Random Surprising Ways Scientology Like the Church of Satan (12 items)

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  (#4) They Both Have Cool Logos

  We can't stress enough how much it matters for your corporation/church/philosophy/band/whatever to have a good logo. A good logo is the difference between people hating you but considering you to be a Bond villain (very cool!), and people hating you and thinking that your Presidential campaign logo is having sex with itself (not cool!). Scientology's "double triangle with an S" logo is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it has shades of Crowleyian Satanism to boot. 
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  (#5) They Were Both Started by Artists Trying to Make a Transition

  One of the biggest things that connects the Church of Satan to the Church of Scientology is that they were both started by guys who were down on their luck. Anton LaVey was famously a carnival barker who started the first version of his church in a nightclub with topless witches, similarly to how L. Ron Hubbard got burned out on his job as a freelance pulp writer and began seeking a better way to make a living. A famous Hubbard quote goes, "Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion."
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  (#10) They Have Interesting Holidays

  Maybe we have western Judeo-Christian religions to blame for the holidays of Scientology and Satanism seeming so goofy, or maybe everyone involved is just bad at picking dates. Scientology has three main holidays: L. Ron Hubbard’s birthday on March 13, the anniversary of the first publication of Dianetics in May, and everyone's favorite, Auditor’s Day, in September. Satanism's two main holidays are Halloween and Walpurgisnacht, a celebration where all the witches in the world meet on the highest peak in Germany. 
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  (#12) An Integral Part of Scientology Comes from the Work of Aleister Crowley

  One of the biggest ideas of Scientology is that our bodies are full of something called thetans, or the spirits of aliens who attach themselves to us as babies. What does that have to do with Satanism? During World War I, Aleister Crowley (who, as we know, was big influence on Satanism) wrote a novel that would later be published as Moonchild, which told the story of a magical operation based on the theory that a particular type of spirit can be attached to an unborn human embryo. Sound familiar?
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  (#1) Secrecy Is Incredibly Important to Both of Them

  The Church of Scientology is known for maintaining an almost cartoonish level of secrecy about its operating budget, auditors, and pretty much everything else that goes on behind its blue-and-gold doors. The fear of Scientology is similar to that of the fear of the Church of Satan due to the fact that they aren't the biggest oversharers either. 
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  (#8) They Have Similar Core Tenets

  The simplest tenet of Scientology is that man is “basically good and that his spiritual salvation depends upon himself, his fellows, and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe.” Which is incredibly similar to one of the core tenets of the Church of Satan: "Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires!"

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