Satanism, the worship of Satan, a figure from Christian belief who is also commonly known as the Devil or Lucifer.

The first major form of modern religious Satanism was the Church of Satan, founded in San Francisco by Anton LaVey in 1966. LaVey also promoted his ideas through books, most notably The Satanic Bible (1969). LaVeyan Satanism was formally atheistic, presenting Satan not as a real being but as a symbol of humanity’s animal nature.

An alternative interpretation of religious Satanism was offered by the Satanic Temple (TST), established in the United States in 2012. While sharing the Church of Satan’s claim that Satan does not literally exist, TST rejected LaVey’s right-libertarian philosophy in favor of a left-leaning progressive one. TST became well-known for stunts in defense of legal abortion access and same-sex marriage, consciously challenging the dominant role of Christianity in much of American society.