, (Warnke et al, 1972). Written in the wake of the founding of the Church of Satan (1966), these texts capitalized on evangelical Christian anxieties, and inspired spin-off equivalents in other countries – for example, Doreen Irvine’s “From Witchcraft to Christ” (1973) – where the Satanic Panic took firm root during the 1980s and 90s.

Scholar of religion Ruben van Luijk (2016) describes this historical, pre-modern use of the word "Satanist" as an attribution or accusation – a weaponized term used to deride opponents, even to place them at risk of harm. Yet it was only since the late 1960s that the term began to be used voluntarily by individuals to self-identify themselves and their personal religious beliefs, and broadly speaking, 1966 is regarded as the year in which modern Satanism (NRM) was founded in its present form.

Yet, despite decades of modern literature written from within religious Satanism as a New Religious Movement (NRM) – including foundational texts by Anton LaVey (1968, 1969a, b) and Michael Aquino (1975, 2005) – many scholars consistently overlooked these emic sources, and continue to do so. Instead, they lay out their perceptions of these movements as interpreted for them through a pre-existing Christian lens – focusing almost entirely, often unwittingly, on the perception of modern religious Satanism as constructed by Christianity.

To challenge this distortion, I have previously broached the topic of pseudo-Satanism, specifically defining the term "Christianity-created Pseudo-Satanism" (CCPS) across two papers (see Engela, 2021a and 2023). This framework broadly delineates the difference between authentic, independent religious Satanism (NRM) and the reactive phenomenon of pseudo-Satanism.

The form of alleged "Satanism" portrayed and perpetuated by sensationalist Christian moral panic literature – which claims to be factual accounts and which are readily accepted as such by their audiences – is extremely problematic. Not simply because they cast religious Satanism in a bad light by associating it with negative, violent connotations, but because they – and their underlying dishonesty deeply unsettle my sense of fair play and justice as a longtime human rights activist. As a scholar, and as an individual who has walked the left-hand path, when confronted with claims such as these, I would love to say that there is no such thing. I would love to tell you that these claims are entirely false and that the dark conspiracies they describe are totally fictitious. The truth, unfortunately, is far more complex than that, as I will now explain.

The fact is, there are indeed people who believe in Satan in the exact context portrayed in those evangelical books. Their faces appear in front page news when they are caught committing horrific crimes – murder, ritual killings, and the like – and they tend to be anything but shy about claiming to be loyal servants of the Christian Devil. On the other end of the same scale, we find those caught vandalizing churches, desecrating cemeteries, digging up human remains, or committing acts of cruelty toward animals. At the same time, details of these individuals’ mental states – or whether they suffer from the range of mental disorders frequently associated with “conspiratorial Satanist” claims – tends to receive less attention.

Just as some have asked the question "which Christianity?", we must ask the question "which Satanism?" Sadly, this is a question most critics of Satanism seldom pause to ask themselves, or those making accusations of criminality. Real-world evidence of criminality is sufficient to convince the average layperson (and even some scholars in fields unrelated to Religious Studies) that these criminals ought to be taken at face value – as "proof" of the "criminality" of Satanism. It is undeniable that it is sufficient to encourage and motivate what I term “anti-Satanist activists” (ASA’s) to redouble their efforts to spread more warnings about the “reality of Satanism” – and then act as though subsequent discoveries of teenage delinquents caught carving pentagrams in their school desks, vindicates them. The public assumes that because these individuals claim to be Satanists, their acts must represent authentic Satanism. These perceptions are, and have been reinforced by decades of propaganda and indoctrination fed to them through the IV of sermons, popular Christian culture – including disingenuous books like Rebecca Brown’s “He Came to Set the Captives Free” and “Prepare for War”. This Christian-formed baseline – though discredited later – became the foundation of the broad public understanding of Satanism: a belief that the religion is inherently linked to violence, cruelty, and criminality. Beneath the surface, however, these criminal motives and behaviors have absolutely nothing in common with authentic religious Satanism.

This misunderstanding stems entirely from the Satanic Panic. The beliefs of both these supposed "Satanists" AND the rest of society were formed by the exact same source. This is why I termed the phenomenon Christianity-created Pseudo-Satanism: Christianity-created, because it was birthed in Christian beliefs, propagated in Christian popular fiction, and preached from Christian pulpits.

CCPS began as a warning by Christians to Christians about a vast, international, human-sacrificing devil-worshiping conspiracy, propagated without providing a shred of evidence, relying entirely upon the gullibility of a flock that did not disappoint. Naturally, these warnings landed effectively. While the typical Christian follower recoiled at the horrors contained in these dramatized warnings, these also fell on the ears of those who were more susceptible to suggestion and felt drawn to these dark fantasies - the impressionable, the disaffected, the angry, the bitter, and the alienated. Eager to pursue paths of personal power or shock value, these individuals based their behavior on the Christian warnings of what a "Satanist" is supposed to do. They believed the myth, and they acted it out accordingly. Some acted alone, others worked to form their own gangs and became leaders of their own cults. With few exceptions, these tended to be impressionable teens or young adults, acting out according to what their leaders and what Christianity told them how they were supposed to act as “Satanists”. Once their criminal activities were inevitably exposed and broadcast, they provided the global public – and especially evangelicals – with a tangible example, a manifestation of their conspiracy theory. A precedent – set by their conspiracy theory having taken on a life of its own. Suddenly, the public realized the hysterical warnings weren't just empty rhetoric – they were "real". But they did not understand what had happened – these were not manifestations of "conspiratorial Satanism" in the sense of books by Mike Warnke or Rebecca Brown and the like, which they accepted as "fact" in any case – they were manifestations of a kind of pseudo-Satanism created by Christianity itself.

