Devil worship is the practice of worshiping demons or other evil spirits. Only a few groups actually worship devils or other beings they consider evil. Members of a Brazilian religious group worship evil spirits called Exus, who they believe will harm their enemies. An anti-Christian movement called Satanism has a small number of followers in Europe and North America. Satanism involves elements of magic and witchcraft. Its chief ceremony is the Black Mass, a distorted version of a Christian church service in which the worshipers praise Satan and ridicule God.
The term devil worship is sometimes used by people to describe a religion other than their own. Individuals who consider their religion the only true one may regard the gods of others as devils–especially if the gods are portrayed as fierce. People also may use the term devil worship for practices they misinterpret. For example, some groups offer gifts to evil spirits to calm the spirits’ anger. Such offerings may seem like devil worship to other people.
A Middle Eastern religious group called the Yazidis (also spelled Yezidis) acquired the name devil worshipers through a misunderstanding. Like early Christians, the Yazidis believe the Devil was once the chief angel but was expelled from heaven because of his rebellious pride. According to the Yazidis, however, the Devil repented and was restored to his former position by God. The Yazidis worship the Devil as the chief angel, who rules the world on behalf of God.
