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Originally Posted by The David  LaVey was an occultist, but I think he might be in the minority there. Many Satanists are ruthlessly materialistic, and even some who do magic don't really believe in it, except as a form of catharsis.
Cro could always use the Belief-o-matic.  |
LaVeyan Satanism is atheistic Satanism. He's in the camp that doesn't actually believe the magic does anything. I could be mistaken but I've seen nothing to indicate otherwise and I've always read his work through that lens.
You are correct that occultic Satanists are a minority. I think most are drawn to it because it provides the perks of religion without any of the stigmas. In fact when addressing why Satanists don't simply align themselves with humanism LaVey said that it's because they identify a need for ritual and dogma. He posited that man has a natural inclination to these things and thus needs them in a form that liberates rather than enslaves the mind.