SATANISM

[MR. Macabre 666]

Any other members of TST here on this forum? Are Satanism and Atheism basically the same? All non-theistic Satanists are Atheists, would anyone else here consider themself to be a Satanist then?
The vast majority of christians go apeshit if they see an inverted pentagram or crucifix on anything or anyone. I've got both of those covered, I'm a huge fan of black/death metal music and have worn a band/concert shirt everyday for 40+ years. This is no exaggeration, I've got an enormous collection of band, occult, Halloween, and horror shirts. Of course, they're all black. Right now, I probably have 150+ shirts.
I started collecting and wearing them after I went to my first concert in 1980, it was RUSH on their Permanent Waves tour. I still have the shirt from that show stored in a box in the garage.
I'm also heavily tattooed. I started getting tattooed over 20 years ago, all by the same artist. With the exception of the 3 memorial tattoos on my chest, everything else is occult, Satanic, heretical, or Halloween imagery.  I also have 2 band logos tattooed on one of my arms.
I've been retired for almost 8 years now(damn that went fast) and wore a concert shirt everyday while I was working. I was always a blue collar employee, so I always had a company shirt on top of it, so it was never an issue.

There are a small number of Satanists who actually believe that Satan is real and worship him like christians worship their imaginary god. There aren't any  written rules or instructions for how they should worship him, so in my opinion, they make it up as they go along. Most are harmless, while a very few can be dangerous or just plain stupid in their beliefs/practices.
I consider myself to be an Atheist/Satanist because it makes other people uncomfortable or uneasy whenever I'm out in public, unless I'm at a show. It has some advantages, no one ever fucks with me and/or my wife whenever we're out in public.
Of course my wife and kids dislike it, but they know that I'm the same person regardless of what I look like, so they've accepted it.

I can understand the appeal of the aesthetics. It's a look that works best when you've got total commitment, as you do. 

Other than the looks, is there anything to Satanism (as it applies to you) that makes it different from non-Satanist atheists? Are there any values or lifestyle choices that go against the US mainstream? Like, I don't know, Communism or accelerationism or violent crime?

No, not really. I've been an Atheist for as long as I can remember. Politically, I'm a conservative, which apparently is rare for someone with my beliefs, or lack thereof. I've been a metal music fan since the mid 70s, and as I've gotten older, my tastes in music haven't "mellowed" like most older peoples have. Mine have been going in the opposite direction for the past 20 or so years now. I've grown to love the darker, heavier, more evil forms of metal music. I listen to it several hours a day, it helps keep me sane in this fucked up world we're living in.
I've never been arrested or committed any crimes, I was too busy trying to support our family for over 35 years, until I was forced to retire in 2015. I've never consumed alcohol, smoked, or used drugs either.
I'm a "normal" retired 64 year old who loves American muscle cars and trucks, collects Hot Wheels cars with our 6 year old grandson, and is a lifelong metal head. The fact that I look like a serial killer that no one fucks with is a plus. As long as our grandkids aren't afraid of me(they're not) I'm happy being different.