Beyond The Stigma Of The Satanic Temple
Just hear me out.
October 14, 2021
o One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
o The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
o One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
o 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.
o 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.
o 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.
o 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.
Do you find yourself agreeing with any of these principles? Well then, you just might be a perfect fit for the Satanic Temple. Don’t believe me? These are The Satanic Temple’s Seven Tenets directly from their own website.
I know how this seems, a strange high school girl writing about something as the Satanic Temple in a school newspaper, but I promise by the end of this article you’ll have something to keep you thinking.
I fell down the rabbit hole of The Satanic Temple in a way any teenager does; through social media. Anti-Abortion laws were passed in Texas, and a wide majority of media was enraged. As women, we were (and still are) enraged that our bodily autonomy was being violated by men in the government. But what could we do? That’s where The Satanic Temple came into play; outrageous to the traditional eye. As an ex-religious person -whose head was drilled in with the horrors of Satan from childhood- I was immediately intrigued, so I dove to doing my own research.
‘How could an organization that initially seems like a cult provide meaningful help to such an important cause? What did Satan have to do with any of this? What is my poor Christian mother going to think if she walks in while I am on their website?’
Immersing myself into their FAQ and ‘about us’ section on their website, I was shocked with how much my morals aligned with theirs. And ironically enough, The Satanic Temple doesn’t believe in Satan, let alone have meetings where they sacrifice goats to the gates of hell or trick kids who hang behind the local mall parking lots to sell their souls. They clearly state that Satan is merely a “symbol of the Eternal Rebel in opposition to arbitrary authority” and that supernatural beings have no place in their organization.
Delighted and giggling to myself at some questions in their FAQ section, I was so shocked to find that they understood the stereotype behind the name but was so informational to the public eye who dare dove into their intimidating-looking website. It thoroughly reaches the trolls on the internet who want to discredit them while simultaneously stating their purposes, practices, and beliefs.
When you imagine your old run-of-the-mill Satanist, a dark burly man with smudgy eyeliner and a questionably long black robe with pentagram eyes may come to mind. I get it, and so do they. But the reality is, once you step out of the stereotypes, Satanists (at least the ones of The Satanic Temple) are nothing but empathetic souls who only want to spread freedom. Seven Tenets (as listed in the beginning of the article) are what they try to abide by, and what sort of despicable human lives by acting with “compassion and empathy toward all creatures” (Tenet 1)?
The stigma of The Satanic Temple is one that is understandable but needs to be broken down. Fear is keeping us from understanding one another, or even listening to what someone has to say. I swear on my poor Christian mother that they did not hire me to sprinkle in some evil into this article that makes you immediately fall on your knees worshipping a devil, and I do not consider myself a part of The Satanic Temple (yet). The Satanic Temple and its ideals are not for everyone, and there is nothing wrong with that. But maybe we should all break down our stereotypes and at least hear a new perspective.
They are actively trying to fight against abortion laws in Texas because as a religion they state that the laws are violating Tenet 3; “One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone”. They are spreading information and kicking back against a government that is disrupting their beliefs. Regardless of how you may feel about abortion, they are only trying their best to help others who think the same way they do.
Friends, I strongly encourage you to do your own dive into their website. Whether it’s for a laugh in 3rd period on your school Chromebook (if the website isn’t restricted), or you’re actually intrigued by their stances and want to know more beyond my puny article, you never know what you might find. Who knows? Maybe we’ll have to start our own congregation, maybe people will know me for the rest of my high school career as the Satan girl. Either way, I implore you to open your mind to something that might only seem like a joke.
Side Note; for those who have read this article and have questions (that are not already answered on The Satanic Temples FAQ page), I am more than happy to email them myself for an online interview. Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments you would like to ask them that I can pass on.
Idaho Tom • Nov 24, 2021 at 2:13 pm
https://youtu.be/gbUK4cFCTPg
Please hear him out.
Mike Oxlong • Nov 20, 2021 at 6:47 pm
I really loved your article! Exploring other religions is always something I have been interested in, and I’m so glad you were able to expose it to other people through your writing. As someone who has experienced discomfort with religions, I relate to what you say. Some people are just not ready to accept other ideas, and it’s sad that you’re getting attacked for it. But, ignore it, it was a wonderful read! Thank you!
