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Strange History

40 Facts about the Church of Satan

Anton Szandor LaVey - Church of Satan

14. LaVey was partly inspired to found the Church when he saw the same people turn up at his places of work: a church and a strip club

A monk and his mistress are punished together, in Southern France, late 13th or early 14th century. History Extra

When LaVey was making a living professional musician, his skills on the organ and Wurlitzer were in demand at strip clubs, bars… and churches. Yes, until he founded his infamous, anti-Christian Church, the Black Pope was a church organist. But this was no double life: LaVey soon realized that he was playing to the same audience at both Sunday Mass and the strip clubs he worked at in the evenings. ‘I knew then that the Christian Church thrives on hypocrisy, and that man’s carnal nature will out’, said LaVey. The experience was important to the foundation of his own Church…

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I am a freelance historical and literary writer based in West Yorkshire, UK. I read for a funded PhD in English at the University of Oxford (Magdalen College) and graduated in 2016. I am a former lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London. My publications include peer-reviewed articles in academic publications, and pieces in mainstream magazines such as History Today and Fortean Times. For more information, please see www.drflight.co.uk

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