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Satanism is a broad term referring to a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs. Satanism includes symbolic association with, or admiration for, Satan, whom Satanists see as an inspiring and liberating figure. It was estimated that there were 50,000 Satanists in 1990. There may now be as many as 100,000 Satanists in the world. Although the public practice of Satanism began with the founding of The Church of Satan in 1966, historical precedents exist: a group called the Ophite Cultus Satanas was founded in Ohio by Herbert Arthur Sloane in 1948. Satanist groups that appeared after the 1960s are widely diverse, but two major trends are theistic Satanism and atheistic Satanism. Theistic Satanists venerate Satan as a supernatural deity, viewing him not as omnipotent but rather as a patriarch. In contrast, atheistic Satanists regard Satan as merely a symbol of certain human traits. There are signs that Satanistic beliefs have become more socially tolerated. Satanism is now allowed in the Royal Navy of the British Armed Forces, despite opposition from Christians,〔(Royal Navy to allow devil worship ) ''CNN''〕〔Carter, Helen. (The devil and the deep blue sea: Navy gives blessing to sailor Satanist ). ''The Guardian''〕〔(Navy approves first ever Satanist ) ''BBC News''〕 and in 2005, the Supreme Court of the United States debated over protecting the religious rights of prison inmates after a lawsuit challenging the issue was filed to them.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Before high court: law that allows for religious rights )〕 Contemporary Satanism is mainly an American phenomenon, the ideas spreading with the effects of globalization and the Internet.〔 The Internet promotes awareness of other Satanists, and is also the main battleground for the definitions of Satanism today.〔 Satanism started to reach Eastern Europe in the 1990s, in time with the fall of the Soviet Union, and most noticeably in Poland and Lithuania, predominantly Roman Catholic countries. ==Historical background== European Enlightenment, some works, such as ''Paradise Lost'', were taken up by Romantics like Byron and described as presenting the biblical figure of Satan as an allegory representing a crisis of faith, individualism, free will, wisdom and enlightenment. Those works actually featuring Satan as a heroic character are fewer in number but do exist. George Bernard Shaw and Mark Twain (cf. ''Letters from the Earth'') included such characterizations in their works long before religious Satanists took up the pen. From then on, Satan and Satanism started to gain a new meaning outside of Christianity. 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「satanism」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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