Thee Satanic Church of the Nethilum Rite
Thee Satanic Church of the Nethilum Rite
Thee Satanic Church of the Nethilum Rite was founded around 1970 in Chicago by High Priest Terry Taylor and Evelyn Paglini and went public in 1971. The church opposed the Satanisn of Anton S. LaVey and the Church of Satan, founded in 1966, contending that LaVey did not believe in the actual existence of Satan. In contrast, the Nethilum Rite church taught that Satan was the epitome of God's creation who possessed all of the power and knowledge of the universe. Members of the church sought to acquire as much of Satan's knowledge and power as possible. Magical rituals and psychic development were the primary tools for accessing Satan.
By 1973 the church claimed 538 members. It split in 1974 when Paglini led a group out of the church and founded a rival organization, Thee Satanic Church. The Nethilum Rite church ceased to exist in the mid-1970s.