Satanism

This instance is overwhelmed it seems, so in the interests of making life just that little bit easier for lemmy.ml, this community is relocating to lemmy.world

The Global Order of Satan wish to congratulate the members of the former TST UK chapter on their recent decision to disaffiliate from The Satanic Temple. We know from experience such conclusions are not easily reached. It takes fearless introspection to discard dearly held loyalties, and your immediate reward is likely to be revisionism, rejection, and abuse from those who once called themselves your allies. We applaud your courage and integrity, and we offer our solidarity. Our own Order was also emancipated by unanimous vote, after failing to reconcile the actions of Executive Ministry and National Council with the cherished tenets that once united us. Unfortunately, the gulf between those stated ideals and the behaviour of those atop TST's hierarchy clearly remains vast, and represents nothing less than a wholesale disregard for the ideology they claim to espouse.

We all know former TST members who have been on the receiving end of institutional bullying, gaslighting and legal threats or action in an attempt to censor and suppress. Some have been forced to sign non-disclosure agreements, others compelled to broadcast scripted apologies. We continue to observe manipulation, abuses of power, strategic harassment, and litigious persecution, levelled disproportionately at women, members of the LGBTQI+ community, and vulnerable individuals struggling with their mental health. We encourage those still within TST to pause and question the reasons why their leaders would engage in this behaviour, or sanction it. Why would a religion that truly valued tolerance, forgiveness, or consent do such things? How does this "encourage benevolence and empathy among all people", or "oppose injustice"? How do they propose to make a moral stand against "tyrannical authority" while they repeatedly violate their own tenets? It is difficult to see these actions as anything other than the dictatorial, authoritarian cruelty that they represent. This is not Satanism.

Satanism is a religion of individualism, a forthright bellow of challenge to those who suffer under the yoke of hierarchical, doctrine-laden superstitions and are led by unaccountable figureheads. We brook no arbitrary authority and take no vows of service. We do not — we cannot! — stand meekly while orders are issued from the ranks above who scheme in secrecy and fear plots to overthrow them: all while they demand your tithes and your loyalty. To do so would make us no different from the mainstream religions whose influences we strive against: plagued by prejudice, structural inequality and corruption.

The good news is that hard choices yield opportunities for growth, and provide endless possibilities for structural change and the forging of new connections. You now have the autonomy you didn't before, with nobody to answer to but yourselves. As we write, there are a thriving multitude of Satanic organisations run by former TST members who left after realising the contradictions at TST's core - all of whom blazing their own autonomous Satanic path and shining all the brighter for it. In time, we hope that the ever-growing void between TST's stated aims and its public and private behaviour will become obvious to more people. Like many others, we have kept our receipts.

For now, we welcome former TST members to join our Discord server if they wish. We may or may not be the right place for you — but we at least understand how some of you will be feeling.

Non serviam! Hail Satan!

Following the announcement by The Satanic Temple UK to disassociate from TST in the wake of TST founder Lucien Greaves behavior in parading a known transphobe around TST HQ, I'd just like to note that GOS are here, we share a lot of values. If you have questions, I can help.

From the Guardian UK:

With the US besieged by a rightwing culture war campaign that aims to strip away rights from LGBTQ+ people and others, blame tends to be focused on Republican politicians and conservative media figures.

But lurking behind efforts to roll back abortion rights, to demonize trans people, and to peel back the protections afforded to gay and queer Americans is a shadowy, well-funded rightwing legal organization, experts say.

Since it was formed in 1994, Alliance Defending Freedom has been at the center of a nationwide effort to limit the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people, all in the name of Christianity. The Southern Poverty Law Center has termed it an “anti-LGBTQ hate group” that has extended its tentacles into nearly every area of the culture wars.

In the process, it has won the ear of some of the most influential people in the US, and become “a danger to every American who values their freedoms”, according to Glaad, the LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.

Through “model legislation” and lawsuits filed across the country, ADF aims to overturn same-sex marriage, enact a total ban on abortion, and strip away the already minimal rights that trans people are afforded in the US.

Under the Trump administration, the group found its way into the highest echelons of power, advising Jeff Sessions, the then attorney general, before he announced sweeping guidance to protect “religious liberty” which chipped away at LGBTQ+ protections.

The organization counts among its sometime associates Amy Coney Barrett, the supreme court justice who the Washington Post reported spoke five times at an ADF training program established to push a “distinctly Christian worldview in every area of law”.

ADF is engaged in “a very strong campaign to put a certain type of religious view at the center of American life”, said Rabia Muqaddam, senior staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights.

“[The ADF campaign] extends to abortion, it extends to LGBTQ folks, to immigration, to what kind of religion we think is America, what kind of people we think are American,” Muqaddam said.

