The Church of Satan became increasingly doctrinally-rigid and focused on maintaining the purity of LaVeyan Satanism. The church's increased emphasis on their role as the bearer of LaVey's legacy was partly a response to the growth in non-LaVeyan Satanists. Some Church members – including Gilmore – claimed that only they were the "real" Satanists and that those belonging to different Satanic traditions were "pseudo" Satanists. After examining many of these claims on the church's website, Lewis concluded that it was ""obsessed" with shoring up its own legitimacy by attacking the heretics, especially those who criticize LaVey". Meanwhile, the church experienced an exodus of its membership in the 2000s, with many of these individuals establishing new groups online. Although the church's public face had performed little ceremonial activity since the early 1970s, in June 2006 they held a Satanic 'High Mass' in Los Angeles to mark the church's fortieth birthday.