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spiraldistortion t1_jeek6yg wrote

Reply to comment by Otherwise_Comfort_95 in ACLU suing Saucon Valley School District over district's decision not to allow After School Satan Club by LeaveThatCatAlone

It’s a nontheistic religious organization. They revere the idea of Satan, what he represents in the stories they like. He’s a fictional role model and symbol used in their rituals, prayers, etc.

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Otherwise_Comfort_95 t1_jeelesu wrote

Okay, so it’s semantics. They don’t believe he exists but they believe in what he represents. Got it. Can you explain to me what he represents?

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T3hLemming t1_jeeo1xt wrote

From TST's website:

I One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward 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.

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Otherwise_Comfort_95 t1_jeeqwsw wrote

Looks like some solid ideas. All religions say the right stuff, they just don’t all practice it. Honestly, when I hear satanic temple, I’m thinking devil worship, cutting the heads off goats and human sacrifice, they should work on their brand messaging. 😂

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spiraldistortion t1_jeeuw3l wrote

That’s kind of the point, at least in part—people claim to follow Christ despite actually supporting supremacy, stripping others of their rights, and doing lots of harm, so the Satanists are playing the role of the Adversary and trying to balance the score by doing good in Satan’s name. Where Christians are abusing religious freedom laws, the Satanists can swoop in and remind them that Christianity is not the only religion who can benefit from those laws. If Christian groups can be in schools, fine, but they have to allow Satanists (and every other religion) or remove religious indoctrination entirely. Where Christians are praying at town meetings, fine, but they have to allow for Satanic prayer as well, or remove prayer entirely. Either way is a win-win, either for secularism or pluralism, anything is preferable to one religion having superiority.

The philosophy and ethics that TST preaches are functionally identical to those taught and believed by theistic Satanists as well, and truthfully most Satanic groups are nontheistic. In the way they practice it, it’s irrelevant whether Satan exists or not, because they believe that taking action in the physical world is stronger and more effective than prayer/spirituality.

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Otherwise_Comfort_95 t1_jeew1ik wrote

I’ve seen the light. Thank you

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spiraldistortion t1_jeexafl wrote

Of course, I’m happy to help. Thanks for being open-minded! If you’d like any books on the subject (including academic/historical studies and the like) my DMs are always open. Most people have no idea what Satanism is (outside of horror movies and pop culture), I’m always happy to explain what the religion and subculture are actually like! Pretty disappointing for those looking to sell their soul (because that’s not a thing) or wanting to engage in human sacrifice (also not a thing), but great for the average goth/punk 😂

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Bargeul t1_jef5jc3 wrote

>Honestly, when I hear satanic temple, I’m thinking devil worship, cutting the heads off goats and human sacrifice, they should work on their brand messaging. 😂

Right. Because your prejudices are definitely their fault.

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Wuz314159 t1_jeez8oa wrote

>Can you explain to me what he represents?

You never expected people could answer "Yes" because you have no answers for your beliefs?

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