Pastor Greg • Nov 18, 2021 at 7:15 pm
Hi Hannah! Congratulations on writing a piece that really has made people talk! It is well written. I really think that you have given people something to discuss. I’m sorry you’ve had such a bad experience with religion.
For any Christians, especially Christian parents who might read Hannah’s article, I wanted to assure you, as a pastor in town and a dad of an awesome girl at Santiago, this could be an opening to conversation you don’t need to fear.
How can I say that?
I visited their site and read their ideas. None of them are threatening, even for evangelicals who they are trying to argue with.
First, know, this is an Atheist-Materialist group (no God, gods, angels, demons or satan is believed to exist).
Second they are appropriating the Satan symbol to goad religious people, especially evangelical Christians. And they do a good job at it. They are really an anti-Christian group that desires to point people to values without the use of God.
Third, as Hannah said, it is not the same thing as other satanic groups you’ve heard about over the years. No seances, sacrifices, etc. Not that there are some in the group who might do it to tick off, or freak some people out.
They do like rebellion.
Do I think they are playing with things they don’t understand and are more powerful than them? Yes I do, but their aim is to simply promote rebellion against “authorities” be it governmental or religious.
So if you are a nervous parent and your kids is asking you, I advise you to press in and have some good conversations about the differences. Trust me when I say that I know no objection brought up here that Christianity hasn’t already dealt with.
cj • Nov 28, 2021 at 6:10 am
yes, same type of rebellion occurred and moved forward for 60 years much was/is rebellion…some was/is divisive: but freedom in regards to religion and speech is guaranteed under the US Constitution.
cejo • Nov 28, 2021 at 7:23 am
the idea of exploration is a great way to grow…the choice of methods can be harmful…who the cite owner is. I won’t bore you with results other than simple info you can figure out the rest as a pastor. Douglas Misicko, aka Douglas Mesner, aka Lucien Greeves is a 50+ year old male who is the president, registered agent, treasurer, clerk and Director of the Satanic temple and Reason Alliance LTD. in addition to filing for corp/llc status in Ohio Colorado, Mass, He used the filings to file with US treasury for charitable organization status in 3 states using post office boxes as an address. Noticed he sells memberships and apparel, the “chartitable” status lets him avoid taxes. Having trouble finding any charitable activities. As in any operation a journalist must have an investigative plan…I am dismayed that the classroom didn’t help her lay out an avenue to properly investigate the organization and not the site. She is a promising writer…
Jocelynn Veliz • Nov 18, 2021 at 4:43 pm
It seems that the majority of the commenters did not read her article. This was not a recruitment letter or an invitation to join a cult. If you read it with a mature mind, it is obvious that this is merely an educational article. I have read many comments saying, “We can’t write about Jesus but she can write about this.” I’m not sure if you aren’t aware of your first amendment rights, but you can write about Jesus, I do not see anywhere in her article or on the paper’s site that says you cannot. Again, if you genuinely read her article instead of assuming its content by the title and others’ opinions on it, you will see that it is the opposite of what many comments say it is.
And to those who see this article as the writer screaming “Hail Satan”, I encourage you to read this excerpt from the article, “ The Satanic Temple doest believe in Satan, let alone have meetings where they sacrifice goats to the gates of hell or trick kids who hang behind the local mall parking lots to sell their souls.”
I also see a lot of hypocrisy in these comments. You are telling her to not push ‘satanism’ on your kids yet here you are pushing Christianity on the writer. If you want to comment on how the views of the Satanic Temple go against yours, go for it, but the pushing of religion down her throat like you believe she is doing is ironic.
I admire your writing and hope that the conversation around the article builds you up as a writer, you have a beautiful way of writing educational pieces and I hope you continue to show it.
Idaho Tom • Nov 18, 2021 at 8:10 pm
Comments that challenge the implicit support for bad ideas doesn’t prove people haven’t carefully read the article.
Her stated complaint about men controlling women’s bodies was one tip-off, and women have long agreed with those men until Christianity has come under assault by enlightened experts in the past fifty years.
