It was the activism that first drew me to The Satanic Temple in 2017. My boyfriend was sitting on his laptop and suddenly exclaimed, “oh my God, Stephen, you have to see this.” He showed me the BDSM baby protest, in which diaper and baby-mask clad protestors peacefully poured milk over themselves in protest against anti-abortion theocrats.
Continue reading “Interior and Exterior Satanism”
In this episode of Sacred Tension, I speak with Satanist, criminal defense attorney, and Old Ben Kenobi of Satanism Stu de Haan. We discuss the political activism of The Satanic Temple, free speech, and why TST should be seen first and foremost as a religion and not a political activist group.
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Lucien’s Law with Stu de Haan”
In this episode of Sacred Tension, I speak with Penemue, Director of Ministry for The Satanic Temple. We take questions from the audience about the Temple’s new ordination program and discuss weddings, the role of pastors in society, the future of the ordination program, and much more. You can learn more about The Satanic Temple’s ordination program at https://ordained.satanicministry.com/
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Ministers of Satan with Penemue”
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.
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 Belial, Hell’s cutest demon and second in command to Satan himself. We discuss Hell’s Christmas plans, the finer points of possessing a nun, reptilian overlords, and much more. Watch Belial’s show on TST TV here, and use my code SACREDTENSION at checkout to get one month free.
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This is a guest post by Penemue, long time leader in The Satanic Temple and current director of Satanic Ministry. You can find Penemue on twitter. If you are interested in writing a guest post for my blog, please send me an email.
Continue reading “Guest Post: Denominating Satan”
In this episode of Sacred Tension I’m joined once again by the incredible Shiva Honey to talk ritual, nontheistic mysticism, and Satanic Tarot. Find Shiva Honey at https://www.serpentinae.com/
Continue reading “Sacred Tension: Satanic Tarot with Shiva Honey”
Stephen Bradford Long 