Editing The Satanic Temple

{{Missing information|the Twitter lawsuit and its aftermath|date=February 2026}}
{{Short description|Non-theistic religious organization}}
{{distinguish|Church of Satan}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Infobox religion
| name               = The Satanic Temple
| image              = The Satanic Temple logo.png
| abbreviation       = TST
| type               = [[Satanism]]<ref name="White 2019">{{cite journal |last1=White |first1=M. H. |last2=Gregorius |first2=Fredrik |date=2019 |title=The Satanic Temple: Secularist Activism and Occulture in the American Political Landscape |journal=International Journal for the Study of New Religions |location=[[Sheffield]] |publisher=[[Equinox Publishing (Sheffield)|Equinox Publishing]] |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=89–110 |doi=10.1558/ijsnr.38954 |issn=2041-952X |s2cid=213573087}}</ref>
| founder            = {{ubl|[[Lucien Greaves]]|Malcolm Jarry (pseudonyms)}}
| founded_date       = 2012
| leader_title       = Spokesperson
| leader_name        = [[Lucien Greaves]]<ref name="Atlantic 2023">{{cite magazine |last=Lewis |first=Helen |date=1 October 2023 |title=The Social-Justice Rebellion at the Satanic Temple |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/social-justice-rebellion-satanic-temple/675481/ |url-status=live |location=[[Washington, D.C.]] |magazine=[[The Atlantic]] |publisher=[[Emerson Collective]] |issn=2151-9463 |oclc=936540106 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003214145/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/social-justice-rebellion-satanic-temple/675481/ |archive-date=3 October 2023 |access-date=4 October 2023}}</ref>
| headquarters       = [[Salem, Massachusetts]], {{Coord|42.5313609|-70.8913727|type:landmark_region:US-MA|display=title,inline}}
| members            = 700,000+ <ref>{{cite web |last1=Romero |first1=Dennis |title=SatanCon, poking at religion and government, opens this weekend in Boston |url=https://nbcnews.com/news/us-news/satancon-poking-religion-government-opens-weekend-boston-rcna81275 |website=NBC News |date=April 25, 2023 |publisher=NBC UNIVERSAL |access-date=25 April 2023}}</ref>
| area               = [[Australia]], [[Europe]], [[North America]]
| tax_status         = U.S. [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] [[501(c)(3) organization|501(c)(3)]]
| main_classification = [[New religious movement]]
| orientation        = [[Activism]], [[civil rights]], [[protest]], [[social justice]], [[lobbying]]<ref name="White 2019"/><ref name="Atlantic 2023"/>
| website            = {{official URL}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''The Satanic Temple''' ('''TST''') is a [[Nontheism|non-theistic]] [[new religious movement]],<ref name="White 2019"/> founded in 2013 and headquartered in [[Salem, Massachusetts]], United States. Established in response to the "intrusion of Christian values on American politics",<ref name="Escobedo-CNN-thiings-2015">{{cite news |last1=Escobedo |first1=Tricia |title=5 things you didn't know about satanists |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/11/living/5-things-satanists/index.html |access-date=12 January 2024 |agency=CNN |date=11 December 2015}}</ref>{{refn|<ref name="Atlantic 2023"/><ref name="KansasCity1">{{cite news |url=https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article173168316.html |title=Satanists emerge as advocate as Planned Parenthood restores Missouri abortion services |newspaper=[[Kansas City Star|The Kansas City Star]] |first=Lisa |last=Gutierrez |date=September 13, 2017 |access-date=November 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522210405/https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article173168316.html |archive-date=2021-05-22 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NewReligMove">{{cite book |title=The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements, Volume 2 |first1=James R. |last1=Lewis |first2=Inga B. |last2=Tollefsen |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2016 |pages=441–453}}</ref><ref name="Esquire1" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.masslive.com/news/2016/09/satanic_temple_to_open_first_h.html |first=Heather |last=Morrison |title=Satanic Temple to open first headquarters in Salem, host art gallery, lectures, possibly weddings |work=MassLive |date=September 14, 2016 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref>}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-16 |title=As conservatives put religion in schools, Satanists want in, too |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/satanic-temple-christian-nationalism-school-chaplains-rcna151276 |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref> congregations have also formed in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/find-a-congregation |title=TST: Find a Congregation|website=Satanic Temple|access-date=August 22, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Felperin |first1=Leslie |title='Hail Satan?': Film Review |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/hail-satan-review-1183091/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=February 5, 2019 |access-date=16 September 2021}}</ref> Co-founded by [[Lucien Greaves]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mahdawi |first=Arwa |date=2024-10-19 |title=The Satanic Temple is taking on the Christian right. It's fun to watch |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/19/satanic-temple-fight-against-religious-right |access-date=2025-06-08 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> the organization's spokesperson, and Malcolm Jarry,<ref name="Trolling">{{cite web |title=Trolling Hell: Is the Satanic Temple a Prank, the Start of a New Religious Movement — or Both? |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2014/07/22/trolling-hell-is-the-satanic-temple-a-prank-the-start-of-a-new-religious-movement-or-both/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009143316/https://www.villagevoice.com/2014/07/22/trolling-hell-is-the-satanic-temple-a-prank-the-start-of-a-new-religious-movement-or-both/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 9, 2017 |first=Anna |last=Merlan |work=[[Village Voice]] |date=July 22, 2014 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref><ref name="NYT1">{{cite news |title=A Mischievous Thorn in the Side of Conservative Christianity |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/us/a-mischievious-thorn-in-the-side-of-conservative-christianity.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 10, 2015 |access-date=November 29, 2018 |issn=0362-4331 |first=Mark |last=Oppenheimer}}</ref> the group views [[Satan]] neither as a [[supernatural]] being,<ref name="White 2019"/> nor a symbol of evil,<ref name="FAQ-evil">{{cite web |title=FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.. DO YOU PROMOTE EVIL? |url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/faq |website=The Satanic Temple |access-date=9 January 2024}}</ref> but instead relies on the [[Devil in the arts and popular culture#Literature|literary Satan]] as a symbol representing "the eternal rebel" against arbitrary authority and social norms,<ref name="FAQ">{{cite web |title=FAQ |url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/faq |website=The Satanic Temple |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=What does Satan mean to the Satanic Temple? |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/11/30/satanic-temple-lisa-ling-orig.cnn |website=CNN |date=November 30, 2015 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref> or as a [[metaphor]] to promote pragmatic [[skepticism]], rational reciprocity, personal autonomy, and curiosity.<ref name="NYT1"/>

The organization's mission encourages "benevolence and empathy" among all people,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/about-us|title=about-us|website=thesatanictemple.com|at=ABOUT US|quote=The mission of The Satanic Temple is to encourage benevolence and empathy, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense, oppose injustice, and undertake noble pursuits.|access-date=2022-04-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411131056/https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/about-us|archive-date=2022-04-11}}</ref> using Satanic imagery to promote [[civil rights]], [[egalitarianism]], [[religious skepticism]], [[social justice]], [[bodily integrity]],<ref name="abortion">{{cite web |url=https://www.salon.com/2015/05/01/satanist_challenges_missouris_72_hour_abortion_wait_its_a_burden_on_my_sincerely_held_religious_beliefs/ |title=Satanist challenges Missouri's 72-hour abortion wait: It's 'a burden on my sincerely held religious beliefs' |date=May 1, 2015 |work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] |last=Kutner |first=Jenny |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref> [[secularism]], and the [[separation of church and state]];<ref name="White 2019"/><ref name="Atlantic 2023"/> relying on [[religious satire]], theatrical ploys, humor, and legal action in their public campaigns to "generate attention and prompt people to reevaluate fears and perceptions",<ref>{{Cite web|author1=Frsthand |date=2018-09-04|title=FirstHand - The Satanic Temple |url=https://www.frsthand.com/story/the-satanic-temple- |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121181824/https://www.frsthand.com/story/the-satanic-temple- |archive-date=2021-01-21|access-date=2022-04-18|website=[[FirstHand]]}}</ref> and to "highlight religious hypocrisy and encroachment on [[Freedom of religion|religious freedom]]."{{refn|<ref name="Trolling" /><ref>{{cite news |title=The Satanic Temple's giant statue of a goat-headed god is looking for a home |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/07/01/the-satanic-temples-giant-statue-of-a-goat-headed-god-is-looking-for-a-home/?noredirect=on |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=July 1, 2015 |access-date=November 29, 2018 |issn=0190-8286 |first=Abby |last=Ohlheiser}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Satanic Temple Is Suing Missouri Over Its Abortion Law |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-satanic-temple-is-suing-missouri-over-its-abortion-law/ |website=[[Vice.com]] |first=Avi |last=Asher-Shapiro |access-date=November 29, 2018 |date=June 24, 2015}}</ref><ref name="LaycockBook">{{cite book |last=Laycock |first=Joseph P. |date=2020|title=Speak of the Devil: How the Satanic Temple Is Changing the Way We Talk About Religion|location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190948498}}</ref>}} The organization participates in political actions such as [[lobbying]] efforts,<ref>{{cite web |first=Massoud |last=Hayoun |url=http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/12/8/satanists-aim-tobuildamonumentonthebiblebelt.html |title=Group aims to put Satanist monument near Oklahoma capitol |publisher=[[Al Jazeera America]] |date=December 8, 2013 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref><ref name="greaves">{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/unmasking-lucien-greaves-aka-doug-mesner-leader-of-the-satanic-temple/ |title=Unmasking Lucien Greaves, Leader of the Satanic Temple |last=Bugbee |first=Shane |publisher=[[Vice.com]] |date=July 30, 2013 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref> with a focus on exposing [[Christian privilege]] when it interferes with personal religious freedom.<ref name="Atlantic 2023"/> It considers [[marriage]] a religious sacrament that should be governed under the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]]'s protection of religious freedom which should prevail over state laws.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2016/01/13/when-it-comes-to-the-satanic-temple-christians-seem-to-love-bearing-false-witness/ |title=When It Comes to The Satanic Temple, Christians Seem to Love Bearing False Witness |first=Hemant |last=Mehta |publisher=[[Patheos]] |date=January 13, 2016 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref> The group views [[Abortion-rights movements|restrictions on abortion]], including [[Types of abortion restrictions in the United States#Waiting periods|mandatory waiting periods]], as an infringement on the rights of Satanists to practice their religion.

