First, although this information is hardly prominently displayed on the product page, this is actually a RUSSIAN TRANSLATION of Anton LaVey’s original Satanic Bible. Sheesh, Amazon! Maybe this is the kind of thing you should make a bit more obvious, don’t you think?

Those who are looking for the original English language version can find it by clicking here.

Anyway… In case anyone’s still interested, here’s the review I wrote for the English version:

***

“Intelligent and Interesting, but also Inconsistent”

The Satanic Bible certainly makes for an entertaining read. If nothing else, LaVey was an intelligent and highly talented author and humorist. He also sets forth a reasonably compelling argument for a life of pure egoistic hedonism. And let’s be honest: from a contemporary scientific standpoint, it is very difficult to mount any rational counter argument as to why we should not live our lives in this way.

However, LaVey combines this position with a number of magical rituals. And while there are times when he speaks of these rituals simply as psychodrama, there are also times when he speaks quite clearly of them as having real, physical effects. This is where things get tricky.

If you believe that we are just animals in a universe that is pretty much the one described by modern science, then the idea that magical rituals actually work is self evidently absurd. On the other hand, if you believe that magical rituals work, then there is clearly far more to the universe than is even dreamed of by our science. If that is the case, then the scorn that LaVey unceasingly pours on any kind of spiritual approach to life becomes far more open to question.

Of course, the idea that “there are more things in Heaven and Earth” does not necessarily imply that any of the mainstream religions are actually right. But it does at least open up the door to the possibility that values like forgiveness and self sacrifice may not be pure hokum. LaVey simply ignores this rather obvious line of reasoning.

On that basis I am inclined to see Satanism, or at least the form of it expounded in this book, as ultimately a matter of faith. As much as LaVey or any other religious leader may ridicule the views of the competition, at the bedrock all we are left with is raw assertion.

On a more down to Earth level, we must also deal with widespread reports that LaVey ended his days in a state of real poverty. Given that he quite openly claimed to have wholly materialistic aspirations, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that his rituals simply don’t work.

I also have other qualms about the Satanic Bible. Specifically, as to whether the author really believed in its contents. From a strictly philosophical point of view this is technically irrelevant: any given claim must stand or fall on its own, irrespective of the views of its proponents. But in the real world, most of us would like to know if those arguing for a given position truly believe in what they are saying. And if we are to take the Satanic Bible in its broader context (by which I mean remarks made elsewhere by both LaVey and by current and estranged followers) there are inconsistencies.

In the Satanic Bible, LaVey expounds what is now known as “atheistic Satanism”. In a nutshell, this means treating Satan as no more than a symbol of certain fundamental truths, or of certain aspects of our own nature. In atheistic Satanism, there is no belief in a personal devil. Yet if you do a bit of Googling on your own, you’ll discover that it’s quite easy to find many, many reports of LaVey speaking of Satan as a real entity. These reports appear to come from sources ranging from estranged follower Michael Aquino (founder of the Temple of Set) to LaVey’s own final wife and authorized biographer Blanche Barton. I should make it clear that I haven’t checked out the sources of these claims carefully. But I can definitively tell you that if you care to look on YouTube, it’s very easy to find footage of LaVey himself speaking of Satan or “the devil” as if he actually exists.

Given the current schism between theistic and atheistic Satanists, I for one would find it ironic if the chief architect and advocate of atheistic Satanism was a theist at heart. If you are interested in doing a little background research on your own, you might like to start by viewing the documentary “Satanis” (Satanis the Devil’s Mass / Sinthia the Devil’s Doll). This is available for sale here on Amazon, but you can also view it for free on YouTube – or at least, most of it. The…

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