Put simply, The Satanic Temple is a relatively new atheistic religion (without belief in an actual Satan) with core beliefs in the seven tenets as listed below:


I. One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.

II. The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.

III. One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.

IV. The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one’s own.

V. Beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one’s beliefs.

VI. People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one’s best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.

VII. Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.


Check out https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/about-us for more info.

Hope all is well! Hail Satan!

  • @wit
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    22 years ago

    Thank you for the insightful reply. I agree with the example you have given in the “freedom to offend” case. However, in the example you have given, I don’t believe that it was “targeted offense”. For non targeted offenses, I would agree that freedom to offend is a good tenet. However, one can also construct an example in which “freedom to offend” would sound horrible, like this one I did in a previous reply:

    Imagine a scenario in which removing oneself from the situation is hard. Say a school. Should student A be free to offend student B? It is my view that student B should feel safe in school. He/She should not have to wake up and dread going to school.

    The difference being that in the school example, it is more targeted hate/bullying/offense.

    • @dingusOPM
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      22 years ago

      Yeah I mean there’s a big difference in offending others by simply existing and trying to live your own life and actively going out of your way to harm others.