TST is reportedly "the largest Satanic organization in history".<ref>Gregorius, Fredrik, and Manon Hedenborg White. "Lucien Greaves (The Satanic Temple),“Church of Satan vs. Satanic Temple”(2017)." ''Satanism: A Reader'' (2023): 333</ref> Its adherents generally refer to their religion as "[[Satanism]]" or "Modern Satanism",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/about-us|website=thesatanictemple|title=About us|quote=The Satanic Temple has become the primary religious Satanic organization in the world ... The Seven Fundamental Tenets of The Satanic Temple, while inspired by 18th Century enlightenment values, were designed for current times, to assist the modern Satanist in noble undertakings.|access-date=2022-04-11}}</ref> while others refer to TST's religion as "Compassionate Satanism" or "Seven Tenet Satanism".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/SatanicTemple_Reddit/wiki/library/faq|title=/r/SatanicTemple_Reddit FAQ|quote=The Satanic Temple holds the seven tenets as the prime descriptor of our sincerely held religious beliefs. They represent the common beliefs of those who consider themselves Compassionate/Seven Tenet/TST Satanists.|access-date=2022-04-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|author1=Miroslav Vrzal |author2=Ivona Vrzalová |title=Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion|journal=Religio |quote=From today's perspective, Laycock understands TST's Satanism in terms of its main focus|doi=10.5817/Rel2021-1-9|issn=1210-3640|date=2021-01-01|s2cid=238910029 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:LucienGreavesSASHAcon2016.jpg|thumb|left|[[Lucien Greaves]], spokesperson for the Satanic Temple, at SASHAcon, March 2016|278x278px]]
Cofounders Lucien Greaves and Malcolm Jarry met in 2012,<ref name="Esquire1" /><ref name="NYT1" /> and the Satanic Temple was active by January 2013.<ref name="MSNBC1">{{cite web |title=Bashir: Satanists hail Florida Gov. Rick Scott |url=https://www.msnbc.com/martin-bashir/watch/bashir-satanists-hail-florida-gov-rick-scott-14650947887 |website=[[MSNBC]] |date=January 14, 2013 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref> In an interview with ''[[The New York Times]]'', Malcolm Jarry stated that the idea of starting a Satanic [[faith-based organization]] was first conceived to meet "all the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush administration]]'s criteria for receiving funds, but was repugnant to them". Jarry was referring to former president [[George W. Bush]]'s formation of the [[White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships]].<ref name="NYT1" />

According to scholar Joseph Laycock, Jarry was inspired to organize a rally of Satanists (hiring actors to play Satanists) after actions by Governor Rick Scott of Florida to promote religion. In March 2012,  Scott had signed a bill that passed the Florida state legislature allowing public school students to read inspirational messages at assemblies and sporting events—a way to circumvent a Supreme Court's ruling against mandatory prayer in school.  In January 2013, Jarry's pretend Satanists rallied to praise Scott for his new law<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.wfsu.org/state-news/2013-01-25/satanists-for-scott-real-or-fake |website=kfsu |date=25 January 2013|access-date=7 January 2023 |title=Satanists for Scott: Real or Fake? }}</ref> which would allow satanic students "to share their love of Satan" in public schools.<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.7-temple/>  After this event, the [[Westboro Baptist Church]] came to Boston, where Jarry and Greaves lived, to picket the funerals of the victims of the [[Boston Marathon bombing]]. Jarry and Greaves decided to retaliate by going to Meridan, Mississippi, to perform a "pink mass" over the grave of the mother of the Westboro's founder, Fred Phelps Sr. During the July 2013 "pink mass", gay couples made out  over the grave and the Temple announced that this ritual would turn Phelps' mother gay in the afterlife. The positive publicity the event received reportedly made the Satanic Temple nationally known.<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.7-temple>[[#JPLS2023|Laycock, ''Satanism'', 2023]]: 7 Contemporary Developments in Satanism. The Satanic Temple</ref>

===Headquarters===
[[File:The Satanic Temple, Salem, MA 2023-02-23 01.jpg|thumb|Headquarter of the Satanic Temple at [[Salem, Massachusetts]]]]
The Satanic Temple opened its official headquarters in [[Salem, Massachusetts]], in 2016. The former Victorian [[funeral home]] is painted charcoal and doubles as the Salem Art Gallery.<ref name="Carmina2021">{{cite web | last=Carmina | first=La | title=Salem's Satanic Temple hosts macabre art and movie nights in a former funeral home | website=Roadtrippers | date=2021-01-22 | url=https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/satanic-temple-salem-art-gallery/ | access-date=2021-01-24}}</ref> The headquarters includes a Fine Art room, La Voisin Chamber (dedicated to [[Catherine Monvoisin]]), Library, the Milton Hall exhibition space, and a room for its [[Statue of Baphomet]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Satanic Ceremonies: Little Black Chapel |url=https://www.salemartgallery.com/pages/satanic-ceremonies-little-black-chapel |access-date=March 29, 2024 |website=The Satanic Temple}}</ref> The library includes a focus on the history of [[Satanic panic]].<ref name="Carmina2021" />

The space has since come under threat on multiple occasions. [[Chelsea, Massachusetts|Chelsea]] resident Daniel Lucey set fire to the Salem facility's porch on June 10, 2022. Local fire rescue personnel had the flames under control shortly after arriving on the scene. The building was occupied at the time, but everyone was evacuated and no injuries occurred; damage was limited, though the porch and several windows had to be replaced.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Alexander |date=June 11, 2022 |title=Boston man arrested after alleged arson at Salem's Satanic Temple that damaged porch |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/06/11/metro/boston-man-arrested-after-alleged-arson-salems-satanic-temple-that-damaged-porch/ |access-date=2023-03-02 |work=[[Boston Globe]] |language=en-US}}</ref> The [[Salem Police Department (Massachusetts)|Salem Police Department]] reported a [[bomb threat]] to the headquarters on March 2, 2023, stating they were taking the threat seriously and following public safety management mandates.<ref>{{Cite tweet |author=City of Salem MA |user=CityofSalemMA |number=1631301925281972224 |title=We received another bomb threat to the Satanic Temple |date=March 2, 2023 |access-date=2023-03-02 }}</ref>

===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>

===International followers===
TST was structured based on the assumption of operating within the [[United States]]. TST has had challenges acclimating to the diverse needs of international followers, chapters, and congregations.  The organization was unwilling to assist members in establishing chapters where the risk of religiously motivated violence was considered too high (such as [[Peru]] and [[Uganda]]) out of concerns for their well-being.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Joseph P. Laycock|title=Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion|quote=There are communities all over the world that have expressed interest in TST, and many have formed unofficial chapters. However, there have been numerous difficulties in incorporating these groups into the US-based structure ... Greaves explained the NC was already overwhelmed by the demand for new chapters in the United States. He also had concerns about extending the TST brand into nations troubled by conflict. He had been contacted by a woman in Peru who wanted to create a chapter but was worried they might be subjected to violence by "Catholic militants." Greaves ... advised the woman to be safe and not start a chapter. Greaves explained he could never endorse, say TST-Uganda, asking, "How are we gonna feel if they all get fucking gunned down over it?"|chapter=Satanic Schisms|page=9.23|isbn=978-0190948498|doi=10.1093/oso/9780190948498.001.0001|date=2020-02-17}}</ref> The difficulties associated with incorporating international members into the organization has led to at least one [[religious schism]], which gave birth to another religious Satanic organization called the Global Order of Satan.<ref name="Joseph P. Laycock 9.19-9.23">{{Cite book|author=Joseph P. Laycock|title=Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion|quote=TST-UK collaborated with artist Darren Culleb to subvert a new law in Bavaria requiring all public buildings to be adorned with a cross ... When TST leadership learned of this, they asked [TST-UK's leader] to step down as chapter head. ... [TST-UK's leader] was briefly replaced as chapter head by Cain Abaddon ... there were personality clashes and [TST decided] to remove Abaddon as well. ... At this point, TST-UK had ... "a universal vote of no confidence" ... and elected to become independent. ... [TST-UK and London] created its own leadership, rituals, and tenets (the six pillars) and began networking with TST members in such countries as France, Italy, Belgium, and Switzerland. in February 2019, the group changed its name to the rather ominous sounding Global Order of Satan.|chapter=Satanic Schisms|page=9.19-9.23|isbn=978-0190948498|doi=10.1093/oso/9780190948498.001.0001|date=2020-02-17}}</ref>

==Mission, beliefs, and holidays==
According to the organization's website, the mission of the Satanic Temple is to:
{{blockquote|...encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense, oppose injustice, and undertake noble pursuits. The Satanic Temple has publicly confronted hate groups,  fought for the abolition of [[School corporal punishment|corporal punishment in public schools]], applied for equal representation when religious installations are placed on public property, provided religious exemption and legal protection against laws that unscientifically restrict women's reproductive autonomy, exposed harmful pseudo-scientific practitioners in mental health care, organized clubs alongside other religious after-school clubs in schools besieged by proselytizing organizations, and engaged in other advocacy in accordance with our tenets.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/about-us |website=The Satanic Temple |access-date=May 16, 2020}}</ref>|author=|title=|source=}}

===Tenets===
The Satanic Temple has seven fundamental tenets:<ref>{{cite web |title=THERE ARE SEVEN FUNDAMENTAL TENETS - TST |url=https://thesatanictemple.com/blogs/the-satanic-temple-tenets/there-are-seven-fundamental-tenets |website=thesatanictemple.com |publisher=The Satanic Temple |access-date=23 Oct 2022 }}</ref>
# One should strive to act with compassion and [[empathy]] toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
# The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
# One's body is inviolable, subject to one's own will alone.
# 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.
# 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.
# 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.
# 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.

=== Holidays ===
The Satanic Temple promotes five holidays:<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/holidays|title=Holidays|website=The Satanic Temple|language=en|access-date=2020-09-16}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! Date !! Event
|-
|February 15
|[[Lupercalia]]
|-
|April 30
|[[Hexennacht]]
|-
|July 25
|[[Statue of Baphomet|Unveiling Day]]
|-
|October 31
|[[Halloween]]
|-
|December 25
|[[Sol Invictus#Festival of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti|Sol Invictus]]
|}

== Community and subgroups ==

=== Black Mass ===
In May 2014, the Temple scheduled a [[Black Mass]] to be held on the [[Harvard University]] campus, sponsored by the Harvard Extension Cultural Studies Club; the event was forced to relocate off campus due to significant opposition by [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston]] and school administrators.<ref>{{cite web |author=Cultural Studies Club of the Harvard Extension School |date=May 11, 2014 |title=A response from the organizers of the black mass |url=http://harvardpolitics.com/harvard/response-organizers-black-mass/ |access-date=November 29, 2018 |work=[[Harvard Political Review]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Andersen |first1=Travis |last2=Anderson |first2=Derek J. |date=May 13, 2014 |title=Amid outcry, black mass at Harvard is called off |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/05/12/cardinal-sean-malley-expresses-disappointment-harvard-decision-allow-black-mass-campus/tUjYx2817C65LAHousRIeP/story.html |access-date=November 29, 2018 |newspaper=[[Boston Globe]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Delwiche |first1=Theodore R. |last2=Patel |first2=Alexander H. |date=May 12, 2014 |title=Even after Harvard Group Drops Sponsorship, Black Mass Takes Place at Hong Kong |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/5/12/black-mass-relocated-controversy/ |access-date=November 29, 2018 |work=[[The Harvard Crimson]]}}</ref>

