There are many types of satanism...here are the basics.(Taken from http://www.religioustolerance.org/satanism.htm)

1. Religious Satanism: This religion recognizes Satan, either as a deity or as a life principle. Followers are usually serious adults, although a few are mature teenagers. Three main traditions exist: the Church of Satan, the Temple of Set and the Church of Satanic Liberation. Other short-lived Satanic groups currently exist and have existed in the recent past. According to Statistic Canada, the 1991 census found only 335 Canadians who identified themselves as Satanists. This would imply that there are about 3,500 Satanists in the U.S. The actual number is probably significantly larger. A US Department of the Army pamphlet #165-13 estimated that there were 10 to 20 thousand members of the Church of Satan in the US during the late 1970's. 1,7 Accurate data for this movement is impossible to estimate, since the largest group (the Church of Satan) does not release its membership totals.

It is important to realize that the Satan that they recognize has few if any points of similarity with the conservative Christian concept of Satan. The Satanists' concept of Satan is pre-Christian, and derived from the Pagan image of power, virility, sexuality and sensuality. To most Satanists, Satan is a force of nature, not a living quasi-deity. Their Satan has nothing to do with Hell, demons, pitchforks, sadistic torture, and profound evil. They have occasionally engaged in a Black Mass for publicity purposes, in which the Roman Catholic Mass is ridiculed. But, otherwise, their rituals have no connection to those of Christianity. Starting in 1980 and continuing until the mid-1990s, there was a widespread belief that Satanists were involved in Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) and killing of innocent infants, children and adults. This belief has faded due to lack of hard evidence. It is a Christian urban legend based on fear.

2. Gothic Satanism: It is an imaginary, profoundly evil religion that was invented during the late Middle Ages by the Christian church. These Satanists were said to ritually kill children, sell their soul to the devil, break crucifixes, conduct black masses, etc. Gothic Satanism has never existed in the past as an organization, and does not exist today, except in the imagination of the public, and in horror movies.

Gothic Satanism should not be confused with the Goth sub-culture. The latter is a philosophical, musical, cultural group that is unrelated to Satanism.

3. Satanic Dabblers: A syncretistic religion which blends elements taken from Religious Satanism, Gothic Satanism, ceremonial Magic, and any other useful source of ritual that the followers can find. It is typically practiced by rebellious teenagers or young adults -- generally for a short time. They probably number in the tens or hundreds of thousands at any one instant in North America. An exact estimate is impossible to obtain, since they are totally devoid of any central organization. They occasionally engage in minor criminal activities such as vandalizing cemeteries and painting Satanic graffiti on walls. In very rare instances, a few have been known to sacrifice small animals. Every few years, the media report a ritual murder of a human by "Satanists." Further examination has so far revealed that the perpetrators have been primarily motivated by their mental illness, rather than by any religious beliefs.

BASIC BELIEFS:


Satan in his original Pagan forms, or of the ancient Egyptian God Set, is respected, usually as as a principle rather than a deity.

Major emphasis is placed on the power and authority of the individual Satanist, rather than on a god or goddess.

They believe that "no redeemer liveth" - that each person is their own redeemer, fully responsible for their own life.

"Satanism respects and exalts life. Children and animals are the purest expressions of that life force, and as such are held sacred and precious..." Children and animals are not abused or killed.

Those Satanists who believe in Satan or Set as a living entity do not worship or demonstrate their faith in him (as, for example, Christians worship and pray to their God).

They believe that one should live out their lusts and desires, and enthusiastically explore the "seven deadly sins" with other consenting adults.

They follow many beliefs, practices and rules of behavior which are in conflict with traditional Christianity, and essentially all other religions.

Uniqueness and creativity are encouraged.

Many Satanists use as their main symbol the Sigil of Baphomet. It is a goat's head, drawn within an inverted pentacle (5-pointed star with one point downward and two up, enclosed by a circle). Some sources say that it is a registered trademark of the Church of Satan. It is not; it first was used in the 19th century. Members of the Temple of Set use a simple inverted pentagram in a circle.

A second Satanic symbol appears above the Nine Satanic Statements in LaVey's book: The Satanic Bible.It is an infinity sign (a figure 8 on its side). A shortened Lorraine Cross is placed on top. [A Lorraine cross is a Roman cross, with a second, longer cross piece added below the main cross piece.] This is not originally a Satanic symbol. It is an ancient alchemical symbol used to represent brimstone. Brimstone is the element sulfur, and was long associated with Satan by the Christian church. LaVey might have adopted a brimstone symbol as a humorous gesture to poke fun at Christianity

ORIGIN:


It is said to have burst into mass consciousness on Walpurgisnacht, 1966-APR-30, (I Anno Satanas) when Anton Szandor LaVey (1930-1997). created the Church of Satan. Actually, he founded the relation later in that year.

Anton is said to have drawn on his previous experience as a lion tamer and sideshow barker, and on his readings into psychology, Magic etc. There does not seem to be any information confirming his previous jobs.

Anton is said to have been the technical adviser for the movie Rosemary's Baby in 1968. Again, there is no confirmation of this.


He did write a series of books which are essentially the only readily available books on Satanism available in most bookstores. There have been enormous numbers of books about Satanism written by Fundamentalist or other Evangelical Christians. They are readily available through conservative Christian bookstores. However, they are usually filled with misinformation that is traceable back to the Witch burning times in Europe (circa 1450-1792 CE) rather than from any present or past reality. Another source for their misinformation was the novel called "Michelle Remembers." This was allegedly a documentary about the sexual and physical abuse of a girl by an underground Satanic group. In reality, the book was a work of fiction. However, it triggered a Satanic Panic in 1980, and helped convince millions of people that Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) was a clear and present danger. It wasn't real then and it is not today. By the year 2001, belief in SRA had died down, largely because of the absence of hard evidence that any such crimes had been committed.

In 1975, one of LaVey's followers, Michael Aquino left the Church after a disagreement, and organized the Temple of Set. This form of religious Satanism recognizes a pre-Satanic deity, the Egyptian God Set. It is viewed as an entity which stands separate and apart from the forces of the natural universe. He was typically portrayed as a man with the head of an animal (perhaps a hyena). Set was copied by the Chaldeans who called him Had or Hadit; this later became Shaitan, and still later the Satan of Christianity and Islam.

A number of Satanic periodicals exist. Many other Satanic traditions exist - largely in North America and Europe.


MODERN RELIGIOUS SATANISM:

Local groups of Satanists may be called grottos, pylons, temples, or by some other name. They correspond to Christian congregations and Wiccan covens. Many Satanists feel that Wiccans are hypocrites, because the latter restrict their work to positive, healing activities. Satanists use Magic and other rituals to benefit themselves and their friends, but also use these same rituals to harm their enemies. Some have incorporated some anti-Wiccan elements in their rituals.

Satanists have been accused of conducting rituals that are specifically aimed at attacking Christian beliefs and practices. Many authors, almost all conservative Christians, have described alleged Satanic rituals in which religious Satanists recite the Lord's Prayer backwards, or desecrate and use the host and wine that they have stolen from a cathedral. This is pure fiction that can be traced back to books written during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance periods.

Satanists tend to be highly critical of all other faiths. They are particularly opposed to Christianity, because of its paramount position in Western society and the historical persecution of Satanists and other religious minorities by Christians.