Fit for the Devil
Toward an Understanding of 'Conversion' to Satanism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.v1i1.117Keywords:
Satanism, Paganism, Conversion, IdentityAbstract
With the exception of a certain subgenre of professional literature that focuses on the ‘problem’ of adolescent Satanism, there have been no systematic analyses of how people become Satanists. The present article brings data from questionnaire research to bear on this issue, and draws on discussions of conversion to other alternative religions – particularly to contemporary Paganism – as lenses through which to interpret conversion to Satanism. The paper’s conclusion also raises the question of whether declaring oneself to be a member of an anarchistic Internet religion should properly be considered ‘conversion’ or whether it would be more appropriate to regard the adoption of the label ‘Satanist’ as being a form of identity construction.
References
Adler, Margot. 1979 Drawing Down the Moon. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Barker, Eileen. 1984 The Making of a Moonie: Choice or Brainwashing? Oxford: Blackwell.
Berger, Helen A., Evan A Leach and Leigh S. Shaffer. 2003 Voices from the Pagan Census: A National Survey of Witches and Neo-Pagans in the United States. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press.
Berger, Helen A., and Douglas Ezzy. 2007a Teenage Witches: Magical Youth and the Search for Self. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Bobineau, Olivier, ed. 2008 Le Satanisme. Quel danger pour la société? Mesnil-sur-l’Estrée: Pygmalion.
Bromley, David G. and James T. Richardson. 1983 The Brainwashing/Deprogramming Controversy. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen.
Cerulo, Karen A. 1997 “Identity Construction: New Issues, New Directions.” Annual Review of Sociology 23: 385-409. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.23.1.385
Cush, Denise. 2007 “Wise Young Women: Beliefs, values and influences in the adoption of Witchcraft by teenage girls in England.” In The New Generation Witches: Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture, edited by Hannah E. Johnston and Peg Aloi, 139–153. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Dawson, Lorne L. 2003 “Who Joins New Religions and Why: Twenty Years of Research and What Have We Learned?” In Cults and New Religions: A Reader, edited by Lorne L. Dawson, 116–130. Oxford: Blackwell.
Dyrendal, Asbjørn. 2008 “Devilish Consumption: Popular Culture in Satanic Socialization.” Numen 55: 68–98. doi:10.1163/156852708X289009
2009 “Darkness Within: Satanism as Self-Religion.” In Contemporary Religious Satanism, edited by Jesper A. Petersen, 59–72. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Ezzy, Douglas and Helen A. Berger. 2007b “Becoming a Witch: Changing Paths of Conversion in Contemporary Witchcraft.” In The New Generation Witches: Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture, edited by Hannah E. Johnston and Peg Aloi, 41–55. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Fügmann, Dagmar. 2009 Zeitgenössischer Satanismus in Deutschland. Marburg: Tectum Verlag
Gallagher, Eugene. 1994 “A Religion Without Converts? Becoming a Neo-pagan.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 62(3): 851–868. doi:10.1093/jaarel/LXII.3.851
Giddens, Anthony. 1991 Modernity and Self-Identity. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.
Harvey, Graham. 1995 “Satanism in Britain Today.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 10: 283–296. doi:10.1080/13537909508580747
1999 Contemporary Paganism: Listening People, Speaking Earth. New York: New York University Press.
2009 “Satanism: Performing Alterity and Othering.” In Contemporary Religious Satanism, edited by Jesper A. Petersen, 27–39. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Heelas, Paul. 2002 “The Spiritual Revolution: From ‘Religion’ to ‘Spirituality.’” In Religions in the Modern World, edited by Linda Woodhead, et al., 412–436. London: Routledge.
Hjelm, Titus, ed. 2009 Special Issue on Satanism. Social Compass. 56(4).
Johnston, Hannah E. and Peg Aloi, eds. 2007 The New Generation Witches: Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Kilbourne, Brock and James Richardson. 1988 “Paradigm Conflict, Types of Conversion and Conversion Theories.” Sociological Analysis 50(1): 1–21. doi:10.2307/3710915
LaVey, Anton Szandor. 1969 The Satanic Bible. New York: Avon.
