Asklemmy

The religion is still relatively new, as in under 100 years old. We also don't kill each other for dominance or superiority as other religions have historically done. As such, denominations can be wildly different which can be confusing to the general public.

There are two primary camps in Satanism, theistic and non-theistic. The large majority of Satanists are non-theistic, as in we do not believe in gods, devils, afterlives, and magic.

The majority is egalitarian and humanistic, and we tend to be left wing progressive (the terms "left wing" and "Democrat" are not synonyms). This is the camp I and my congregation are in. This is the camp that seems to be winning the "battle" of ideas.

Of course, there are theistic denominations of Satanism, but they're relatively small, don't usually have in-person congregations, and they tend to lean politically right wing authoritarian.

There's a third camp of self-proclaimed "Satanists," though they really aren't. These are the clout chasers. They don't know anything about Satanism, but they saw a few cheesy Hollywood horror movies and are emulating that.

John Ramirez and his ilk pretend to be ex-Satanists and make up wild stories for fame, attention, and money. The Christian communities eat it up without an ounce if skepticism.

It's simultaniously sad and amusing how gullible those communities are. A ten second google search would show them the truth, but they can't be bothered.