=== Los Angeles Satanic Mass ===
On January 14, 2017, the Temple hosted what it billed as the largest Satanic gathering in history, hoping to double the attendance of the 2015 gathering in Detroit for the Baphomet unveiling. Film crews from VICE and NatGeo were on hand to document the event. The mass included three parts: Invocation Ritual, Destruction Ritual and a Bloodletting Ritual.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 14, 2017 |title=Satanic Mass ft. 3teeth, Author & Punisher, Coven of Ashes |url=https://www.facebook.com/events/1829019433995074/ |access-date=November 29, 2018 |website=Facebook}}</ref> Local Los Angeles media was also on hand to cover the event, calling the event "a bloody good time".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Verbueren |first1=Hannah |date=January 13, 2017 |title=The Satanic Black Mass was a Bloody Good Time |url=https://www.laweekly.com/slideshow/the-satanic-temples-black-mass-was-a-bloody-good-time-7826667 |access-date=November 29, 2018 |website=LA Weekly}}</ref>

=== Pentagram ritual ===
On June 6, 2016, the Temple performed a pentagram ritual<ref>{{cite news |last=Romero |first=Dennis |date=May 26, 2016 |title=Satanists Plan to Celebrate 6/6/16 in L.A. |url=https://www.laweekly.com/satanists-plan-to-celebrate-6-6-16-in-l-a/ |access-date=November 29, 2018 |newspaper=L.A. Weekly}}</ref> around the California city of Lancaster in Los Angeles County, to support California State Senate candidate Steve Hill, who hoped to be the first Satanic Temple member elected to public office.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Sanburn |first=Josh |date=May 12, 2016 |title=He's an Atheist. A Satanist. And He Wants Your Vote |url=https://time.com/4328169/satanic-temple-steve-hill-california-state-senate-race/ |access-date=November 29, 2018 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref>

===SatanCon===
{{main|SatanCon}}

On February 12, 2022, the Satanic Temple held their first SatanCon convention inside Saguaro Hotel in [[Scottsdale, Arizona]]. Outside the hotel, hundreds of Christians protested the convention holding crucifixes, crosses, and signs denouncing Satan.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pitts |first=William |date=2022-02-12 |title=Satanic Temple holds inaugural convention in Scottsdale |url=https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/satanic-temple-satancon-holds-inaugural-convention-in-scottsdale/75-5cbdbaa4-17df-4752-8738-9ad99bb64df5 |access-date=2022-02-16 |website=[[KPNX]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Satanic Temple announced the celebration of its 10th anniversary at SatanCon 2023, held April 28–30, 2023, in downtown [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=TST |title=SatanCon Home |url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/satancon-home |access-date=2022-08-25 |website=TST |language=en}}</ref>

=== Sober Faction ===
The Satanic Temple Sober Faction is a peer support group that offers a Satanic approach to recovery from addiction. Sober Faction meetings assist those who are suffering from addiction in finding sobriety without including or invoking religion in the recovery process.

The Sober Faction's method is guided by TST's Seven Tenets and utilizes the Seven Rituals, which were crafted specifically for the Sober Faction's recovery program. The ritual process promotes self-empowerment while giving structure to each individual's recovery journey.

The group recognizes and respects that there are multiple perspectives and multiple approaches to recovery. The group explicitly says that meetings are not a professional form of therapy, and that anyone struggling with addiction should also seek help from a medical professional.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sober Faction |url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/sober-faction}}</ref>

== Representation in the public sphere ==

=== Baphomet statue ===
{{Main|Statue of Baphomet}}

A monumental [[bronze sculpture]] depicting [[Baphomet]], a goat-headed, angel-winged [[occult]] idol, was [[Crowdfunding|crowdfunded]] in 2014 and unveiled in 2015. The statue has figured prominently in [[Ten Commandments#United States debate over display on public property|challenges about the display of the Ten Commandments]] at the capitols of Arkansas and Oklahoma.

=== Baphometic Bowl of Wisdom ===
{{Main|Baphometic Bowl of Wisdom}}

The sculpture, Baphometic Bowl of Wisdom, a Satanic monument intended to pay homage to veterans, was approved for installation on public grounds. Planned to be placed in a memorial park in [[Belle Plaine, Minnesota]], next to an established religious statue of a soldier kneeling at a cross. The monument faced opposition from local residents and external Christian groups.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mele |first=Christopher |date=2017-05-08 |title=Satanic Temple Sponsors a Veterans Memorial in a Minnesota Town |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/08/us/satanic-temple-sponsors-a-veterans-memorial-in-a-minnesota-town.html |access-date=2024-02-20 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Subsequently, the city retracted its permission for the installation just days before the scheduled event, leading to the removal of both the proposed statue and the existing religious sculpture.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Read |first=Katy |title=Satanic Temple sues Belle Plaine over withdrawn permission for monument |date=27 April 2019 |url=https://www.startribune.com/satanic-temple-sues-belle-plaine-over-withdrawn-permission-for-monument/509164882/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Star Tribune}}</ref>

===Bladensburg Peace Cross Ceremony===
Following the [[American Legion v. American Humanist Association|Supreme Court's 2019 ruling]] that the [[Peace Cross|Bladensburg Cross]] does not conflict with the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]], since it honors veterans of all faiths, the Satanic Temple created a monument to honor Satanic veterans. Named the Bladensburg Satanic Peace Cross, TST held its first memorial ceremony on 10 July 2021. The Satanic Temple encouraged satanists to make a [[pilgrimage]] to [[Bladensburg, Maryland]], to pay tribute to their fallen veterans.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bladensburg Satanic Peace Cross Ceremony |url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/bladensburg |access-date=29 December 2022 |website=The Satanic Temple |ref=BSPC}}</ref>

===Holiday displays===
[[File:Leviathan Cross.svg|thumb|upright|A Leviathan cross]]
Chapters throughout the United States have erected various displays to appear adjacent to Christian [[Nativity scene]]s on public grounds.<ref name="InfernalUseOnlyDisplays">{{cite web |date=2018-12-03 |title=The Satanic Temple-Chicago Displays Holiday Monument In Illinois |url=https://www.patheos.com/blogs/infernal/2018/12/the-satanic-temple-chicago-displays-holiday-monument-at-illinois-state-capitol/ |access-date=2019-04-28 |website=For Infernal Use Only}}</ref> A display in the [[Florida State Capitol]] rotunda in 2014 featured an angel falling from the sky into a pit of flames,<ref name="FLAdisplay2014">{{cite news |first=Abby |last=Ohlheiser |date=2014-12-04 |title=The Florida capitol's holiday display will include a festive message from the Satanic Temple |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/12/04/the-florida-capitols-holiday-display-will-include-a-festive-message-from-the-satanic-temple/ |access-date=2019-04-28 |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> which was vandalized and then modified as a result.<ref name="FLAdisplay2014Fixed">{{cite news |first=Abby |last=Ohlheiser |date=2014-12-24 |title=Here's how the Satanic Temple fixed its vandalized holiday display in the Florida capitol |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/12/24/heres-how-the-satanic-temple-fixed-its-vandalized-holiday-display-in-the-florida-capitol/ |access-date=2019-04-28 |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> That same year a display at the [[Michigan State Capitol]] featured the message "The Greatest Gift is Knowledge" and a depiction of a snake wrapped around a black [[List of occult symbols|Leviathan cross]].<ref name="LansingDisplay2014">{{cite news |first=Abby |last=Ohlheiser |date=2014-12-16 |title=Michigan's state capitol will host a Satanic Temple display, but no nativity scene (for now) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/12/16/michigans-state-capitol-will-host-a-satanic-temple-display-but-no-nativity-scene-for-now/ |access-date=2019-04-28 |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref><ref name="Lansing2014NPR">{{cite web |date=2014-12-17 |title=Satanist And Christian Holiday Displays To Go Up At Michigan Capitol |first=Bill |last=Chappell |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/12/17/371503835/satanist-and-christian-holiday-displays-to-go-up-at-michigan-capitol |access-date=2019-04-28 |website=NPR.org}}</ref> Sponsored by the Detroit chapter, this "Snaketivity" display returned to Lansing capitol grounds in 2015,<ref name="Hinkley 2015">{{cite web |last=Hinkley |first=Justin A. |date=2015-12-02 |title=Satanic Temple to counter Ted Cruz nativity in Lansing |url=https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/12/02/cruz-campaigns-nativity-lansing-spurs-snaketivity/76661818/ |access-date=2019-04-28 |website=[[Detroit Free Press]]}}</ref><ref name="Behnan 2015">{{cite web |last=Behnan |first=Christopher |date=2015-12-14 |title='Satanic ceremony' set for Capitol lawn |url=https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2015/12/14/satanic-ceremony-set-capitol-lawn/77282260/ |access-date=2019-04-28 |website=Lansing State Journal}}</ref> and again in 2016.<ref name="Hinkley 2016">{{cite web |last=Hinkley |first=Justin A. |date=2016-12-07 |title=Snaketivity, Nativity returning to Capitol |url=https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/capitol/2016/12/07/snaketivity-nativity-returning-capitol/95109902/ |access-date=2019-04-28 |website=Lansing State Journal}}</ref><ref name="Snaketivity2016">{{cite web |date=2016-12-08 |title=Snaketivity 2016 Press Release |url=https://thesatanictemplearizona.com/snaketivity-2016-press-release/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524055929/https://thesatanictemplearizona.com/snaketivity-2016-press-release/ |archive-date=May 24, 2020 |access-date=2019-04-28 |website=The Satanic Temple Arizona}}</ref>

The Chicago chapter updated "Snaketivity" as a sculpture for display in the [[Illinois State Capitol]] rotunda in 2018: with a [[Serpents in the Bible|serpent]] coiled around a woman's hand presenting an apple, and the message "Knowledge is the Greatest Gift" inscribed on the supporting pedestal;<ref name="SpringfieldDisplay2018NYT">{{cite web |first=Liam |last=Stack |date=2018-12-06 |title=Satan Is in the Illinois Capitol. Because It's the Holidays! |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/us/satan-statue-illinois-capitol.html |access-date=2019-04-28 |website=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name="SpringfieldDisplay2018NPR">{{cite web |date=2018-12-04 |title=Satanic Sculpture Installed at Illinois Statehouse, Just in Time for the Holidays |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/12/04/673422143/satanic-sculpture-installed-at-illinois-statehouse-just-in-time-for-the-holidays |first=Laurel |last=Wamsley |access-date=2019-04-28 |website=NPR.org}}</ref> the same sculpture returned in 2019.<ref name="Atheist 2019">{{cite web |date=2019-12-02 |title=Once Again, Satanic Temple "Snaketivity" Goes Up in Illinois State Capitol |url=https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/12/02/once-again-satanic-temple-snaketivity-goes-up-in-illinois-state-capitol/ |access-date=2019-12-03 |website=Friendly Atheist}}</ref><ref name="Finke2020">{{cite web |last=Finke |first=Doug |date=2020-11-30 |title=From Christmas trees to the Satanic Temple, no holiday displays at state Capitol in 2020 |url=https://www.pjstar.com/story/news/2020/11/30/illinois-capitol-cancels-holiday-displays-year/6443940002/ |access-date=2020-12-03 |website=JournalStar}}</ref> The West Michigan chapter installed a [[Yule goat]] outside their state's capitol on the 2019 [[winter solstice]].<ref name="YuleGoatFA">{{cite web |last=Mehta |first=Hemant |date=2019-12-23 |title=A Satanic "Yule Goat" Has Been Put Up Outside the Michigan State Capitol |url=https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/12/23/a-satanic-yule-goat-has-been-put-up-outside-the-michigan-state-capitol/ |access-date=2019-12-24 |website=Friendly Atheist}}</ref><ref name="Ware2019">{{cite web |last=Ware |first=Alexis |date=2019-12-21 |title=Satanic display returns to Capitol building |url=https://www.wilx.com/content/news/New-Satanic-display-at-the-Capitol-building-566408951.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224035919/https://www.wilx.com/content/news/New-Satanic-display-at-the-Capitol-building-566408951.html |archive-date=December 24, 2019 |access-date=2019-12-24 |website=Home}}</ref>

