This page groups denominations by how they are governed. Wikipedia notes that "the Catholic Church, led by the Bishop of Rome and the bishops worldwide in communion with him, is a communion of 24 Churches sui iuris." Browsing by polity lets a visitor compare a centrally governed denomination against one built from independent congregations.
Facts
Overview
What Defines This GroupingOrganised movements that have taken Satan as their central symbol or figure since the mid twentieth century. They divide sharply over whether Satan is a real being or a deliberate symbol of self-determination and of opposition to imposed authority; several are explicitly atheistic. 2 Origins
Origin PeriodFrom 1966: organised Satanism dates from the founding of the Church of Satan in San Francisco. What was called satanism before that is very largely a construction of its accusers rather than a movement that existed. 2 Status
Status TodayLiving: these are current organisations with stated doctrine, public membership and a documented history, and are described here in the present tense. 2 Contested Use
Contested or Appropriated Modern UseThe satanic panic of the 1980s and 1990s attributed organised ritual crime to these movements. The allegations were investigated and not substantiated, and the episode is now studied as a moral panic. 2 Learn More
The currents of modern Satanism
This group holds the organised currents of modern Satanism, a set of new religious and philosophical movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. These are diverse and often mutually critical, and most are best understood not as devil-worship but as movements that adopt Satan as a symbol of self-determination or opposition.
The browser will find atheistic and symbolic forms, which treat Satan as an emblem of individualism rather than a literal being, alongside theistic currents. The atlas describes each group's stated philosophy and origin, distinguishing them from the imagined satanism of moral panics.
Congregational: each congregation self-governing
Filter Results1 entry
Sources
1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Tree
2. Satanism: A Social History
Divinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptions
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