''Contemporary Religious Satanism: A Critical Anthology'' is an academic anthology published by Ashgate in 2009 and edited by the Norwegian religious scholar Jesper Aagaard Petersen, then a lecturer at the

Norwegian University of Science and Technology The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU; ) is a public university, public research university in Norway and the largest in terms of enrollment. The university's headquarters is located in Trondheim (city), Trondheim, with region ...

. The book is divided into three sections, containing eight separate papers produced by various scholars working in the field of Satanism studies; ''Contemporary Religious Satanism'' examines different forms of

Satanism Satanism refers to a group of religious, ideological, or philosophical beliefs based on Satan—particularly his worship or veneration. Because of the ties to the historical Abrahamic religious figure, Satanism—as well as other religious ...

as practiced in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. It was a part of Ashgate's series of books on "Controversial New Religions" alongside tomes devoted to the

academic study of new religious movements The academic study of new religious movements is known as new religions studies (NRS). The study draws from the disciplines of anthropology, psychiatry, history, psychology, sociology, religious studies, and theology. Eileen Barker noted that t ...

, such as

Wicca Wicca (), also known as "The Craft", is a Modern paganism, modern pagan, syncretic, Earth religion, Earth-centred religion. Considered a new religious movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion, the path evolved from Western esote ...

and the Order of the Solar Temple. Academic reviews were mixed, being printed in

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

academic journal An academic journal (or scholarly journal or scientific journal) is a periodical publication in which Scholarly method, scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. They serve as permanent and transparent forums for the ...

s such as '' Nova Religio'', '' Aries'', and '' Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft''. It was recognised as a pioneering publication in the field of Satanism studies.

Publication

The volume was published in 2009 as part of Ashgate's Controversial New Religions series. Its editor, Jesper Aagaard Petersen, has a background in

religious studies Religious studies, also known as religiology or the study of religion, is the study of religion from a historical or scientific perspective. There is no consensus on what qualifies as ''religion'' and definition of religion, its definition is h ...

Reception

The volume was reviewed by the British anthropologist Jean La Fontaine for the '' Nova Religio'' journal, and by the Swedish historian of religion Per Faxneld of

Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...

for the '' Aries'' journal. Erik Davis of

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

reviewed the anthology for the '' Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft'' journal, noting that the book was primarily

sociological Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociology was coined in ...

in basis but that it opened up "an underresearched and underreported topic". Describing Petersen's "thorough introduction", he then discusses the various papers within the anthology. He opines that Lowney had "beautifully" described her encounters, but that it was "unfortunate" that she spent so much of the text reflecting on her logistical challenges, subsequently describing Søderlind and Dyrendal's contribution as "one of the most lively and entertaining" parts of the volume. He remarks positively of Granholm's criticism of the term "Satanism", describing his chapter as a "crucial contribution", and believing that he has made a "good case" for the term " left-hand path". The volume also dedicates an essay to the old-school Norwegian Black Metal scene, which according to Davis "shows how ..aesthetics, ethos, and metaphysical worldview" are "fused into a paradigmatic (and sometimes violent) moment of satanic sincerity—one whose grim ascesis features, paradoxically, an almost total inversion of LaVey's call for hedonic enjoyment". Moving on to review the inclusion of primary documents at the end of the volume, he believes that the works presented appear "minor in context", and that it is unfortunate that texts from Anton LaVey and Michael Aquino were not included. As such, he believes that ''Contemporary Religious Satanism'' is not "the perfect reader." Wishing that philosophical and symbolic analyses of Satanism had been included alongside the sociological studies, Davis also felt that "much more can be made" regarding the differences between LaVeyan-influenced secular Satanists and the mystical left-hand path followers. He believed that the volume would be of great interest to scholars of magic, contemporary Paganism, and

new religious movement A new religious movement (NRM), also known as a new religion, is a religious or Spirituality, spiritual group that has modern origins and is peripheral to its society's dominant religious culture. NRMs can be novel in origin, or they can be part ...

References

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;Academic reviews * * *

Publication

Reception

References

Footnotes

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Further reading