Levine, Saul V. 1984 Radical Departures: Desperate Detours to Growing Up. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Lewis, James R. 1997 Seeking the Light. Los Angeles: Mandeville Press.
2001 “Who Serves Satan? A Demographic and Ideological Profile.” Marburg Journal of Religious Studies 6(2): 1–25.
2002 “Diabolical Authority: Anton LaVey, The Satanic Bible and the Satanist Tradition.” Marburg Journal of Religious Studies 7(1) 1–16.
2006 “New Data on Who Joins NRM’s and Why: A Case Study of the Order of Christ/Sophia.” Journal of Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies 2: 91–104.
2007 “The Pagan Explosion.” In The New Generation Witches: Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture, edited by Hannah E. Johnston and Peg Aloi, 13–24. Aldershot: Ashgate.
2009a “Review of Chris Mathews, Modern Satanism: Anatomy of a Radical Subculture.” Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review 1(1): 109–113.
2009b “The Devil’s Demographics.” Paper Presented at the Satanism in the Modern World Conference, November 19-20. Trondheim, Norway.
Lewis, James R. and Jesper Aagaard Petersen, eds. 2008 Encyclopedic Sourcebook of Satanism. Amherst: Prometheus Books.
Lewis, James R. and Nicholas M. Levine. 2010 Children of Jesus and Mary: The Order of Christ Sophia. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lofland, John, and Rodney Stark. 1965 “Becoming a World-Saver: A Theory of conversion to a Deviant Perspective.” American Sociological Review 30(6): 863–674. doi:10.2307/2090965
Lucas, Phillip. 1995 The Odyssey of a New Religion. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
Mathews, Chris. 2009 Modern Satanism: Anatomy of a Radical Subculture. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.
Moody, Edward J. 1974 “Magical Therapy: An Anthropological Investigation of Contemporary Satanism.” In Religious Movements in Contemporary America, edited by Irving I. Zaretsky and Mark P. Leone, 355–382. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Moriarty, Anthony. 1992 The Psychology of Adolescent Satanism: A Guide for Parents, Counselors, Clergy, and Teachers.Santa Barbara, Ca: Praeger.
Neitz, Mary Jo. 1987 Charisma and Community: A Study of Religious Commitment within the Charismatic Renewal. New Brunswick: Transaction.
Otten, Allen and Rick Myers. 1998 Coping with Satanism: Rumor, Reality, and Controversy. Revised Edition. New York: Rosen Publishing Group.
Palmer, Susan J. 1993 “Rajneesh Women: Lovers and Leaders in a Utopian Commune.” In The Rajneesh Papers: Studies in a New Religious Movement, edited by Susan J. Palmer and Arvind Sharma, 103–135. Motilal Banarsidass.
Partridge, Christopher and Eric Christianson, eds. 2009 The Lure of the Dark Side: Satan and Western Demonology in Popular Culture. London: Equinox.
Petersen, Jesper Aagard, ed. 2002 Special Issue on Satanism. Syzygy: Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture 11.
2005 “Modern Satanism: Dark Doctrines and Black Flames.” In Controversial New Religions, edited by James R. Lewis and Jesper A. Petersen, 423–455. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
2009a Contemporary Religious Satanism. aldershot: ashgate.
2009b “Satanists and Nuts: The Role of Schisms in Modern Satanism.” In Sacred Schisms: How Religions Divide, edited by James R. Lewis and Sarah Lewis, 218–247. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
RavenWolf, Silver. 1999 Teen Witch: Wicca for a New Generation. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn.
Reid, Síân. 2009 “‘A Religion Without Converts’ Revisited: Individuals, Identity and Com- munity in Contemporary Paganism.” In Handbook of Contemporary Pagan- ism, edited by Murphy Pizza and James R. Lewis, 171–191. Leiden: Brill
Richardson, James T., Joel Best and David G. Bromley. 1991 The Satanism Scare. Berlin: Aldine de Gruyter.
Richardson, James T. and Mary W. Stewart. 1977 “Conversion Process Models and the Jesus Movement.” American Behavioral Scientist 20(6): 819–838.