“It’s as dramatic as that. I think we are in a fight to preserve democracy and preserve America as a place where we do tolerate and encourage and empower everyone.”

ADF was founded in 1994 by a group of “leaders in the Christian community”, according to its website. Among those leaders was James Dobson, the founder of the anti-LGBTQ+ Focus on the Family organization who has said the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting, in which 20 children and six adults were killed, was a “judgment” from God because of declining church numbers.

Its leaders remain involved in niche interpretations of Christianity. Kristen Waggoner, the ADF chief executive, also serves as legal counsel to Assemblies of God, a church which encourages worshippers to speak in tongues and believes in “divine healing” – the power of prayer – as a medical tool.

Over the past two decades, ADF has been a main driver in dozens of pieces of rightwing legislation and lawsuits.

The organization is currently behind the lawsuit 303 Creative, Inc v Elenis, which the supreme court is expected to decide this month, and which could chip away at LGBTQ+ rights. It’s a case that is classic ADF – a seemingly manufactured issue which the group has managed to chase all the way through the American legal system.

The plaintiff, 303 Creative, is a website design company. 303 Creative has never made wedding websites, but its owner, Lorie Smith, claims her first amendment rights are being impinged because, if she were to start making wedding websites, she would not want to make them for same-sex couples – which would violate Colorado’s anti-discrimination laws.

Another ADF obsession is abortion. It was involved, Muqaddam said, in crafting a 15-week abortion ban in Mississippi – which prompted a legal case that found its way to the supreme court – eventually resulting in Roe v Wade, which guaranteed the right to abortion, being overturned in 2022.

“Alliance Defending Freedom has been instrumental in the dismantling of Roe and the ongoing efforts to eliminate abortion nationwide,” Muqaddam said.

“They enacted a law that they knew was unconstitutional, they enacted it for the purpose of generating case after case after case to push it out to the supreme court until they found a court that was sympathetic to their argument,” Muqaddam said.

She added: “I think that’s exactly what is happening in the LGBTQ context as well. Their goal is to limit individual rights as much as possible.”

The ADF website shows the breadth of its involvement in rightwing culture wars. The organization touts its work opposing abortion, on opposing same-sex marriage and opposing trans rights.

“We advocate for laws and precedents that promote human flourishing by recognizing the important differences between men and women and honoring God’s design for marriage between one man and one woman,” ADF’s website reads.

But Emerson Hodges, a research analyst at the SPLC, said what ADF is really doing is attempting to “undo LGBTQ social and legislative progress”.

“They go under the guise of religious liberty, and religious freedom. What that means, though, is this religious liberty to discriminate and the religious freedom to invalidate LGBTQ individuals,” Hodges said.

Worryingly, there are signs that ADF, and other groups like it, are growing in influence. As Republican politicians and rightwing media fan the flames of an extremist culture war, NBC reported that donations to ADF, which is a registered non-profit, more than doubled from 2011 to 2021.

As it has grown in influence, ADF’s “model legislation” has found its way into state legislatures across the country, as the group attempts to strip away LGBTQ+ rights, and the rights of trans people in particular.

“Just about every anti-LGBT legislation that you’ve seen probably in the past decade was probably copied or paraphrased off of a model legislation built by Alliance Defending Freedom,” Hodges said.

“They provide legal advocacy support, litigation and policy models for government officials.”

An article on ADF’s website states that it is a “biblical truth” that “men and women are physically different”, and the organization has duly worked to prevent trans people taking part in women’s sports.

The group sued a school district in Minnesota in 2016, and in 2021 a judge in Connecticut dismissed an ADF lawsuit which sought to prevent transgender athletes competing in high school sports. The same year, ADF backed a lawsuit brought by a teacher in Virginia who had said he would not use a transgender child’s preferred pronouns because that would amount to “sinning against our God”.

In April, ADF, which did not respond to a Guardian request for comment, filed in Oregon on behalf of a Christian woman who wanted to foster children, but said she would not agree to “respect, accept, and support … the sexual orientation, gender identity, [and] gender expression” of a child placed with her, the Statesman Journal reported.

“[ADF’s] obsession with targeting LGBTQ people is unhinged and drastically out of touch with supermajorities of Americans who support LGBTQ people and laws to protect us from discrimination,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and chief executive of Glaad.

“Everyone should understand the truth: the ADF is simply an anti-LGBTQ group trying to abuse levers of government to push discrimination and keep their warped sense of control.

“They’ve also worked to ban the right to choose, and are in cahoots with other extremist groups to oppress marginalized people. ADF is a danger to every American who values their freedoms – to be ourselves, live freely, and be welcome to contribute and to succeed in every area of society.”

