 Richard Metzger describes The Satanic Bible as " a razor @-@ sharp , no @-@ bullshit primer in natural and supernatural law . " David G. Bromley calls it " iconoclastic " and " the best @-@ known and most influential statement of Satanic theology . " Eugene V. Gallagher says that Satanists use LaVey 's writings " as lenses through which they view themselves , their group , and the cosmos . " He also states : " With a clear @-@ eyed appreciation of true human nature , a love of ritual and pageantry , and a flair for mockery , LaVey 's Satanic Bible promulgated a gospel of self @-@ indulgence that , he argued , anyone who dispassionately considered the facts would embrace . " The philosophy it presents has been described as " strident libertarianism " and " an obvious distillation of ideas common among members of the United States counter @-@ culture in the 1960s . " Joshua Gunn argues that the significance of The Satanic Bible as an occult item owes to its status as a " totem or a fetishized object in popular culture " , not the philosophy contained within . He argues that many erroneously categorize the content of The Satanic Bible as evil and depraved from the minimalist , dark cover design ( composed of a purple Sigil of Baphomet and white text on the front , and a photo of LaVey superimposed over the Sigil of Baphomet on the back ) , the verbose , overblown style of the text , and the presence of the word " Satan " in the title . Contrary to this belief , he says , the philosophy presented by LaVey is " neither offensive nor surprising . " 
