UNDERDOG MESSIAH

In Communication Research Method. Com 300

Goal: To inform people about the misconceptions of Satanism, and point out the faults of traditional
christianity.

Audience: The general public

My contribution to the piece: My work, but with quotes and information from attributed sources.

No Needed edits.

This piece deserves to be in my portfolio because it displays my research skills, it covers a unique topic
that not many people know about, and it’s the longest piece I have ever created.
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Underdog Messiah:

The Allure and Rationality Behind the Adoption of Satanism and the Rejection of Traditional Religion

Bradford Kelley

Salem State University

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Abstract

This research paper will address the misconceptions, myths, stereotypes, and blatant lies about Satanic

Organizations such as the Satanic Temple, and La Veyan Satanism, as well as explain what being a Satanist

really entails. The work will also explain why more and more people are beginning to shift away from

traditional Christianity, and turn to less traditional faiths such as Satanism. Within the text, the morally

controversial actions and opinions of certain “religious groups” such as the Ku Klux Klan, and the

Defensive Action group will be noted, and the beliefs, philosophy, and rationality associated with Satanism

will also be explained as well. Ultimately, the hypothesis of the work is to state that the real reason a person

would choose Satanism over traditional religion, is because Satanism is much more of an ideal religion,

contrary to popular belief. Inevitably the text will promote Satanism as a rational and beneficial lifestyle, and

the text will finally expose traditional Christianity for what it still technically stands for.
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Introduction:

Literature Review

As much as the leaders of traditional religious organizations would like you to believe otherwise,

they’re international numbers are shrinking. Particularly in the case of young people, and young people

evolving into older generations. According to a survey conducted in an article published by Vice media,

about one fifth of the US population currently claims no religion at all, particularly in the case of people who

are under the age of thirty. While across the ocean, in the U.K., approximately sixty percent of the

population claims that they practice no religion what so ever (Robbins, 2015). While organizations like the

Church of Satan, and the Satanic Temple have finally begun to practice openly, and in a mainstream manner

for the first time in centuries, due to huge numbers and a new found cultural respect. Additionally, Satanism

as a belief, philosophy, and lifestyle has finally been able to rise above the myth of being forced to practice

in dark secret, and it has been recognized as the legitimate practice that it really is.

Before anybody joins a religion, or way of life of any kind, it’s important to consider the type of

people that practice the religion, and the dark side of what each religion includes. Furthermore, it’s

important to consider the types of groups that the religion you’re interested in, inspires, and the kind of

ideals that these groups view as sacred. For example, white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan

use a number of texts primarily associated with Christian texts, as a moral, and political excuse to publicly

advocate for the global hate, and persecution of countless religions, ethnicities, and sexual orientations.

Furthermore, there are also groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church, from Topeka, Kansas that

use their own radical, twisted version of Christianity as an excuse to protest on America’s cultural

acceptance of the gay community, as well as the presence of U.S. soldiers in the middle east, during events

as culturally sacred as funerals of military veterans that died in the line of duty (Fox, 2015). The
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acknowledgement of groups like the Westboro Baptists, forces an observer to wonder, does Christianity

accept everyone regardless of things as trivial as sexual orientation? The sad reality of homophobic

exclusion in Christianity ultimately reveals the myth of traditional religion welcoming all of “God’s

Children”. While Satanism continues to act as role model for religions all around the globe, for adopting the

principle of acceptance of all. In addition to being hypocritical within its beliefs, in terms of its acceptance of

others, Christianity and other traditional faiths have also had a small minority of religious groups, whose

beliefs border on militant extremism. Groups such as the Defensive Action Group, and the Advocates for

Life Ministries openly justify and socially endorse violence against doctors who conduct abortion

procedures, because they believe that sacrificing existing lives is acceptable, so long as potential lives are

saved (Carlson, 1995). However, in the case of Satanism, no principle or text encourages the use of

violence, except in the case of self-defense. The typical member of Christianity would likely argue,

ignorantly, that Satanists sacrifice cats, dogs, snakes, and other animals in the middle of forests during the

dead of night. But the truth of the matter is, aside from many incidents involving mostly confused, or

disturbed teenagers who rarely knew exactly what they were doing, the act of ritualistic animal killing is not

practiced by legitimate Satanists at all.

One modern Satanic group, the Satanic Temple, have actually been featured in the U.S. media for

coming to the aid of women interested in getting abortion procedures, in a society where abortion clinics,

and Planned Parenthood clinics are beginning to disappear. In fact, according to an article published in the

Washington Examiner by Barbara Boland, Planned Parenthood, has seen one of the greater amounts of

threats, violence, and harassment out of several other clinics that offers abortion procedures (Boland, 2015).

