First Satanic Church

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First Satanic Church

The First Satanic Church was created on October 31, 1999, by Karla LaVey, the elder daughter of Anton LaVey (1930-1997), the founder of the Church of Satan. Following his death, the church was involved in an extensive controversy and litigation over the future of the church and the inheritance of LaVey's possessions. Blanche Barton, LaVey's secretary, emerged as the person in control of the church. Among those who did not accept Barton's leadership was Karla LaVey.

It is LaVey's opinion that much had been lost within the Church of Satan since her father's death. The First Satanic Church is an effort to revive the Church of Satan as she knew it at an earlier time. The church continues to use The Satanic Bible and the other books authored by Anton LaVey and sees itself as an elite remnant that wishes to engage in the public and serious study of Satanism and the occult sciences. It differs from the Church of Satan in that it does not recruit new members and is not an open membership church. It carefully screens any who apply for membership. While the church has several Inter-net sites, it does not see itself as a cyberspace organization. Prospective members are asked to make contact via more traditional means.

The church teaches that Satanism is not the inverse of Christianity, nor is it concerned with popular images of animal mutilation and other grisly crimes. Rather it is centered upon Satan as the Adversary, the Opposition. It thus emphasizes virtues of individualism and rational self-interest.

Among the projects supported by the church is The 600 Club (a parody of The 700 Club, the television talk show hosted by Christian evangelist Pat Robertson), a cybernet presence to provoke thought among Satanists (both inside and outside the First Satanic Church), to emphasize individuality within the larger world of Satanism, and to counter what are considered false reports concerning Satanism in general and the First Satanic Church in particular that appear in the media. The club, in turn, sponsors The Voice of Satan radio show.

The First Satanic Church may be contacted at P.O. Box 475177, San Francisco, CA. 94147. It publishes a quarterly newsletter. It has two Internet sites, http://www.satanicchurch.com/html/contact.html and http://www.the600club.com/.