The Satanic Bible | 
 enlarge | Author: Anton Lavey
Creator: Peter H. Gilmore
Publisher: Avon Books
Category: Book
List Price: £5.99
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Rating:  149 reviews
Sales Rank: 2531
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 272
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.1 x 1
ISBN: 0380015390
Dewey Decimal Number: 133.422
EAN: 9780380015399
ASIN: 0380015390
Publication Date: April 30, 1992
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: New book. Due to problems with Standard Airmail delivery times from the USA, we have switched to using PRIORITY AIRMAIL ONLY. UK & European delivery is 7-10 days.
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Amazon.co.uk Review
One might expect The Satanic Bible at least to offer a few prancing demons or a virgin sacrifice, but if you're looking for a tour of the house of horrors, this is the wrong book. 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 categorised 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 favour 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, Amazon.com
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| Customer Reviews: Read 144 more reviews...
 Superb August 31, 2008
Sally Wilton (Bournemouth UK)
In this amazing book replace the word Satanism with Humanism, Free trade, atheism, the law of the jungle, survival, conservativism, self preservation, entrepreneurship, ambition, the natural order of life, honesty, truthfulness, sexual liberation, enjoyment of all the good things in life, responsibility to yourself and those who reciprocate your kindness. This is the natural order of things and it is a fantastic book to inspire and encourage what is normal and makes life a pleasure.
Lavay led a colourful life, first and foremost as a musician even having a romance with Marilyn Monroe, immersing himself in the true Satanism - according to his viewpoint. Even his own son is named Satan.
Chapter 3, verse 7 'Hate your enemies with your whole heart, and if a man smite you on one cheek, smash him on the other! smite him hip and thigh, for self preservation is the highest law! - 'He who turns the other cheek is a cowardly dog' I like that!!!
It goes on ..........Thus shall you make yourself respected in all walks of life, and your spirit - your immortal spirit shall live, not in an intangible paradise, but in the brains and sinews of those whose respect you have gained.
This is not a weirdo book,it does not condone evil actions as certain reviewers seem to believe, it is Brilliant and Lavey was ahead of his time and more in tune with Richard Dawkins, even though he passed away a few years back. If you love pleasure, read this.
 The most dangerous book of the century NOT August 23, 2008
Ashtar Command (Stockholm, Sweden)
When I was a teenager, the Satanic Bible was considered to be the worst and most dangerous book ever written, with the possible exceptions of "Mein Kampf" and "The Anarchist Cookbook". Everyone was talking about it, but nobody had actually read it. I believe they sold copies of it in some dim-lit corner of the local science fiction bookstore. Naturally, the Church of Satan were considered to be dangerous extremists, and their black-painted church in San Fransisco sure looked spooky.
Or did it? Well, not really. When I finally read "The Satanic Bible", I was very disappointed. *This* is supposedly the most dangerous book ever written?! You gotta be kidding. And, of course, Anton Szandor LaVey *is* kidding. His Church of Satan isn't really Satanist at all, and uses the designation mostly to provoke people, Christians in particular. If anything, "The Satanic Bible" is libertarian and hedonistic. When I read it, it struck me that the morality of LaVey, considered shocking 40 years ago, is actually embraced by most people today. Has the West gone Satanic? Hardly, but it has become more overtly secularized, liberal and hedonistic than it was on Walpurgisnacht 1966, when LaVey supposedly shaved his head and formed his black arts organization.
True, the Satanic Bible does contain statements that sound distinctly fascist. But it's obvious from context that this is simply another provocation, especially since these portions are deliberately plagiarized from a 19th century parody of Social Darwinism, "Might is Right". LaVey actually condemns most practices usually associated with Satanism: human sacrifice, rape, wanton violence, child molestation. Ironically, if people would follow the precepts of the Satanic Bible, they would probably be better behaved than they are! But, of course, they *would* throw the occasional kinky sado-masochistic fetish party. Perhaps in 10 years, even that will be considered normal. Strictly speaking, LaVey isn't a moral relativist or nihilist, but rather a believer in a secular version of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth", which really isn't controversial, once the principle is correctly understood. (The fetish parties might be.)
When one reads LaVey's tract, one wonders why he didn't simply become a hedonistic atheist? The answer comes in the latter sections, where it turns out that LaVey actually believed in magic (well, sort of). But his magic borders the ridiculous, and perhaps functions mostly on a symbolic level. Indeed, the present leader of the Church of Satan explains in a foreword to the black bible that the magical rituals are simply "powerful psychodrama". Indeed, the idea of sticking needles in voodoo dolls to harm your enemies would strike most people as...well, hardly worth reporting to local law enforcement. Perhaps the rituals of LaVey's followers *do* have a powerful psychological effect on people, and I sometimes get the impression that at least some people would be better off chilling down and getting out more, Satanic Bible style, myself included, LOL.
But dangerous it is not.
So why do some people still consider this book to be precisely that? Some might object to its hedonism, and that would at least be a serious-minded criticism. But many others are apparently still outraged by the Satanist label. Christians are offended, but so are secular people, since Satanism is associated with child molestation or drugs. I heartily recommend "The Satanic Bible" to all such people. Read it and make up your own minds.
Hail Satan! :-)
 Amazon. Pls. remove this item. I hope you guys will not be thrown in the lake of fire (hell). August 4, 2008
In Jesus name
1 out of 10 found this review helpful
You devils of Satan, I command you in the name of Jesus to loose these people, I come against you with the blood of Jesus, I stand in the power that Jesus has invested on me, I cast you out into dry places and never to return. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I'm sorry guys, I need to say all of these for your sake.
Apparently... June 24, 2008
Mr. A. Lane (London, England)
Well basically I got this as a present for someone because I knew they'd find it interesting/informative/whatever. So I can't vouch personally for it, but it's supposedly a brilliant read; Neither myself nor the recipient are religious people but this is recommended for anyone that wants to get some information on the subject without any propaganda or other general crap fogging up the facts.
How Much is My Soul Worth Satan?????????????Sold!!!!! May 11, 2008
Mr England (England)
As a proud Heathen (I like the warrior culture of my English/Germanic ancestors) I am extremely Anti-Christian so I had to read this book. I believe that the Jewish/Roman cult of Jesus is the true EVIL that has stolen a great deal from humanity. Therfore I have always had sympathy for the Devil as I have always viewed him as the good guy, wanting us to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, cursed by the evil Christians to look half man, half goat after the Greek Pagan God of mischieve 'Pan'. Older pagan religions have always had a God of fun and/or sex and the Christians have moulded those traits together into our modern view of the Devil to frighten us away from our true nature to make us easier to manipulate. So I view the Devil has a fun figure and the Christian God as a control freak, denying us the pleasure of life for a slavery in death.
I would review this book as one guys attempt to tell you how to live your life. It was written in America in the 60's during the 'Hippie Age' and is full of sex and rebelllion. He tells us how to have a 'black mass' which is basically having sex infront of people whilst sticking 2 fingers up at Jesus and society. I found myself agreeing with his preaching but he didnt tell me anything i didnt already know. 'Do what thy wilt' is the biggest message in the book.
This is not a dark evil book that you would expect, the author whom is the founder of the church of Satan doesnt even care or believe in the Devil himself and seems only concerned with weird sex rituals. This is a very small book that is okay to read and does have some very good chapters, but a little boring and preachy at times, but it is probably worth a quick read.
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