The Satanic Temple
| The Satanic Temple | |
|---|---|
| Family | Modern Satanic / Non-theistic |
| Origin region | United States |
| Founding period | 21st century CE |
| Estimated adherents | Unknown; public chapters and congregations exist in multiple regions. |
The Satanic Temple is the Satanic Temple is a modern non-theistic Satanic religious organization that uses Satan as a symbol of resistance to tyranny, religious liberty, bodily autonomy, compassion, and secular pluralism.
Overview
The Satanic Temple should be distinguished from the Church of Satan and from theistic Satanism. It is generally non-theistic and does not teach worship of a literal Devil. Its public identity combines religious symbolism, ethical tenets, legal activism, and challenges to religious privilege in public institutions. Supporters view it as a legitimate minority religion and civil-rights movement; critics often dispute its religious status or object to its provocative symbolism.
Key beliefs
- Satan as a literary or symbolic figure of rebellion against tyranny
- Compassion, justice, bodily autonomy, and reason as ethical themes
- Religious liberty and church-state separation
- Non-theistic or atheistic interpretation of Satanic identity
- Pluralism and resistance to authoritarian religious power
Practices
- Congregational meetings
- Public rituals and symbolic actions
- Advocacy for religious liberty and equal treatment
- Educational and community events
- Personal identification with the Seven Tenets
Places of worship
- Congregation meeting space
- Private home altar or study space
- Public demonstration or civic setting
- Online community
Sacred texts
- The Seven Tenets
- Official organizational statements
- Modern Satanic and secular humanist writings
- Literary sources such as Milton in some symbolic readings
Holidays and observances
- Tenet-based personal observances
- Unveiling Day in some Satanic Temple contexts
- Local congregation events
- Secular and symbolic holidays
Branches and related traditions
- Satanism - The broader family of Satanic religious and philosophical movements.
- LaVeyan Satanism - A distinct atheistic Satanic tradition associated with the Church of Satan.
- Theistic Satanism - A distinct family of Satanic traditions involving belief in Satan as a real being.