Ultimately forcing many clinics to close their doors for business permanently, leaving their patients in even

more of a desperate situation. The women in question that the Satanic Temple organization is assisting are

all patients of planned parenthood clinics and abortion clinics, who feel harassed or threatened by religious
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protestors to the point where they don’t feel safe visiting the clinics. The religious protestors themselves, are

mostly groups organized either by churches or a loose group of volunteers, and they protest these clinics

through various hurtful methods such as slut shaming, holding protest signs with insensitive slogans, group

chanting, the participation of small children in the protest, as well as yelling cruel insults at patients visiting

the clinics.

Contrary, to many people’s assumptions about the way that Satanic Temple protestors conduct their

protests, the organization never behaves violently confrontational when they conduct their pro-choice

counter protests outside of Planned Parenthood clinics. In fact, the organization takes great measures to

emphasize the importance of not violently confronting any of the religious protestors, or anybody else that is

present outside of the clinic. What the Satanic Temple will do to counter protest the pro-life protestors, is use

a mixture of political radicalism and theater, where protesting members will dress in costumes that mock

traditional religion and the pro-life movement (Boland, 2015). This practice of theatrical radicalism serves

two purposes that aide the Satanic Temple’s cause, and the first purpose is to divert the religious protestors’

attention, as well as the attention of bystanders, away from the patients that are attempting to enter, and exist

the clinics. The second purpose that this form of protest serves, is the fact that the theatrical scenes that the

Satanic Temple followers practice, while publicly addresses the issues and ridiculous practices of the pro-

life movement, traditional religion, and politicians driven by traditional religion.

After carefully going through the harsh realities of Christianity, that prove all too real and common

within today’s society, it’s important to understand what being a 21st century Satanist really entails, and what

a legitimate Satanist believes in. To begin with, there are three major, mainstream Satanic organizations in

our world’s society today: The Church of Satan, The Temple of Set, and the Satanic Temple. The Church of

Satan, also known as LaVeyan Satanism, was founded in April of 1966, by a man named Anton Szandor

LaVey, and it was the very first non-underground Satanic organization in recent history. The Church of
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Satan teaches a surprisingly well thought out, and remarkably down to earth way of life, revolving around

the self, and rationalism. LaVey began to organize the group shortly after having a major epiphany, where

he realized that the traditional, modern-day churches of society were hypocritical. While LaVey began to

build the church, he developed a social Darwinist attitude, which led him to begin to believe that life is

always a consistent struggle, that requires each person who wishes to succeed, to fully develop their own

potential in life. LaVey personally ran the church himself for thirty years, but unfortunately passed away in

1997 (Anderson, 2015, p.1). The Church of Satan proposes eleven “Satanic Rules of the Earth”, that were

written by LaVey himself, much like the Ten Commandments of God, according to Moses in Christianity.

The first two rules are to never give advice unless someone specifically asks you for advice, and to not tell

other people about your problems unless you’re sure they want to hear them. The third and fourth are to

show respect to your host when you’re in their home, and if a guest in your home annoys you, then treat

him/her cruelly, and without mercy.

The following Satanic commandments are mostly based on common courtesy, as well as respect

for others, the earth, and above all, yourself. The fifth and six rules are to never make sexual advances unless

you are being given the “mating sign”, and to never take something that does not belong to you, unless the

item has become a burden for the owner, and the owner requests help. The seventh and eighth rules of the

text are to acknowledge the existence of magic if you have managed to use it to achieve your goals, while

remaining respectful of the magic afterwards, and also to never complain about things that you don’t need to

subject yourself to. While the ninth and tenth rules, correspond directly with the Satanic emphasis on

refraining from unnecessary violence, by commanding: do not hurt children, and do not kill animals unless

they attack you, or you need them for food. The eleventh and final rule commands that when the Satanist is

out in public, he/she should never bother anyone, if someone bothers the Satanist, then he/she must ask them
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to stop, and if the aggressor refuses, then the Satanist must eliminate the aggressor. (LaVey, Blanche,

Gilmore, Nadramia, 1999).

