Satanism: A Social History
by Massimo Introvigne
Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2016. x + 658 pp., hardcover, $255.
When you talk about Satanism, certain problems immediately arise. With other religions, identification depends on self-identification. Christians are those who call themselves Christians; Muslims are those who call themselves Muslims. With Satanism, it is not so. Many people labeled as Satanists are nothing of the kind—everything from Wiccans and Pagans to people who read Tarot cards. Thus a scholarly study of Satanism—that is, of people who identify themselves as Satanists—is welcome. Nevertheless, this work also dedicates a great deal of space to anti-Satanists, because the picture is not complete without them. Read More
by Massimo Introvigne
Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2016. x + 658 pp., hardcover, $255.
When you talk about Satanism, certain problems immediately arise. With other religions, identification depends on self-identification. Christians are those who call themselves Christians; Muslims are those who call themselves Muslims. With Satanism, it is not so. Many people labeled as Satanists are nothing of the kind—everything from Wiccans and Pagans to people who read Tarot cards. Thus a scholarly study of Satanism—that is, of people who identify themselves as Satanists—is welcome. Nevertheless, this work also dedicates a great deal of space to anti-Satanists, because the picture is not complete without them. Read More