Marilyn Manson. Mere music, harmless fun, or is there something more sinister involved? One thing for sure, is that both Manson, and many of his fans, take themselves, and the message that the man proclaims very seriously indeed. What a lot of people miss with Manson is the fact that he is totally religious . This article will examine some of the belief's that Manson adheres to and will also point out areas of concern for those who are attached to his music. It might be appropriate to mention here that some Goth's deny that Manson is Gothic himself. Be that as it may, many Goth's do follow him, and Manson himself has not objected to the term being applied to him and his band, at various periods throughout his musical career.

Marilyn Manson (real name Brian Warner) is a self-confessed Satanist in the First Church of Satan started by Anton Lavey (now deceased), in 1966 in, San Francisco. Lavey's branch of Satanism stands for just about everything the opposite of what Christianity is, and this comes out again, and again in Manson's words and stage shows. One of La Vey's claim to fame is that he is the author of the book The Satanic Bible . Surprisingly though, La Vey's brand of Satanism declares that it does not believe in Satan, nor God, as personal beings, as such (although a few individual's in the movement may view Satan and God differently). Rather, La Vey taught that Satan stood for a symbol of man's darker carnal nature and believed that this nature should be harnessed and encouraged to grow. To La Vey, Christianity is an establishment of great bondage which seeks to enslave humanity into another system. These philosophies and religious declarations come out again and again in Manson's words and actions.