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Theistic Satanism is the belief that Satan is a god or force, and the worship of him. It is a kind of Satanism. It is different from Atheistic Satanism, which sees Satan only as a symbol.
Theistic Satanists do not all believe the same things. Many have their own ideas. They disagree with Anton LaVey, who said that Satan is only a symbol. Both kinds of Satanists may believe in magic and use rituals. But Theistic Satanists also believe that Satan is real and pray to him. Some say people in the past worshipped Satan in the same way, such as La Voisin, a French witch. Some even say they learned Satanism from their family.
History
In history, many people were called Satanists when they only had unusual beliefs. Because of this, it is hard to know if people really worshipped Satan. Paul Tuitean says that the idea of "reverse Christianity" was invented by the Inquisition. George Bataille, however, says that a Black Mass may have existed before the witch trials.
The poetJohn Milton was not a Theistic Satanist. But his poem Paradise Lost inspired many people who later admired Satan. The poet William Blake said that Milton was "of the Devil’s party without knowing it."
Nikolas Schreck[en] says that writers like Milton, Dante, Marlowe, and Goethe created the modern idea of Satan. He argues that these writers had a special "Luciferian vision" and a "diabolical consciousness" that shaped their works.
A depiction of the typical features of historical descriptions of the Black Mass[en]Satan in the Garden of Eden, depicted by William BlakeTheistic Satanists may respectfully work with demons found in traditional grimoires.
Palermo, George B.; Michele C. Del Re: Satanism: Psychiatric and Legal Views (American Series in Behavioral Science and Law) . Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd (November 1999)
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