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Alright, so I've been really digging into this whole Satanism thing. I find most of it very compelling, and I've been implementing many satanic ideals into my life. Now, although I do find LaVey's writings and other such things very thought-provoking...I look at it all and I see a lot of marketing and publicity rackets, especially with his image. On some sites I've looked at he has been accused of changing his name from Howard Stanton Levey, abusing animals, and having been quite contradictory to his own rules. Now, I don't find it shocking at all...I'm just curious on everyones opinion of this. Is it true? Is it nonsense? Oh, and I still find what he wrote to be very influential, even if he himself were a complete fraud. It isn't about him. Its about the teachings. However, that is my own opinion.

I hear so much about LaVey being a conman, or not actually investing any belief in his own tenets, but to be honest, I think [ Hellfire ] struck this one on the nail. Many people didn't like LaVey--he was an objectivist, and a brutally honest one. You'll find that most of the rumours spawned about he and his brand of Satanism are ones started by people who were expelled from the Church of Satan.

Zeena LaVey (Schreck) was likely the most influential character in these conspiracy theories against her estranged father. Why did she do it? Anton refused to promote her boyfriend, now husband, to a position as a Priest.

John Allee was apparently kicked out of the CoS, and went on to form the FCoS, registering for a distracting url: churchofsatan.tv, and churchofsatan.org, on which he spends countless hours trying to make LaVey seem like a fraud.

Several evangelists and other forms of Satanists like to try to prove that LaVey was a conman, and in effect, show that LaVeyan Satanism is an illegitimate religion. These people simply feel insecure that they and their organizations are not the first nor the largest Satanic organization, perhaps with the exception of the SSS (though I'm not really sure about that...), or they feel threatened that an organization with as much publicity as the CoS has might stir trouble within their own religions.

I wouldn't know. At the moment I'm attempting to gain knowledge upon this. But, I do agree, even if this man was a hypocrite - if his teachings were in the right place, whats wrong with following them?

I dont see anything wrong in following his teachings, go with what you believe is right i always say.

What parts did you find confusing/contradictional? i remeber when i first read the satanic bible, i loved it but i was alittle confused of the rituals but it all cleared up after finishing reading the rest of his work.

I haven't been able to find much on him. But I have no doubt rumors about him were spread by those who disliked him. He had a very....loud personality. By the way, does his daughter still run that radio show? If so, is it accessible online?

I'd wager that there's not a single human being alive today past newborn status that isn't a hypocrite in one way or another--however, the allegations against Dr. LaVey do not place him in a position in which he has defied his own philosophies. There is absolutely no evidence that LaVey ever abused Togare, and as it stands, the accusations are nothing more than slander until proven otherwise. Those who had accused him of such things did so only after his death and were known to be less-than-fond of the man.

Of all of the rumours against LaVey, that was the only one that violated what he taught. Otherwise, things like lying about his name and/or heritage, which also have yet to be proven (tmk), do not at all violate any of his principles...