SATANISM

a religion based upon Satan, either as a form of deity or as a principle. Adherents follow simple rules of behavior: give kindness to those who deserve it; indulge in your lusts and wants; return vengeance rather than turning the other cheek. With some justification, Satanism has been called the religion of the U.S. corporate boardroom. Although their beliefs are different from Christianity , Satanists are not particularly anti-Christian any more than they are anti- Hindu or anti- Buddhist . However, some have included references opposing Wicca in their rituals. Essentially all Satanists are either teenage dabblers, or members of the Church of Satan, Temple of Set or Church of Satanic Liberation. Their total membership in North America is unknown, but probably numbers in the many thousands, and appears to be decreasing. Conservative usage: a violently anti-Christian religion worshipping Satan. Some are teenage dabblers; others are religious Satanists belonging to an established church or temple; others are mass murderers; still others form a secret, underground international, multi-generational conspiracy which engages in Satanic Ritual Abus e and human sacrifices - usually of infants or children. Membership rapidly rising. Some Fundamentalists define all non-Christian faith groups as Satanic; by this definition, two out of three people in the world are Satanists.