Following a [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|pandemic hiatus]] on holiday displays in their State Capitol, the Illinois congregation announced a new sculpture for the rotunda in celebration of [[Sol Invictus (holiday)|Sol Invictus]] 2021: Baphomet as a newborn baby.<ref name="Adams2021">{{cite web |last=Adams |first=Andrew |date=2021-12-18 |title=Satanic Temple to install Sol Invictus holiday display at state Capitol rotunda |url=https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/state/2021/12/18/satanic-temple-install-holiday-display-illinois-state-capitol/8952418002/ |access-date=2021-12-19 |website=State Journal-Register}}</ref> Local Catholic bishop [[Thomas Paprocki]] declined an invitation to attend the installation of the statue, which took place December 20.<ref name="Emerson2021">{{cite web |last=Emerson |first=Jakob |date=2021-12-20 |title=Satanic holiday display installed at Illinois Capitol |url=https://newschannel20.com/news/local/satanic-holiday-display-installed-at-illinois-capitol |access-date=2021-12-20 |website=WICS}}</ref><ref name="Greene2021">{{cite web |last=Greene |first=Heather |date=2021-12-21 |title=Catholic bishop criticizes Satanic Temple holiday display at Illinois Statehouse |url=https://religionnews.com/2021/12/21/catholic-bishop-criticizes-satanic-temple-holiday-display-at-illinois-statehouse/ |access-date=2021-12-22 |website=Religion News Service}}</ref> Illinois congregants returned to the rotunda in 2022 with a [[crochet]] display of apples and the [[Serpents in the Bible#Eden|serpent of Genesis]], paired with a [[On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres|book by Copernicus]] that had been [[Index Librorum Prohibitorum|banned by the Vatican for centuries]].<ref name="IL2022">{{cite web |last1=Connolly |first1=Danny |last2=Henke |first2=Cole |date=2022-12-07 |title=Satanic Temple adds 'Serpent of Genesis' to Capitol Rotunda holiday display |url=https://www.wcia.com/news/capitol-news/satanic-temple-adds-serpent-of-genesis-to-capitol-rotunda-holiday-display/ |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=WCIA.com}}</ref>

New displays were organized by local congregations in 2023, with a decorated tree at the [[National Railroad Museum]] in Wisconsin,<ref name="Bond 2023 b770">{{cite web |last=Bond |first=Paul |date=2023-11-29 |title=Congressman at odds with Wisconsin museum over Satan-themed Christmas Tree |access-date=29 June 2024 |url=https://www.newsweek.com/congressman-odds-wisconsin-museum-satan-themed-christmas-tree-1848165 |website=Newsweek}}</ref> as well as a mirror-covered, red-cloaked Baphomet statue at the [[Iowa State Capitol]].<ref name="Bowman2023">{{cite web |last=Bowman |first=Beau |date=2023-12-07 |title=Satanic Temple display inside Iowa State Capitol building |url=https://www.kcci.com/article/des-moines-satanic-temple-display-inside-iowa-state-capitol-building/46057210 |website=KCCI}}</ref><ref name="Slisco2023">{{cite web |last=Slisco |first=Aila |date=2023-12-12 |title=Republican governor asks for prayers over Satanic Temple display |url=https://www.newsweek.com/republican-governor-asks-prayers-over-satanic-temple-display-1851793 |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=Newsweek}}</ref> After the Iowa display was vandalized, organizers salvaged some remaining altar elements.<ref name="Sabes2023">{{cite web |last=Sabes |first=Adam |date=2023-12-14 |title=Satanic display inside Iowa State Capitol destroyed, man charged: officials |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/satanic-display-inside-iowa-state-capitol-destroyed-man-charged-officials |access-date=2023-12-15 |publisher=Fox News}}</ref><ref name="Mehta2023">{{cite web |last=Mehta |first=Hemant |date=2023-12-14 |orig-date=2023-12-13 |title=Update: Conservatives can't handle The Satanic Temple's harmless display in Iowa's Capitol |url=https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/conservatives-cant-handle-the-satanic |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=Friendly Atheist}}</ref><ref name="McfetridgeSalter">{{cite news |last1=Mcfetridge |first1=Scott |last2=Salter |first2=Jim |date=2023-12-15 |title=Former Mississippi House candidate charged after Satanic Temple display is destroyed at Iowa Capitol |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2023/12/15/satanic-temple-display-vandalized-iowa-capitol/998439d4-9b70-11ee-82d9-be1b5ea041ab_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> A former Republican Congressional candidate from Mississippi was charged with a felony and violation of "individual rights" under Iowa's [[Hate crime laws in the United States|hate crime law]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dallas |first=Kelsey |date=2024-02-01 |title=An attack on a satanic statue in Iowa has led to a hate crime charge |url=https://www.deseret.com/faith/2024/2/1/24058074/michael-cassidy-iowa-satanic-display-hate-crime |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=Deseret News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Morris |first=William |date=2024-01-30 |title=Suspect accused of destroying Satanic display at Iowa Capitol charged with hate crime |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2024/01/30/iowa-capitol-satanic-statue-vandalism-hate-crime-michael-cassidy-mississippi/72413585007/ |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=The Des Moines Register |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="APnews2024may24">{{cite web | title=Mississippi man accused of destroying statue of pagan idol at Iowa state Capitol takes plea deal | website=AP News | date=2024-05-24 | url=https://apnews.com/article/satanic-temple-hate-crime-iowa-1e56fb00dbe3a45f3efac6dcaa0c4147 }}</ref>

An installation in front of the [[New Hampshire State House]] was vandalized and restored multiple times in December 2024.<ref name="Aitken2024">{{cite web | last=Aitken | first=Madeleine | title=The Satanic Temple holiday display restored after being destroyed — again | website=Boston.com | date=2024-12-23 | url=https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2024/12/23/the-satanic-temple-holiday-display-restored-after-being-destroyed-again/ | access-date=2024-12-26}}</ref>

===Scottsdale, Arizona invocation challenge===
[[Scottsdale, Arizona|Scottsdale]] City Council denied a 2016 request from the Satanic Temple's Arizona chapter to give an invocation at the Council meeting; denial was based on the grounds that only groups with "substantial connections to the community" are allowed (the pastor of First Southern Baptist Church of Scottsdale was selected instead). The Satanic Temple maintains there was never any "local community" question during the application process.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mendoza |first1=Angel |title=Satanists sue Scottsdale, allege religious discrimination |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale/2018/02/26/satanists-sue-scottsdale-allege-religious-discrimination/373610002/ |access-date=17 July 2019 |date=26 February 2018 |website=[[The Arizona Republic]] }}</ref> The Arizona chapter's co-founder Michelle Shortt filed suit against the city, saying they had "no written policy regarding prayer and only reversed its decision after backlash from the community and city officials."<ref>{{cite web |last2=Longhi |first2=Lorraine |date=12 July 2019 |first1=Jen |last1=Fifield |title=Scottsdale faces off against Satanists in court over right to give invocation at public meetings |url=https://azcentral.com/story/news/local/surprise/2019/07/12/satanists-take-scottsdale-court-another-arizona-city-surprise-starts-praying/1683910001/ |access-date=17 July 2019 |website=[[The Arizona Republic]] }}</ref> The City Council unanimously approved additional funds to litigate a January 2020 federal court trial in Phoenix.<ref name="Scottsdale2019dec01">{{cite web |date=2019-12-01 |title=Scottsdale (AZ) Officials Want $130,000 More to Fight Satanists Over Invocations |url=https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/12/01/scottsdale-az-officials-want-130000-more-to-fight-satanists-over-invocations/ |access-date=2019-12-03 |website=Friendly Atheist}}</ref><ref name="ScottsdaleApproves130K">{{cite web |last=Webb |first=Brian |date=2019-12-04 |title=City of Scottsdale approves additional funds for legal defense in lawsuit against Satanic Temple |url=https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/city-of-scottsdale-approves-additional-funds-for-legal-defense-in-lawsuit-against-satanic-temple |access-date=2019-12-05 |website=FOX 10 Phoenix}}</ref> The Satanic Temple has appealed the judge's ruling.<ref name="USNWR2020feb29">{{cite web |date=2020-02-29 |title=Satanists Appeal Ruling Against Right to Give Invocation - Arizona News |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/arizona/articles/2020-02-29/satanists-appeal-ruling-against-right-to-give-invocation |access-date=2020-03-20 |website=U.S. News & World Report}}</ref>

== School campaigns ==

===After School Satan===
{{Main|After School Satan}}

The Satanic Temple sponsors [[After School Satan]], an [[After-school activity|after-school program]] where students engage with rationalist pursuits, scientific games, nature activities, and community service. The program offers an alternative to after-school [[Christian mission]]ary programs such as the [[Good News Club]].<ref name="latimes1">{{cite news |last=Anderson |first=Rick |date=September 28, 2016 |title=Yes, an after-school Satan Club could be coming to your kid's grade school |url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-satanic-after-school-20160928-snap-story.html |access-date=November 29, 2018 |newspaper=LA Times}}</ref><ref name="cbs-port">{{cite web |date=September 28, 2016 |title=Portland OKs "After School Satan" for elementary kids |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/after-school-satan-satanic-temple-portland-approved/ |access-date=November 29, 2018 |website=CBS News}}</ref> Organized by individual local groups since 2016, four After School Satan clubs were active at the end of 2023.<ref name="Levenson2023">{{cite news |last=Levenson |first=Michael |date=2023-12-15 |title=How 'After School Satan Club' Is Shaking Things Up |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/us/the-satanic-temple-after-school-club.html |website=The New York Times}}</ref> In 2024 The Satanic Temple partnered with the [[Secular Student Alliance]], another organization promoting secular values among students, in supporting After School Satan clubs.<ref>{{Cite press release |last=Bolling |first=Kevin |date=May 23, 2024 |title=Secular Student Alliance partners with The Satanic Temple for After School Satan Club |url=https://secularstudents.org/secular-student-alliance-partners-with-the-satanic-temple-for-after-school-satan-club/ |access-date=2024-11-03 |publisher=[[Secular Student Alliance]]}}</ref>

===Prayer in schools===
The organization first gained media attention in January 2013 after a group of Satanists assembled at the [[Florida State Capitol]] to show their approval over a bill [[Rick Scott|Governor Rick Scott]] signed into law the prior year, Senate Bill 98, which allowed [[School prayer|student-led prayer at school assemblies]].<ref name="Trolling" /> The group further stated that as the bill did not specify a religion, the prayers could be led by a student from any religion—including Satanism. The TST members announced they "were coming out to say how happy we were because now our Satanic children could pray to Satan in school."<ref name="NYT1" /><ref name="Esquire1" />