The second major Satanic organization of American Culture, which is the Satanic Temple, has also

begun to capture the attention of the American, and worldwide culture, as Christianity loses its age old

cultural momentum. The Satanic Temple was officially formed in 2013, by a writer named Douglas

Mensar, who took the pseudonym name of Lucien Greaves (Anderson, 2015, p.1). The Satanic Temple’s

beliefs are very much like the Church of Satan’s beliefs; however, they differ slightly in the sense that the

Satanic Temple emphasizes the importance of rationalism, atheism, and reason a lot more than the Church

of Satan. To elaborate, the Church of Satan directly calls for the acknowledgment and respect of magic (in

the case of proof being present), while the followers of the Satanic Temple remain atheistic, in the sense of

not believing that Satan is a conscious being. Also, the Temple sees very little promise in the belief of

supernatural theories associated with Satanism. Another difference between the Satanic Temple, and the

Church of Satan is that the Satanic Temple emphasizes using the most scientific evidence at your disposal,

so you can form the most rational decisions in life. While, the Church of Satan believes in a social Darwinist

rhetoric that differs from the Satanic Temple’s belief in social evolution. Therefore, the Satanic Temple and

the Satanic Church do not see eye to eye in terms of how social evolution relates to the importance of

research in fields such as cognitive science, and reciprocal altruism. Finally, the Satanic Temple refuses to

acknowledge the power of authority in the same manner as LaVeyan Satanists because they feel that it

ignores the Satanic concept of sovereignty. (Satanic Temple Media, 2017).

The third major Satanic organization of today, the Temple of Set, was first established in the 1970’s.

The organization, which was officially formed in 1975, was founded by a former member of the LaVeyan

church, named Michael Aquino. Aquino decided to leave the Church of Satan and form the Temple during

a time where many Satanists had become frustrated with Anton LaVey, because they began to believe that
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he had gone astray in his beliefs, and lost what they deemed as “Satan’s Mandate”. Which in turn triggered

criticism from LaVey against the new organization, making the split between the two groups even more

difficult. For a time, LaVey’s own daughter, Zeena Schreck was a member of the Temple of Set, however

she eventually decided to leave the group, and follow in the footsteps of her father, by forming her own

Satanic organization (Anderson, 2015, p.1).

One particularly interesting difference between the Satanic Temple and the LaVeyan Satanic

Church, is that the Satanic Temple follows seven tenants that act as the fundamentals for acceptable human

behavior. As opposed to the LaVeyan church’s Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth. According to an article

published by Nathan Glover: The very first two tenants regard the ideal personality traits of a Satanist, as

well as the Satanic View of the law and justice. The two tenants state: “One should strive to act with

compassion, and empathy towards all creatures in accordance to reason” and “The struggle for justice is an

ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions”. The next two tenants concern

the Satanic attitude towards one’s own body, as well as the rights of others. The tenants directly say that:

“One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone” and “The freedoms of others should be

respected, including the right to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon others is to forgo your

own”. The fifth and sixth tenants regard rationality and the nature of people, by stating: “Beliefs should

conform to our best scientific understanding of the world, we should take care to never distort scientific facts

to fit our beliefs” and “People are fallible, if we make a mistake we should do our best to rectify it and

resolve any harm that may have been caused”. The final tenant described in Glover’s article described the

rationality behind having the system of tenants in the first place by stating: “Every Tenant is a guiding

principal designed to inspire nobility in action and thought, the spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice

should always prevail over the written or spoken word” (p.1).

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One of the most common misconceptions about Satanists is the idea that Satanists believe in a

physically conscious, king of hell, who identifies himself/herself as “Satan”, and that he/she awaits to claim

their souls when they die. They also generally don’t believe in so called “devil’s bargains” (where an

individual supposedly sells his/her soul for something in return), or the ability to communicate to demons or

even Satan, himself, through the practice of ritual or prayer. In fact, modern day Satanists identify

themselves as the ultimate rebels against tyranny in society against things such as corporal punishment in

schools, and the influence of religion in society, politics, and in some cases, healthcare. In fact, the word

Satan, itself, is actually a Hebrew term that roughly translates as: “adversary” or “One who resists” (Elwell,

1997, p.1).

The truth of the matter, is that the lifestyle of Satanism has been adopted by countless people that

society would likely describe as “normal”, as well as several famous actors, actresses, and musicians. For

example, the late musician Liberace was one of the very first members of LaVey’s Satanic church, and the

famous Rockstar Marilyn Manson is an honorary priest for the church. Both musicians were also good

friends with LaVey himself. The famous singer/comedian Sammy Davis Jr. was also officially welcomed

into the LaVey church, shortly after supposedly meeting LaVey at an orgy party, and the comedian/actor

Henry Zebrowski is also a recently joined member of the church. Ironically, Zebrowski also plays a cubicle

working demon of hell on the Adult Swim network’s “Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell” television show.

