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Dayan's kids either hate-hated or love-hated him - you don't have to say much to convince me that the notoriously atheistic, hedonistic/adulterous and bloodthirsty Dayan would find much to admire in Satanism but it's suspect in this context as Borzoi notes.

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Spoiler: LaVey was full Jew. Interestingly, his essay about satanism being a perfect fit for half-jews, only came out after his death. His revival in the early 90s was in the wake of the "occult fascist" youth movement spearheaded by Boyd Rice, as an esoteric alternative to skinhead culture. Add Deicide metalhead fans, and later Marilyn Manson, and you see LaVey's primary fan base was disgruntled white teenagers looking for a sense of power amist a weakening Christian culture and increasing negrification. The emphasis on sexual liberation of the 60s and the idea his religion becoming a mass movement were gone. In the 90s, LaVey was focusing on finding individual artists and publishers to keep him relevant, and his friendship with Boyd Rice and his associates served this purpose, despite their crossover connections with white nationalism. Most likely LaVey was uncomfortable with this, but was reluctant to voice it publicly while he was alive, and his essay was an attempt to reconcile this situation to himself.

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I would not be surprised if that were the case. That's along the lines of what I was thinking.

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Don’t look too deeply into this topic, Saruman, it could be harmful.

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This is an amazing level of detail. Thank you for also posting your references.

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In light of Striker's article on Billy Graham. I can see LaVey's early media attention and first book publication as an attempt to create a "heel" to Graham's evangelicalism.

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Hmm, I wonder if Anton LaVey is jewish

*writes a book on Anton LaVey's relation jewish identity*

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The rabbit hole is real

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