The Satanic Temple

The Satanic Temple is a group of Satanists most known for social and political activism surrounding religious freedom and the separation of church and state in the US.
An atheistic organization, The Satanic Temple does not believe in a personal Satan, though a minority of its members are theistic Satanists. They are unaffiliated with Anton LaVey's Church of Satan, and differ from it in having a more humanist philosophy in principle though not necessarily in practice.The Satanic Temple and its Eternal Nobodies
The Satanic Temple has been documented having extensive ties to the alt-right, particularly when examining its highest levels and two owners, Cevin Soling ("Malcolm Jarry") and Doug Misicko ("Doug Mesner", "Lucien Greaves"). In addition to this, former members of TST and abortion access funds have alleged the Temple is exploiting the fight for abortion rights for money and clout.
==Tenets==
They have a set of seven fundamental tenets ostensibly founded on ideas of secular humanism, freedom, and reason, which are listed below.Seven Tenets historyhttps://thesatanictemple.com/
(This is in contrast to the Church of Satan, who are basically Randroids with a coat of black paint.)
==Projects==
===After-school Satan Clubs===
The Satanic Temple has launched Satanic after school clubs.
Satan clubs will only be in areas and schools where there are already after school Bible study groups. Schools cannot discriminate by banning Satan clubs while allowing Bible study, or they will risk legal action over the First Amendment.Franklin Graham, Unaware of How the Law Works, Wants Schools to Block After School Satan Clubs A legal expert for Liberty Counsel said Satan Clubs have a First Amendment right to exist, but later threatened to sue. The Satanic Temple, by contrast, maintains that, without studying the curriculum of the Satan Clubs, the Liberty Counsel's actions are premature.Christian Lawyer Who Said After School Satan Clubs Have a "Right to Meet" Now Says He May Sue Them According to Hemant Mehta, the Liberty Counsel has misrepresented the Satan clubsHere’s How Liberty Counsel is Lying to Public Schools About the After School Satan Clubs (though the group may arguably have courted such misrepresentation by using such an inflammatory name). The Satan clubs are looking for donations.Thanks to Christians, After School Satan Clubs May Be Coming to an Elementary School Near You Legal action is considered in one Georgian district because the authorities have ignored repeated requests to start a Satan Club.A Georgia School District May Be Sued After Ignoring Requests for an After School Satan Club Future developments could be interesting. A district in Washington state decided they have to allow the Satan clubs.WA District Officials Reluctantly Admit Satanists Can Start an “After School Satan” Club The first After School Satan Club has opened in Portland, Oregon in mid-November 2016 with Christian protesters outside.After School Satan Club Holds First-Ever Meeting (But Not Without Protesters) A second has opened in Utah and more are promised. A Utah Elementary School is Now Home to an After School Satan Club. (Thanks, Christians!)
The supposed target of these efforts, Child Evangelism Fellowship and its "Good News Club" have expressed that the Temple's ASS clubs actually benefit them due to how much attention it brings their own clubs and little follow-through the ASS clubs end up having.How to be an Active Parent in Protecting Freedom of Religion. CEF Online. Archived from the original on 2024-05-10. Retrieved 2024-12-13. Moises Esteves, Executive Director of CEF, told the Christian Broadcasting Network in December 2023: 
In response to a follow up question, Esteves further explained: 
This is perhaps unsurprising given that TST owner Cevin Soling initially wanted to utilize TST and "religious freedom loopholes" as part of his existing goal of sabotaging (integrated) public schools in the name of "abolitionism".Cevin Soling really hates public schools, June 5, 2023.
