FAQ

You’re a Satanist?

Yes.

So you worship Satan? Why would you do that?

No, I venerate the symbol of Satan from the Romantic literary tradition. I’ve written a full article titled Why Satan about why veneration of Satan works for me. I don’t worship Satan, because I’m a nontheist and do not believe in the existence of god, gods, or the supernatural.

How can you be religious if you don’t believe in the supernatural?

I believe that atheism vs. religion is a stupid false binary. I believe that a close study reveals that religion does not necessitate theism or supernaturalism.

You’re just a troll to upset Christians, aren’t you?

No. My choice to join the The Satanic Temple and embrace Satanic religious identity was a private one I made in 2017. You can read about my Satanic conversion here. My Satanism is not about pissing off Christians, but for my own benefit and enjoyment. I only write about it now because I’m a religious blogger who has been writing about religious practice since 2010, and it would be dishonest of me to hide my Satanism.

I think your Satanism is stupid, immature, silly, adolescent, and offensive.

That’s fine.

Is your Satanism anti-Christian?

I don’t see my Satanism as fundamentally opposed to Christianity. You can read my article about how I still engage with Christians here. I see myself as opposed to oppression and undue authority, and there is plenty of that within Christianity, and without. There are still, however, healthy Christian circles which I feel I can work with.

Instead of anti-Christian, I understand my Satanism as post-Christian.

Aren’t you worried people will see you as evil because you call yourself a Satanist?

People have always seen me as evil — because of my sexual orientation, how I used to dress, my struggles with mental illness, on and on. I’m quite used to it now, and I now see the value in being an outsider. Being an outsider is an experience I did not choose, and I am now making the best of the experience.

What are your core values as a Satanist?

First, it is important to acknowledge that there are many different kinds of Satanists, and I only speak for myself. In the broadest sense, however, I am a member of The Satanic Temple and adhere to the Seven Tenets which are the best representation of my core guiding values:

I – One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason.

II – The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.

III – One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.

IV – 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.

V – 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.

VI – 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.

VII – 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.

So you believe God doesn’t exist?

Many people like to push another stupid binary: either you believe in God, or you believe God does not exist. Instead, there are many kinds of atheism, and there is a huge difference between believing God does not exist, and not believing in God.

The former is commonly known as anti-theism, and requires its own set of proofs. I personally don’t think that anti-theism has a strong case, so I don’t go that far.

Rather, I see no reason why I should believe in something if I don’t have sufficient evidence. I don’t feel I have sufficient evidence for God, so I withhold belief. He might be out there, I just have no reason to believe in him.

You can read my article clarifying my atheism here.

May I have your permission to try to convince you that my proof for God is correct?

Thanks for asking permission first. Unless you have won the Nobel prize for having discovered indisputable proof of God’s existence, I’d really rather not. I’m not interested in apologetics, debate, or being your evangelistic project.

I am, however, very interested in friendly dialogue. If you’d like to converse with me about religion or any other subject, please leave a comment on my blog or send me an email via the contact page.

Please note that I don’t like assholes, and I will probably stop communicating with you if I find you unpleasant. If you manage to put me off my tea, I generally don’t find you worth the energy.

Can I be a guest on your podcast?

Please email me if you’d like to be a guest. I’m always looking for interesting people to interview. I’m especially interested if you are an author, a content creator, or an activist of some kind.