In this episode of Sacred Tension, I’m joined by Evangelical and multi-faith expert John Morehead. We discuss lessons he’s learned to bridge irreconcilable religious and ideological differences.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: A Guide for Embracing Contamination | John Morehead”
Several weeks ago, a dear friend of mine told me, “I thought I could handle being an atheist. But I just can’t. The world is too terrifying without a religious structure. So I’ve chosen to go back to church, and go back to believing.” He said it with a downcast look of shame as if he was confessing something terrible. I didn’t think he was. I appreciated his honesty.
Continue reading “The Ravenous Need For Religious Order”
Of all the challenging aspects of Satanism, blasphemy is perhaps at the top. I have known people to literally weep with horror when they first encounter the concept of the Black Mass, and others to simply shut down and say, “I can’t do this,” when they are confronted with the full breadth of Satanic blasphemy.
Blasphemy can be an important part of Satanism. But there are many different types of blasphemy, and I believe that understanding them might help outsiders better engage in inter-religious dialogue with the Satanic community. (It’s also important to note that there are many Satanists who don’t connect deeply with the notion of blasphemy at all.)
Continue reading “Varieties of Satanic Blasphemy”
I recently listened to a fascinating conversation between the Catholic writer Arthur Brooks and the atheist Sam Harris about the role of spirituality and religion in a healthy life. You will need to get a subscription to either the Waking Up app or to Harris’s private feed to listen to the section in question. I leave your support of Harris up to your own discretion.
For the time being, let’s set aside the political and ideological differences I have with both these men. I’d like to focus on a fascinating difference between Brooks and Harris.
Continue reading “The Bound and the Unbound: Religion and Transcendence”
In this episode of Sacred Tension, I speak with Buddhist Minister Levi Walbert about his recent thesis on the theology of The Satanic Temple. We discuss the similarities between Buddhism and Satanism; Satanic aesthetic, practice, and philosophy as vehicles for transcendence; the nature of religion, and much more.
Levi Walbert is a Minister with the Bright Dawn practicing Jodo Shinshu.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Vehicles of Transcendence | Levi Walbert”
I’ve been a Satanist long enough now to notice some patterns in how people react to the news that I’m a Satanist.
What I find most fascinating about these reactions is how inflexible they are. They seem to be manifestations of buried beliefs that are incredibly resistant to change. With very rare exceptions, I haven’t seen any of these attitudes shift in response to new information or perspectives.
Without further ado, here is my field guide to reactions to Satanism.
Continue reading “Reactions to Satanism: A Field Guide”
I regularly hear various assertions about what Satanism is and isn’t.
Continue reading “A Simple Definition of Satanism”
In this episode of Sacred Tension, I speak with long-time friend and colleague Matt Langston of Eleventyseven. We discuss his new album Revenge of the Mountain Medley, his journey out of the Christian music industry, and our spiritual journeys away from conservative Christianity.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Godless Awe with Matt Langston of Eleventyseven”
In this episode I speak with religious scholar and intersectional demonologist S. Jonathon O’Donnell. We discuss their new book Passing Orders: Demonology and Sovereignty in American Spiritual Warfare, which is an examination of how American Evangelical beliefs about spiritual warfare intersect with transphobia, racism, and homophobia. Buy the book here.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Intersectional Demonology with S. Jonathon O’Donnell”
This is a guest post by Warden Sif. Warden Sif has been interested in religion his whole life, and obtained a degree in history and theology. He has identified as a Christian, Deist, Agnostic, Atheist, Apistevist and, at this point, a Satanist. He began following TST’s efforts in 2015 and officially joined a few years later. His Twitter can be found here. He can also be found on BaphoNet Antisocial Network, its associated Discord server and the Sacred Tension Discord server.
After reading Mr. Morehead’s guest post titled “Why Are Evangelicals So Afraid of Halloween?” I was inspired to write further on something he touched on at the end of his article. I’ve tried in the past to emphasize his final point, but I consistently get push back from a fair number of other Satanists:
Continue reading “Guest Post: Reinforcing Evangelical Fear”But understanding the psychological underpinnings of Evangelical prejudices and stances in popular culture toward others is helpful in formulating appropriate responses. Responding in-kind with fear, prejudice and alienation will only exacerbate our tensions in an extremely polarized environment. If you’re angry with Evangelicals over any number of things, including their stereotypes of Satanists, I get it. But I think we need to try to understand their fears rather than reinforce them.
Stephen Bradford Long 