===Baphomet statue===
The Satanic Temple is best known in the media for its publicity stunts done in the interest of protecting church-state separation, in a manner similar to Pastafarianism. They're responsible for a number of antics, such as attempts to have of Baphomet displayed wherever Christian symbols are shown on government property.Satanists unveil sculpture in Detroit after rejection at Oklahoma capitol, Guardian, 26 July 2015 As a result, they have become quite popular with the atheist community. Their spokesperson, Lucien Greaves (real name Doug Misicko), has appeared on shows like The Friendly Atheist podcast and others.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYpOOGcx5kE However, the statue has never successfully blocked a 10 Commandments monument and as of 2024, remains installed at TST's Salem headquarters where people pay to enter the premises and take photos with the statue. In litigation against the city of Belle Plaine, Minn., TST claimed in depositions to earning at least $182,000 in ticket revenue between July 2017 and November 2020.The Satanic Temple v. City of Belle Plaine, Document #804478296. By charging admission for entry into the Gallery, the Temple collected $182,000.Satanic Temple, The v. Belle Plaine, City of
Exhibit(s) 1-42, and 44-45 — Document #84 , Attachment #1. From document Page 46 Doug Misicko (as "Lucien Greaves" and speaking on behalf of "Doug Mesner":
===Invocations===
In early 2016, the Satanic Temple wanted to give an invocation at the city council of Phoenix, Arizona. Some councilors wanted only a rota of council-approved clergy to give invocations. The Freedom From Religion Foundation planned legal action if the First Amendment was breached.Phoenix City Council Will Replace Invocation with Moment of Silence To Spite Satanic Temple Phoenix chose a moment of silence instead, but legal action was threatened from Christians who wanted explicitly Christian prayer in government.What is a prayer? Hyperventilating Christians Freak Out Over Ban On Prayer At Phoenix City Council Meetings Ultimately, the city decided to limit their invocations to police and firefighter chaplains rather than the more open policy it had previously.Phoenix City Council Votes to Restore Prayer at Meetings, March 24, 2016. Phoenix City Council members have voted to restore prayer at the beginning of their formal meetings, but the invocation will have to be given exclusively by individuals serving as chaplains for the city’s police and fire departments. Attempts to use the courts to force Satanic invocations in the cities of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Boston failed at both the federal and appellate court level.Lawsuits, specifically Satanic Temple et al v. Scottsdale, City of et al and The Satanic Temple, Inc. v. City of Boston
===Protect Children Project===
Since 2014, The Satanic Temple has announced a campaign against corporal punishment in American schools, initially called Protect Children Project or "PCP"; this is apparently legal in nineteen states with 110,000 children being beaten per year.The Satanic Temple Tackles Corporal Punishment With TX Billboard: "Never Be Hit In School Again"
The campaign uses an argument based on the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of religion. The Satanic Temple argues that corporal punishment violates the Satanic Temple's belief in a inviolable body and intends to argue on these grounds for anyone who registers for them.https://protectchildrenproject.com/ 
Again, this seems to be an extension of TST owner Cevin Soling's opposition to public schools more than any higher principle given that TST has never challenged corporal punishment in private schools, which remains much more common in the USA.[https://queersatanic.com/why-you-havent-left-the-satanic-temple/#russia-today Why You Haven't Left The Satanic Temple, July 17, 2021.Corporal Punishment Still Exists, April 28, 2024. While corporal punishment is legal in private schools in every state, it is rarely used in that setting nowadays. Unfortunately, only New Jersey and Iowa have banned corporal punishment in private and parochial schools.
===Pro-choice activism===
Beginning in 2015, The Satanic Temple attempted to challenge state abortion restrictions in Missouri with the first being Mary Doe v. Jeremiah J Nixon et al ("Mary Doe I"). This, related state-level challenge The Satanic Temple et al v. Jeremiah Jay Nixon et al. ("Mary Doe II"), and the subsequent Doe v. Greitens et al ("Judy Doe") all failed.For-profit Corporation Lawsuits, The.Satanic.Wiki
After the Supreme Court didn't block Texas's ban on abortion after six weeks in 2021, the Satanic Temple launched a new wave of abortion restriction challenges based on their newly defined "Satanic abortion ritual". They again claimed an exception on religious freedom grounds, including using the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a federal bill that does things like protecting certain Native American groups' right to use peyote, as grounds for protection of Satanic Temple members' right to use abortifacients (substances that induce abortions).The Satanic Temple “Willing to Fight” for Abortion Access After Texas Law Takes Effect, Amanda LeClaire, wdet 9 September 2021 The Satanic Temple created billboards and a Facebook ad campaign claiming they were able to circumvent state restrictions on abortions despite this argument previously being rejected in the Missouri lawsuits and eventually admitting in a lawsuit against one of their billboard companies that they knew no such exemption actually existed.Facebook.com/ads, Library ID: 243216577714312, Sep 4, 2021 - Sep 25, 2021.The Satanic Temple cannot help you get an abortion, and it does not deserve your support, QueerSatanic.com], The Satanic Temple, Inc. v. Lamar Media Corporation, Exhibit Combined Exhibits — Document #47 , Attachment #1. Specifically:
All post-2021 abortion ban lawsuits by The Satanic Temple have failed and/or been abandoned thus far, often under scathing criticism for the quality and manner of arguments by the judges who heard them.The Satanic Temple is very bad at court cases, Matthew Kezhaya. Especially, Kezhaya's admonishment: The brief history above makes it appear quite doubtful that Attorney Kezhaya is capable of conforming his conduct to acceptable practice in federal court. His explanations as to the two sanctions entered against him also fail to convince that they weren’t justified.
