Global Order of Satan

The Global Order of Satan is a modern Satanic organization that describes its religious outlook as atheistic. Its public FAQ treats Satan as a symbol within a human-centered philosophy rather than a supernatural being to worship. Ritual is understood through its meaning for participants.^[1]

The six pillars#

The organization's six pillars concern self-determination, critical thought, responsibility, compassion, bodily autonomy, and the possibility of correcting mistakes. They provide an ethical account of the order's Satanism. The emphasis falls on conduct and the treatment of others, not on submission to a deity.^[2]

Its public language of self-worship refers to the individual's place in their own life. That usage differs from the worship of Satan as an independently existing divine presence. Both can appear under the broad heading Religious Satanism, but the difference affects the meaning of prayer, ritual, and religious authority.

Comparison with other organizations#

The Global Order of Satan is a separate institution from the Church of Satan and The Satanic Temple. All three publish nontheistic accounts of Satanism, while differing in organization, ethical language, and public activity. The shared label does not make their statements interchangeable.

The contrast with Theistic Satanism is clearer still. The High Satanic Church explicitly affirms Satan as real in its public beliefs. A comparison should therefore say which organization's definition it is using. A symbol in one tradition may be addressed as a deity in another, without either description automatically applying to every Satanist.

See also#

• Religious Satanism
• Symbolic and theistic Satanism
• Ethics in theistic Satanism

This encyclopedia covers traditions beyond the High Satanic Church. Church doctrine is identified as such when it appears.