The first person to come out with what most consider modern Satanism was Anton Lavey, the founder of The Church of Satan, in 1966, he combined some of his past writing with new writing to form what we now know as The Satanic Bible. Its followers believe in the Nine Satanic Statements, quoted below:
Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence!
Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams!
Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit!
Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates!
Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek!
Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires!
Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours, who, because of his “divine spiritual and intellectual development,” has become the most vicious animal of all!
Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification!
Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years!
The Nine Satanic Statements have shaped Satanism and Satanists for many years. Reading The Satanic Bible was a sort of awakening for many people, bringing realization of a name for the beliefs they already had: Satanism.
This does not seem like the Satanism you may have heard about— not at all. This seems to be completely different, promoting actual intellectual growth instead of historically inaccurate teachings and encouraging invisible friends. It caused people to educate themselves further on the subject which in turn created a whole new generation of Satanists, and then another growing and learning more and more.
In 2012, Lucien Greaves and Malcolm Jarry founded The Satanic Temple. It created a whole new uproar in modern Satanism, bringing it into view more frequently through social media in its recent years. The most recognized news would arguably be its placement of a statue of Baphomet at the state capitol building in Little Rock, Arkansas in protest of their display of the Ten Commandments. It also created the movie Hail Satan?, a documentary on The Satanic Temple, Lucien Greaves, and the rise of one of the most controversial religions in a good while, or some may say ever.
Satanists following The Satanic Temple share a belief in the Seven Fundamental Tenets, quoted below:
One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one's own.
Beliefs should conform to one's best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one's beliefs.
People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one's best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.
Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.
Along with The Church of Satan and The Satanic Temple, several other Satanic churches and organizations developed, and another obvious one is where we landed here: Coven of Satan Ministries. Members of Coven of Satan Ministries follow the Coven Ethos, quoted below:
Life has no great meaning by itself, nor does it need to.
Life is worth living; Pursue happiness persistently.
Be mindful of the consequences of your actions and recognize that you must take responsibility for them.
Sharpening one’s mind is more useful than sharpening one’s sword.
Reason, science and compassion in all things.
Be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence.
There is no one right way to live.
A person is the final authority over themselves.
Leave the world a better place than you found it.
Death is the end, not a beginning.
These three groups, whether or not we believe the same or not, should all be able to agree they impacted and helped form what we now know as modern Satanism.