====Pro-choice slacktivism====
However, TST has been called out for merely engaging in slacktivism. To quote Dr. Mia Brett:
The Satanic Temple has also been accused of exploiting abortion activists for money."The Satanic Temple loses every single case. They are the worst and they are stealing your money. Give to abortion funds." - Abortion Squad on Xitter (12:23 AM on September 9, 2021). Archived Indeed, grassroots abortion access groups like the Yellowhammer Fund have stated that it's better to donate to local grassroots abortion activist groups "that have been doing this work for decades" or clinics than donating to TST."There is a better way to support abortion access & fight back: by putting your dollars & trust in grassroots orgs that have been doing this work for decades (in a way that honors & respects clinics and patient wishes)." - Yellowhammer Fund on Xitter (7:17 PM on September 13, 2021). Archived.
Journalist Susan Rinkunas' article for Jezebel "Don’t Count on the Satanic Temple for a Legal Abortion" went into this subject even more in depth, quoting Texas Equal Access Fund, which compared TST to crisis pregnancy centers and expressed worries that people might not realize the Temple offered no legal protections for people in reality.Don’t Count on the Satanic Temple for a Legal Abortion, “I just want to make sure that people are aware about organizations that might not be good for them, like [crisis pregnancy centers],” Rodriguez said, “and TST is kind of a part of that.” In the same article, Jex Blackmore, former spokesperson for TST’s reproductive rights campaigns from 2014 to 2018, said:
In a now-deleted series of tweets in September 2021, Blackmore was even more forcefulTwitter, Archive backup:
==Alt-right affiliations==
The founder of the Satanic Temple, Lucien Greaves, has a history of questionable statements and affiliations with far right figures. In 2003, Greaves, on the online podcast Might is Right, notably complained that the Nazis "ruined antisemitism", and that it was okay to hate Jewish people as long as they were religiously observant.
In 2013, Greaves brought on his Neo-Nazi buddy Shane Bugbee, host of the Might is Right Internet livestream, to help found The Satanic Temple.
The Satanic Temple leader "Priest Penemue", also known as Greg Stevens, is a "one-time Breitbart contributor""When Satanism met the Internet" - Breitbart. Greg Stevens (October 31st, 2015). Archived. who also had close ties with the far right ghoul Mike Cernovich and Milo Yiannopoulos, to the point of editing one of Cernovich's books and playing minigolf with Yiannopoulos.Today is a good day for The Satanic Temple to release its finances
TST's lawyer, Marc Randazza, is a lovely piece of work who has also defended such esteemed clients as Alex Jones and The Daily Stormer. Randazza has also personally guest-starred on Infowars multiple times.
Cevin Soling, another prominent member of The Satanic Temple, has expressed all sorts of ghoulish opinions before, ranging from supporting the abolition of public education because he believes schools are too diverse,Queer Satanic post on the matter to committing denialism of the Palestinian genocide and creating a nonprofit to that effect."Where does TST stand on Israel"What the hell is “The Satanic Temple”? — Ep. 6: “Alliance for Integrity and Justice”
===Freeze peach===
Greaves and TST have a history of proclaiming their support for freedom of speech. However, they demonstrate a confused understanding of what freedom of speech actually is, as can be seen in the Facebook post made by Greaves below:
For context, Greaves is bitching about the fact that the Left Hand Consortium Path removed his fascist buddy and certified freak Augustus Sol Invictus from his speaker slot. What Greaves doesn't understand is that the LHCP is a private entity, not a government. As a private entity, the LHCP is not obligated to provide First Amendment protections the same way that the US government is. As a private entity, the LHCP is not under any obligation to provide a platform for Sol Invictus. In fact, the LHCP has the First Amendment right to reject Sol Invictus as a speaker. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Public Utilities Commission, 475 U.S. 1 (1986)
These claims to support free speech are also ultimately hypocritical. When it's speech The Satanic Temple doesn't like, they attempt to shut it down. The Satanic Temple has a track record of filing multiple SLAPP suits against their critics over the years.Footnotes: “The Satanic Housewife” videos and legal threat by The Satanic Temple Ultimately, it seems that The Satanic Temple's valiant defense of freedom of expression only goes in one direction: in support of the reactionary right.