This is why pseudo-Satanism is a classic self-fulfilling prophecy, and why CCPS is unwittingly and permanently tied to Christianity. Unlike an authentic NRM, it cannot stand alone; it must live in the shadow cast by the Christian church, operating purely as a negative inversion of Christian dogma. It is a prodigal child of Christianity – the dark, left-handed, contrarian sheep of the family. Without Christian structures to define it and give it purpose, it would cease to exist.

Consequently, pseudo-Satanism is not a standalone religion. It is cast in the mold of the church, depending entirely upon Christian scripture, dogma, and interpretations for its form. Though this relationship is openly adversarial, mutually hostile, and parasitic, pseudo-Satanism cannot exist without its host identity. It forms a part of Christianity – not as a "denomination" (perhaps more as a 'demonination', if you'll forgive the spoonerism), but as an orphaned structure within the larger conglomerate or “cloud” of Christian identity.

A clear example of how CCPS is indistinguishable from Christian identity and influence, is the infamous "Satanic calendar" created by David Balsiger in the 1980s. Since then, Christian moral panic literature has claimed that Satanists commit atrocities on specific dates according to dates on the "Satanic calendar", and for the last half-century, pseudo-Satanists have done so – because that is the expected behavior of "real" Satanists… that is, those who worship and believe in the literal existence of a literal Satan as believed in by Christians. (I have discussed this calendar at length previously (see Engela, 2021b for further reading)). In sharp contrast, authentic religious Satanists (NRMs) consist of a mix of atheists employing a LaVeyan philosophy of self-worship, or theists who revere an entirely different deity (such as Set, Enki, Lucifer, or Lilith) unrelated to the Christian adversary. These authentic practitioners openly deride the pseudo-Satanic self-fulfilling prophecy, as made visible in the writings of Diane Vera.

Genuine, authentic religious Satanism – though it may often mock and criticize Christian piety in ways that I find wholesome, just, and often amusing – is a wholly separate, independently formed religious movement from Christianity. It does not take its cues from Christian beliefs. It does not use the Christian Bible in any of its forms. Nor does it work from a check-list provided by Christianity of what is expected of them as Satanists to demonstrate or live up to their faith or identity as Satanists. It is self-defined, not defined by Christianity. It may parody or mock Christianity – it does not follow its cues.

In summation, CCPS is essentially the living, breathing, colloquial "straw man" brought to life by Christianity – being blamed on Satanists (NRM). It is a perfect, closed-loop system of blame: Christianity manufactures the monster, the disaffected and malicious act it out, and the authentic NRM practitioners get the blame. In addition, it is a mechanism by which to conduct PR campaigns against perceived adversaries, undermine opposition to Christian social dominance, and attract new followers to fill up their pews and their bank accounts.

Lastly, in order to grasp this concept, a modicum of critical thinking ability is a prerequisite. Christians – or particularly charismatic Christians – tend to find this distinction difficult to understand or accept, because of the prevailing evangelical views in circulation. These dictate that regardless of what Satanists believe, their identity as "Satanists" alone places them on the same sliding scale as the tabloid prophecy fulfilling teenagers and misguided or mentally ill individuals who commit the sort of crimes Christians believe Satanists cannot be Satanists without committing.

In closing, yes – there are "Satanic conspiracies" in the real world, and “ritual abuses” to go along with them – but, like the "conspiratorial Satanism" they fear, they are ultimately created and perpetuated by Christians themselves, not Satanists.

REFERENCES: 

Aquino, M. (1975). The Book of Coming Forth By Night. 

Aquino, M. (2005). The Temple Of Set, Draft 3. 

Engela, C. (2021a). Satanism vs pseudo-satanism: Disambiguation and argument against conflation from within religious Satanism.

https://www.academia.edu/44978441/Satanism_vs_Pseudo_satanism_Disambiguation_and_argument_against_conflation_from_within_Satanism_as_a_New_Religious_Movement 

Engela, C. (2021b). A date with the devil: Occult & satanic calendars debunked. https://www.academia.edu/45060885/A_Date_with_the_Devil_Occult_and_Satanic_Calendars_Debunked 

Engela, C. (2023). What is Satanism – really, and what isn’t: A concise definition of Christianity-created pseudo-satanism (CCPS).

https://www.academia.edu/98014515/What_is_Satanism_Really_And_What_Isn_t_A_Concise_Definition_Of_Christianity_created_Pseudo_satanism_CCPS_

LaVey, A.S. (1967). The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth. 

LaVey, A.S. (1969a). The Nine Satanic Statements. 

LaVey, A.S. (1969b). The Satanic Bible. 

van Luijk, R. (2016). Children of Lucifer – The Origins of Modern Religious Satanism. Oxford University Press. 

Warnke, M., Balsiger, D., & Jones, L. (1972). The Satan-seller. Bridge Publications.