Church of Satan

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The Church of Satan (CoS) is a religious group dedicated to Satanism as defined by Anton Szandor LaVey. Founded in San Francisco in 1966, by LaVey, it is considered the "oldest satanic religion in continual existence", and inspired "numerous imitator and breakaway groups". In its early years, the CoS, and the Church's holy text, The Satanic Bible, sold nearly a million copies. LaVey was the church's High Priest until his death in 1997. In 2002, Peter H. Gilmore was appointed to the position of high priest, and the church's headquarters were moved to Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. Members do not believe that Satan literally exists and do not worship him, seeing the figure of Satan instead as a representation of individualism and personal freedom. The Church of Satan's belief system focuses on a materialistic, atheistic view, though LaVey's writings also involved ritual magic. Throughout its existence, the Church of Satan has undergone a number of schisms, resulting in the existence...

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