Satanism

A Social History

Satanism: A Social History is an (intentionally?) 666-page long text by Massimo Introvigne, professor of Sociology of Religions at Pontifical Salesian University in Turin, and the founder of the city’s Centre for Studies on New Religions. Here, Introvigne traces the often ambiguous history of Satanism and anti-Satanism from its arguable – and unclear – beginnings in 17th century France to the similarly vague posteverything iterations of our era. The lack of clarity is not the fault of the author, whose research is authoritative and meticulous (though his prose frequently undermines its titillating and often dark content); rather, it is the result of the history of Satanism itself.

Satanic practices take place away from the prying eyes of the public and especially of the clergy, who comprised the majority of the literate populace able to record history in its early stages. Introvigne attempts to define what Satanism is (the worship of Lucifer by organised groups using ritualistic practices, which Introvigne describes as occult Satanism) and what it isn’t (‘Romantic’ Satanism that uses Satanic imagery for largely political, literary or artistic purposes, which he calls rationalist Satanism). For rationalists, Lucifer evokes an individualist spirit that has thrown away the shackles of moral and religious dogma (think Milton’ s French Revolutioninspiring Satan in Paradise Lost or the idealist of Blake’s ‘Marriage of Heaven and Hell’). Occultists view Satan as a living entity whose powers can be harnessed through ritual or magic for earthly influence or hedonism. These rituals often involve perversions of Christian – usually Catholic – rites, frequently committed by men of the cloth, who were familiar with religious practices and whose authority allowed them

to perpetrate these (typically sexual) crimes undetected.

Introvigne structures his book around a “three-stage pendulum model”, tracing Satanist movements from their occult beginnings, when secret practices were made known to the larger culture that repressed this perversion of religious practices in order to retain social – and largely religious-based – cohesion. He comments on similar contemporary responses to Satanists’ perceived threat to social cohesion.

Introvigne’s tripartite structure encompasses the ‘Proto-Satanism’ events of 17th and 18th century Europe and Russia. The second part also addresses the ‘Classical Satanist’ period, which he dates between 1821 and 1952, ending with Jack Parsons and Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard’s Aleister Crowley-inspired attempt to conjure up the Thelemic goddess Babalon. (It is a testament to Introvigne’s lacklustre prose that these events are drained of their peculiar humanity).

Finally, Introvigne gives us ‘contemporary Satanism’ from 1952 to the present, which has the merit of making sense of a chaotic era. Satanism has splintered into factions, ideologies, and sociocultural expressions and interpretations, from Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan, the Great Satanist Scare and alleged ritual sexual abuse in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s and 1990s that provided endless talk show and tabloid fodder, to current cultural expressions such as Black Metal.

Introvigne is a painstaking researcher; there are dozens of fascinating and obscure events in these pages. A 61-page bibliography and two indexes are included. The lack of illustrations is a disappointment, especially considering the numerous examples of ritualistic practices and the intriguing characters and events described. At $255, the exclusion is even less forgivable.