When asked about his religious beliefs, Zebrowski claimed: “I am a Satanist. It’s the funniest [form] of

atheism, and I like the symbols and rituals” (Circus Rebel, 2017, p.1). Anton LaVey himself, also played the

roles of Satan in Kenneth Anger’s 1969 film, “Invocation of My Demon Brother”, alongside legendary

Rockstar Mick Jagger in the cast as well (Coxhead, Gabriel, 2004, p.1).

One of the most blindly biased misconceptions about Satanism that has very little evidence, is that

Satanic culture and Satanic beliefs were an element of inspiration to the infamous Manson Family series of
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brutal murders that claimed the lives of seven people in Los Angeles, California, during the late 1960’s. One

of the three major reasons for this misconception is the fact that during 1969, (the year of the murder spree),

Anton LaVey’s very first brick and mortar house of worship was built and opened to the public, in the city

of Los Angela’s. The faith quickly became popular among the local youth, particularly in the case of

members of the hippie lifestyle, as well as musicians. Now both of these types of people were known to

associate with the Manson Family because the group began as a commune that often-recruited young

hippies, and musicians, so when the murders ended, society unofficially associated the Manson Family with

Satanists. Due to their choice in company, rather than basing their decision on the group’s actual twisted

motives and beliefs.

Society has also been known to associate the Manson Family with Satanism due to an infamous

statement made by the group’s cold-blooded hitmen Charles “Tex” Watson, who played an instrumental

role in several of the group’s killings. According to an article published by Anne Dingus, the statement

made by Watson is actually a statement that he said to two of his victims, right before he murdered them,

and the statement, itself, was: “I am the devil and I am here to do the devil’s business” (Dingus, 2001, p.

127). Ironically enough, Watson became a born again Christian during his time in prison, where he remains

today. Aside from one member of the Manson Family, Susan Atkins, there is absolutely no evidence to

suggest that the group were Satanists, let alone Satanic ritualistic killers that committed their heinous crimes

in the name of the devil. The third major reason that society associates the Manson Family and their series

of killings with Satanism, is the fact that a member of the Manson Family also played a role in Kenneth

Anger’s “Invocation of my Demon Brother” film, alongside LaVey. Robert “Bobby” Beausoleil was only

22 years old when he played the role of Lucifer alongside LaVey in 1969. The very same year he was later

recruited as a cold-hearted enforcer for the commune turned cult, and he began to take orders directly from

Charles Manson, himself (Coxhead, Gabriel, 2004, p.1).

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One of the most prominent examples of Satanic related hysteria, and persecution in early history, is

the accusations of black magic made by the Catholic Church’s military, against one of their very own

military units during the 13th century. Which was the famous Knights Templar Catholic military order.

Shortly after the accusations had been made, the Catholic Church very actively sought to expel the order

from the ranks of the Catholic military order, and dissolve the group altogether, with very little to no

evidence at all, of Satanic practice. The incident, itself was very much a product of the time, because the

orders to eradicate alleged Satanists, such as the orders to dissolve the Knight Templar, were made by

powerful officials that were often Catholic denominations. In fact, these officials often accused any group

that they deemed undesirable, of being Satan worshipers (Anderson, 2015, p.1).

Out of all the injustices that the image and reputation of Satanism has suffered throughout history,

there is absolutely no example of a case that overshadows the pure sadness or tragedy that is the murders

and convictions of the West Memphis Three. The West Memphis Three were three teenagers named: Jason

Baldwin, Damien Echols, and Jesse Misskelley Jr. The three teens were wrongly convicted in 1994 for the

extremely brutal murders of three eight-year-old boys during 1993, which was biasedly determined by

authorities to be the result of a Satanic ritual. The circumstances surrounding the case really sealed the three

teens from the very beginning of the case, unfortunately. To begin with, the reason that the authorities

believed that the three young boys’ murders were Satanic ritual related is because all three of the victims

were found bound, sexually mutilated, and stabbed to death in a section of the woods near West Memphis.

To somebody who is not well informed on the true concept of Satanism, the murder scene clearly depicts

the stereotypical Satanic human sacrifice. However, none of the three suspects were practicing Satanists, in

fact all three had a fascination in the religion of Wicca, which is a faith that bases its beliefs and walk of life

in an entirely different manner than Satanism. Furthermore, the confession of Misskelley has received an

overwhelming amount of testimony that the entire confession was coerced from Misskelley while he was
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held for questioning in a police station. Misskelley’s confession also had several holes that did not

correspond to the known evidence of the case, such as the facts that Misskelley claimed he bound the three

boys with rope, when in reality they were tied up with their own shoelaces. Also, Misskelley claimed that

the murders took place at noon on the day that the last three boys were seen alive, when the parents of the

victims claimed they last saw their children at 6:30 p.m. (McKenzie, 2012, p.1).