Schmidt, Joachim. 1992 Satanismus: Mythos und Wirklichkeit. Marburg: Diagonal Verlag.
Tipton, Steven M. 1982 Getting Saved from the Sixties. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Victor, Jeffrey. 1993 Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend. Chicago, IL: Open Court.
Barker, Eileen. 1984 The Making of a Moonie: Choice or Brainwashing? Oxford: Blackwell.
Berger, Helen A., Evan A Leach and Leigh S. Shaffer. 2003 Voices from the Pagan Census: A National Survey of Witches and Neo-Pagans in the United States. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press.
Berger, Helen A., and Douglas Ezzy. 2007a Teenage Witches: Magical Youth and the Search for Self. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Bobineau, Olivier, ed. 2008 Le Satanisme. Quel danger pour la société? Mesnil-sur-l’Estrée: Pygmalion.
Bromley, David G. and James T. Richardson. 1983 The Brainwashing/Deprogramming Controversy. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen.
Cerulo, Karen A. 1997 “Identity Construction: New Issues, New Directions.” Annual Review of Sociology 23: 385-409. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.23.1.385
Cush, Denise. 2007 “Wise Young Women: Beliefs, values and influences in the adoption of Witchcraft by teenage girls in England.” In The New Generation Witches: Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture, edited by Hannah E. Johnston and Peg Aloi, 139–153. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Dawson, Lorne L. 2003 “Who Joins New Religions and Why: Twenty Years of Research and What Have We Learned?” In Cults and New Religions: A Reader, edited by Lorne L. Dawson, 116–130. Oxford: Blackwell.
Dyrendal, Asbjørn. 2008 “Devilish Consumption: Popular Culture in Satanic Socialization.” Numen 55: 68–98. doi:10.1163/156852708X289009
2009 “Darkness Within: Satanism as Self-Religion.” In Contemporary Religious Satanism, edited by Jesper A. Petersen, 59–72. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Ezzy, Douglas and Helen A. Berger. 2007b “Becoming a Witch: Changing Paths of Conversion in Contemporary Witchcraft.” In The New Generation Witches: Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture, edited by Hannah E. Johnston and Peg Aloi, 41–55. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Fügmann, Dagmar. 2009 Zeitgenössischer Satanismus in Deutschland. Marburg: Tectum Verlag
Gallagher, Eugene. 1994 “A Religion Without Converts? Becoming a Neo-pagan.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 62(3): 851–868. doi:10.1093/jaarel/LXII.3.851
Giddens, Anthony. 1991 Modernity and Self-Identity. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.
Harvey, Graham. 1995 “Satanism in Britain Today.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 10: 283–296. doi:10.1080/13537909508580747
1999 Contemporary Paganism: Listening People, Speaking Earth. New York: New York University Press.
2009 “Satanism: Performing Alterity and Othering.” In Contemporary Religious Satanism, edited by Jesper A. Petersen, 27–39. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Heelas, Paul. 2002 “The Spiritual Revolution: From ‘Religion’ to ‘Spirituality.’” In Religions in the Modern World, edited by Linda Woodhead, et al., 412–436. London: Routledge.
Hjelm, Titus, ed. 2009 Special Issue on Satanism. Social Compass. 56(4).
Johnston, Hannah E. and Peg Aloi, eds. 2007 The New Generation Witches: Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Kilbourne, Brock and James Richardson. 1988 “Paradigm Conflict, Types of Conversion and Conversion Theories.” Sociological Analysis 50(1): 1–21. doi:10.2307/3710915
LaVey, Anton Szandor. 1969 The Satanic Bible. New York: Avon.
Levine, Saul V. 1984 Radical Departures: Desperate Detours to Growing Up. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Lewis, James R. 1997 Seeking the Light. Los Angeles: Mandeville Press.
2001 “Who Serves Satan? A Demographic and Ideological Profile.” Marburg Journal of Religious Studies 6(2): 1–25.
2002 “Diabolical Authority: Anton LaVey, The Satanic Bible and the Satanist Tradition.” Marburg Journal of Religious Studies 7(1) 1–16.
