Peter H. Gilmore

For other people named Peter Gilmore, see Peter Gilmore (disambiguation).

Peter H. Gilmore
Gilmore in October 2007
Occupation	Author, composer, religious leader
Title	High Priest; Magus
Religion	LaVeyan Satanist
Spouse(s)	Peggy Nadramia

Peter Howard Gilmore is an American author and administrator of the Church of Satan. He was appointed High Priest of the Church in 2001 by Magistra Blanche Barton. Within the church, he is known as Magus Peter H. Gilmore, High Priest of the Church of Satan.

As a representative of the Church of Satan, Gilmore has been interviewed on numerous television and radio programs dealing with the topic of Satanism, including appearances on The History Channel, BBC, The Sci-Fi Channel, Point of Inquiry, and Bob Larson's Christian radio show. Gilmore, as a trained composer, has collaborated with the death metal band Acheron in their earlier releases.

Biography

Gilmore was raised in upstate New York. He visited New York City regularly throughout his youth and moved to Hell's Kitchen in 1980.

Gilmore read The Satanic Bible at age thirteen and has described The Church of Satan as "the motivating philosophical force in my life" ever since.

In 1989, he and his wife Peggy Nadramia began publishing a Satanic journal, The Black Flame, and continues to publish issues sporadically. In 2005, Gilmore wrote the new introduction to Anton LaVey's The Satanic Bible, and his essay on Satanism was published in The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature.

The Satanic Scriptures

On Walpurgisnacht 2007, a hardback edition of The Satanic Scriptures, a book collecting his essays and other writings was released. On October 13, 2007, a paperback edition (ISBN 0976403595) was released. The book includes previously non-public rituals, such as Satanic marriages and funerals.

Essays

A large portion of the essays were released prior to the book; however, some of the essays included in the book are improved variations. Some, including the essay released in the excerpt, deal with what the Church of Satan deems to be pseudo-satanists, and those who refuse to affiliate with the Church, but instead form their own groups. Magus Gilmore is not overly critical of those legitimate Satanists who never join the Church itself; however, he scornfully denounces the heretical Christian devil-worshipers who foolishly sacrifice animals and worship a fabled and theistic anti-god.

Other essays touch on the similarity between fascist aesthetics and Satanism, along with a multitude of political issues that correlate to the Satanic viewpoint, as the released table of contents shows. Included, but not limited to, are issues such as terrorism in the United States, gay rights, and more.

Rituals

Many of the rituals detailed in the book were previously only known to members of the priesthood in the Church of Satan, such as the wedding rite which was performed by founder Anton LaVey, along with the details for a Satanic funeral, assumed to be a variation on one such which was performed on him.

External links

• Several of Gilmore's essays on Satanism and culture can be found at the Church of Satan's official web site.
  • Satanism: The Feared Religion
  • Pretenders to the Throne
  • A Map for the Misdirected
  • The Myth of the “Satanic Community” and other Virtual Delusions
  • “State of the Church”—October XXXVI A.S.
  • Necronomicon: Some Facts About A Fiction
  • Founding Family: “Morality” versus Same-Sex Marriage
  • “A Clockwork Messiah”, a review of Mel Gibson's The Passion of The Christ
  • Rebels Without Cause
• Peter H. Gilmore at the Internet Movie Database
• Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature
• The Satanic Scriptures
• Myspace page for The Satanic Scriptures

Interviews with Peter H. Gilmore

• Embracing the Darkness; Understanding Dark Subcultures by Corvis Nocturnum (Dark Moon Press 2005. ISBN 978-0-9766984-0-1) Features interviews with current Church of Satan High Priest Magus Peter H. Gilmore, and Magister Paradise of Not Like Most, a Satanic magazine.
• Satanism: An interview with Church of Satan High Priest Peter Gilmore (5 November 2007), at Wikinews
• High Priest Gilmore on Religion, the Rumors, and Sammy Davis, Jr. (14 September 2001), Satanosphere
• Endemoniada Zine
• Alas, Babylon, article on the gentrification of New York City by Jim Knipfel in New York Press
• Q & A with Peter H. Gilmore (November 2005), by J. Bennett in Decibel Magazine
• Church of Satan's "Dark Pope" (6 June 2006), video interview with George Stroumboulopoulos on The Hour (CBC Television)
• Halloween special (4:46-8:14) (29 October 2010), video interview with George Stroumboulopoulos on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight (CBC Television)
• Science and Satanism (10 August 2007), audio interview on Point of Inquiry

Religious titles
Preceded by Anton LaVey, then vacancy	High Priest of the Church of Satan 2001-present	Succeeded by Current incumbent