Which brings up the argument that the West Memphis Police Department profiled, and pursued the

three teens because they did things that the citizens of the Bible Belt town, deemed undesirable. Such as

listening to heavy metal bands like Metallica, wearing black, and showing an interest in a religion that a

majority of the population does not fully comprehend. An argument that proves very possible due to the fact

that the three teens were later released from prison in 2011 after serving 17 years in prison, when new DNA

evidence, and circumstances were introduced into the suspects appeal cases. The evidence revealed a source

of DNA that did not match any of the three suspects, the notion that some of the wounds on the victims may

have been inflicted by animals, as well as an accusation of jury misconduct. To add insult to injury the three

suspects were only able to achieve their freedom through a special kind of deal called a “Alford Guilty

Plea”, where the teens had to accept and understand the fact that there was enough evidence against them to

convict them previously, while at the same time attempting to prove to the appeals court that they were

innocent. (Vota, 2012, p.1).

Satanism is by no means, anything that most people comprehend, however the few rationally

minded people who are intelligent enough to understand it, have been able to reap great benefits that they

could not find in worshiping Christianity or other forms of traditional religion. For instance, many addiction

recovery organizations are religious groups themselves, and they directly promote, and encourage the

acceptance of a higher power. However, in the case of an addict or an alcoholic, the practice of Satanism can

prove to be beneficial to recovery, just as much, if not an even greater method of treatment than accepting
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traditional religion into your life. By accepting Satanism, the recovering addict can find a greater sense of

self respect, because the practice focuses on mainly the self, will power, as well as the acceptance of the

supernatural, in the case of evidence being present (Saint Thomas, 2015). Which ultimately disproves the

ancient myth of Satanists being just these elitist nihilists with no morals, that don’t care about anybody.

Furthermore, Satanism offers a much safer lifestyle and environment to raise children than

traditional religions such as Christianity. Now, many people who grew up in communities where traditional

catholic, and protestant parishes were prominent, would likely argue that this statement is entirely false,

however it’s important to consider traditional religion’s track record of child abuse, both physical, sexual,

and emotional abuse. Especially considering the unfortunate fact that the abuse is carried out by the very

people involved with traditional religion that vow to nurture these very children: the pastors, the Sunday

school instructors, and teachers employed by religious schools. To begin with, one of the most relevant

countries involved with the topic is the U.S., believe it or not, there are only 31 states that have completely

outlawed all corporate punishment, in all forms of education.

A total of 19 states still allow corporate punishment such as spankings to take place in schools, and

they are: Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana,

Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana.

(Adwar, 2014, p.1). To no surprise at all, one of the major influencers of this unchecked abuse is religion,

because a very serious portion of these schools where corporate is allowed, are either religious schools

(themselves), or run by officials that value traditional religion. Now these states are areas where

conservatism, and religion are a major part of the local culture, especially the southern and southwestern

states. The faith that appears to the most popular for school administrators in these states, appears to a form

of Evangelical Protestantism, in which translations from the Bible are taken extremely literal. This faith also,

almost provides school administrators with a means to demand that parents use corporal punishment, and
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allow the school system to use corporate punishment on their children. (Dupper, David. Dingus, Amy.

2008. P.1).

However, the issue of corporate punishment at the hands of followers of traditional religion is not

just an issue here in the states, so it’s not fair to say that Catholicism is the only religion to blame for

corporate punishment in schools. For instance, one of the major reasons that corporal punishment is still an

unfortunate presence in school districts where Protestantism is a major aspect of the community is that

conservative protestants believe that children lack the ability to control their own willfulness and accept the

needs of established leaders. Additionally, conservative protestants believe that unchecked willfulness in

children can carry permanent spiritual consequences. (Ellison. 2009. P.324). Also, traditional Judaic-

Christian faiths are not the only religion contributing to corporate religion in the world. For instance, in

several predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle east and Africa, such as: Saudi Arabia, Yemen,

Nigeria, and Qatar, the teachers and administrators still use corporate punishment in schools as a method of

punishment, and discipline in classrooms. It’s also an issue in Asian countries such as Nepal, where private

school teachers are encouraged by parents, and the government to use corporal punishment to control their

student’s behavior. In fact, in Nepalese culture, the societal view of the teacher is adopted from the Gurukul

system, where young children are sent to live with their teachers, and the teachers, themselves, determine

how to discipline the children. Nepal also has a substantial Hindu population, and in Hindu mythology,

teachers are equated to God, which only further stimulates a culture where “a teacher knows best” even in

the case of a teacher physically abusing a student, when the rationality behind the abuse is that it is justified

by the religion and culture of the region. (Park. Khanal,. 2016. P.1).

