this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2023
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The Satanic Temple

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I noticed there wasn't a TST Lemmy community. The Satanic Temple is a modern satanic religion that aims to promote human rights and compassion. Check out their about page on their official website at https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/about-us. Note that this community is not an official affiliation. TST is also separate and not affiliated with the Church of Satan, who have a slightly different viewpoint of what satanism truly is. Dunno what to post in here, but maybe some will search for this and take part. Hello!

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Curious as to how long after learning of TST did it take you to call yourself a Satanist. Immediate? Gradual? Thanks.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Never called myself a Satanist. Full fledged atheist, but still can't say that in public in my area. Tried once nothing bad happened but still too much bullshit came from it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

what is your interest in this community?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

nope, But I am an Athiest ally for sure.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

what is your interest in this community?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

pro-activity of civil rights

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

love this answer! thank you <3

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Not immediately. I would say...a month later? It's a guess. I did some research and watched Hail Satan? and that clinched it for me.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

phew, thank you for giving a straight forward answer. i love this answer, exactly what i was looking for.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Aren't you concerned with being part of an organized religion? As any religion, more people means more power. At some point it could grow beyond its original intent if the wrong people infiltrate leadership roles.

I get that right now it has the right intent, but the point is that the more people join, the more powerful it becomes and the more attractive it is for the wrong people. I feel like officially joining a religion is part of the problem of religions. What do you think?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

if it were to ever get to a point where the core values are betrayed, i’d simply leave. this isn’t christianity, i’m not going to watch figureheads rape children and stick around. and anyway, with TST, there is a central guiding council for the many dozens of congregations around the world to make sure they’re doing good things and aligning with the right message, there is NO central authority. there is hardly leadership roles. there is no pope, there is no idols.

TST is defining what I am, atheism defines what i am not. I am not a believer in the superstitious or any gods. I am a empathetic person who believes in justice, bodily autonomy, acceptance, and equality for all. TST is that to me, and if it ever weren’t that, than I simply wouldnt be a member. but no one person defined what it is, there isn’t a reality where it is “infiltrated” and suddenly the tenets are changed to evil things. if there’s an asshole who joins, they’re removed. there was one sector leader who began to get extreme and call for hostility and violence, they were fired, unlike priests who rape children and are protected.

it’s 5 am and i just woke up so i hope these rambles make sense lol

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I guess the point is that by joining, you are giving power to something that can be potentially harmful over time.

I don't know, I prefer a world without religions, even if they seem to have their heart in the right place. Once these groups reach certain relevance and power, corruption starts to sip into them.

So people join and give power to a structure without knowing the consequences. I don't know, I get that joining can bring good, but at the same point it is concerning because it is yet another religion that will probably get corrupted over time.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

literally anything can be harmful over time. if we want change to happen, if we want christianity out of public school and the government, if we want secularism, if we want justice, we have to WORK TOGETHER. why are they so powerful? conservatives and christians? because they have worked together to force their ideaology into everyone else. myself alone as an activist won’t change anything, thousands with similar values working together can and HAVE. it’s not even about religion, it’s about community striving toward a goal

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It's possible to work together without creating a religion. Not sure why the religion part is necessary.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

religion has consistently always been the strongest joining force on the planet. look at what they have done, ruled, created, changed. the point of Satanism is to get that same togetherness but for positive changes like secularism, rejecting the current authority. if you can't see the point, that's fine, you don't have to like or accept it, but the point is obvious. i don't see why it even matters that it is a religion, it's officially a religion to put it on a similar ground as other religions so that changes can be made. a simple club called Satanism is not going to do near as much, it won't have any legal basis, no one will listen or care.

the moment you find any joining force that is 1. more powerful than religion and 2. will be taken seriously, do let me know

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Those 2 points are exactly the problem with using religion as a tool. People take it way too seriously and it has more power than it should.

Personally, I'd never use religion as a tool, I'd never subscribe to a religion and I keep religions as far away as possible.

Nothing good can come from a group with so many legal exemptions.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (2 children)

It seems like you could say that about any organization. Is there something special about a religion that makes it more likely to be corrupt? Even one like TST?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

I'm not sure if they're more likely to become corrupt, but if they do they can be worse than other organizations. Religions have all sorts of special legal protection, and adherents to them usually find coming to the conclusion that they and their representatives have done wrong to be a much higher bar to clear.

So even if not more likely to become corrupt, they present a particularly large hazard if and when they do.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Because it is a religion. If religions are like any other organization, why do you want them separated from the state specifically? There are many other types of organizations that interact or participate with the state, but somehow you want to separate religions.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Where did I say that I wanted them separate from the state? I only say that every religion should have equal rights. The state shouldn't favor one religion over another.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

That's one of the goals of the TST, to separate state from religion. Or at least that's what I've been told by some TST followers.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I wouldn't believe anything about TST based on hearsay, because a lot of people are misinformed.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

After School Satan. I love my stickers.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (2 children)

TST does not believe there is a Satan, so why would I call myself a Satanist?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

Most Satanists don't believe in Satan.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I'm well aware, that's just a term used for a member of TST lmfao. Not everyone uses it, but many do. Satanist doesn't need to mean belief in Satan, it just means member of TST.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

There are lots of Satanists who aren't members of TST, and, as you noted yourself, not everyone in TST calls themselves a Satanist. So, being a Satanist is independent of membership in TST.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Guys, I just picked a term to mean member of TST, that's all. Nothing too deep. My question is just asking when someone would consider themselves a member, not just someone interested or aligned.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I guess I don't understand what you're asking. You can consider yourself a member once you've filled out that form and given them your email address. You're either a member or you aren't.

Maybe what you're asking is: When did you consider yourself a TST Satanist? IOW, someone whose religion is Satanism and their church is TST.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Maybe what you’re asking is: When did you consider yourself a TST Satanist?

This is literally what I asked. That's just "When did you officially consider yourself a member of TST?", my question, in slightly different wording. I feel like I am on reddit right now.

You can consider yourself a member once you’ve filled out that form and given them your email address

That may be when you did, which is a valid answer to my question. Some may have different answers. I am interested in all answers.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Right after reading the 7 tenets.