Satanism in America

Image of Baphomet, art by Eliphas Levi/color by David B. Pearson, originally published in “Le Serpent de la Genèse: Le Temple de Satan” by Stanislas de Guaita (1891), (PD)

According to Wikipedia, satanism is a collection of religious, ideological, and/or philosophical beliefs centered on Satan, most especially his veneration [1].  But there are variations on this which do not worship Satan as a deity. 

According to the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property, there are approximately 4 million self-proclaimed satanists in the United States [2].  In an increasingly secular society, interest in satanism is part of the growing interest in pagan religions, particularly among Millennials and members of Generation Z [3A].

Growth of Modern Satanism

In the United States, interest in the occult increased exponentially during the 1970s [4].  

“LaVey’s teachings rejected the worship of Satan as a deity, opting instead for a symbolic representation of humanity’s carnal nature and the rejection of traditional religious constraints [5A].”

The Church of Satan was founded by Anton LaVey in 1966 around “individualism, self-indulgence, and personal empowerment,” as its website proudly declares [5B].  In this view, the carnal nature of man is his “true” nature.  LaVey was, also, the author of the Satanic Bible.

The Church of Satan and the Satanic Temple are two distinct entities [5C].  The Satanic Temple was founded in 2012 by Lucien Greaves and Malcolm Jarry. It is recognized as a religion by the IRS, though it describes itself as “nontheistic” and prioritizing human logic. Unlike the Church of Satan, the Satanic Temple is known for trolling the religious Right [6][7].

Tenets

The tenets of the Satanic Temple are likely to be surprising to most Christians:

• One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accord with reason.
• The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
• One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
• 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 one.
• Beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world. One should never 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.
• The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word [3B].

Many of these are concepts taken from the Bible, but distorted to focus on self.  Of course, the definitions of “compassion” and “empathy” differ radically as between Christians and satanists. The Satanic Temple, for instance, has a telehealth abortion clinic, and claims the availability of chemical abortion (the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol) is a religious right [15].

Satanic culture invariably promotes transgressive sexual expression, deliberately challenging social norms [16].

Political Activism

Unlike the Church of Satan, the Satanic Temple engages with political and social issues.  For instance, when Arkansas installed a statue of the Ten Commandments outside the State Capitol, the Temple unveiled a statue of Baphomet, the goat-headed cultural symbol for satanism, and won the right to display it [8].

The Satanic Temple uses situations like this to contest what it sees as the growing “encroachment” of religion on public life.  Christianity is acceptable (at least for now), if it remains a matter of private belief only.

School Chaplains

In 2023 and 2024, conservative lawmakers in at least 16 states proposed legislation allowing religious chaplains to serve as counselors in public schools, the goal for many being Christian chaplains though most bills did not specify [9][10]. 

In the majority of these states, the measures fell short as contrary to the separation of church and state mandated by the First Amendment [11A].  Under the US Constitution, the government cannot mandate a religion.  In Texas, chaplains, themselves, campaigned against the measure, pointing out that they have not been trained or licensed as mental health professionals [11B].  In Utah, the possibility of satanic “chaplains” was enough to defeat the legislation [12].

Satan’s Appeal

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”

–CS Lewis

Satan can be especially appealing in times of despair, when God is silent.  If evil seems to predominate in the world, some may be tempted to worship at its altar.  After all, God seems powerless.

Those who feel rejected by organized religion may, also, fall prey to Satan.  More than half of satanists identify as LGBTQ+ [13].  That is tragic. These are wounded souls, headed for destruction.

Satanism – whatever attractive guise its proponents may adopt – is aligned with Satan and his false teachings [14].  Satan was and is the father of lies, a murderer from the outset (John 8: 44).

Scripture advises vigilance against satanic influence and such practices as idolatry and necromancy, associated with it, for the struggle is not merely physical.  It is spiritual (Eph. 6: 12). And it has eternal consequences.

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[1]  Wikipedia, “Satanism”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanism.

[2]  American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP), “The Occult and Satanism in America” by Rex Teodosio, 10/29/15, https://www.tfp.org/the-occult-and-satanism-in-america/.

[3A and 3B]  Daily Mail, “The Rise of Satanism in America:  How members of the Satanic Temple focus on activism, religious pluralism but surprisingly NOT devil worship – as leaders are plagued by death threats and infighting” by Sheila Flynn, 1/21/19, https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-6616577/The-rise-Satanism-America-members-dont-ACTUALLY-worship-devil-push-activism.html.

[4]  Time, “The Evolution of Modern Satanism in the United States” by Lily Rothman, 7/27/15, https://time.com/3973573/satanism-american-history/.

[5A, 5B, and 5C]  Church of Satan, “Exploring the Differences between the Church of Satan and the Satanic Temple:  A Beginner’s Guide to Satanic Beliefs” by https://churchofsatan.com/.

[6]  Satanic Temple, Official Website, https://thesatanictemple.com/ .

[7]  BBC, “The Satanic Temple:  Think You Know about Satanists?  Maybe You Don’t” by Rebecca Seales, 5/19/23, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65549975.

[8]  Satanic Temple, “The Satanic Temple Wins Historic Ten Commandments Lawsuit in Arkansas”,  https://thesatanictemple.com/blogs/news/the-satanic-temple-wins-historic-baphomet-v-10-commandments-monument-case-in-arkansas.

[9] K12 Dive, “Bills allowing chaplains in public schools gain steam” by Naaz Modan, 8/26/24, https://www.k12dive.com/news/school-chaplain-bills-2023-2024-louisiana-texas-florida/725166/.

[10]  Above the Law, “There’s a Multistate Trend of Public Schools Replacing Guidance Counselors with Pastors” by Chris Williams, 2/29/24, https://abovethelaw.com/2024/02/theres-a-multistate-trend-of-public-schools-replacing-guidance-counselors-with-pastors/.

[11A and 11B]  Youth Today, “Chaplains could soon come into Florida schools, but other red states are rejecting the move” by Jackie Llanos, 5/13/24, https://youthtoday.org/2024/05/chaplains-could-soon-come-into-fl-public-schools-but-other-red-states-are-rejecting-the-move/.

[12]  NBC, “As conservatives put religion in schools, Satanists want in, too” by Tyler Kingkade, 5/16/24, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/satanic-temple-christian-nationalism-school-chaplains-rcna151276.

[13]  Pulpit and Pen, “More than Half of American Satanists Identify as LGBTQ”, 8/30/19, https://pulpitandpen.org/2019/08/30/more-than-half-of-american-satanists-identify-as-lgbtq/.

[14]  Open Bible, “Satanism”, https://www.openbible.info/topics/satanism.

[15] Petrie-Flom Center, “The Satanic Temple Asserts Medication Abortion Is A Religious Right” by Prof. Katherine Drabiak, 2/9/24, https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2024/02/09/the-satanic-temple-asserts-medication-abortion-is-a-religious-right/.

[16] Academia, “Cult of Carnality: Sexuality, Eroticism, and Gender in Contemporary Satanism” by Per Faxneld, 2014, https://www.academia.edu/129862959/Cult_of_Carnality_Sexuality_Eroticism_and_Gender_in_Contemporary_Satanism.

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