Sammy Davis Jr. was a singer who was best known as one of the most beloved members of the Rat Pack in the 1950s, but he had a devilish side to him that most of his fans would be shocked to learn about.

At one point in his life, Davis decided to join the Church of Satan, much to everyone’s surprise. Thankfully, he quickly saw the light and left the Church before he got too deeply into it.

While the name Church of Satan likely conjures up images of devil-worshippers from horror movies, that actually isn’t quite accurate. Peter H. Gilmore, the current High Priest of the Church, recently explained what this Church is really all about.

“The Church of Satan was founded in 1966 by Anton Szandor LaVey as a means of promoting his atheist, individualist philosophy which uses aspects of religion, such as symbolism and ritual, to offer a perspective allowing each adherent to be the center of his or her own subjective universe,” Gilmore told Dread Central.

”Each Satanist is his or her own ‘god’ and is thus free to develop a subjective hierarchy of values meant to enhance their lives and those of the people, objects, and ideas they chose to cherish…. We are skeptical, pragmatic materialists, and so the Church of Satan defines itself as a carnal religion….” he added.

The Church of Satan does not actually treat Satan as a real being, as they instead see him as just a simple of individualism. Nevertheless, it can’t be denied that the name of this church is disturbing to many because of what they associate with Satan.

As for Davis, Vice reported that he became involved with the Church of Satan after some actors invited him to a party at a nightclub. When he got there, Davis found that the party was hosted by the Church, and he was so intrigued by it that he attended Church of Satan parties for the next few years. He eventually joined the Church himself, seeing his membership as a sign of his openness.

“It was a short-lived interest, but I still have many friends in the Church of Satan,” Davis later said. “I say this to only show that however bizarre the subject I don’t pass judgment until I have found out everything I can about it. People who can put up an interesting case will often find that I’m a willing convert.”

Davis added that he eventually left the Church because one of the parties went south, although he refused to specify exactly how. He died in 1990 at the age of 64, and though he was only involved with the Church of Satan briefly, it remains another fascinating aspect of his life.