"I joined the Satanic Temple"


Why would an ordinary person like me or someone on my block join the Satanic Temple?  It's interesting to read such a person's explanation.

The link made me do something I have been delaying. It is to read up on the difference between two organizations which have the word "Satan" in their names. The oldest one, Church of Satan, was founded some 30 years ago. It has no meetings nor formal organization. The followers are united behind the writing of its founder. It does not like the new organization, Satanic Temple, which has an organization and a set of seven principles members agree to support. The seven tenets never mention Satan. Both groups say their followers do not believe in any super powers or deity. 

I liked the seven tenets of the Satanic Temple: They are about general things like being kind to one another, opposing injustice and so on. One in particular jumps out, "3. One's body is inviolable, subject to one's own will alone." This is the tenet used to get Satanic Temple into court to fight for abortion rights. Anti abortion zealots are using their religious views against abortion as a excuse to refuse duties associated with abortion. Now Satanic Temple are saying states have an obligation to allow them their religious right to have abortions.

Having spent years litigating a Ten Commandments monument I think Satanic Temple is on to something. We atheists were unsuccessful in court because we were "not a religion." While this seems unfair, it is just the way most judges think. Atheists are not harmed by government sponsored religious advertising because they have no religion to defend. I has seemed to me in the years since that a religion is necessary to challenge another religion. Since wiccans and Hindus are not taking this on a new religion will have to do it. 

Whether it is religious monuments or abortion rights, Christian attorneys will say the Satanic Temple is not a genuine religion. In time we will find out what the legal system thinks about this.

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