=== Protect Children Project ===
Launched by the Satanic Temple in the spring of 2014, the Protect Children Project aims to offer "[[First Amendment]] protection to support children who may be at risk for being subjected to mental or physical abuse in school by teachers and administrators through the use of [[solitary confinement]], restraints, and corporal punishment."<ref>{{cite web |title=Protect Children Project |url=https://protectchildrenproject.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428000330/https://protectchildrenproject.com/ |archive-date=April 28, 2019 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref> The Protect Children Project's website asked participants to print out pre-written letters to send to their respective school boards on a day designated as "Protect Children Day" as a form of protest.<ref>{{cite web |last=Levy |first=Emily |date=May 6, 2014 |title=The Satanic Temple, Now Wooing Kids and Moms |url=https://www.vocativ.com/culture/religion/satanic-temple-now-wooing-kids-moms/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127091012/https://www.vocativ.com/culture/religion/satanic-temple-now-wooing-kids-moms/ |archive-date=January 27, 2022 |access-date=November 29, 2018 |website=[[Vocativ]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Marie |first=Brownie |date=April 11, 2014 |title=Satanic Temple launches school campaign to "protect" children and permit them to pray to Satan |url=https://www.christiantoday.com/article/satanic-temple-launches-school-campaign-protect-children-permit-pray-satan/36749.htm |access-date=November 29, 2018 |website=[[Christian Today]]}}</ref> In March 2017, the Satanic Temple launched an anti-spanking campaign against corporal punishment in schools, as part of the Protect Children Project. They unveiled billboards in Texas which read "Never be hit in school again. Exercise your religious rights."<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 16, 2017 |title=Satanic Temple Billboard Targets North Texas School District's Use of Corporal Punishment |url=https://www.nbcdfw.com/local/dfw-morningnews-satanic-temple-billboard-targets-north-texas-school-districts-use-of-corporal-punishment/58804/ |access-date=2021-02-28 |website=NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Collegiate Affiliate Program ===
The Collegiate Affiliate Program (CAP) is the Satanic Temple's campaign to provide post-secondary students with advocacy for Satanic representation on their school's campuses. CAP groups work with a Minister of Satan to create projects and a mission for the student group based on institutional guidelines and specific objectives. This campaign is currently only in the US, on campuses that already have religious groups.<ref>{{Cite web |last=TST |title=College Affiliate Program |url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/college-affiliate-program |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=TST |language=en}}</ref>

== Reproductive autonomy ==

===Abortion medical services===
In February, 2023 TST announced it would open a medical clinic in New Mexico offering [[medical abortion|medication abortion]]. Operating under the name TST Health, the "[[Samuel Alito]]'s Mom's Satanic Abortion Clinic" will offer free medical consultations and prescribe abortion medication, delivered by mail.<ref>{{cite press release |title=The Satanic Temple Launches Religious Telehealth Abortion Clinic in New Mexico |publisher=The Satanic Temple |url=https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0428/0465/files/TST_Telehealth_Clinic_Press_Release_Feb_1_-_FINAL.pdf |date=February 1, 2023 |access-date=2023-02-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Pandolfo |first=Chris |date=February 1, 2023 |title=The Satanic Temple opens clinic to provide 'religious abortion' care named for Justice Samuel Alito's mother |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/the-satanic-temple-opens-clinic-provide-religious-abortion-care-named-justice-samuel-alito-mother |access-date=2023-02-01 |work=Fox News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About TST Health |url=https://www.tsthealth.org/about |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=TST Health}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-15 |title=Satanic Temple opens online abortion clinic named after Samuel Alito's mother |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-satanic-temple-abortion-clinic-samuel-alito-b2282495.html |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> Guided by a Satanic Temple minister, patients participate in the abortion ritual, reciting tenets about bodily autonomy and the importance of science.<ref name="nyt2023SAMSAC">{{cite web |first=Pam |last=Belluck |date=2023-06-28 |title=Religious Freedom Arguments Underpin Wave of Challenges to Abortion Bans |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/28/health/abortion-religious-freedom.html |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>

===Planned Parenthood counter-protests===
[[File:Future of Baby is Now wide Blackmore 15.png|thumb|"Future of Baby is Now", an abortion rights protest by The Satanic Temple]]
On August 22, 2015, the Detroit chapter of the Satanic Temple held a [[counter-protest]] outside of a [[Ferndale, Michigan|Ferndale]] [[Planned Parenthood]] location in response to anti-abortionist groups that were planning to protest Planned Parenthood on that same date.<ref>{{cite web |last=DeVito |first=Lee |date=August 24, 2015 |title=The Satanic Temple countered Planned Parenthood protests with some guerrilla theatre |url=https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2015/08/24/the-satanic-temple-countered-the-planned-parenthood-national-day-of-protest-with-some-guerrilla-theatre |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028204533/https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2015/08/24/the-satanic-temple-countered-the-planned-parenthood-national-day-of-protest-with-some-guerrilla-theatre |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |access-date=November 29, 2018 |website=[[Detroit Metro Times]]}}</ref> As part of the protest the Temple held a [[guerrilla theatre]] [[performance art|performance]] that included two men dressed as clergy pouring milk on kneeling actresses.<ref>{{cite web |last=Boland |first=Barbara |date=August 23, 2015 |title=Satanists drench women with milk for Planned Parenthood counter-protest |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/satanists-drench-women-with-milk-for-planned-parenthood-counter-protest |access-date=November 29, 2018 |website=[[Washington Examiner]]}}</ref> This was not the first protest of this type that the Temple had held in support of the organization, as they had previously held a 2013 protest where they brought children to the [[Texas State Capitol]] who chanted "Fuck You" and "Hail Satan", while holding signs reading "Stay Out Of My Mommy's Vagina".<ref>{{cite web |date=August 26, 2015 |title=Planned Parenthood Supporters: Satanists Drench Women in 'Breast' Milk To Stand Against 'Forced Motherhood' (VIDEO) |url=http://www.hngn.com/articles/123118/20150826/planned-parenthood-satanists-drench-women-breast-milk-stand-against-forced.htm |access-date=November 29, 2018 |website=Headlines & Global News}}</ref>

On April 23, 2016, led by [[Jex Blackmore]], members of the Detroit chapter of the Temple counter-protested the Citizens for a Pro-Life Society's protest of Planned Parenthood. Temple members dressed in bondage [[fetish clothing]], wearing baby masks and diapers while engaging in [[flagellation]]. The Temple said that the reason for the protest was to "expose the anti-choice protest as an act of fetal [[idolatry]], highlighting the fetishization and abstraction of the 'baby.'"<ref>{{cite web |last=Zavala-Offman |first=Alysa |date=April 23, 2016 |title=The Satanic Temple will interrupt Planned Parenthood protests in classic Satanic Temple fashion |url=https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2016/04/23/the-satanic-temple-plans-to-interrupt-some-planned-parenthood-in-classic-satanic-temple-fashion |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130071810/https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2016/04/23/the-satanic-temple-plans-to-interrupt-some-planned-parenthood-in-classic-satanic-temple-fashion |archive-date=November 30, 2018 |access-date=November 29, 2018 |website=Detroit Metro Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Utz |first=Charlie |date=2018-10-31 |title=Meet Satanist activist and performance artist, Jex Blackmore |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/42000/1/satanist-activist-performance-artist-jex-blackmore-america-detroit-good-trouble |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=Dazed |language=en}}</ref>

===Religious abortion ritual===
Following a failed abortion lawsuit in June 2020,<ref name="abortionMO">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |date=June 9, 2020 |title=Federal appeals court axes Satanic Temple abortion lawsuit |url=https://apnews.com/article/mo-state-wire-lawsuits-us-news-columbia-michael-brown-27b897fd742c1efe2e3272626c46ed70 |access-date=2021-09-07 |work=[[Associated Press]] |location=Columbia, MO}}</ref> the Satanic Temple announced a religious abortion ritual on August 5, 2020, which allowed members living in [[RFRA]] states to be exempt from "enduring medically unnecessary and unscientific abortion regulations when seeking to terminate their pregnancy".<ref>{{cite web |date=2020-08-05 |title=Satanic Abortions Are Protected by Religious Liberty Laws |url=https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/web-view?a=VLExP9&c=SugsqE&r=ud9D65s&m=STv7Lw&k=8e4ebb8d2d6664d18e59a8c7bf56fbd6 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910201818/https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/web-view?a=VLExP9&c=SugsqE&k=8e4ebb8d2d6664d18e59a8c7bf56fbd6&m=STv7Lw&r=ud9D65s |archive-date=September 10, 2021 |access-date=December 4, 2020 |website=The Satanic Temple Monthly Newsletter}}</ref> In September 2021, as part of its opposition to the [[Texas Heartbeat Act]], the Satanic Temple wrote the U.S. [[Food and Drug Administration]], saying that it had a faith-based right to access [[medical abortion]] drugs, including [[misoprostol]] and [[mifepristone]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Kaufman |first=Amanda |title=Salem-based Satanic Temple challenges Texas abortion law, arguing religious freedom - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/09/07/metro/salem-based-satanic-temple-challenges-texas-abortion-law-arguing-religious-freedom/ |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=BostonGlobe.com}}</ref> Temple lawyers protest a specific [[Texas Heartbeat Act|Texas abortion law]], recently sustained by the [[Supreme Court of the United States|US Supreme Court]], arguing that the Temple's status as a non-theistic religious organization should ensure access to abortion as a faith-based right.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nowlin |first=Sanford |date=September 4, 2021 |title=The Satanic Temple begins legal maneuver to skirt Texas' new abortion ban |url=https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2021/09/04/the-satanic-temple-begins-legal-maneuver-to-skirt-texas-new-abortion-ban |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921074515/https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2021/09/04/the-satanic-temple-begins-legal-maneuver-to-skirt-texas-new-abortion-ban |archive-date=September 21, 2021 |access-date=2021-09-05 |website=San Antonio Current |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-04 |title=Satanic Temple takes legal action against Texas abortion law and says members exempt |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/satanic-templetexas-abortion-law-b1914346.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/satanic-templetexas-abortion-law-b1914346.html |archive-date=June 18, 2022 |access-date=2021-09-05 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>

