Editing The Satanic Temple (section)

===Tax-exempt status===
On April 25, 2019, the Temple announced it had received tax-exempt status from the [[Internal Revenue Service]], being classified as a "church or a convention or association of churches".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.apnews.com/6addf2f0ecb646919cb1cfcfdacfc6c1 |title=Satanic Temple: IRS has designated it a tax-exempt church |website=Associated Press |date=April 25, 2019 |access-date=April 27, 2019}}</ref> The Satanic Temple had previously been reluctant to pursue tax-exempt status until the [[Johnson Amendment]] was weakened by an [[s:Executive Order 13798|executive order "Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty"]] signed by President [[Donald Trump|Trump]] in May 2017, which TST viewed as unfairly giving higher status to religious individuals.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/irs-satanic-temple-church-tax-exempt-826931/|title=The IRS Officially Recognizes the Satanic Temple as a Church|magazine=Rolling Stone|last1=Dickson|first1=Ej|date=April 24, 2019|access-date=February 15, 2023}}</ref>

Announcing the new tax status co-founder Lucien Greaves stated: "In light of theocratic assaults upon the Separation of Church and State in the legislative effort to establish a codified place of privilege for one religious viewpoint, we feel that accepting religious tax exemption—rather than renouncing in protest—can help us to better assert our claims to equal access and exemption while laying to rest any suspicion that we don’t meet the qualifications of a true religious organization. Satanism is here to stay."<ref name="PatheosTaxExempt">{{cite web |last1=Matirko |first1=Jack |title=The Satanic Temple is Now a Registered Tax-Exempt Church |url=https://www.patheos.com/blogs/infernal/2019/04/the-satanic-temple-is-now-a-registered-tax-exempt-church/ |website=Patheos |date=April 24, 2019 |access-date=April 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426104758/https://www.patheos.com/blogs/infernal/2019/04/the-satanic-temple-is-now-a-registered-tax-exempt-church/|archive-date=April 26, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Satanic Temple claims on its website to be "the only Satanic religious organization recognized as a church by the IRS and the Federal Court System."<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Satanic Temple: Empathy. Reason. Advocacy |url=https://thesatanictemple.com/ |access-date=March 28, 2024 |website=The Satanic Temple |quote=The Satanic Temple is the only Satanic religious organization recognized as a church by the IRS and the Federal Court System.}}</ref>