Church of Azazel
Congregation in
New York City
Copyright © 2006 by the Church of Azazel. All rights reserved.
The Church of Azazel is a theistic Satanist (non-LaVeyan) group with a polytheistic theology. It has roots in both modern Paganism and the Western occult tradition, plus a few ancient ideas, found in many different cultures, which most modern Pagans overlook. Our beliefs are neither purely "reverse-Christian" nor purely "dark Pagan." Our paradigm is a systematic synthesis of ideas from many different religions, both ancient and modern, unashamedly including some "reverse Christian" themes but by no means limited to them. Our pantheon includes Satan/Azazel, whom we see as a very multi-faceted deity, and a set of five distinct deities whom we call the Rising gods of the modern West: Lilith, Prometheus, Ishtar/Astarte, Pan, and Lucifer-of-Sophia. For an introduction to our beliefs, see (1) A brief introduction to the, (2) Our core beliefs and their here-and-now basis, and (3) the Theology of the Church of Azazel.The Church of Azazel was founded in spring 2004 as an Internet-based group. As of fall 2006, we now aim to start forming offline local congregations as well, beginning with one here in New York.
We hold rituals which center around reverence for Satan/Azazel. We also encourage philosophy, in the sense of learning to think clearly and deeply. And we encourage our members to take action, at least in small ways, toward at least one of the following goals: (1) politically opposing the religious right wing, (2) debunking Satanic panics, (3) raising the intellectual level of the Satanist scene, (4) promoting religious tolerance, or (5) countering the growth of the more fanatical and intolerant forms of Christianity and Islam themselves.
To be considered for membership in the budding local congregation in New York City, you must do at least one of the following:
- Attend at least eight meetings, total, of some combination of the following groups, each of which meets monthly:
- The New York City Church of Azazel proto-congregation itself, for discussion about the Church of Azazel and its paradigm and goals.
- NYC Satanists, Luciferians, Dark Pagans, and LHP Occultists, which holds informal dinner gatherings for Satanists, Luciferians, etc. of all law-abiding kinds, not just prospective Church of Azazel members
- Nonmainstream New Yorkers United, which welcomes people of almost all kinds that have been targeted as enemies by the religious right wing.
If you attend all three groups monthly, you'll be able to attend eight meetings total in less that three months. Otherwise, your eight-meeting total should include, if possible, at least two meetings of the Church of Azazel proto-congregation itself and at laest one meeting each of the other two groups (although we can make occasional exceptions for people who show an active interest in some other way). Note that NYC Satanists, Luciferians, Dark Pagans, and LHP Occultists and Nonmainstream New Yorkers United welcome other people besides just prospective Church of Azazel members, but they are nevertheless part of our preferred way of beginning to get to know prospective Church of Azazel members too.
Meetings of all the above groups are held at a relatively inexpensive restaurant in Manhattan. Please RSVP before you attend. For details and to RSVP, please see the above links on the Meetup website.
- If you can't attend any of the meetings, then please participate regularly (at least a few posts per week) for a few weeks in the public Theistic Satanism forums including Theistic-Satanists-NYC, and then (and only then) contact Diane Vera to arrange an in-person meeting elsewhere.
Best of all would be for you to do both of the above, so we can get to know you both via the Meetups and via posts in our forums.
Note that the Church of Azazel is a law-abiding group. We do not condone violent crime, vandalism, etc. in the name of Satan, nor do our rituals involve any other illegal activities such as illegal drug use.
Before you apply to join, it is strongly recommended that you read this entire website first, especially the section on Our beliefs and principles.
