they told the world Satanists were "Devil Worshippers" when really they were closer to an "Extreme Atheist;"
Agreed with the rest but...honestly? Why would it be called Satanism if it didn't consist of worshiping Satan?
As a man whose these days identifying more and more with Satanism, I'll elaborate. "Satan" is a Hebrew word meaning "adversary." It was first used to label people back when Moses converted the local Egyptian populace from their belief system (I cant remember what it was called) to Judaism. Those who didn't believe this new doctrine were vilified and referred to as 'Opposers of Judaism;' Satanists. This was all 5000 years ago; 3000 years before Christianity first existed, and up until Christianity "Satan" was not a physical entity at all. Judaism doesn't even mention Hell or any kind of 'devil' like figure; there's purgatory and heaven, you wait in Purgatory like a prison for your sins, and then are allowed to go to Heaven. The very idea of Hell and Lucifer was first mentioned in the Bible and even then it's pretty darn vague. Most of what Christians believe about the subject actually came from places like "Paradise Lost" and "Dante's Inferno," penned well after the bible.
Now there are admittedly many different schools of thought on Satanism. The original, traditional, atheistic Satanism which I refer to primarily deriving in the disbelief of all religion involves the belief that you are your own personal God, determining your own destiny. Given the absence of a 'watcher' of your actions, you have to have faith in yourself and no other in order to succeed, and the parameters of success are of your own choosing. It is anti-organised religion and pro-seven-sins, (because it doesn't recognise that there are sins). It is, as I said, a sort of "Extreme Atheist."
Formed at a similar time were those who continued to practice the traditional Egyptian beliefs, which again still exists in the form of "Temple of Set," though over the years have become pretty secretive and very selective of who is permitted into the religious organisation, and quite frankly I suspect they're all a bit nuts. The third largest form is "The Church of Satan," begun accidentally by Anton DeLavey and his "Satanic Bible." This is the one rebellious teens think of when they say they're Satanist and is probably the most moronic idea I've ever heard. It's an organised religion, that if anyone read the book he wrote clearly states 'this is not a religion but a criticism of the church,' that at its core is against all organised religion. An organised religion... against organised religion... based on mocking an organised religion. Yeah...
Not a single one of these worships any form of "Devil" (though of course the Temple of Set holds ceremonies for Beelzebub but the traditional view on him was far from a malicious character, closer to a carer for those who would descend to the underworld; from my understanding - and I'm no expert on Egyptian religion I'd like to point out - everyone went to Tuat, the Egyptian underworld in order to be judged making him more of a "St. Peter" character to christianise it for you. Only those who passed where sent to Osiris to live with the Gods). The closest form I can think of is "Demon Worship" or "Demonology," which I *think* dates back to very early Greece. There are stories of demons everywhere, to whom people would pray to in order to be given some of their power, often involving some form of offering or sacrifice. This is not Satanism, nor is it a religion. It's far closer to Voodoo than anything else. The idea of Satanists "worshipping Satan" is a fiction that has become popular belief thanks to vehement Christians once again talking about things they don't understand.
All that help at all?
