In 1970, I joined the Church of Satan with my first wife Anne. We attended local meetings in Framingham, Massachusetts at Union Avenue. I left the CoS in 1974 and sent my resignation letter directly to the Grand Secretary, Michael Aquino. In the past, going back to when I was the editor of Brimstone Magazine, Aquino never denied I was a member, even though I brought it up casually a few times. Now, information is being manipulated to make it appear I was never a member, presumably to save certain people embarrassment. According to Aquino, my wife WAS a member. What did I do? Stay home, take care of the kids? Excuse my language, but it appears someone is full of excrement.
I am no longer going to go into what happened back then. While some people insisted that Anne was my sister, anyone who grew up with me in Watertown, Mass, will tell you I do not have a sister. I do not even have a sister-in-law named Anne. Unfortunately, like so many marriages that start so young, because my relationship with Anne failed, this only added fuel to the fire of the rumor mill. Anne has moved on with her life, as I moved on with mine. I only wish her the best. Now, as Paul Harvey would say, back to "the rest of the story."
The CoS Aegis held monthly meetings. Coffee and cookies were the refreshments, alcohol was strictly prohibited. The witch with the most charm was Nicole, always outspoken and way ahead of her time! She once commented, "Jesus Christ was the greatest Satanist that ever lived!"
I remember one night we decided to try an experiment; extinguishing all the lights, we sat silent in total darkness in the front living room. Finally, Bob turned to each one of us and asked, "What are you thinking right now?" Anne came right out and told everyone what was on her mind, "I want to have sex with Bob." Near the end of the experiment, Bob had to use the bathroom. He fumbled in the dark and made his way up the stairway. The bathroom was straight ahead. My wife whispered, "I'm going after him." I whispered, "Are you crazy??" But it was too late, she was heading for the staircase! Well, as it turns out, Bob had finished and was just about to make his way down when he feels Anne brushing up against him in the dark! The poor man must have jumped straight out of his skin! Then he finally pulled himself together and blurted out loud for everyone to hear, "OH HERE, LET ME GET THE BATHROOM LIGHT FOR YOU." Then he quickly made his way down the stairs... I'll never forget it. Hilarious!
Looking back, I would say our fearless leader, Jzamon, was one of the few positive role models I've encountered as a Satanist. Imagine being a visible spokesperson for the Church of Satan back in 1970. He came very close to being a catholic priest and then decided to go in the opposite direction! Some were charmed by him, others feared him.
On one occasion, Bob had neighbors over who asked him if he could demonstrate his magical powers. He was happy to oblige and got a candle out of the cupboard, set it in a holder on the table, then lit it. Sitting on a chair several feet away, he explained how he could concentrate on the flame and extinguish it by sending "nerve electricity" from his eyes. He then stared at the candle and in less than a minute the flame died out. Of course, this was a trick - some form of stage magic, but the will to believe is a powerful thing! Since it was done in the context of a psychic experiment with a known Satanist, the neighbors were too frightened to sleep that night. They had nightmares for about a week!
When Satanism first emerged as a social movement, it was fun. More optimistic, less cynical. I was a member of the CoS and quit around the time the Aegis of Amon-Ra became the Grotto of Amon-Ra. My wife stayed on.
It boggles the mind that a young man wet behind the ears would actually continue to bother people about whether or not I was a member of an organization over 30 years ago. The Church of Satan boasts thousands of members, and very few organizations keep records for more than ten years back, and often purge records of inactive members. Fortunately, help came in the form of Michael Aquino.
On Wednesday, November 20, 2002, it seems the question concerning my early membership in the CoS was resolved by Dr. Aquino in an email to Ryan S. (an internet troll who publicly declared me a fraud, a charlatan, a pedophile and reduced me to an acronymn: F.M.W.A.B. - Fat Man With A Bird). In a message dated 11/16/02 4:37:03 AM, Aquino writes:
"...was John Dewey Allee ever a member of the Church of Satan? I began keeping the C/S membership records in late 1971, and maintained them through 6/75. During this time Anne Allee was an individual Satanist I*. My final 1975 database run has this remark against her entry: 'Orig. with hsb John D.' So at some time Anne did have a joint membership in the C/S with husband John D. Allee, but I don't have any details as to time or length."
Among many of the other rumors, this one continues to pop up now and then. It never ceases to amaze me that I have been asked to provide a copy of my first marriage certificate, as well as proof of my involvement with the CoS. These are people who do not know me. I have been treated better by the media than by those on the net who want me to pass out my personal information and that of a woman (Anne Allee) who does not choose to live her life in the public eye. If I learned anything during my early adventures as a Satanist, it was to deal with the shock and discrimination from those who were closed minded and ignorant. Unfortunately, they still exist, alive and well, within our own movement today.
My suggest to anyone who is starting their own groups and grottos. Take pictures, keep your membership cards, and laminate them. You never know what you may need to prove you exist to the kids on the internet. Some complain about the auditing from the IRS. The boys in the trees are much worse and they have much more time on their hands.
Rev. John Dewey Allee
founder, First Church of Satan
copyright 2003 jda/lca http://churchofsatan.tv