 The Satanic Bible often uses the terms " God " and " Satan " interchangeably , except when referring to the concepts of these as viewed by other religions . LaVey also occasionally uses the term " God " to refer to other religions ' views of God , and " Satan " or synonyms to refer to the idea of god as interpreted by LaVeyan Satanism , as when he writes , " When all religious faith in lies has waned , it is because man has become closer to himself and farther from ' God ' ; closer to the ' Devil . ' " Throughout The Satanic Bible , the LaVeyan Satanist 's view of god is described as the Satanist 's true " self " — a projection of his or her own personality — not an external deity . Satan is used as a representation of personal liberty and individualism . Satan is also used as a metaphor for the ideas connected with the early Christian view of Satan or the serpent : wise , defiant , questioning , and free @-@ thinking . LaVey discusses this extensively in The Book of Lucifer , explaining that the gods worshipped by other religions are also projections of man 's true self . He argues that man 's unwillingness to accept his own ego has caused him to externalize these gods so as to avoid the feeling of narcissism that would accompany self @-@ worship . 
