Oh, My Pop Culture Satan: Let’s Talk About Satanism

If you watch some scary movies this Halloween season, you are going to see some Satanists. They are going to attempt to sacrifice babies and steal souls to gather great power or maybe even try to summon forth a physical manifestation of their dark lord. But what about the Satanist you might happen to meet in real life? Not that there aren’t any hardcore devil-worshippers out there, but odds are, you are more likely to run into a follower of atheistic strains of Satanism, whose world differs enormously from what you have seen on screen.

Quick pentagram field guide: if the point is down, it is probably, though not exclusively, a sign for Satanism (of various kinds). If the point is up, it is most likely being used in Wicca or other forms of neo-paganism. #themoreyouknow