Nine Satanic Sins

The Nine Satanic Sins is one of three works Anton LaVey identifies as expressing the crux of Satanism. In the account of his philosophy, the two sins he particularly emphasizes are stupidity, described as paramount, and pretentiousness, which closely follows. The passage does not enumerate the remaining sins, but places the work within a view of Satanism centered on choosing and dwelling on what best suits one’s life.

Place in LaVey’s Philosophy

LaVey groups the Nine Satanic Sins with the Satanic Rules of the Earth and Pentagonal Revisionism as central statements of Satanism. His account presents the philosophy not as a fixation on evil for its own sake, but as an orientation toward earthly indulgence and what a person finds important. The brief emphasis on stupidity and pretentiousness gives the discussion a pointed tone: it rejects both unthinking conduct and the pose of independence when that pose is merely reflexive opposition.

Contrast with Black Metal

LaVey distinguishes this account of Satanism from the Black Metal musicians discussed in the same interview. He characterizes their concentration on death and self-destruction as the opposite of self-indulgence. The contrast matters because the surrounding discussion treats Satanism as a label with competing meanings: an articulated philosophy in LaVey’s account, and an identity some young people adopted while cultivating an image of evil.

Public Associations and Limits

Media coverage could blur those distinctions. In discussing Black Metal, Asbjørn Dyrendal describes coverage that helped create an impression of a broad Satanic assault on Christians, prompting fearful responses from police and churchgoers. In a later Norwegian case involving desecration at a chapel, tabloids speculated about Satanic ritual and some commentators called for Black Metal to be outlawed. The account cautions against treating such speculation as an explanation: the former band member at the center of that case had been excluded from the scene, and psychological and drug-related factors were considered more likely contributors than music or Satanism. None of these accounts identifies the Nine Satanic Sins as a motive or guide for the acts; they instead show how readily the public label of Satanism could be attached to conduct without evidence of that connection.