That evil patriarchy is at it again!
If one thinks Christianity is bad, wait until one gets a taste of what comes later, when real men have been so badly attacked that they won’t be there.
cejo • Nov 28, 2021 at 7:19 am
I did read her article…she went to a web site read the content and failed to investigate further. Douglas Misicko, aka Doublas Mesner, aka Lucien Greeves is a 50+ year old male who is the president, registered agent, treasurer, clerk and Director of the Satanic temple and Reason Alliance LTD. in addition to filing for corp/llc status in Ohio Colorado, Mass, He used the filings to file with US treasury for charitable organization status in 3 states using post post office boxes as an address. Noticed he sells memberships and apparel, the “charitable” status lets him avoid taxes. Having trouble finding any charitable activities. As in any operation a journalist must have an investigative plan…I am dismayed that the classroom didn’t help her lay out an avenue to properly investigate the organization and not the site. She is a promising writer… let’s hope she enlists in a university/College that will give her the tools needed.
Greg • Nov 18, 2021 at 2:18 pm
“The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it.”
Just Joe • Nov 18, 2021 at 2:01 pm
Well written and thought provoking. Wars are started over conflict of religion, so we must be careful not to limit ourselves to understanding just one religion and rejecting all others. Or forcefully demand only one religion is the only religion for all. Christianity tried that and ended up wiping out entire civilizations. Jews have suffered for centuries for the same reason. Good work, Hannah.
Tina Ngo • Nov 18, 2021 at 11:46 am
I believe that the writer publishing this article is exceptional. You shared your thoughts with the world and I admire you deeply for that. You are not “lost”, “naive”, or even “confused” as some of these comments have said, but you are brave and I love your input in the article as well as your writing.
Idaho Tom • Nov 18, 2021 at 12:17 pm
She DOES know how to express her THOUGHTS clearly, for which she can be commended.
However, it remains true that IDEAS HAVE CONSEQUENCES, and therefore, writers must also be critiqued on their logic and critical thinking skills. (I once taught my graduate school professor how to successfully write a well reasoned letter that got me off on a camera ticket at a street intersection, so clear expression is not enough).
I PRAY that she will take a REAL course in Western Civ in college, know what forces have been in play in the world for millennia, and then use her talents to espouse truth.
She can do it!
Just Joe • Nov 18, 2021 at 1:49 pm
From what I can tell the young author’s logic and critical thinking are doing just fine. And I do believe she espoused truths about Satanism. I applaud her for opening the possibility for a different way of thinking for her peers to consider. A way of thinking different than the rigid and dogmatic way of thinking of Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, and other religions. It’s healthy to open the mind to other possibilities. Just because it happens to be Satanism doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be understood.
Idaho Tom • Nov 18, 2021 at 2:58 pm
Well, you know what happens when the camel’s nose gets into the tent.
Hannah Kim • Nov 18, 2021 at 11:23 am
Hello! As the author of this article, I have just found out my article had blown up seemingly out of nowhere. I felt the need to address certain issues some readers may have had. My intention with writing this specific article was never about ‘recruiting’ or preaching about Satanism. My focus was directed towards my findings of The Satanic Temple I found interesting, and how its name may deter people away from listening to each other. I still stand by my statement on how The Satanic Temple’s beliefs are not for everyone and that is perfectly fine; my only wish was that we would simply be able to at least listen to new ideas regardless of how scary they may seem. I am not here to converse about my opinions about abortion, vaccines, or Christianity, or put anyone else’s down. Either way, thank you so much for reading my article and the support, and have a great day 🙂
Idaho Tom • Nov 18, 2021 at 11:45 am
The Satanic Temple.
It is satanic to hijack “the good” in order to turn loose upon humankind a relevatism that seeks to undermine all that is good, beautiful, and true, for a dictatorship of relativism.
Some here equate religions with non judgement, love, tolerance, etc. This is called New Age religionism and its tenets have been spurned time and time again.
Please find and take a real college course in Western Civilization, not one that denounces it.
At least this group did not try to hide its underlying motives, its agenda, with a more innocuous sounding name.
