Introduction

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the history of Satanism. As an open identity, Satanism only became possible in a time when Christianity’s hold on legal systems and social norms weakened. In that sense, Satanism is a direct product of secularization. As a religious practice or coherent system of thought, Satanism did not exist any earlier than around the year 1900, when pioneers like Stanislaw Przybyszewski and Ben Kadosh appeared. However, strands of Satanic thought can be found in a series of instances prior to this, and some of these early ideas remain influential today. The chapter also looks at the establishment of groups like the Church of Satan, the Process Church of the Final Judgement, the Temple of Set, and the Order of the Nine Angles. While never a numerically significant religion, Satanism’s controversial and confrontational character makes it an excellent case study for discussing broader methodological and theoretical issues.