Gaahl is strongly opposed to Christianity. He has often been mistaken as a Satanist, but objects to being labeled as such. In a 1995 interview, he stated: "I am my own God as I am my own Satan. So I'm not a Satanist judging by those terms." He jokingly added: "Maybe you could call it Gaahlism." He reiterated this belief in the documentary "True Norwegian Black Metal" when he said: "The god within yourself is the only true god." In an interview for the documentary ""—at which time he was Gorgoroth's vocalist—Gaahl was asked what inspired the band's music, to which his sole reply was "Satan." When asked what Satan represented, he again answered with a single word: "Freedom."