Abstract:

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.

Author: James Roger Lewis