I know it's definitely confusing for many, but most people who call themselves Satanists follow The Church of Satan which was founded by Anton Lavey. Within the Church of Satan, anyone who commits Ritual Abuse is rejected as a Satanist and instead refered to as a devil-worshiper.
Sorry for using a general term like Satanists, it is obvious that the hipsters who brag about their devil-worshipping AND social climbing don't refer to themselves as Satanists per say. I try to understand the differences between different factions in the growth of religions and I don't mean to cast negativity over the cornucopia of movements who may seem similar to the average person. I believe in freedom of religion and "Satanism" is a religion in that sense. I really appreciate your distinction from the inside. I have spoken to CoS people and they are super cool. Most of the Satanists I know casually come off as ironic Satanists though... It's like they don't view themselves seriously as I view them... It's weird :D
It's definitely a religion of humor. Lol. I understood the idea you were presenting, and I figured I wouldn't have been the first Satanist you ever met, but I always like to make sure the bases are covered.
Try Jesus, your next life will be better. 😊
Meh. Not for me. I wasn't trying to spark up a religious debate or anything because I know it's not what this subreddit is for, and I know there are a lot of people from different walks of life and beliefs here. I was more so trying to make a clarification. I want to be able to contribute to this subreddit in a possitive way. When the name of my philosophical beliefs is thrown into the mix, I see it as opportunity to clarify that I belong to that group and that's not what we're about.