Idaho Tom • Nov 18, 2021 at 11:19 am
Would Satan or Jesus support abortion?
She’s naive about the Satan Group’s principles, which superficially sound noble and liberal—liberal as in pertaining to individual rights and responsibilities. But she concludes with poor deductive reasoning skill by supporting truly satanic abortion rights, and holds to rights without responsibilities and thus negating the right to life in favor of the culture of death, which IS satanic!
I’d give her an F for not being able to think logically.
Her Christian mother has it right.
Stella • Nov 18, 2021 at 11:00 am
I think the publication of this article is admirable. I truly am sorry for all the people in the comments counterarguing the beliefs of this religion with their own religion. This writer is not “lost” or “misguided”, she is in fact doing what many are too scared to do, and that challenges your own thoughts and seeing things from a different eye. Her writing about this topic causes no direct harm to anyone. This article is simply informative, and the people outraged should take a step back and realize this has nothing to do with you. If you are not a believer of the Satanic Temple, simply do not comment on it. Many religions are founded and live by the means of freedom, love, and acceptance however when it comes to views/lifestyles that are opposite of their own, many forget about the true foundations that their religion claims to be founded on. I hope that people who find themselves reading this question why they feel the need to insert the opinions of their own religion when this religion has nothing to do with yours or against yours. Learn to accept that everyone has differences and respect them. I really admire the courage behind this article and I’m glad you were able to share this and bring awareness.
Jimmy's Bar • Nov 20, 2021 at 6:52 pm
Now listen here, buddy. If you think you can just write a comment that explains that this article is actually about breaking down a stereotype for a helpful organization that fights for women rights, you best think again. Me and my 24 clones of Idaho Tom are going to your current location as we speak, and we will not hesitate to leverage Idaho’s main export of potatoes and throw them at high speeds.
Instead, I’m going to make some strawman argument about my preconceived notions of the satanic temple thus missing the whole point of the article which disproves these ideas. That’s right, I’m about to do the Facebook special and only read the title of the article before leaving an angry review. Now if you excuse me, I’ll go back to getting angry at the latest social media trend and reminisce about the “good ol’ days” where it was socially acceptable to be racist. Now whenever I try to say a slur, I just get called a word that is too long for me to understand. This is truly a god-forsaken country ;).
Rich • Nov 18, 2021 at 9:40 am
Satan is still a deceiver as he always was. He appears as an angel of light. Who are we to prevent a woman from terminating her pregnancy? It’s her body right? We can’t deny that pregnancy eventually means labor – a terrifying moment for any woman, she should be able to choose if she wants to go through with that, right?
Engaging in sex comes with the understanding that pregnancy is a potential outcome – that’s where the choice is. In the scenario where a woman is impregnated through rape – relatively rare, it is unjust that she should have to deliver a baby when she never wanted any part of it – but even still we have to deal with the scientific fact – she has another life inside of her and ending that life is also unjust.
If the Church of Satan was truly compassionate, they would encourage the
mother to ensure that she is well nourished so that her completely dependent, helpless child is sustained. They might even raise funds to help mothers in need.
Compassion, justice, love – those are things are a great disguise for the Church of Satan – but nothing more. So it comes as no surprise that the compassionate Church of Satan is fighting for the right to end life as soon as possible.
Rose • Nov 18, 2021 at 10:16 pm
This article is about The Satanic Temple not Church of Satan. Hard to take you seriously when it’s clear you are not utilizing facts.
J • Nov 18, 2021 at 9:24 am
This should not be related in any way to a school newsletter. It reads like a recruitment brochure. Overall what I got out of this was If you are a female who doesn’t agree with Texas anti-abortion law, join The Satanic Temple! That makes no sense to me at all.
critical thinker • Nov 19, 2021 at 7:54 am
Students have first amendment rights- even in school. It is clearly an informative piece and not a persuasive one. If you think this is a recruitment brochure, you have not read the article carefully enough. This is an example of why we strive to teach our students critical thinking and reading skills in school.
