"The Satanic Bible" has been described as the most important document to influence contemporary Satanism. The book contains the core principles of Satanism, and is considered the foundation of its philosophy and dogma. On their website, the Church of Satan urge anyone seeking to learn about LaVeyan Satanism to read "The Satanic Bible", stating that doing so is "tantamount to understanding at least the basics of Satanism". Petersen noted that it is "in many ways "the" central text of the Satanic milieu", with Lap similarly testifying to its dominant position within the wider Satanic movement. David G. Bromley calls it "iconoclastic" and "the best-known and most influential statement of Satanic theology." Eugene V. Gallagher says that Satanists use LaVey's writings "as lenses through which they view themselves, their group, and the cosmos." He also states: "With a clear-eyed appreciation of true human nature, a love of ritual and pageantry, and a flair for mockery, LaVey's "Satanic Bible" promulgated a gospel of self-indulgence that, he argued, anyone who dispassionately considered the facts would embrace."