publication_date the secret life of a satanist
Blanche Barton ( born Sharon Leigh ; October ___MASK35___ , 1961 ) is an American religious leader who is Magistra Templi Rex within the Church of Satan , and is addressed by Satanists as " Magistra Barton ". Peter Howard Gilmore ( born May ___MASK93___ , ___MASK82___ ) is an American composer , artist , and author . He is the administrator of the Church of Satan and author of " The Satanic Scriptures ". Gilmore graduated from NYU with both a bachelor ' s and master ' s degree in music composition . The Satanic Bible is a collection of essays , observations , and rituals published by Anton LaVey in ___MASK47___ . It is the central religious text of Satanism , and is considered the foundation of its philosophy and dogma . It has been described as the most important document to influence contemporary Satanism . Though " The Satanic Bible " is not considered to be sacred scripture in the way that the Christian Bible is to Christianity , LaVeyan Satanists regard it as an authoritative text as it is a contemporary text that has attained for them scriptural status . It extols the virtues of exploring one ' s own nature and instincts . Believers have been described as " atheistic Satanists " because they believe that God is not an external entity , but rather something that each person creates as a projection of his or her own personality  a benevolent and stabilizing force in his or her life . There have been thirty printings of " The Satanic Bible ", through which it has sold over a million copies . San Francisco ( SF ) ( Spanish for Saint Francis ) officially the City and County of San Francisco , is the cultural , commercial , and financial center of Northern California . It is the birthplace of the United Nations . Located at the north end of the San Francisco Peninsula , San Francisco is about in area , making it the smallest county  and the only consolidated city - county  within the state of California . With a density of about ___MASK91___ , 451 people per square mile ( 7 , 124 people per km ), San Francisco is the most densely settled large city ( population greater than 200 , 000 ) in California and the second - most densely populated major city in the United States after New York City . San Francisco is the fourth - most populous city in California , after Los Angeles , San Diego , and San Jose , and the 13th - most populous city in the United States  with a census - estimated 2015 population of 864 , 816 . The city and its surrounding areas are known as the San Francisco Bay Area , and are a part of the larger OMB - designated San Jose - San Francisco - Oakland combined statistical area , the fifth most populous in the nation with an estimated population of 8 . 7 million . The Satanic Rituals is a book by Anton Szandor LaVey published in ___MASK15___ by Avon Books as a companion volume to " The Satanic Bible ". The book outlines nine rituals and ceremonies intended for group performance , with an introductory essay to each . Some of the rites presented are inspired by other groups , such as the Yezidis , Freemasons , Knights Templar and Order of the Illuminati , and some inspired by fictional works . The book includes the child baptism ritual used by Anton LaVey at the first publicly recorded Satanic baptism in history for his youngest daughter Zeena . Anton Szandor LaVey ( born Howard Stanton Levey ; April ___MASK37___ , 1930  October 29 , 1997 ) was an American author , musician and occultist . He was the founder of the Church of Satan and the religion of LaVeyan Satanism . He authored several books including " The Satanic Bible ", " The Satanic Rituals ", " The Satanic Witch ", " The Devil ' s Notebook ", and " Satan Speaks !" In addition , he released three albums , including " The Satanic Mass ", " Satan Takes a Holiday ", and " Strange Music ". He played a minor on - screen role and served as technical advisor for the 1975 film , " The Devil ' s Rain ", and served as host and narrator for Nick Bougas ' 1989 mondo film , " Death Scenes ". The Church of Satan is an international organization dedicated to the religion of LaVeyan Satanism as codified in " The Satanic Bible ". The Church of Satan was established at the Black House in San Francisco , California , on Walpurgisnacht , April 30 , ___MASK97___ , by Anton Szandor LaVey , who was the church ' s High Priest until his death in 1997 . In 2001 , Peter H . Gilmore was appointed to the position of high priest , and the church ' s headquarters were moved to Hell ' s Kitchen , Manhattan , New York City . The Devil ' s Notebook is the fourth book by Anton LaVey , published in ___MASK57___ by Feral House . It includes a foreword by Adam Parfrey and design by Sean Tejaratchi . The book contains forty - one essays in which LaVey provides commentary on such topics as nonconformity , occult faddism , Nazism , terrorism , cannibalism , erotic politics , the  Goodguy badge , demoralization and the construction of artificial human companions . Included are instructions for the creation of what LaVey terms " total environments ", or places of magical evocation , where the enlightened may escape the deleterious effects of contemporary existence . Satan Takes a Holiday is an album by Anton