However, Satanists from all Satanic organizations absolutely despise corporate punishment in

schools, and some Satanists actively participate in efforts to have corporate punishment banned entirely. For

example, right here the U.S. , the Satanic Temple is currently fighting for the civil rights of children, by
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peacefully protesting, and advertising for their cause. The Temple’s anti-corporal punishment project is

called the “Protect Children Project”, and children are allowed to register with the project, with absolutely

no regard to the children’s own personal faith. Once the child registers for the project, if any teacher or

administrator attempts to use corporal punishment on the child, the Temple will notify the school that the

punishment is a violation of the child’s civil rights. The Temple also plans on erecting billboards that will

declare statements such as “Never be hit in school again”, in areas where corporate punishment is still legal,

such as Springfield, Texas (Moylan, 2017. P.1). According to a press release, that was made by the Satanic

Temple, the overall purpose of the project is to: “ Utilize the First Amendment to protect public school

students from being subjected to corporal punishment, solitary confinement, physical restraints, and the

deprivation of bathroom access as these abusive practices violate our religious belief of bodily inviolability”

(Moylan, 2017.P.1).

Research Questions

It’s no secret that the international number of traditional religion followers are finally beginning to

dwindle after over two thousand years, while after years of oppression, Satanism has become more of a

respectable following and lifestyle than ever before. To fully grasp the reasons that traditional religion is

beginning to fail, while Satanism continues to flourish in numbers, it’s important to address several

questions regarding both walks of life. For example, you must ask yourself what are the real myths and lies

of both religions, and which faith has the least amount of blatant misleading falsehoods. Also, it’s very

important to comprehend what being a follower of the Satanic Temple, Temple of Set, or the La Veyan

Satanic Church really entails instead of common stereotypes. Additionally, it is incredibly vital to ask

yourself about the kind of people that practice each walk of life and more importantly: What kind of action

does each faith inspire in people? The last question that you must answer, will come up once you have
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addressed all of the past three questions, and it is a question you must ask and answer for yourself: “Which

religion has the least amount of hate, violence, exclusion, and rationality?”.

The sad truth for the international following, and culture of traditional religion is not by any means

something that has just only recently begun. The hard reality of losing significant portions of membership

on a global scale, has been a steadily growing issue for many churches associated with Christianity,

particularly in the case of the younger population of the world rejecting the faith. For instance, in parts of the

world such as Australia, a grand total of seven percent of the continent’s catholic priest population had been

accused of sexual abuse, and approximately 4,444 people have come forth and reported sexual abuse at the

hands of catholic priests between January 1985 and February 2015 (Legal Monitor Worldwide, 1). When an

issue like that is as common as it is today, on a global scale, there are three questions that an observer must

as himself/herself, beginning with: is this a safe religion to raise my children in and have them involved

with? Secondly, you must also ask yourself; Is this a safe religion for myself to be involved with? Finally, as

an observer, you must also ask yourself if you really want to be a part of a religion that has had such a long,

and notorious sex crime history as Christianity. Which brings up one of the greatest myths of traditional

religion, which is that within religion you can find safety, both physical, and spiritual. While Satanism, on

the other hand has had no history of sexual misconduct, aside from a collection of unproven reports of

rowdy Satanic orgies taking place deep within forests during the dead of night.

Hypothesis

After carefully analyzing both faiths, it’s very important to once again ask yourself another series of

questions before you decide which religion to follow; and which one to dismiss. First, you must ask yourself

is this a safe religion to be a part of, both morally and physically. Secondly, it’s important to consider which

faith would be the best fit, both morally, and socially. Finally, and most importantly, it’s critical to decide

which religion your able to find the most rationality, and the maximum amount of the ability to stand up and
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defend the faith, when met with persecution. Once you carefully analyze these questions, and determine

your own personal opinions, it is only natural for you to choose Satanism over traditional religion. Which

brings us to the main hypothesis of this research paper, which is: the reason that traditional religion is

dwindling in numbers, while La Veyan Satanism, and the Satanic Temple flourish in followers, is that

Satanism in general, offers more qualities of an ideal religion, than traditional religion.

