Customer Reviews
The most dangerous book of the century NOT - By: Ashtar Command, 23 Aug 2008 
When I was a teenager, the Satanic Bible was considered to be the worst & most dangerous book ever written, with the possible exceptions of "Mein Kampf" & "The Anarchist Cookbook". Everyone was talking about it, but nobody had actually read it. I believe they sold copies of itin some dim-lit corner of the local science fiction bookstore. Naturally, the Church of Satan were considered to be dangerous extremists, & their black-painted churchin San Fransisco sure looked spooky.
Or did it? Well, not really. When I finally read "The Satanic Bible", I was very disappointed. *This* is supposedly the most dangerous book ever written?! You gotta be kidding. And, of course, Anton Szandor LaVey *is* kidding. His Church of Satan isn't really Satanist at all, & uses the designation mostly to provoke people, Christiansin particular. If anything, "The Satanic Bible" is libertarian & hedonistic. When I read it, it struck me that the morality of LaVey, considered shocking 40 years ago, is actually embraced by most people today. Has the West gone Satanic? Hardly, but it has become more overtly secularized, liberal & hedonistic than it was on Walpurgisnacht 1966, when LaVey supposedly shaved his head & formed his black arts organization.
True, the Satanic Bible does contain statements that sound distinctly fascist. But it's obvious from context that this is simply another provocation, especially since these portions are deliberately plagiarized from a 19th century parody of Social Darwinism, "Might is Right". LaVey actually condemns most practices usually associated with Satanism: human sacrifice, rape, wanton violence, child molestation. Ironically, if people would follow the precepts of the Satanic Bible, they would probably be better behaved than they are! But, of course, they *would* throw the occasional kinky sado-masochistic fetish party. Perhapsin 10 years, even that will be considered normal. Strictly speaking, LaVey isn't a moral relativist or nihilist, but rather a believerin a secular version of "an eye for an eye, & a tooth for a tooth", which really isn't controversial, once the principle is correctly understood. (The fetish parties might be.)
When one reads LaVey's tract, one wonders why he didn't simply become a hedonistic atheist? The answer comesin the latter sections, where it turns out that LaVey actually believedin magic (well, sort of). But his magic borders the ridiculous, & perhaps functions mostly on a symbolic level. Indeed, the present leader of the Church of Satan explainsin a foreword to the black bible that the magical rituals are simply "powerful psychodrama". Indeed, the idea of sticking needlesin voodoo dolls to harm your enemies would strike most people as...well, hardly worth reporting to local law enforcement. Perhaps the rituals of LaVey's followers *do* have a powerful psychological effect on people, & I sometimes get the impression that at least some people would be better off chilling down & getting out more, Satanic Bible style, myself included, LOL.
But dangerous it is not.
So why do some people still consider this book to be precisely that? Some might object to its hedonism, & that would at least be a serious-minded criticism. But many others are apparently still outraged by the Satanist label. Christians are offended, but so are secular people, since Satanism is associated with child molestation or drugs. I heartily recommend "The Satanic Bible" to all such people. Read it & make up your own minds.
Hail Satan! :-)
Amazon. Pls. remove this item. I hope you guys will not be thrown in the lake of fire (hell). - By: In Jesus name, 04 Aug 2008 
You devils of Satan, I command youin the name of Jesus to loose these people, I come against you with the blood of Jesus, I standin the power that Jesus has invested on me, I cast you out into dry places & never to return. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I'm sorry guys, I need to say all of these for your sake.
Apparently... - By: Mr. A. Lane, 24 Jun 2008 
Well basically I got this as a present for someone because I knew they'd find it interesting/informative/whatever. So I can't vouch personally for it, but it's supposedly a brilliant read; Neither myself nor the recipient are religious people but this is recommended for anyone that wants to get some information on the subject without any propaganda or other general crap fogging up the facts.
How Much is My Soul Worth Satan?????????????Sold!!!!! - By: Mr England, 11 May 2008 As a proud Heathen (I like the warrior culture of my English/Germanic ancestors) I am extremely Anti-Christian so I had to read this book. I believe that the Jewish/Roman cult of Jesus is the true EVIL that has stolen a great deal from humanity. Therfore I have always had sympathy for the Devil as I have always viewed him as the good guy, wanting us to enjoy the simple pleasuresin life, cursed by the evil Christians to look half man, half goat after the Greek Pagan God of mischieve 'Pan'. Older pagan religions have always had a God of fun and/or sex & the Christians have moulded those traits together into our modern view of the Devil to frighten us away from our true nature to make us easier to manipulate. So I view the Devil has a fun figure & the Christian God as a control freak, denying us the pleasure of life for a slaveryin death.
I would review this book as one guys attempt to tell you how to live your life. It was writtenin Americain the 60's during the 'Hippie Age' & is full of sex & rebelllion. He tells us how to have a 'black mass' which is basically having sex infront of people whilst sticking 2 fingers up at Jesus & society. I found myself agreeing with his preaching but he didnt tell me anything i didnt already know. 'Do what thy wilt' is the biggest messagein the book.
This is not a dark evil book that you would expect, the author whom is the founder of the church of Satan doesnt even care or believein the Devil himself & seems only concerned with weird sex rituals. This is a very small book that is okay to read & does have some very good chapters, but a little boring & preachy at times, but it is probably worth a quick read.
This book understands me! - By: Ghost of Kai, 24 Mar 2008 
I bought myself a copy of this book 4 years ago from amazon. The front cover is the first thing that interested me...dark & evil...brandishing a pentagramin front of me! So, I bought it, it arrived a few days later & I started to read. And, oh what a read it was. So different to anything else, I thought at last a book that understands me. I've done the church thing - it just didn't cut it for me - but the Satanic Bible is something else. LaVey's persepective is so very different & is so worth reading. The book isn't telling you to do certain things, it's more like a set of guidelines for you to follow. He was a very intelligent man & his books were very much the same.
