Anton LaVey
 Anton LaVey      (Author, Musician) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 11 April 1930 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died | 29 October 1997 (Age 67) San Francisco, California |
| Religion | Satanism |
| Interests | Occultism |
Founding figure of modern satanism. | |
Anton Szandor LaVey (born Howard Stanton Levey) was an American author, musician, and satanist. He was the founder of the Church of Satan and is credited as the founder of the religion of Satanism. He authored several books, including The Satanic Bible, The Satanic Rituals, The Satanic Witch, The Devil's Notebook, and Satan Speaks!
Sociologist James R. Lewis observed about his work:[1][2]
I was, furthermore, encouraged to shift my emphasis to the work of earlier literary figures ultimately responsible for fashioning the positive image of the Devil that LaVey later adopted for his Church of Satan, after reflecting on these objections, however, I concluded that—despite his heavy dependence on prior thinkers—LaVey was directly responsible for the genesis of modern Satanism as a serious religious (as opposed to a purely literary) movement. Furthermore, however one might criticize and depreciate it, The Satanic Bible is still the single most influential document shaping the contemporary Satanist movement. Whether LaVey was a religious virtuoso or a huckster, and whether The Satanic Bible was an inspired document or a poorly edited plagiarism, their influence was and is pervasive.
