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In this informative article, Averie covers the history of Satanic worship and the modern-day Satanic Temple.
THE SATANIC TEMPLE
By Averie Black
When the topic of Satanism comes up, it usually comes up alongside ritualistic murders, witchcraft and evil. However, Satanism has a long and complex history that leads up to the Satanic Temple of today.
Satanism is a newer religion, only truly taking form in the early 1900s, though viewing Satan as a symbol of philosophy and rebellion was not a new concept. Dating back to the 14th century, Dante’s Inferno and the term Baphomet started bringing the idea of Satan as an anti-hero to life. The History Channel website's "Satanism" article states, “...Theosophical Society founder Madame Blavatsky wrote about Satan as a commendable insurgent offering humans wisdom.” This new religion was founded under the notions of anti-Christian values such as rationalism, most of the members being under the atheist umbrella. The first organized Satanist view came from Stanislaw Przybyszewski’s European group, Satan’s Kinder, in 1897. Later, in the early 1960s, Anton Lavey, a prominent founder in modern-day Satanism also known as The Black Pope, founded The Church of Satan alongside other members of the occult. Lavey also published the religion’s first bible, containing occult philosophy and guides to black magic.
Image depicting Satan from Dante's Inferno by Flickr
As Satanism became more widely known, more branches started popping up such as Order of the Nine Angels, and The Children of Satan. However, as a result of Satanism growing, what has become known as the Satanic Panic spread rapidly across America and Europe in the 1980s. Christians claimed that Satanists were abusing children and committing ritualistic murder. The panic was even further spread when murderers claimed to be Satanists. According to The History Channel website, “Serial killer Richard Ramirez, when finally captured in 1985, claimed to be a Satanist, employing Satanic symbolism to his look and claiming to know Lavey…” Before the Satanic Panic, Christians often told stories of Satanists, though this was the first time any threat was known to the general public. Lavey passed away in 1997 and, thus, modern Satanism continued down its path, one of the most popular branches being The Satanic Temple.
The Satanic Temple Logo from Wikimedia Commons
The modern Satanic Temple has a set of Seven Tenets. The Seven Tenets include seven beliefs of the members and can be found on their website The Satanic Temple. These beliefs can be boiled down to the following: empathy towards all life, striving towards justice, owning one’s body, respect towards others' freedoms, not warping facts to fit one's opinion, doing all one can to fix a mistake, and the tenets are a guide and the greater good and will always be more important than the rules. When posed with the question of whether or not they worship Satan, The Satanic Temple responds with, “The Satanic Temple believes that religion can, and should, be divorced from superstition. As such, we do not promote a belief in a personal Satan.” Alongside a long list of frequently asked questions, the website provides information on how to become a member and special events such as personalized satanic weddings officiated by members of the temple.
Satanism is not as uncommon as some may think it is. A sophomore at Grants Pass High School identifies himself as a Satanist and provided some extra information on the topic. When questioned about why he had decided on Satanism among the many religions, the sophomore had this to say; “In a lot of ways, all religion to me is secular and about control rather than being good, and Satanists combat that with their encouragement of individuality. To me, Satanism is about speaking up for myself, being kind to others, and enjoying the time I have on Earth.” He also mentioned that he would align his beliefs the most with The Satanic Temple or The Church of Satan. Even in the small town of Grants Pass, with a population of just under 38k, Satanists can be found living conventional lives.
One of the more recent actions taken by the Satanic Temple took place on Sept. 21, 2022. The Satanic Temple filed a lawsuit against the state of Indiana for violating their First Amendment religious rights. Abortion in Indiana is restricted to those who got pregnant via rape or incest, so when a member of the Satanic Temple acquired an unwanted pregnancy due to failed contraceptive, she was ineligible for an abortion. According to Matt Christy, a writer for The Hill, “Tenet III of the Satanic Temple states, 'one’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.' Under this tenet, the temple said the fetal tissue carried in the woman’s uterus is not seen as an “unborn child.” The official case file can be found here. The Satanic Temple considers itself active in the political scene, even having a “Guide to Effective Protesting” under the advocacy tab on their website.
Image of The Satanic Temple Protesting against Abortion Bans by CNBC
The Satanic Temple has a long history dating back from the 1800s up to modern times. Though sourced in anti-Christian ideals, the modern Satanic Temple is a swaying force in American politics.
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