Matt Langston and I continue our conversation about music, evangelicalism, religious trauma, and more.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Basic Glitches, Pt. 2: Toxic Inner Mythology”Sacred Tension: Basic Glitches, Pt. 2: Toxic Inner Mythology
Author: Stephen Bradford Long
Stephen Bradford Long is a writer, yoga teacher, and Satanist living and working in North Carolina. His work focuses on religion, sexuality, culture, and other subjects that strike his fancy.
Daily Godless Invocations
I’ve been absolutely delighted by the reception of my recent article On Creating a Personal Satanic Root Document. I initially worried that people wouldn’t get it, but instead I’ve received numerous emails and messages from enthusiastic Satanists and non-Satanists alike who are trying their hand at developing a Root Document.
Continue reading “Daily Godless Invocations”Sacred Tension: Basic Glitches, Pt. 1: You’re Killing my Vibe
In this episode of Sacred Tension, I’m joined by friend and colleague Matt Langston to discuss his latest album Basic Glitches. We talk about our long and traumatic journeys out of evangelical Christianity, sexual purity culture, and much more.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Basic Glitches, Pt. 1: You’re Killing my Vibe”Satan and the Void
“Your Satanism isn’t really about Satan, is it?” A Christian friend recently asked me this after reading my article On Creating a Personal Satanic Root Document. I’ve been thinking about his comment ever since.
Continue reading “Satan and the Void”On Creating a Personal Satanic Root Document
I’m frequently asked how I, as a Satanist, practice my Satanism. Whenever I get this question I struggle to answer it, because my Satanism is so all-encompassing for me I don’t know how not to practice it. It isn’t as if I’m just a Satanist when I’m writing about Satanism, doing Satanic ritual, or talking to other Satanists. I’m also a Satanist when I’m doing my finances or watching Netflix. Religion is not just something I do, but something I am, and as in most religion the boundary between doing and being is blurred.
But a central aspect of my Satanic practice comes down to something very private: what Cal Newport calls a Root Document. For years now I’ve kept what I can only call my own personal Sacred Text. It is a holistic document, containing the very mundane (checklists for work) and the very sacred (my guiding principles, meditations, and rituals.) It is also a living document, shifting according to what I learn and need.
Continue reading “On Creating a Personal Satanic Root Document”Sacred Tension: Science, Satanism, and Supernaturalism, feat. Priest Penemue
In this episode of Sacred Tension, I’m joined once more by Priest Penemue of the Satanic Temple to discuss supernaturalism, theism, and the Fifth tenet of the Satanic Temple. The fifth tenet reads, “Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs.”
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Science, Satanism, and Supernaturalism, feat. Priest Penemue”Sacred Tension: Love and Quasars, feat. Paul Wallace
In this episode of Sacred Tension, I speak with pastor, author, and astrophysicist Paul Wallace about his journey as an astrophysicist who can’t shake his faith in God. We discuss Galileo, quantum physics, the interactions between faith and science, why I personally don’t believe in God, and much more.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Love and Quasars, feat. Paul Wallace”Satanic Holidays, the Null Hypothesis, and the Process Church
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.
Continue reading “Satanic Holidays, the Null Hypothesis, and the Process Church”My Conversation with Black Mass Appeal
I recently had the pleasure of appearing on one of my favorite podcasts: Black Mass Appeal, which is one of the largest (if not the largest) Satanic podcasts on the internet. Rarely do I get the jitters before an interview, but I did with them, because I’m a fan.
Continue reading “My Conversation with Black Mass Appeal”Sacred Tension: The Satanic Temple vs. Church of Satan, feat. Priest Penemue
In this episode of Sacred Tension I’m joined by Priest Penemue — a Satanic content creator and director of ministry at The Satanic Temple. We discuss the differences between Church of Satan and The Satanic Temple, and why those differences matter.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: The Satanic Temple vs. Church of Satan, feat. Priest Penemue”
Stephen Bradford Long 