but that LaVeyan ideas had had a far greater influence through LaVey's books. Membership is gained by paying $225 and filling out a registration statement, and thus initiates are bestowed with lifetime memberships and not charged annual fees. La Fontaine thought it likely that the easy availability of LaVey's writings would have encouraged the creation of various Satanic groups that were independent of the Church of Satan itself. In The Black Flame, a number of groups affiliated with the church has been mentioned, most of which are based in the United States and Canada although two groups were cited as having existed in New Zealand. In his 2001 examination of Satanists, the sociologist James R. Lewis noted that, to his surprise, his findings "consistently pointed to the centrality of LaVey's influence on modern Satanism". "Reflecting the dominant influence of Anton LaVey's thought", Lewis noted that the majority of those whom he examined were atheists or agnostics, with 60% of respondents viewing Satanism as a symbol rather than a real entity. 20% of his respondents described The Satanic Bible as the most important factor that attracted them to Satanism. Elsewhere, Lewis noted that few Satanists who were not members of the Church of Satan would regard themselves as "orthodox LaVeyans". Examining the number of LaVeyan Satanists in Britain, in 1995 the religious studies scholar Graham Harvey wrote that the Church of Satan had no organized presence in the country. He noted that LaVey's writings were widely accessible in British bookshops, and La Fontaine suggested that there may have been individual Church members within the country. See also Temple of Set Joy of Satan References Notes Sources External links Official Church of Satan website “Satanism as Weltanschauung”, the philosophy of the Church of Satan (presented by Kevin I. Slaughter at the Maryland Institute College of Art) "Satan as Rebel Hero: Henry M. Tichenor and the Radical Anti-religious (presented by Kevin I. Slaughter and Robert Merciless at SkeptiCamp DC on October 3, 2010, College Park, MD) "What Does Satanism Mean to You?" (Interview with members of the Church of Satan) "Inside the Church of Satan (Documentary) 9sense Podcast interview with Peter H. Gilmore on Walpurgisnacht. Church of Satan New religious movements Philosophical schools and traditions Self religions