In 2022, ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' was overturned in ''[[Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization]]'', ending federal abortion rights and  allowing individual states to regulate their own abortion laws.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mangan |first1=Dan |last2=Breuninger |first2=Kevin |date=24 June 2022 |title=Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, ending 50 years of federal abortion rights |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/24/roe-v-wade-overturned-by-supreme-court-ending-federal-abortion-rights.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625000826/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/24/roe-v-wade-overturned-by-supreme-court-ending-federal-abortion-rights.html |archive-date=June 25, 2022 |access-date=24 June 2022 |website=[[CNBC]] |language=en}}</ref> Following this, the Satanic Temple commented on Twitter that the organization was "the leading beacon of light in the battle for abortion access", and that "a religious exemption [from the Satanic Temple] will be the only available challenge to many restrictions to access".<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1540381792049430530 |user=satanic_temple_ |title=The Satanic Temple is the leading beacon of light in the battle for abortion access. With Roe v Wade overturned, a religious exemption will be the only available challenge to many restrictions to access. |author=The Satanic Temple |date=24 June 2022 |access-date=26 June 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220626161630/https://mobile.twitter.com/satanic_temple_/status/1540381792049430530 |archive-date=26 June 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In response, ''[[Jezebel (website)|Jezebel]]'' magazine critiqued the organization's position that a religious exemption would guarantee its members freedom to seek abortions even in states where they were no longer legal, criticizing its position as overly-simplistic, unproven, and put pregnant women attempting to use the Satanic Temple's religious exemption to have an abortion in legal jeopardy.<ref name="jezebel">{{cite web |last=Rinkunas |first=Susan |date=25 June 2022 |title=Don't Count on the Satanic Temple for a Legal Abortion |url=https://jezebel.com/satanic-temple-abortion-rights-religious-exemption-real-1849073332 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220626152151/https://jezebel.com/satanic-temple-abortion-rights-religious-exemption-real-1849073332 |archive-date=26 June 2022 |access-date=26 June 2022 |website=jezebel.com |publisher=[[Jezebel (website)|Jezebel]]}}</ref> Other organizations focused on reproductive rights, such as the [[Texas Equal Access Fund|Texas Equal Access]] (TEA) Fund, also commented on the Satanic Temple's position,<ref name="jezebel" />{{rp|q=Denise Rodriguez, communications manager for the Texas Equal Access (TEA) Fund, an abortion fund serving north Texas, said she's wary of TST promoting an unproven loophole, especially for people who manage their own abortions with pills. "[People] could possibly put themselves at risk for criminalization trying to do this," Rodriguez told Jezebel.}} with both the TEA Fund and the [[Yellowhammer Fund]]—an abortion fund serving the states of Alabama and Mississippi—having previously spoken out against the Satanic Temple's position.<ref>{{cite web |author=Yellowhammer Fund |date=13 September 2021 |title=The Satanic Temple is not the last hope for abortion access. |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CTxdsd5J7am/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220626162829/https://www.instagram.com/p/CTxdsd5J7am/ |archive-date=26 June 2022 |access-date=26 June 2022 |website=instagram.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1435218714627035138 |user=TEAFund |title=PS - The Satanic Temple ritual doesn't work to exempt you from abortion restrictions. Stop spreading that misinformation. |author=Texas Equal Access Fund |date=7 September 2021 |access-date=26 June 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220626162146/https://mobile.twitter.com/TEAFund/status/1435218714627035138 |archive-date=26 June 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> Though the Satanic Temple offers a dedicated email address for members who encounter legal problems when seeking an abortion using its religious exemption form, former TST reproductive rights spokesperson, [[Jex Blackmore]], stated that there was "no guarantee" that the Temple would cover a member's legal fees or provide legal support. In response, the Temple's lawyer, Matthew Kezhaya, stated that part of the abortion ritual outlined by the Satanic Temple as the reason for its members' religious exemption required "consulting with your local minister", a step ''Jezebel'' noted was not mentioned on the Temple's website or either of its abortion ritual guides, and that in the case of "foreseeable legal complications", the Temple refers its members to Kezhaya "for further evaluation and discussion".<ref name="jezebel" />

==Other campaigns and initiatives==

=== Grey Faction ===
The Grey Faction is a project of the Satanic Temple with the goal of exposing malpractice and pseudoscience associated with [[Satanic ritual abuse]] conspiracy theories. The Grey Faction protests medical conferences, initiates legal action, and petitions medical boards. The faction has protested conferences held by the [[International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation]], which, it claims, advocates the discredited practice of [[recovered-memory therapy]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Harris |first=Malcolm |title=Satan Has No Interest in Molesting Your Kids |url=https://psmag.com/news/satan-has-no-interest-in-molesting-your-kids |access-date=November 29, 2018 |work=Pacific Standard |date=October 25, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Laycock |first=Joseph |title=Satanic Temple Protests Pseudoscientific Therapies for Satanic Abuse and Witchcraft |url=http://religiondispatches.org/satanic-temple-protests-pseudoscientific-therapies-for-satanic-abuse-and-witchcraft/ |access-date=November 29, 2018 |work=Religion Dispatches |date=April 6, 2016}}</ref> The group has also petitioned for investigation into the killing by Gigi Jordan of her child, which was connected to the discredited practice of [[facilitated communication]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Saint Thomas |first=Sophie |title=Satanists Call for Investigation into 'Satanic Panic' Killing of 8-Year-Old Boy |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/satanists-call-for-investigation-into-satanic-panic-killing-of-8-year-old-boy/ |access-date=November 29, 2018 |work=Broadly |date=February 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Shewan |first=Dan |title=Conviction of Things Not Seen: The Uniquely American Myth of Satanic Cults |url=https://psmag.com/social-justice/make-a-cross-with-your-fingers-its-the-satanic-panic |access-date=November 29, 2018 |work=Pacific Standard |date=September 8, 2015}}</ref>

===Pink Mass===
In July 2013, the Satanic Temple held a "Pink Mass" over the grave of Catherine Johnston, the mother of [[Westboro Baptist Church]] founder [[Fred Phelps]].<ref name="GayForever">{{cite web |title=Satanic Temple Makes Deceased Westboro Baptists "Gay Forever" In Pink Mass Ceremony |url=https://www.queerty.com/satanic-temple-makes-deceased-westboro-baptists-gay-forever-in-pink-mass-ceremony-20130720 |first=Matthew |last=Tharrett |website=Queerty |access-date=November 29, 2018 |date=July 20, 2013}}</ref> The mass was held after the Westboro Baptist Church announced their intention to picket the funerals of the victims of the [[Boston Marathon bombing]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Satanic Temple Turns Westboro Baptist Church Founder's Mom Gay, 'Pink Mass' Performed On Catherine Idalette Johnston [PHOTO] |url=https://www.ibtimes.com/satanic-temple-turns-westboro-baptist-church-founders-mom-gay-pink-mass-performed-catherine-idalette |first=Zoe |last=Mintz |website=[[International Business Times]] |access-date=November 29, 2018 |date=July 18, 2013}}</ref> The Pink Mass was officiated by Greaves and consisted of two gay men kissing over Johnston's grave while Greaves touched the tombstone with his genitals and chanted an incantation intended to change the deceased's sexual orientation.<ref>{{cite web |title=More Photos of Fred Phelps' Moms Gravesite |url=http://www.thegauntlet.com/article/28321/More-Photos-of-Fred-Phelps-Moms-Gravesite |website=The Gauntlet |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Warrant">{{cite web |title=Arrest Warrants Issued For Satanists That Performed Ritual At Westboro Gravesite |url=https://www.queerty.com/arrest-warrants-issued-for-satanists-that-performed-ritual-at-westboro-gravesite-20130725 |website=[[Queerty]] |access-date=November 29, 2018 |date=July 25, 2013}}</ref> Greaves was charged with a misdemeanor and was told that if he returned to [[Lauderdale County, Mississippi|Lauderdale County]], Mississippi, where Johnston's grave is, he would be arrested.<ref name="Warrant" /> Shortly before Phelps's death, on March 19, 2014, the Satanic Temple expressed interest in holding a similar ceremony for the church founder.<ref>{{cite web |title=NY Satanic Temple Wants to Posthumously Make Fred Phelps Gay |url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/ny-satanic-temple-wants-to-posthumously-make-fred-phelps-gay/ |first=Josh |last=Feldman |date=March 18, 2014 |website=[[Mediaite]] |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Satanic Group Plans to Turn Westboro Baptist Church Founder Gay in the Afterlife |url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/satanic-group-plans-to-turn-westboro-baptist-church-founder-gay-in-the-afterlife-116382/ |website=Christian Post |first=Michael |last=Gryboski |date=March 19, 2014 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref> The [[Blessing of same-sex marriages in Christian churches|blessing of same-sex marriages]] is allowed in the Satanic Temple.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2019/08/23/the-satanic-temple-is-in-favour-of-equal-rights-for-lgbt-people/ |work=Pinknews |title=The Satanic Temple is in favour of equal rights for LGBT+ people |date=23 August 2019 |access-date=28 June 2024 }}</ref>

===Muslim refugee activism===
In November 2015, the Temple received media attention for offering to take in Muslims or refugees that were afraid of experiencing backlash over the [[November 2015 Paris attacks|2015 terrorist attacks in Paris]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Satanic Temple offers help to Muslims amid post-Paris backlash |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/19/satanic-temple-offers-helping-hand-muslims-amid-su/ |date=November 19, 2015 |first=Andrew |last=Blake |website=[[The Washington Times]] |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Esquire1">{{cite web |title=Why the Satanic Temple Is Opening Its Doors to American Muslims |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/news/a39904/satanic-temple-founder-interview-muslims/ |website=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] |first=Matt |last=Miller |date=November 21, 2015 |access-date=November 29, 2018 |quote=co-founded the Temple in 2012 ... The Satanic Temple is an openly atheistic religion that Mesner says does not advocate for any supernatural belief. Really, the "Satanic" term is only there because they have the right to use it, as does any other religion.}}</ref>

===Demonization of Junipero Serra===
The Temple's Los Angeles Chapter has also protested the [[canonization]] of [[Junípero Serra]] by [[Pope Francis]] and in October 2015 they held a ceremony where they "demonized" the [[Mission (Christianity)|Christian missionary]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Nice try, Pope Francis, but to many, Junipero Serra is no saint |url=https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2015/11/4/1442738/-Nice-try-Pope-Francis-but-to-many-Junipero-Serra-is-no-saint |website=[[Daily Kos]] |date=November 4, 2015 |first=Samuel |last=Vargo |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref> stating that Serra helped enslave thousands of Native Americans and that he "also led The [[Spanish Inquisition]] in his territories, trying residents of the Missions for the crimes of sorcery, witchcraft and devil worship."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Satanic Temple Is 'Demonizing' St. Junipero Serra Next Week |url=http://laist.com/2015/10/06/satanic_temple_vs_junipero_serra.php |website=[[LAist]] |access-date=November 29, 2018 |first=Juliet Bennett |last=Rylah |date=October 6, 2015 |archive-date=October 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009014658/http://laist.com/2015/10/06/satanic_temple_vs_junipero_serra.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Membership==
Individuals dedicated to the tenets of the Satanic Temple can join on the organization's website.<ref name="Join Us">{{cite web |title=Join Us |url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/join-us |website=The Satanic Temple |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref> Members can apply to join local congregations, though local requirements may differ: "If there's a local [congregation] where you are, to join you do have to be accepted, but there's no initiation or anything. You don't even have to be a Satanist, you can just be a strong ally who believes in the political and secular actions without being super stoked about all the aesthetic aspects."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Satanic Temple of NYC is Fighting For Your Liberty and Your Uterus |url=https://brokeassstuart.com/2016/11/22/103831/ |website=Broke Ass Stuart |date=November 22, 2016 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref>

Membership is subject to termination for "failure to uphold the spirit of the Satanic Temple and its tenets."<ref name="Join Us" /> A member who used a TST event to call for violence against then-president [[Donald Trump]] was expelled.<ref name=":0">2019 documentary film ''[[Hail Satan?]]''</ref>