Szandor LaVey , released through Amarillo Records in ___MASK36___ . The collection is an eclectic body of songs LaVey constructed using his synthesizer . A few of these songs are standards , and their composers well known . Nevertheless , LaVey chose all these songs to create deliberate modes of feeling and mood . His original treatments of many of these songs , and others similar to them in context and style , were performed on a variety of organs that he mastered over the course of his life . He performed many such songs in burlesque houses , various circuses , carnivals , and roadhouses . The Secret Life of a Satanist : The Authorized Biography of Anton LaVey is a biography on the life of Anton LaVey , the founder of LaVeyan Satanism and the Church of Satan , released in 1990 through Feral House publishing . The book is written by Blanche Barton , administrator of the Church of Satan and partner and confidant of LaVey . A revised edition of the book was released on September 2 , 2014 . Feral House is a book publisher owned and operated by Adam Parfrey . Feral House describes itself as " publishing innovative and celebrated non - fiction books since ___MASK58___ . Movies have been made , cultural trends influenced and political crimes exposed by our small , independent press ." LaVeyan Satanism is a new religious movement founded in ___MASK97___ by the American occultist and author Anton Szandor LaVey . The religion ' s doctrines and practices are codified in LaVey ' s book , " The Satanic Bible ". Its core philosophy is based on individualism and egoism , encouraging an epicurean pursuit of fleshly indulgence , an eye for an eye ethical code , and the concept of " self - deification ". The philosophy positions itself in favor of Social Darwinism and opposes egalitarianism , seeing it as a conservator of mediocrity and decadence , and to a larger extent , the Abrahamic faiths , which are seen as lies which promote idealism , self - denigration , herd behavior , and irrationality . The philosophy seeks more draconian measures taken in the realm of law and order and may also support some forms of eugenics . The religion propagates a naturalistic worldview , seeing mankind as animals existing in an amoral universe . International Organization is a quarterly peer - reviewed academic journal that covers the entire field of international affairs . It was established in ___MASK50___ and is published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International Organization Foundation . The editor - in - chief is Jon Pevehouse ( University of Wisconsin  Madison ). Satanism is a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on the character of Satan . Contemporary religious practice of Satanism began with the founding of the Church of Satan in ___MASK97___ , although a few historical precedents exist . Prior to the public practice , Satanism existed primarily as an accusation by various Christian groups toward perceived ideological opponents , rather than a self - identity . Satanism , and the concept of Satan , has also been used by artists and entertainers for symbolic expression . The Devil ' s Rain is a ___MASK96___ American horror film directed by Robert Fuest . It was one of several B - films in which William Shatner starred between the original "" television series and "". Other cast members included Tom Skerritt , Ernest Borgnine , Eddie Albert , Ida Lupino , Keenan Wynn and John Travolta in his film debut in a minor role . Satanist Anton LaVey is credited as the film ' s technical advisor and appeared in the film playing a minor role . Social Darwinism is a name given to various phenomena emerging in the second half of the 19th century , trying to apply biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest in human society . The term itself emerged in the 1880s . The term " Social Darwinism " gained widespread currency when used after ___MASK71___ by opponents of these earlier concepts . The majority of those who have been categorised as social Darwinists did not identify themselves by such a label . Satan Speaks ! is a book by Anton LaVey , published in ___MASK49___ by Feral House . The book is a collection of essays completed shortly before LaVey ' s death on October 29 , ___MASK40___ . It includes a foreword by Marilyn Manson and an introduction by Blanche Barton , and features cover art by artist Coop . The City of New York , often called New York City or simply New York , is the most populous city in the United States . With an estimated ___MASK55___ population of 8 , 550 , 405 distributed over a land area of just , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the United States . Located at the southern tip of the state of New York , the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area , one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world . A global power city , New York City exerts a significant impact upon commerce , finance , media , art , fashion , research , technology , education , and entertainment , its fast pace defining the term " New York minute ". Home to the headquarters of the United Nations , New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has been described as the cultural and financial capital of the world .