Soul Survivor: Church knew about ‘teen massages’ for 19 years The founder of the Christian youth festival Soul Survivor was first reported to senior Church of England figures for allegedly inappropriate behaviour almost 20 years ago, it can be revealed. (Times - Paywalled)

Spain's Catholic Church finds hundreds of alleged child abusers over eight decades An investigation by the Spanish Catholic Church into child sexual abuse by members of the clergy and non-clerical staff has so far identified 728 alleged abusers and 927 victims since the 1940s, according to its first report. (Reuters)

First study of clerical abuse in Brazil calls known cases ‘tip of the iceberg’ An unprecedented new compendium of child abuse cases in the Brazilian Catholic Church has found that 108 members of the clergy victimized 148 children and teenagers since 2000. The authors, however, claim those totals are only the tip of the iceberg, and that many other cases are still to come to light. (Crux)

Church abuse victims risk new trauma over payout scheme – report One man's dealings with the scheme left him suicidal, says the report by the Church's Independent Safeguarding Board. (BBC)

Archbishop loses appeal of $2m altar boy payout A Catholic archbishop has lost a bid to reduce an almost $2 million court-ordered payout to an altar boy subjected to horrific sexual abuse by a pedophile priest. (Canberra Times)

More troubling developments from religionists trying to use their beliefs to justify spreading bigotry.

"[Mrs Justice Eady] qualified these rights and warned they were not without limits.

Specifically this relates to when "such manifestation or expression" infringed on the rights and freedoms of others."

Whatever happened to the rights of children to be taught accurately and without the censorship of religious prudes? There may be plenty of biblical precedent for controlling people by keeping them in ignorance to shape their thinking — but this is never appropriate in schools.

We at GOS say: if you don't feel comfortable with your kids learning the school's curriculum in its entirety, then you do not have your childrens' best interests at heart. Knowledge is power — far from "brainwashing children" these critics' objections stem from deep insecurities about the nature of their faith. Denying knowledge to your children will only grant you temporary power over them: when they learn the truth they will not appreciate your insulting and paternalistic approach.

Story on BBC

Got questions? I have answers :) on our KBin instance https://kbin.social/m/globalorderofsatan/t/14226

The Global Order of Satan is an international collection of communal Orders, helping to grow Satanic idealism and self worship, while protecting those who are oppressed by overbearing religious hegemony.

As atheists we believe in neither gods nor devils. Our ideology is instead rooted in courage, compassion, science, the self, and in rituals of introspection. These ideals are enshrined in our Founding Pillars.

The Six Pillars

Satanism helps define how we live our lives & interact with other people. The founding pillars of a Satanic organisation guide and empower you to live a Satanic lifestyle. No single founding pillar should be raised higher than any other. Our actions should be guided by them collectively.

1. Self-fulfilment and personal understanding allow us to support ourselves and therefore others.
2. Respect the inviolable body, autonomous will, and sovereign right of every individual to guide their own life and being; remembering that enjoyment of these rights is predicated on respect for the same in others.
3. Science, evidence, reason, and critical thinking should guide our beliefs about our universe. Truly critical thinking can only be achieved by challenging your own preconceptions and opinions, providing a more balanced outlook to help us make better informed decisions.
4. Act with empathy, compassion, and wisdom towards yourself and others.
5. Justice always takes precedence over laws, institutions, and religious texts, as long as the pursuit of it does not countermand the pillars.
6. All people make mistakes. Allow them to correct those mistakes, as we seek acceptance in others over our own.

FAQ

Do you believe in / worship Satan?

No. We are atheists which means we don’t believe in the existence of the supernatural. This means no god, no demons, no angels, no ghosts (holy or otherwise) and no devil. Worship is an expression of adoration to something which one reveres. In our case, we revere ourselves as individuals capable of the greatest human expression of compassion and empathy. We have hearts and minds that are imbued with warmth, rationale, and a quality of curiosity that can reason, resolve, and navigate profound existential experiences. That’s essentially the heart of Satanism. This philosophy can be thought of as a type of selfism.

Do you sacrifice animals?

Of course not. Satan doesn’t exist, so there’s nobody to sacrifice to. Besides, animal cruelty or the mistreatment of animal remains would be against everything we stand for. There are plenty of other religions (and troubled teenagers) that kill animals with the intent of achieving some misguided ritual “purpose”; despite what lazy journalists would have you believe there’s nothing in modern Satanism that would encourage such an act.

If you don’t worship the devil then why do you call yourselves Satanic?

