Agnostic Atheist, here. I Love some of what The Satanic Temple does. From what I understand, it’s it’s name is their to provoke. What do you think of this strategy? I’ve recently heard them refer to call other Theistic Satanists as being “Luciferian”. I’ve heard some Satanists claim the name exclusively, some say there are two types of Satanists. Anyone here a Satanist?
A branding issue, you say?
Stranger
Sometimes they write their when they mean there. I believe a main mission is to provoke.
Can’t fix it now.
Does it help, though?
Uhhh, what? I was wearing an Arch Enemy t-shirt with an inverted pentagram and an old Spanish speaking lady pulled her car over and hectored me me about Jesus. Anyway, we just saw a dragon try to eat the sun, but my friend sacrifìced his first born to stop it. So hail Satan I guess?
I’m not exactly sure what your point is. Is it that you’re saying that they’re called Satanists anyway, so embrace is? I read about Crowley, interesting. Still not sure the label is a net-benefit.
I don’t have a point. I have a satanic theology which is too tedious to go into, especially since I don’t really believe it.
ETA: But that sun eating dragon was pretty scary, right?
Even you seem to acknowledge that the name is provocative because they want to be provocative. So that’s not a branding issue.
Now is their tactic of provocation valid? In my opinion, it’s far more of a case-by-case thing. I don’t think the groups that just troll Christians accomplish much. I do think that the latest statue of Baphomet did accomplish some of their goals: making the guy who destroyed it look bad, and pointing out how there are people who really do just want the US to be Christian-only. Plus we got to have some of the crazy come out from hiding.
I do tend to think that direct provocation just makes people dig in harder. It only tends to work on those who are not the ones being provoked. That requires it to be more spectacle, and not something done on a more individual level.
I think they do have to avoid crossing the line into actual trolling. I like that most today do not pretend to actually worship Satan. I like that they make their intentions clear, rather than trying to trick people like a troll would.
Crowley was basically a fraud, but I think he might have bought into it by the end. Rather pathetic, actually.
I don’t mind the trolling. It’s more about how confusing the name is. I see what you’re doing, I just don’t think I have a good reason to think it benefits besides to “troll”. That’d be fine, but I hear a lot of people spending a lot of time trying to explain the name, rather than spending that time encouraging secular values.
If you are a genuine heretic Christian who worships Satan, you’d better believe you would be pissed off some group is out there spreading the word your religion and your god are a joke, as if one could not be an orthodox Satanist.
I think they’re great.
They’ve been brilliant in getting “satanic” images into public places who routinely allow christian imagery, especially around Christmas.
The Christians are provoked, to be sure, but a public place shouldn’t acknowledge any religions, and if some imagery must be displayed the choice is between all religions or none. Favoring Christianity has been the norm for, oh, four hundred years. The right-wing has become obsessed with insisting that their religion is the only one that anyone should pay attention to or whose precepts should be in secular laws.
The Satanists are pushing back. They are doing the lord’s work, in the most inverse way. They can’t be branded any other way. It wouldn’t work, wouldn’t serve the purpose, wouldn’t provoke in the same way.
Yay Satanists!
I agree that they do a lot of good work. Just asking. I don’t think I’m the only one who’s spoken up about it in the atheist community, but I get it.
Hey, I know whats going on astronomically, but my hair stood on end a little.
Hmm, Satanists. The ones who take it seriously are far more silly than the Christians. The ones who consciously use it to make Christianity look silly? Ehh, seems like a pretty harmless art collective. I’d probably buy a ticket or two if they set up a theme park with a good roller coaster.
I can’t respond in this thread.
It’s lightning and thundering right outside my window after a day of a huge celestial event.
I ain’t tempting fate.
I’m 100% in agreement with this.
I am completely sold after watching their documentary a few years ago.
That sounds like a strong brand identity to me. The opposite of a branding issue.
Hail Satan! Anything that mainstream religious people don’t like makes me happy.
Please explain the logic in not believing in God and not wanting to have anything to do with religion, but being attracted to Satanism, which is also a religion.
The Satanic Temple is functionally an activist organization for freedom of religion and civil rights that, for legal reasons, acts as a religion to point out logical inconsistencies and hypocrisies within the right.