Methodology

In terms of methodology, the system of acquiring solid, accurate research, sources, and information

was a very much straight forward affair. To begin with, the presence of already existing research is vital, so I

reviewed the international websites of both the Satanic Temple, and the Church of Satan, for the accurate

facts regarding the lifestyle and beliefs of a modern-day Satanist. In terms of statistics regarding the

dropping number of religious followers around the world, I also reviewed several articles on the subject that

was published by Vice media. I also used the convenience of the Salem State library database to collect

information on religious extremist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, the Westboro Baptist Church, and the

Defensive Action Group. In terms of original research conducted by myself, I developed ten poll questions

to ask people from the ages of 18 to 40 years old, because the target demographic for the study is the youth.

The first two poll questions are: “Were you raised in a religious household?” and “As a child, did

you enjoy going to religious services?”. The next three are: “As a child, did you receive a religious

education through a school’s curriculum, or a church/ temple program? and “Did you enjoy receiving the

education?” and “Did reports of child abuse or homophobia make you uncomfortable to attend traditional

religious services, or make you reconsider what you believe in?”. The sixth, seventh, and eighth questions

are “On a scale from 0-100, how much of an impact has traditional religion had on your life?” And “Would

you describe that impact as positive or negative?” and “Which faith appeals more to you, something based
 Underdog Messiah 18

on the existence of a supernatural being like Christianity or Hinduism, or something based more on a

lifestyle like Buddhism or Satanism?”.

The final two poll questions are: “As a teenager, child, or adult, has traditional religion ever

affected your relationships with friends, family, or coworkers?” and “Would you say traditional religion

emphasizes love for all, or love for some?”. To find participants to answer the poll questions, I began by

posting a proposition post with a link to survey monkey on my Facebook account, so participants can

answer each poll question in the survey. I also uploaded the very same proposition on my personal Snapchat

account. I also planned on sharing my poll questions with students in other classes that are also a part of the

communications department, in case the Snapchat and Facebook propositions were unsuccessful.

Results

After receiving approximately 20 responses to the survey posted on survey monkey, the data results

regarding the answers and reactions to the poll questions were, for the most part, extremely predictable,

however a few surprises awaited as well. To begin with, one of the most fascinating data results originated

from the first three poll questions, which all regard the presence of traditional religion during an individual’s

childhood. For instance, in response to the first poll question: “Were you raised in a religious household” a

total percentage of 55% of the participants were indeed raised in a religious household, while only 35%

were not, and a small 10% were unsure. Which made it very clear that the likelihood of religion being in a

child’s environment, is by no means a small chance. Also, in the second poll question’s results, an

unsurprisingly majority, (approximately 65% of the participants) claimed that they disliked going to

religious services as a child, while only 30% claimed that they did enjoy going to services. These results

came as no surprise, because realistically what child truly enjoys going to religious services, except in the

rare case of religion being a key aspect of a child’s culture, or influencer of personality. However, one of the

most alarming data results were the answers to the third poll question, because a striking 55% of the
 Underdog Messiah 19

participants received their education on religion through a church or temple program, while only a

disappointing 20% received the education through a school’s curriculum. Which was concerning, because it

became apparent that it’s more common for a child to receive a religious education while at the same time

being encouraged to follow one specific religion. Then it is for a child to receive an education in an

environment as neutral and objectifiable as a school where the educators can teach the subject in a logical

and unbiased manner.

The next finding that was discovered through the fourth poll question, came as no surprise at all,

since that out of the twenty participants, about 57.89% claimed that they did not enjoy receiving their

religious education, while only 21.05% claimed they did enjoy it. However, a likewise 21.05% also claimed

they received no religious education what so ever, and one participant did unfortunately choose to skip the

question. After moving on to the fifth poll question, some very disappointing results were revealed: out of

the twenty survey candidates, only 31.58% of the participants felt uncomfortable attending religious

services, or reconsidered what they believe in, as a direct result of reports of homophobia and child abuse

related to traditional religion. While a surprising 47.37% never felt uncomfortable, or reconsidered their

beliefs, despite the presence of child abuse and homophobia in traditional religion. Considering this

disappointing news, two facts to keep in mind are: to consider that a solid 21.05% remained unsure if the

presence of these problems affected their beliefs or practices, and one participant chose not to answer the

question.