===Congregations===
Local groups of organized TST members may form congregations. Some congregations are endorsed by TST to "participate in campaigns, social events, and other activities relevant to their local regions, as well as in concert with national TST campaigns".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/about-us|title=Participate in the TST Community|quote=There are many opportunities to be active within The Satanic Temple, locally, and online. ... If there is a congregation near you, you may wish to engage with them and become a part of that community. Endorsed congregations participate in campaigns, social events, and other activities relevant to their local regions, as well as in concert with national TST campaigns. ... If there isn’t a congregation near you, you may wish to seek out a community on the internet. We gather online and keep close ties with one another through social media and other digital means. Many of the local congregations host their presence online, which can also be found within the "Find A Congregation" section of our website.|website=thesatanictemple|access-date=2022-04-11}}</ref> TST encourages members to form congregations where none exist or join pre-established ones, but does not actively establish them itself.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/faq|title=Frequently asked questions|quote=Congregations are formed by members with the guidance and support of the Recognition and Onboarding Committee, a leadership body elected and managed by our Society of Congregations. TST does not independently create its congregations. ... Congregations are built by local members working under the supervision of the Recognition and Onboarding Committee (RoC). Starting a new congregation of The Satanic Temple can be very rewarding. It also requires substantial time and effort as well as a thorough understanding of the mission, values, and history of The Satanic Temple. Familiarize yourself with TST’s tenets, mission statement, and frequently asked questions, all of which are on our website, prior to contacting the RoC.|access-date=2022-04-11}}</ref> {{asof|2026|p=}} congregations are established across the [[continental United States]] and in Canada, Finland, Germany, and [[Benelux]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/find-a-congregation|title=FIND A CONGREGATION|website=thesatanictemple|access-date=2026-01-30}}</ref>

Congregations were initially known as chapters; the first chapter was established in 2014 in [[Detroit, Michigan]]. That chapter went on hiatus in 2018, the same year chapters in [[Portland, Oregon]], [[Los Angeles, California]], and the UK seceded from the Satanic Temple over internal disputes with national leadership.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Tara Isabella |last=Burton |url=https://www.vox.com/2018/8/9/17669894/satanic-temple-alt-right-marc-randazza-lawyer-lucien-greaves|title = The Satanic Temple is divided over its leader's decision to hire Alex Jones's lawyer|date = August 9, 2018}}</ref>

==Comparison to LaVeyan Satanism==
Lucien Greaves has described the Temple as being a progressive and updated version of [[LaVeyan Satanism|LaVey's Satanism]].<ref>{{cite book |first1=Asbjørn |last1=Dyrendal |first2=James R. |last2=Lewis |first3=Jesper Aagaard |last3=Petersen |title=The Invention of Satanism |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195181104 |page=220}}</ref> The Temple views itself as separate and distinct from its forerunner, representing "a natural evolution in Satanic thought". Greaves has shared a detailed refutation of LaVey's doctrines,<ref name="Greaves-CoS-v-TST">{{cite web |last1=Greaves |first1=Lucien |title=Church of Satan vs. Satanic Temple |url=https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/church-of-satan-vs-satanic-temple |website=The Satanic Temple |access-date=11 January 2024 |date=c. 2019}}</ref> and claims that the elements of [[Social Darwinism]] and [[Nietzscheanism]] within LaVeyan Satanism are incongruent with [[game theory]], [[reciprocal altruism]], and [[cognitive science]].<ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://davidpakman.com/interviews/douglas-mesner/ |title=Satanic Temple Founder Talks Atheistic Religion |work=[[The David Pakman Show]] |date=October 9, 2014 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref> He has also criticized the LaVeyan [[Church of Satan]] for its lack of [[political lobbying]] and what he sees as their exclusivity, referring to them as [[autocratic]] and [[hierarchical]], and saying that the Church fetishizes [[authoritarianism]].<ref name="greaves"/><ref name="AfterSchoolSatan">{{cite web |title=FAQ |url=https://afterschoolsatan.com/educatin-with-satan/faq/ |website=After School Satan |access-date=November 29, 2018 |archive-date=January 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116170111/https://afterschoolsatan.com/educatin-with-satan/faq/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Conversely, the Church of Satan has claimed that Anton LaVey "codified" Satanism "as a religion and philosophy" with the Church of Satan in 1966, so that we have "five decades of a clearly defined belief system called Satanism expounded by a worldwide organization", namely the Church of Satan.<ref name="CoS-TST-FS">{{cite web |last1=Ethan |first1=Joel |title=The Satanic Temple Fact Sheet |url=https://www.churchofsatan.com/the-satanic-temple-fact-sheet/ |website=Church of Satan |access-date=11 January 2024}}</ref> Members of the Satanic Temple, in contrast, are merely "masquerading as Satanists"<ref name="COS1">{{cite news |title=Third Side Intelligence: Missouri Abortions |website=Church of Satan|url=https://www.churchofsatan.com/third-side-intelligence-missouri-abortions-the/ |date=October 10, 2017 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/satans-lawyers-try-christian-right-tactics-to-erect-winged-goat|title=Satanists Go to Court Seeking Right to Pray at City Meetings|website=Bloomberg Law|last1=Larson|first1=Erik|date=March 22, 2021|access-date=March 28, 2021}}</ref> and do not represent Satanism.<ref name="COS2">{{cite web |first=Reverend Joel |last=Ethan |title=The Satanic Temple Fact Sheet |url=https://www.churchofsatan.com/the-satanic-temple-fact-sheet/ |website=Church of Satan|access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref>

Joseph P. Laycock attributes the origin of the Temple and the difference between the two groups to the "[[Culture war#United States|culture war]]" between traditionalists/conservatives and liberal/secularists "fueled by demographic changes".<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.7>[[#JPLS2023|Laycock, ''Satanism'', 2023]]: 7 Contemporary Developments in Satanism.</ref> At least in the United States where the temple is based, the number of adults identifying as Christian is shrinking (63% as of 2021 down from 78% in 2007) and those identifying with no religion is growing (29% in 2021, up from 16% in 2007),<ref name=Footnote219>{{cite news |author=G. A. Smith |title=About Three-in-Ten U.S. Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated |publisher= Pew Research Center |date=December 14, 2021 |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-religiously-unaffiliated/ |access-date=11 January 2023}}</ref> Christians have become alarmed. At least some observers have suggested that the increasing political activism of American conservatives in the 1990s and 21st century on issues such as [[abortion]], teaching of the theory of evolution, [[gun politics]], [[separation of church and state]], [[privacy]], [[recreational drug use]], [[homosexuality]], [[censorship]], is an attempt to "compensate" for their loss of cultural power "by using the power of the state".<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.7/> In the meantime the growing number of secular/Religiously Unaffiliated have also become politically aroused.  In addition, the sizeable number of people who were told as adolescents that the "rock music or the game ''Dungeons and Dragons''" they enjoyed were satanic, are now grown and have a very different idea than earlier generations as to the relative merits of Satanism versus Christians—or at least politically active conservative Christians.<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.7/>
Laycock argues that the shift in interest among Satanists toward political activism, between the founding of the Church of Satan and the establishment of the Satanic Temple, can be explained in part by their desire to counter the influence of conservative Christians.<ref name=JPLS2023:sect.7/>

==Reception==
Christian religious organizations have criticized many actions by the Satanic Temple.<ref>{{cite web |title=Satanic Temple Group Raising Money for On-Demand Abortions Echos Satanist History of 'Child Sacrifice,' Says Theologian |first=Stoyan |last=Zaimov |url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/satanic-temple-group-raising-money-for-on-demand-abortions-echoes-satanist-history-of-child-sacrifice-says-theologian-142087/ |website=[[Christian Post]] |date=July 30, 2015 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref> Critics accuse the Temple of being unserious: merely a [[Practical joke|prank]], [[Satire#Censorship and criticism|public satire]], [[Letter and spirit of the law#Gaming the system|gaming the system]], or elaborate [[trolling]] attempt. Greaves clarified in a 2013 interview that the Temple could be both satanic and satirical,<ref name="greaves"/> and maintains that freedom of speech prevails regardless of political opinion regarding such criticism.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.patheos.com/blogs/infernal/2018/06/lucien-greaves-tst-free-speech/|title=Lucien Greaves on The Satanic Temple and Free Speech|last=Only|first=For Infernal Use|date=2018-06-19|website=For Infernal Use Only|language=en|access-date=2020-02-03}}</ref> Blackmore dismissed claims that the Temple was simply "trying to cause trouble for no reason except to just be shocking", instead she defended the Temple "adding to the dialogue that's already there and asking for rights—just like anyone else."<ref name="JexBlackmore">{{cite web|url=https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2015/02/qa_satanic_temple_of_detroits.html|title=Q&A: Satanic Temple of Detroit's Jex Blackmore explains group's purpose, growth potential|date=February 19, 2015|website=MLive.com|access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref>

Extremists have made [[death threat]]s against multiple leaders of the Satanic Temple.<ref name="JexBlackmore" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Lucien Greaves of the Satanic Temple |url=https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/lucien-greaves-of-the-satanic-temple/Content?oid=2201492 |website=[[Detroit Metro Times]] |date=May 27, 2014 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref> In June 2022, a man attempted to set fire to the TST headquarters in [[Salem, Massachusetts]]. He was charged with a [[hate crime]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-14 |title=Man charged with fire at Satanic Temple pleads not guilty |url=https://apnews.com/article/politics-religion-fires-crime-massachusetts-d1950e1ba80ec60911f226db196b5e6a |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref> In 2023, the TST statue in the Iowa capitol building was vandalized by a former Republican candidate for a Congressional seat in Mississippi, who was charged with [[Hate crime laws in the United States|hate crime]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-01-31 |title=US man faces hate crime over damage to Satanic Temple display in Iowa |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68162566 |access-date=2024-04-12 |language=en-GB}}</ref> In January 2024, Salem police arrested a Michigan resident for planning to attack the TST building with explosives.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Becker |first=Kaitlin McKinley |date=January 13, 2024 |title=Police say they thwarted Michigan man's planned attack on Salem's Satanic Temple |url=https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/police-say-they-thwarted-michigan-mans-planned-attack-on-salems-satanic-temple/3246041/ |work=NBC10 Boston}}</ref> An Oklahoma man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly throwing a pipe bomb at The Satanic Temple on April 8, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-10 |title=District of Massachusetts {{!}} Oklahoma Man Previously Arrested for Allegedly Throwing Pipe Bomb at Satanic Temple in Salem Indicted by Federal Grand Jury {{!}} United States Department of Justice |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/oklahoma-man-previously-arrested-allegedly-throwing-pipe-bomb-satanic-temple-salem |access-date=2024-05-21 |website=www.justice.gov |language=en}}</ref>

[[Salon (website)|Salon]]'s Valerie Tarico described the Tenets as egalitarian, conducive towards [[equanimity]], "truer to the words of [[Jesus]] than most Christians", expressing both compassion and empathy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.salon.com/2015/11/28/the_greatest_trick_the_satanists_ever_pulled_they_may_be_truer_to_the_words_of_jesus_than_most_christians_partner/ |title=The greatest trick the satanists ever pulled: They may be truer to the words of Jesus than most Christians |first=Valerie |last=Tarico |website=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] |date=November 28, 2015 |access-date=November 29, 2018}}</ref>