2006 “New Data on Who Joins NRM’s and Why: A Case Study of the Order of Christ/Sophia.” Journal of Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies 2: 91–104.
2007 “The Pagan Explosion.” In The New Generation Witches: Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture, edited by Hannah E. Johnston and Peg Aloi, 13–24. Aldershot: Ashgate.
2009a “Review of Chris Mathews, Modern Satanism: Anatomy of a Radical Subculture.” Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review 1(1): 109–113.
2009b “The Devil’s Demographics.” Paper Presented at the Satanism in the Modern World Conference, November 19-20. Trondheim, Norway.
Lewis, James R. and Jesper Aagaard Petersen, eds. 2008 Encyclopedic Sourcebook of Satanism. Amherst: Prometheus Books.
Lewis, James R. and Nicholas M. Levine. 2010 Children of Jesus and Mary: The Order of Christ Sophia. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lofland, John, and Rodney Stark. 1965 “Becoming a World-Saver: A Theory of conversion to a Deviant Perspective.” American Sociological Review 30(6): 863–674. doi:10.2307/2090965
Lucas, Phillip. 1995 The Odyssey of a New Religion. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
Mathews, Chris. 2009 Modern Satanism: Anatomy of a Radical Subculture. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.
Moody, Edward J. 1974 “Magical Therapy: An Anthropological Investigation of Contemporary Satanism.” In Religious Movements in Contemporary America, edited by Irving I. Zaretsky and Mark P. Leone, 355–382. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Moriarty, Anthony. 1992 The Psychology of Adolescent Satanism: A Guide for Parents, Counselors, Clergy, and Teachers.Santa Barbara, Ca: Praeger.
Neitz, Mary Jo. 1987 Charisma and Community: A Study of Religious Commitment within the Charismatic Renewal. New Brunswick: Transaction.
Otten, Allen and Rick Myers. 1998 Coping with Satanism: Rumor, Reality, and Controversy. Revised Edition. New York: Rosen Publishing Group.
Palmer, Susan J. 1993 “Rajneesh Women: Lovers and Leaders in a Utopian Commune.” In The Rajneesh Papers: Studies in a New Religious Movement, edited by Susan J. Palmer and Arvind Sharma, 103–135. Motilal Banarsidass.
Partridge, Christopher and Eric Christianson, eds. 2009 The Lure of the Dark Side: Satan and Western Demonology in Popular Culture. London: Equinox.
Petersen, Jesper Aagard, ed. 2002 Special Issue on Satanism. Syzygy: Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture 11.
2005 “Modern Satanism: Dark Doctrines and Black Flames.” In Controversial New Religions, edited by James R. Lewis and Jesper A. Petersen, 423–455. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
2009a Contemporary Religious Satanism. aldershot: ashgate.
2009b “Satanists and Nuts: The Role of Schisms in Modern Satanism.” In Sacred Schisms: How Religions Divide, edited by James R. Lewis and Sarah Lewis, 218–247. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
RavenWolf, Silver. 1999 Teen Witch: Wicca for a New Generation. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn.
Reid, Síân. 2009 “‘A Religion Without Converts’ Revisited: Individuals, Identity and Com- munity in Contemporary Paganism.” In Handbook of Contemporary Pagan- ism, edited by Murphy Pizza and James R. Lewis, 171–191. Leiden: Brill
Richardson, James T., Joel Best and David G. Bromley. 1991 The Satanism Scare. Berlin: Aldine de Gruyter.
Richardson, James T. and Mary W. Stewart. 1977 “Conversion Process Models and the Jesus Movement.” American Behavioral Scientist 20(6): 819–838.
Schmidt, Joachim. 1992 Satanismus: Mythos und Wirklichkeit. Marburg: Diagonal Verlag.
Tipton, Steven M. 1982 Getting Saved from the Sixties. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Victor, Jeffrey. 1993 Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend. Chicago, IL: Open Court.
Published
2010-07-29
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Lewis, J. R. (2010). Fit for the Devil: Toward an Understanding of ’Conversion’ to Satanism. International Journal for the Study of New Religions, 1(1), 117-138. https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.v1i1.117
