The "Satanic Bible,"written in 1969 by Anton Szandor LaVey, the godfather of the worldwide Church of Satan, has already been translated into Estonian by the leader of the Black Venus Order, who calls himself Jason.
"At the moment we have 15 members, who founded the congregation on April 30 this year, and 10 more will join in the near future,"Jason, a 25-year-old computer graphics specialist who lives in Tallinn, told The Baltic Times in an e-mail interview.
According to Jason, the congregation cannot be called a church in Estonia, because the law states that only a Christian institution can be a church. However, in the U.S.A. the Church of Satan is officially registered.
To register a religious congregation, notarized articles of association, notarized minutes of the founding meeting and an application must be submitted to the Interior Ministry's religious affairs department.
Gustav Piir, a provost of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tallinn, told the Postimees daily it was a pity that the law has no provisions to refuse registration of the satanic sect.
"Granting them official recognition would be against our religious principles, against Christianity,"he said.
Piir could not say if Satanists pose a serious threat in contradicting the basics of Christianity.
"One would have to know the congregation better,"admitted Piir. "If their rituals are violent, they may endanger society."
No Satanists have criminal records in Estonia. Occasional cases of desecrating graves have nothing to do with satanic rituals, police maintain. Satanist sects are officially registered in Denmark and France. The Church of Satan is open with its beliefs and has so far not been associated with organized criminal activity.
However, LaVey's "nine satanic principles"state that "Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek,"and "Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification."
"I don't know exactly how many Satanists are in Estonia, but over 500 people have written e-mails to me. About 20 or 30 percent of those have asked about becoming a member of the order,"said Jason.
The absolute number of Satanists (active or passive) in Estonia reaches 1,000 people, according to Jason. "But most of them just choose never to join us,"he said.
The Black Venus Order does not have official contact with similar congregations abroad, but one of its members is also a member of the Church of Satan. "In the future we will contact our soulmates in other countries,"promised Jason.
The order has no fear of public persecution. "I have talked about our congregation on TV twice. I don't cover my face. My family, my parents, friends and boss know what I'm doing,"said Jason.
Estonian laws guarantee freedom of religion. "The chief of the religious affairs department of the Interior Ministry, Ilmo Au, told us that if our documents are OK he doesn't see any reason not register us,"Jason continued.
Piir is not alone in providing opposition to the Satanists. In spring the Christian People's Party of Estonia stated they would do whatever it takes to stop the order. On Sept. 4, three Russian political parties issued a joint statement urging that the law be changed to make it impossible to register Satanist sects.
Jason's translation of the "Satanic Bible"has not yet been published. When it is, he hopes that people will stop taking Satanists for criminals.
"But I also understand the Christian church. It used to be the one and only church for Estonians. I know it's hard to give room to someone you think is evil and opposing you. But I also think (the Christian church) might open its eyes,"he said.
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