Kim • Nov 18, 2021 at 9:17 am
I commend you for this article. Thank you for exercising your free will and your constitutional rights to freedom of speech and press. I think it is a beautiful thing for our youth to express themselves and educate themselves on cultures, beliefs, and religion outside of their societal norms. This type of willingness to truly educate yourself and open your mind to alternate points of view, agreeable or not, will take you far in life. I hope that this inspires others to challenge yourselves to think outside of the box and explore all of the options the world has to offer. Regardless of where you land in the end, you have nothing to lose when you gain knowledge.
Cass jakoub • Nov 18, 2021 at 9:09 am
As someone who thought the same way you think and wanted nothing to do with how I was raised and went down deep rabbit holes of occultism, I can tell its not worth it and that Jesus actually cares about women, once you put aside anger/doubt and genuinely read, dude it’s wild. Nothing in this world is worth loosing your soul over, even when everyone is angry and going nuts over. Just know, you are loved. Have a Blessed day!
Mary • Nov 18, 2021 at 9:05 am
Hello!
I just wanted to comment and say that I loved your article and you are an excellent writer. You are scaring the boomers which I always find hilarious even though your intent was to educate rather than recruit. Someone posted this article on Nextdoor which is full of scared boomers so just get ready for more of their “omg you’re going to hell!!” comments.
And for anyone saying that the Satanic Temple is a cult or will lead you to hell, if you had actually read her whole article you would see that they don’t actually worship Satan. In fact I don’t even think they believe Satan is real at all. The Satanic Temple was created as a means to fight any one religion from having the upper hand in government. For example, if a public school allows someone to pass out pamphlets about Christianity, that’s when the Satanic Temple would come in and also hand out pamphlets for their Temple to make things fair. It forces the school to either allow ALL religions (whether you agree with them or not) within the school, or none at all. So their goal is just to make sure we all abide by the first amendment 🙂
C Lilly • Nov 18, 2021 at 8:55 am
This horrific to see in our high school. Just shows you the direction of our youth. We can’t discuss or have articles about Jesus but this allowed. This article discusses freedom over our bodies in the context of abortion and in my opinion murder but vaccines for Covid are being discussed as mandatory. The faculty member who oversees this newsletter should know better
Laura Larson • Nov 18, 2021 at 9:11 am
Thank you for your comment. I appreciate diverse points of view and our staff welcomes healthy discussion. Students are granted freedom of speech under Educational Code 48907. You also may wish to view our “About Us” section.
critical thinker • Nov 19, 2021 at 7:59 am
Who says there can’t be articles on Jesus? As long as the article was presented in the same way- informative, and not persuasive- I’m sure it would be allowed.
Suzy Redd • Nov 18, 2021 at 8:49 am
This is a very informative article. It really goes to show the misconceptions people have about the church. I honestly had no idea how well their values align with mine. You should check out the Universalist Unitarian church. You would appreciate the core values and there is an actual church you can visit in Downtown Riverside. There is also one in Fullerton as well.
Kim Waniss • Nov 18, 2021 at 5:34 am
As a parent, this article should not be on a school website. “Religious” articles of ANY sort should be seperate from school. This child is lost and shouldn’t be encouraging other children to investigate cults.
Laura Larson • Nov 18, 2021 at 9:20 am
Thank you for your comment. I appreciate diverse points of view and our staff welcomes healthy discussion. Students are granted freedom of speech under Educational Code 48907. You also may wish to view our “About Us” section.
Julie • Nov 17, 2021 at 7:44 pm
We can’t talk about Jesus but we can talk about this! What the hell is wrong with this picture! Stop trying to have our kids join your satanic cult!
critical thinker • Nov 19, 2021 at 7:56 am
Who said you can’t talk about Jesus? Anyone is welcome to write an article about the tenants of any religion in a school newspaper. That’s called freedom of speech. This is not a recruitment article- it is informative.
World Religions is a course that is taught in many high schools- the class Informs about religions, it doesn’t try to persuade students to join any particular religion. Please practice critical thinking and reading skills.
Tyler • Nov 17, 2021 at 5:26 pm
oh friend… this is not the way 🙁
you have a beautiful way of writing, but are unfortunately opening a gateway to Hell. be careful.