In this episode of Sacred Tension, producer Dante and I take questions from the audience on Satanism, sexuality, porn, the pandemic, and much more.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Satanism, Porn, and Surviving the Pandemic”
In this episode of Sacred Tension, I speak with transhumanist author Peter Clark about Satanism, scientific religion, artificial intelligence, the future of humanity, and much more. You can find Peter Clarke here.
You can read his article on the character of Satan here.
And his article on Satanic transhumanism here.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Satanic Transhumanism with Peter Clarke”
Several days ago, I was meditating with Sam Harris’s Waking Up app. During the meditation Harris instructed me, quite simply, to find the “I” who is doing the meditating and to look for the self within consciousness. I did as instructed and, just like that, my sense of self was obliterated. As simply as a candle being blown out, my feeling of being a self within my head was extinguished, and all that remained was the vast sky of consciousness.
Continue reading “Satanism, Meditation, and the Tyranny of the Self”
In this episode of Sacred Tension I speak with new religious movements scholar Joseph Laycock about his book Speak of the Devil: How the Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk About Religion.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Speak of the Devil with Joseph Laycock”
I’m intensely social in the Satanic community, mostly online. I have an active Discord server, I regularly interview members of the Satanic Temple community, and I serve on Ordination Council for Satanic Ministry. I do a lot of very social Sataning.
As someone who’s been burned again and again by religious community, this does cause some anxiety. There is trepidation in giving my heart over to fellow fallible, neurotic, and disorganized human beings. It’s inevitable that someone within the Satanic community will leave me feeling deeply wounded, and I will have to confront the difficult emotional challenge of navigating how much of that hurt has to do with Satanism itself or just specific individuals within Satanism.
As I’ve reflected on this dynamic I’ve come to realize that a paradox lies at the heart of my Satanism: I’m able to engage publicly in Satanism because, at its most fundamental root, my Satanism is solitary.
Continue reading “On Solitary Satanism”
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.
This is a guest post by S, a reader of the blog and listener of Sacred Tension. If you would like to write a guest post for the blog, please send submissions via my contact page.
There is a strip club in the red light district of Amsterdam called the Banana Bar.
At first glance it looks like any other sex business in the crowded tapestry of bright advertisements, with its illuminated signs of bananas and naked girls riding them. If you look more closely, you will notice that the windows are covered with tasteful art nouveau style nude paintings, and that the facade is completely black. The unusual appearance of the building, as well as the banana-gimmick for which the club is famous, belong to the legacy of a convent that used to house here: the Walburga Abbey of the Dutch Church of Satan, or Kerk van Satan.
Continue reading “Guest Post: Satan in the Red Light District”
In this episode I’m joined once again by Lucien Greaves, co-founder and spokesperson for The Satanic Temple. We discuss the insurrection at the capitol, the role conspiracy theories play in American politics, the quagmire of tech platforms and free speech, and what he thinks of breakfast foods.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Conspiracy Insurrection with Lucien Greaves”
I understand how, to many onlookers, my conversion to Satanism could seem like an extraordinary escalation. For years I was a committed Christian, dedicated to the church and to following Christ. My mission in life as a Christian was simply to be normal, included, at home: I wanted a place in the church as a gay person. As such, I was generally a very well-behaved gay, and my faith was everything to me even when I wished it wasn’t.
How, then, did I find myself as a Satanist? When looked through the lens of my previous religious life, nothing can seem more scandalous and overly dramatic than my Satanism.
The truth is that my leap from Christianity to Satanism was not a large one at all. It was simple, obvious, and intuitive.
Continue reading “Satan Has Always Been My Home”
In this episode of Sacred Tension I’m joined by Ross Blocher, cohost of the podcast Oh No Ross and Carrie. Every week Ross and Carrie investigate a different outlandish claim, try a spiritual practice, or join a fringe religion. Ross and I discuss what he’s learned from Scientology, the rise of conspiracy theories in America, my own relationship with Satanism, and much more.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Scientology, Conspiracy Theories, and Satanism with Ross Blocher”
Stephen Bradford Long 