The organization was the focus of the 2020 academic monograph ''Speak of the Devil: How the Satanic Temple Is Changing the Way We Talk About Religion''.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Simpson |first=Will |title=Review of ''Speak of the Devil: How the Satanic Temple Is Changing the Way We Talk About Religion'', by Joseph P. Laycock. |journal=Journal of Religion and Popular Culture |year=2022 |volume=34 |issue=3 |pages=221–222 |publisher=Project MUSE |doi=10.3138/jrpc.2021-0020 |s2cid=246949717 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/848504|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In [[Russia]], the Satanic Temple has been outlawed and designated as an "[[Russian undesirable organizations law|undesirable organization]]."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://epp.genproc.gov.ru/web/gprf/mass-media/news?item=99479483 | title=Новости - Генеральная прокуратура Российской Федерации }}</ref>

== Schisms and internal dissent ==
The Satanic Temple has sparked the development of other Satanic religious organizations, whether amicably or through religious [[schism]].<ref>{{Cite book|author=Joseph P. Laycock|title=Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion|quote=In the summer of 2018, TST underwent a major shift with numerous chapters breaking away to form their own Satanic groups. Such schisms are common in the history of new religious movements, but it is significant that these groups remained interested in Satanism as a progressive religious and political movement.|chapter=The Day Satan Came to Oaklahoma|page=7.66|isbn=978-0190948498|doi=10.1093/oso/9780190948498.001.0001|date=2020-02-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=Joseph P. Laycock|title=Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion|quote=Daniel Walker of Satanic Bay Area, a group allied with TST, explained, "We have this assumption that religion and theism are synonyms. If you can just get [the public] to understand that distinction that's sort of the Rosetta stone."|chapter=Religion or Trolls?|page=11.45|isbn=978-0190948498|doi=10.1093/oso/9780190948498.001.0001|date=2020-02-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.satanicbayarea.com/about/|title=About Satanic Bay Area|quote=We believe in the Seven Tenets of the Satanic Temple, but we are not a TST chapter and have no direct affiliation with them. We have no relationship with SF-based Satanist groups like the Temple of Set or old Church of Satan. Satanists and non-Satanists of all stripes are free to join us as long as they support our ideals.|access-date=2022-04-14}}</ref>

Prominent chapter leader [[Jex Blackmore]] left the organization in March 2018,<ref name="Aggeler">{{cite web | last=Aggeler | first=Madeleine | title=A Guide to All the Drama Roiling the Satanic Community | website=The Cut | date=2018-08-10 | url=https://www.thecut.com/2018/08/the-satanic-temple-drama-explained.html }}</ref> over statements deemed too extreme by the national TST organization. In a later interview, Blackmore criticized TST as corrupt: "The organization badly yearns to be deemed legitimate in the eyes of those in power but they will never achieve this aim, even if their litigious activities are successful. Our work, whatever it is, must come from a place of authenticity."<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-02 |title=JEX BLACKMORE INTERVIEW |url=https://interlocutorinterviews.com/new-blog/2020/11/2/jex-blackmore-interview |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Interlocutor |language=en-US}}</ref>

The [[Global Order of Satan]] was founded in 2018<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalorderofsatan.com |title=Global Order of Satan}}</ref> following the departure of the TST-UK and London chapters, which had voted no confidence in TST. This schism was motivated by TST removing two consecutive UK chapter heads: the first for engaging in unapproved campaigns, and the second for "personality clashes".<ref name="Joseph P. Laycock 9.19-9.23" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalorderofsatan.com/history-and-background-of-the-global-order-of-satan/|title=History and background of the Global Order of Satan|quote=Officially formed on June 24th 2018, The Global Order of Satan was formed to be a worldwide collective of Satanists united under a shared set of life values & moral pillars. Our aim is to make the world we live in a better place through our actions and in doing so eliminate prejudice, injustice, and religious oppression.|access-date=2022-04-15}}</ref>

The group HelLA formed in 2018 following a rift based on [[ethical]] concerns; the Los Angeles chapter objected to TST's acceptance of [[pro-bono]] legal work from the free-speech lawyer [[Marc Randazza]], as well as "the complete lack of racial diversity" among TST leadership.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Joseph P. Laycock|title=Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion|quote=On August 4, the day after TST-UK departed, TST-Los Angeles announced that they were also leaving to form a new group that eventually became known as HelLa. In a statement, they specifically cited the Twitter lawsuit, which they viewed as a waste of resources, and the decision to work with Randazza. The statement read, "We believe Randazza is opportunistically using The Satanic Temple as both a shield and a lever as he continues to work on behalf of the alt-right, and we in the Los Angeles chapter want no part of this." It also cited, "the complete lack of racial diversity within leadership."|chapter=Satanic Schisms|page=9.24|isbn=978-0190948498|doi=10.1093/oso/9780190948498.001.0001|date=2020-02-17}}</ref><ref>Anna Merlan "[https://www.jezebel.com/the-satanic-temple-is-engulfed-in-a-civil-war-over-a-de-1828130997 The Satanic Temple Is Engulfed in a Civil War Over a Decision to Hire an Attorney With a Stable of Alt-Right Clients]" ''Jezebel'', August 7, 2018.</ref><ref>Joe Mullin "[https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/11/how-copyright-lawyer-marc-randazza-got-famous-lost-friends-and-went-broke/ Bribery, gay porn, and copyright trolls: The rise and fall of lawyer Marc Randazza]" ''Ars Technica'', November 5, 2015.</ref> The ex-chapter head also cited a disagreement with Lucien Greaves' absolutist philosophy on free speech.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Joseph P. Laycock|title=Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion|quote=Bel Citoyen, a former chapter head for TST-Los Angeles ... also took issue with the position of "free speech absolutism" advocated by Greaves, arguing, "The right to free speech doesn't mean the right to a platform."|chapter=Satanic Schisms|page=9.25|isbn=978-0190948498|doi=10.1093/oso/9780190948498.001.0001|date=2020-02-17}}</ref><ref name=sunshine>{{cite book|publisher=Routledge|author=[[Spencer Sunshine]]|title=Neo-Nazi Terrorism and Countercultural Fascism: The Origins and Afterlife of James Mason's Siege|year=2024|isbn=9780429576010|pages=413–417}}</ref>

Several "approved administrators" of the TST-Washington chapter left the Temple and took control of the chapter's social media pages in March 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.socialmedialawbulletin.com/2021/04/social-media-and-satan-pitfalls-of-losing-control-of-brand-social-media-accounts/|title=Social media and Satan: pitfalls of losing control of brand social media accounts|date=April 16, 2021 |quote=The Satanic Temple’s Washington Chapter has three social media accounts, all of which were maintained and controlled by members of the Temple who were “approved administrators,” and whose actions were subject to a written Code of Conduct from the Temple. ... In March 2020, the defendant administrators left the Temple and took control of its social media pages. They removed all other administrators approved by the Temple – effectively locking the Temple out of the accounts –  and posted manifestos claiming that Temple leadership are alt-right white supremacists who supported ableism and misogyny. The name of one secondary social media page was changed to “Evergreen Memes for Queer Satanic Friends.” On another social media page, they followed a number of extremist groups, in what the Temple characterized as an attempt to create a false impression of affiliation between the Temple and extremism.|access-date=2022-05-11}}</ref> TST responded with a lawsuit against the former members,<ref>{{Cite news |date=Oct 29, 2021 |title=Orgies, Harassment, Fraud: Satanic Temple Rocked by Accusations, Lawsuit |work=[[Newsweek]] |url=https://www.newsweek.com/orgies-harassment-fraud-satanic-temple-rocked-accusations-lawsuit-1644042 |access-date=December 12, 2023}}</ref> and subsequently sued ''[[Newsweek]]'' magazine, claiming defamatory coverage of the matter.<ref>{{Cite news |date=Feb 28, 2022 |title=Satanic Temple sues Newsweek for defamation |work=[[Legal NewsLine]] |url=https://legalnewsline.com/stories/620997583-satanic-temple-sues-newsweek-for-defamation |access-date=December 12, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Volokh2023">{{cite web | last=Volokh | first=Eugene | title=Most Libel Claims by The Satanic Temple Against Newsweek Dismissed, But Not Claim Over Sexual Abuse Allegations | website=Reason.com | date=2023-03-09 | url=https://reason.com/volokh/2023/03/09/most-libel-claims-by-the-satanic-temple-against-newsweek-dismissed-but-not-claim-over-sexual-abuse-allegations/ | access-date=2023-12-13}}</ref>

Amidst a flurry of disaffiliations and resignations in May 2024, several state groups–including Colorado, Florida, and Minnesota–severed ties with the national TST organization.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Satanic Temple and its Eternal Nobodies | website=Queer Satanic | date=2024-05-28 | url=https://queersatanic.com/the-satanic-temple-and-its-eternal-nobodies/ }}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=May 2024}} As TST Ministers raised internal criticisms, some dissenting groups formed the independent Coalition of Satanic Congregations.<ref>{{cite web | title=Coalition of Satanic Congregations | url=https://coalitionofsataniccongregations.org/ }}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=May 2025}} A paper sculpture [[Phoenix (mythology)|phoenix]] drew ire at the [[Minnesota State Capitol]] in December 2024.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Cummings | first1=Caroline | last2=Moser | first2=Riley | title=Satanists' holiday display at Minnesota Capitol sparks outrage | website=CBS Minnesota | date=2024-12-16 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-capitol-satanic-holiday-display/ | access-date=2025-11-10}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Campaigns against corporal punishment]]
* [[Creation and evolution in public education]]
* [[Culture jamming]]
* [[Freedom From Religion Foundation]]
* [[Flying Spaghetti Monster]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website}}
* [https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-05-06/satanic-temple-gets-religious "The Satanic Temple gets religion"] on [[The World (radio program)|PRI's ''The World'']] (6 May 2019)
* [https://thesatanictemple.tv Satanic Temple TV] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204035237/https://thesatanictemple.tv/ |date=February 4, 2021 }} media platform
* {{cite book|first1=Joseph P. |last1=Laycock |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/satanism/4150D0B522022169485FCD56FA7FE2BE |title=Satanism|year=2023 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |series=Elements in New Religious Movements |isbn=9781009057349 |edition=online |ref=JPLS2023}}

{{New Religious Movements}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Satanic Temple, The}}
[[Category:The Satanic Temple| ]]
[[Category:Criticism of religion]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 2012]]
[[Category:Religious political organizations]]
[[Category:Satanism in the United States]]
[[Category:Religious belief systems founded in the United States]]
[[Category:Atheism in the United States]]
[[Category:Progressive organizations in the United States]]
[[Category:Liberalism and religion]]
[[Category:Atheist organizations]]
[[Category:Religious atheism]]
[[Category:Atheism activism]]
[[Category:New religious movements established in the 2010s]]
[[Category:Organizations listed in Russia as undesirable]]
[[Category:501(c)(3) organizations]]
[[Category:Satanist groups]]