The next two poll questions’ results both came as a fascinating surprise, for instance, in the sixth

question, where participants were asked to judge the percentage of the impact that traditional religion has

had on their lives on a scale between 1% and 100%, about ten participants claimed an impact percentage

between 1% and 10%. But, the more concerning news was the fact that about two participants claim that

traditional religion had impacted their lives on a level between 60% and 100%. While analyzing the seventh
 Underdog Messiah 20

poll question, the most compelling data collected was the fact that about 45% of the participants could not

safely say wither they founded the impact of religion within their lives to be a positive or negative impact.

However about 35% claimed that traditional religion had a positive impact within their lives, while only

20% claimed the impact was negative. Despite the intriguing data discoveries, in the prior questions, the

results of question number eight came as no surprise, considering that not only did 45% of the participants

prefer a faith that revolves around the concept of a certain lifestyle over a faith centered around the idea of

the existence of a supernatural being. But a total of 30% of the participants preferred neither of the two

faiths, while only 25% preferred a faith regarding a supernatural being as well.

The results regarding the final two poll questions would likely leave a feeling of bitter sweetness in

the mind of a true Satanist, considering that 45% of the participants claimed that traditional religion has

never once affected their personal relationships with others. While in contrast about 30% claimed that

traditional religion affected their relationships during more than one period in their lives. While, at the same

time, to no surprise about 70% of the participants, (which is about 14 people) claimed that traditional

religion emphasizes love for some, in the next poll question. While only 30% claimed that traditional

religion emphasizes love for all, which is only 6 people.

Discussion

Throughout Satanism’s long and unfortunate history of being accused of being something that it is

not, as well as being accused of actions that members do not commit, there is no example more tragic that

stands out in my mind, personally, than the fate of the victims and the wrongfully accused of the West

Memphis Three murders. Personally, I find that the real tragedy of the case isn’t the fact that Satanism was

blamed for this senseless crime, it’s the fact that the real killer or killers of three eight-year-old children are

still free somewhere out in the world. While three teenagers were wrongfully convicted and spent 17 years

of their lives in prison for a crime they didn’t commit, simply because people profiled them unusual for all
 Underdog Messiah 21

the wrong reasons. The blame of the case’s initial wrongful conviction can truly, only be blamed on two

things: The West Memphis Police Department, and the region where the murder took place. The blame to

the authorities is due, because of their professional incompetence, and their religious profiling of the three

wrongfully accused. If the Memphis Police Department wasn’t so desperate to close the case, and so

blinded by their own prejudices than they likely wouldn’t have had to write up the murders as the result of a

Satanic ritual. They also, very likely wouldn’t have targeted the only people of interest in the case that had

any interest in the occult. The region of West Memphis is also to blame for the initial conviction of the case,

because the entire region was a part of the Bible Belt, where most of the public claimed some type of

traditional religion such as Christianity. So, in a sense, the defendants were doomed from the very

beginning, because the jury of their “peers” was a group of people that likely had some aspect of traditional

religion in their lives, and when they looked at the defendants, all they saw in their own biased sight were

long haired, heavy metal loving teenagers that took their interest in the occult too far. Especially considering

the allegation of jury misconduct, during the trial.

Every incident of society blaming or accusing Satanism for problems or incidents in the world, has

generally stemmed from the society not understanding what Satanism truly stands for. From the accusations

made against the Knights Templar in the 13th century, to the association made between the Manson Family

and LaVeyan Satanism, society has attempted to make Satanism of all forms appear identical to the

monstrous image that traditional religion has painted for the faith’s misunderstood way of life. I personally

believe, that so long as traditional religion maintains its powerful position in the world, then society, as a

whole, will always remain ignorant to the true nature of Satanism. Aside from a small minority of people

unbiased, and intelligent enough to see Satanism and traditional religion for what they truly are, most of

society will always think of Satanists as these social outcasts, that murder, summon demons, ritualistically

sacrifice animals, and casts curses with black magic, so long as traditional religions hold their current roles
 Underdog Messiah 22

in society. This will also continue, so long as traditional religions keep insisting on falsely representing the

lifestyle of Satanism during their own religious services. I personally find, that the reason that traditional

religions keep spreading false information about Satanism, is an effort to keep the public unaware, and thus

uninterested in the true purpose and practice of Satanism.

In terms of the results of my poll questions, and my online survey, despite a few data results that

proved unhelpful, the survey was still a success. The poll questions still actively engaged the target

demographic (the youth) in a thought provoking, and meaningful manner. While at the same time, still

managing to provide more than enough helpful poll oriented data to support the progression, and education

of true Satanism. The poll’s ability to shed some light on the dark side of traditional religion was also

satisfactory, ultimately giving the public the tools and means to question all forms of religion objectively.
 Underdog Messiah 23

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