Buddhists don’t worship Buddha, but they follow those teachings. The name Lucifer actually means lightbringer, and nothing is more illuminating than knowledge. In fables, Satan was the first to speak out and voice rational inquiry to an authoritarian god that demanded blind obedience, and for it he was cast out. Of course we don’t believe this actually happened. But, historically, we know that those who speak out against the injustices committed by governments, religious dictators, and corporations that consistently prioritise profits over people are often imprisoned, killed, or branded incendiaries. So we believe the allegorical teaching of Satan is the need to use one’s own voice as an honest tool of evidence-based dissent against corrupt regimes where one sees it. Use of the name also requires individuals to think about what it is that they actually believe. To its detriment, much of the world’s cultural experience is informed by religious dogma and institutional influence and it can be hard to disentangle what one actually believes from what one has been told to believe. Associating with something typically seen as forbidden and characterised as evil when evidence shows that thing to be ethical and charitable for the benefit of all mankind, requires a level of rationality and critical thinking that we encourage in our membership. And if people and governments and leaders can do horrible things in the name of God then we can most certainly do beautiful and inspired things in the name of Satan.

So then you’re activists, not Satanists?

We are Satanists, make no mistake. It is the lessons of the literary Satan that we follow –the importance of dissent, rational inquiry, vigilant self-assessment, and the continuing struggle for justice. Because we’re committed to acting on our beliefs, this philosophy can take the form of activism. And like anyone else who calls themselves religious, it’s our commitment to these deeply held convictions that our organisational identity represents. So, yes, we’re Satanists – and activism is just our way of doing the devil’s work.

Won’t the name Satan make it harder to accomplish your goals? Wouldn’t it be better if you called yourself something else?

People can be superstitious and reactive as individuals and in groups which is often a symptom of ignorance or entitlement and we’d like to change that way of thinking. Of course it’s an uphill battle, but every movement towards social equilibrium requires those on the forefront. If the world would take steps to shift its collective approach to differences away from defensive and protective, making an intentional movement towards vigilant integrity in our approach to truth, understanding, and self-awareness, then we might realise we’re far less vulnerable and capable of great adaptability which is empowering.

So you don’t have rituals or kill babies?

What most people think they know about Satanism comes from Roman Polanski films like Rosemary’s Baby and The Ninth Gate, The Omen trilogy, and Hammer Horror films like The Devil Rides Out. It’s not surprising – those are great films – but that’s fiction, folks. We do perform rituals, but so does everyone else in their daily life. Crossing the street is a ritual in which you look both ways beforehand. Checking your email can be a ritual if you have a routine for it – do you check it in when you first wake up…with coffee? Do you play music and dance around the kitchen while cooking supper? That’s a ritual too. We ritualise life because it provides comfort and it can be a hallmark for important events of recognition, such as the ritual of marriage. Global Order of Satan performs rituals too, but it isn’t black magic, it’s just a celebration of life.

I’ve heard that becoming a Satanist will grant me money, fame and power. How do I join you and get all this?

We’re sorry to disappoint you, but joining Global Order of Satan does not grant you money, or fame, or power. If you read through the rest of this FAQ and site, you’ll find that we’re an atheist group, who don’t believe in a god, or a devil, and also laugh at the concept of doing some kind of deal with a supernatural entity for a secret way to make money, become famous or powerful. We stand for those oppressed by mainstream religions, and provide a community for those who agree with our philosophy – we’re not a cult, there’s no direct line to grant special favours from Satan, and we’re very sorry you’ve been lied to.

Are you related to the US-based Church Of Satan or The Satanic Temple?

We have no current affiliation with either. We have similar beliefs but we also have different policies and principles. For example, membership with Global Order of Satan is always free. We also don’t ask for money from our members or chapters and we put into practice our ideals about autonomy and the importance of rebellion. Because we have more of a global reach, as we currently preside over Europe, Australasia, and the Middle East, our concerns are global ones and not restricted to our locale.

So do you hate religion?

Religious practice can be a source of immense emotional gratification. We’re a religion ourselves, so -no- we don’t hate religion. What we hate is abuse and bullying. When Catholic Charities are taking social welfare money earmarked for HIV prevention but hide the condoms because they don’t believe in them, that’s a type of moral bullying with epidemic consequences. When families in one of the most dynamic capitols in the western world burn to death in substandard housing because of greed supported by casual classist attitudes, that’s economic bullying and a form of genocide. And if you’re a bully, especially one who uses religion as a get-out of-jail-free card in place of compassion and reason, then we’ll probably be seeing each other soon.

Do I have to be a goth/like metal music to join?

Absolutely not – we believe in individuality & free expressions, and appreciate the value of diversity.

Does it cost anything to be a member?

Membership is free, and we will never pass around a collection plate.

What was it that led you down the left hand path?