For those of you who know of them, what are your thoughts on the Satanic Temple and the various advocacy and education campaigns they have undertaken in the last few years?

33 comments

1. I generally support them.

2. If you actually read their mission statement and bullet points of what they believe, quite a few don’t promote a healthy society. So, not a fan.

   It’s also a group founded specifically to mock others. So again, not a fan.

   While they’re popular on reddit, I don’t know of anyone who participates, so while they’re really good at getting press, they’re not actually doing much to build community and help people get through life. Once more, not a fan.

   edit: a little more on the first point. One item from their list of beliefs is “One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.” The concern is that last piece. Christians teach the first part, and yes, and often fallen short. But specifically leaving in an out clause where you treat people compassionately based on “reason” is problematic.

   Another: “The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend”. This really needs more context, because while I agree, this is really dangerous as thinking it’s ok to offend others is how you make a dysfunctional community.

   Another: “Beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world”. This leaves out tradition and love. I mean, the idea that “all men are created equal” isn’t a scientific statement, and so this attitude of following science alone is problematic.

3. I enjoy whenever some talking head interviews them and makes a fool of themselves because they did no research. I’m ambivalent on the temples themselves

4. I find them a bit tiresome, but their advocacy is fine.

   I know someone who is a member and he’s in recovery. It’s hilarious to watch people’s eyes go wide when he tells them “my higher power is Satan.”

   Most people’s higher power is more a “spirit of the universe” or the Judeo-Christian God.

5. I generally support them as an important part of modern political dialogue.

6. They’re virtue signalers who come off like they’re avid members of r/atheism so yeah I’m not much of a fan, even if on paper I support ideas such as compassion, secularism, etc.

   I’m also not a big fan of the way other pro-choicers talk about abortion in general and I think the Satanic Temple is way too quick to dismiss the issue as “yeetus the fetus lmaooooo”.

7. They’re basically edge lords out there to troll Christians, as far as I’m concerned. They’re atheists.

8. I support their efforts and goals.

   They teach that people should become better people and try to follow science and reason. It is an admirable goal. They also fight for equal protection of the law for both believers and non believers.

9. The Satanic Temple is better than the Church of Satan, which is basically Ayn Rand for goths.

10. Local chapters may be active and do good advocacy, but I’ve read enough to question the motives of the organizational leadership of TST. Throwing support behind alt-right speaker heads and attorneys; suing ex-members who speak out against threats and issues within. Plus, the advocacy and political action through courts really hasn’t amounted to much. They haven’t won any case they’ve brought forth. They fundraise money and aren’t transparent on where it goes.

    I think the tenants and the mission of TST are good, and I support their existence as a religious foil in this country. But there are better organizations I personally feel more comfortable supporting with my dollar and voice on issues the TST involves itself in.

11. Someone has to push back against this wave of christo-facists that have been trying to shoehorn themselves into our government.

12. Reddit loves them so much I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop revealing they’re funded by big Oil or Musk or something.

    This isn’t to say I disagree with them, but there is no ‘clean’ organization or person. At this point *anything* that becomes popular is just a matter of time until it implodes in disgrace.

13. I support them and what they do. Somebody has to teach the Christians what freedom of religion means.

14. They don’t seem to actually do anything besides badly troll religious groups, which isn’t that useful.

15. What they do is fine, but they’re edgelords for sure.

16. I enjoy watching American Evangelicals get trollied but I don’t feel like their stunts are actually that effective at changing theocratic policies or swaying moderates.

17. The seven tenets of satanism are a far better source for morality than anything the bible is peddling.

18. It’s basically a parody of religion, using some of the effective tools of religion to counteract the dreadful things churches often do.

19. They typically take a more Christlike position than many Christians. Pretty solid troll.

20. They’re entitled to do as they see fit. Taking stances on such things like bodily autonomy and religious orgs paying taxes is akin to what the broader population feel. Nothing really special about that.

    Freedom of religion means all religions, or none.

21. They’re doing a lot more to help and improve the world for EVERYONE than most other Abrahamic religions are. Those I’ve met with don’t inherently believe that Satan is an existing deity either. The Satanic Temple’s name, imagery, and themes are more about counter-culture to Abrahamic religions, particularly Christianity, than it is actual beliefs.

    The vibe I’ve gotten in my interactions is that they are social justice, mental health, and community advocates for everyone, particularly marginalized groups…the same people Christian-Nationalists attacks, so the satanic stuff is mostly just to troll Christian-Nationalism.

22. I actually think they are better than the churches and their whole point is to say fuck the oppression and hate in organized religion. They aren’t actually satanic, but because they are open to everyone and anyone and advocating for lgbtq+ rights, women’s right, sexuality open mindedness, which is seen as “the work of the devil” they chose that name to be like fuck your books and your god if satan is the one who really loves everyone, we will follow him instead. Idk I really like it.

23. It’s a political organization masquerading itself as religion almost completely filled with edgelord atheists who recently departed from Christianity’s influence and raging with their grievances to it. It’s the saying of there’s no one more fervent than a recent convert put into practice for atheism

24. Big fan and I regularly donate to them.

25. I see most of it as a parody, a la the Church of the Subgenius or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, maybe a bit more organized.

26. They basically just exist to remind Christians that other people exist.

27. A necessary evil.

    Evangelicals are trying to push something that’s private and personal down everybody’s throats.

    They pretty much show them how ridiculous the evangelicals sound.

28. Better them than the evangelicals.

29. I’m a fan. Though I haven’t truly kept up with their advocacy much.

30. The very few here where I am are just edge lords who think they are funny.

    As to the actual group, I can see the good they do, but I don’t see them as a true religious organization.

31. You know, one thing I’ll say about the Satanists is that I’ve never had one take me to task for my personal choices.

    I’ve known a couple, too. They’re generally nerds who like playing Magic and probably couldn’t hurt a fly.
    As far as the advocacy goes, good on them. We should all want a pleasant society to live in.

32. They’re the only “religious” organization I actually trust and generally agree with.

33. Fantastic organization.