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The Church of Satan is an international organization dedicated to the religion of LaVeyan Satanism as codified in ''The Satanic Bible''. The Church of Satan was established at the Black House in San Francisco, California, on Walpurgisnacht, April 30, 1966, by Anton Szandor LaVey, who was the church's High Priest until his death in 1997. In 2001, Peter H. Gilmore was appointed to the position of high priest, and the church's headquarters were moved to Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. The church does not believe in or worship a literal supernatural Satan. High priest Peter Gilmore describes its members as "skeptical atheists", indicating the Hebrew root of the word "Satan" as "opposer" or "one who questions". Gilmore rejects the legitimacy of theistic Satanists, who believe Satan to be a supernatural being or force that may be contacted or supplicated to, dubbing them "devil worshipers".〔 The Church of Satan describes its structural basis as a cabal that is "an underground cell-system of individuals who share the basis of () philosophy".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Myth of the Satanic Community - churchofsatan.com )〕 Membership to the Church of Satan is available on two levels: registered membership and active membership.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Join the Church of Satan )〕 Registered members are those who choose to affiliate on a formal level by filing out the required information and sending a one time registration fee of two-hundred dollars, whereupon the applicant will receive an "embossed crimson card" declaring them a member of the Church of Satan.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Registered Membership - churchofsatan.com )〕 Active membership is available for those who wish to take a more active role in the organization, and is subject to the completion of a more comprehensive application.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Active Membership - churchofsatan.com )〕 The church provides wedding and funeral services to members. Such ceremonies are performed by a member of the church's priesthood.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Diabolical Endeavors - churchofsatan.com )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=F.A.Q. Ritual and Ceremony - churchofsatan.com )〕 ''The Satanic Wedding Ceremony'' and ''The Satanic Funeral Rite'' were first made available to the public when published in The Satanic Scriptures. The Church of Satan promotes itself as the only authentic representation of Satanism, and routinely publishes materials underscoring this contention. The church rejects the legitimacy of any other organizations who claim to be Satanists.〔Wikinews:Satanism: An interview with Church of Satan High Priest Peter Gilmore〕 ==Beliefs== The church does not believe in or worship the Devil or a Christian notion of Satan. High priest Peter Gilmore describes its members as "skeptical atheists", indicating the Hebrew root of the word "Satan" as "opposer" or "one who questions". Gilmore rejects the legitimacy of theistic Satanists, who believe Satan to be a supernatural being or force that may be contacted or supplicated to, dubbing them "devil worshipers".〔 In an interview with David Shankbone, High Priest Peter Gilmore stated "My real feeling is that anybody who believes in supernatural entities on some level is insane. Whether they believe in the Devil or God, they are abdicating reason".〔 Gilmore defines the word "Satan": "Satan is a model or a mode of behavior. Satan in Hebrew means 'adversary' or 'opposer'; one who questions."〔 Gilmore went on to add "Satanism begins with atheism. We begin with the universe and say, 'It’s indifferent. There’s no God, there’s no Devil. No one cares!'"〔Interview with Peter H. Gilmore, David Shankbone, ''Wikinews', November 5, 2007.〕 The church has stated its contention that they are the first formally organized religion to adopt the term "Satanism" and asserts that Satanism and the 'worship of Satan' are not congruent.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Church of Satan )〕 The term "Theistic Satanism" has been described as "oxymoronic" by the church and its High Priest.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=F.A.Q. Fundamental Beliefs )〕 The fundamentals of the church's philosophy are synthesized in The Satanic Bible, as well as ''The Nine Satanic Statements'',〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Nine Satanic Statements )〕 ''The Nine Satanic Sins'',〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Nine Satanic Sins )〕 and ''The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth''.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Church of Satan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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