This week in curiosities: The Satanic Temple releases an official list of holidays, Priest Penemue explains the Null Hypothesis, and The Process Church of the Final Judgement gets a documentary.
Satanic Holidays
One of the exciting things about being involved in a (healthy) New Religious Movement like The Satanic Temple is that you get to watch it grow before your eyes. Instead of battling age-old prejudices baked into the religious structure, we get to shape the religion we want to see in the world. Recently, the Satanic Temple has unveiled it’s own streaming platform, announced plans for an ordination program, and released a list of official TST holidays.
I’m incredibly excited about the Holidays. I don’t even know why. Perhaps it’s because traditional holidays have been a source of anguish for me as a queer person. Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter just remind me that I’m estranged from the community that raised me. Valentine’s Day has too much heteronormative baggage (a family member once asked me, in baffled tone, “but … who buys the flowers for Valentine’s Day in your relationship?”) The only traditional Holiday left to me is Halloween.
Here’s the official list of Satanic Holidays (you can read more info about them here):
- Lupercalia – Feb 15
- Hexennacht – April 30
- Unveiling Day – July 25
- Halloween – Oct 31
- Sol Invictus – Dec 25
Priest Penemue Explains the Null Hypothesis
Several weeks ago, I had something of a meltdown over an online debate I was having with a theist. I vented to my friend Penemue about it (and by venting, we mean all-caps text yelling and hyperventilating.) I really, really hate debate, especially online debate. Penemue, apparently inspired by my distress, wrote an excellent article about the Null Hypothesis.
The Null Hypothesis is a gem of the scientific process, and Penemue explores how it can be applied to our thinking about God, religion, the supernatural, etc. He also explains why the phrase, “atheism is the null hypothesis” is wrong. It’s a long article, but well worth your time.
The Process Church of the Final Judgement
The Satanic Temple TV has released a documentary titled Sympathy For the Devil, which is an exploration of The Process Church of the Final Judgement. The documentary is fascinating, and in a recent interview TST founder Lucien Greaves stated that The Process had a greater influence on the development of TST than the Church of Satan.
The Documentary explores their growth, bizarre practices, theology, and eventual downfall. You can find the full documentary here.
Obligatory Cat Picture
Behold: Lilith the kitten. She is our fourth cat, recently adopted.
Love my work and want to support it? Please consider becoming a patron so I can continue to bring you interesting content every week. Also, don’t forget to sign up for my mailing list so you don’t miss another podcast, blog post, or cat picture.
Stephen Bradford Long 