No, nor do we believe in the existence of Satan or the supernatural. The Satanic Temple believes that religion can, and should, be divorced from superstition.
What does Satan mean to TST?
Satan is a symbol of the Eternal Rebel in opposition to arbitrary authority, forever defending personal sovereignty even in the face of insurmountable odds.
One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason
The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one's own.
Beliefs should conform to one's best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one's beliefs.
People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one's best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.
Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.
What kinds of campaigns have you run in the past?
SirJelly on August 5th, 2020 at 19:35 UTC »
The Satanic Temple is a critical watchdog on the judiciary. It tests the blindness of the judicial system by ensuring symmetric application of the law.
You want to distribute your religious materials in school? Ok, here's ours too!
You want to put up monuments to Jesus with public money? Ok, behold BAPHOMET!
So far, the response from those pushing the policies has been "Yeah now that you bring it up maybe we don't want to allow this". However, Christians have been remarkably effective at stacking the judiciary, especially recently.
If the response from the justice system becomes "We only protect religious freedoms for Christians", it's time to pack your bags or start enthusiastically singing hymns. That boundary needs to be tested constantly if we are to know when it's been crossed.
Since this post has eyes: the conversation needs one more thing.
Legality and morality are not the same. The law is not a tool for forcing morality. Things which are legal are not legal because they are moral, and things which are illegal are not illegal because they are immoral. A defining democratic ideal is that The law is a tool to promote the well being of those who choose to be both protected and bound by it.
RealUserForSure on August 5th, 2020 at 19:14 UTC »
We did it guys, we can officially say to the conservatives that we practice satanic rituals
Paratoxical on August 5th, 2020 at 18:15 UTC »
Thank you again satanic temple, you are the best
(Time to lock this post Mods)