===Eugenics===
During that infamous 2003 Internet radio livestream, Greaves made several comments in support of eugenics, such as:
For context, Doug Misicko is Greaves' real name.
Greaves followed it up in 2004 with another spiel on the necessity of controlled breedin“Lucien Greaves” talks eugenics and “who decides”:
In 2008, Greaves went on a facetious rant further demonstrating his support for eugenics:
In fact, the main ad for a website Greaves plugged until 2018 was a voice-clip of Greaves saying this:
===Ableism===
Greaves has a history of ableist sentiment, as evidenced by the transcript below:
Notice how Greaves ties in his support for eugenics with ableist sentiment. It also seems almost like a contractual obligation to reference the Holocaust from these goons.
To further tie his ableist sentiment into his support for eugenics, Greaves has stated he does not believe that "low-IQ people" should have the "right to breed." How he plans on enforcing that when his organization says everyone has the inviolable right to control their own body (which would include the right to breed/reproduce if they want to), is unsaid. Maybe it's just hypocrisy, which is not exactly unheard of among the alt-right, religious right, etc., types.
==Schisms and internal dissent==
The Satanic Temple has also prompted the development of other Satanic religious organizations, albeit typically with much acrimony as lower level leaders and rank-and-file members reject the priorities of TST's lawsuit-happy owners.
The Satanic Temple’s first “High Priest” former Vital Remains lead-singer Brian Werner, was announced as such on TST’s social media in June 2013. Werner publicly left the organization in December 2014, claiming his one-time personal friend Lucien Greaves had used lawyers to attempt to force a non-disclosure agreement on him. This led Werner to compare the organization to Scientology. High Priest Brian Werner resigns from The Satanic Temple , Dec. 23, 2014. “Now, I've got nothing but love for Doug [Lucien Greaves], man. You know, dude, you've been family to me since this thing started, but however this betrayal it's not going to be forgotten and effectively ruined any and all friendship that we once had. Rather than call me and talk to me, rather than reply to texts or have any contact of any kind, I get an email from the lawyers accepting my resignation with an attached six-page non-disclosure agreement. Really dude? After everything me and you have been through in the last three years—you've been a guest in several of my homes you know my wife. I've been a guest in yours. You've embraced me and called me brother. You couldn't even pick up a telephone and talk to me? You had to hide behind the lawyers? What is this Scientology?" Leader resigns from Satanic Temple, Jan. 5. 2015 Around the same time, the first leader of the Portland local group Zach Black also said he was leaving, complaining about a lack of democracy and transparency in the organization. The woes of the Satanic Temple continue, Jan. 16, 2015.The Satanic Temple – My Resignation, Jan. 21, 2015 Black had been a Church of Satan member from 1994 to 2002 who had favored white nationalist Boyd Rice to succeed Anton LaVey as the next Church of Satan leader. Black stated he left TST as part of a disagreement with Greaves over Black linking to a PDF library on Black’s “Satanic International Network” website that contained works under the copyright of Greaves friend, Adam Parfrey, owner of publishing company Feral House. Trolling Hell: Is the Satanic Temple a Prank, the Start of a New Religious Movement — or Both?, July 22, 2014. “Zach Black is a 38-year-old sushi chef in Northern California and a longtime Satanist. He started the Satanic International Network, the largest — though not the only — social media site for Satanists. He was a card-carrying member of the Church of Satan for nearly a decade, from 1994 to 2002. For the first few years after he joined, Anton LaVey was still alive. That made all the difference, Black says, and the church was much more “proactive.” Black is one of a group of disaffected ex-Church of Satan members who believe Gilmore was never supposed to become the church’s next leader. LaVey wanted to pass the torch to a man named Boyd Rice, an artist and writer who was a close friend, Black says. “But he turned it down. He didn’t want to do it. I’m not sure why.”’’ Werner, Black, and Greaves’ longtime friend Shane Bugbee were all publicly-established Satanists who had been brought into the organization in the summer of 2013 following the botched stunt in Tallahassee in January 2013 that local media had identified as being part of the same prank documentary idea TST had originated as.Miami Herald, Jan. 16, 2013. Greaves swore to god (his, of course) that this was no joke. But upon further review, it turns out that Greaves is pulling another kind of joke on us. Greaves is listed as the casting director of a feature film called …wait for it…The Satanic Temple. A casting call was posted on the web site Actors Access on Jan. 7 seeking non-union actors for no pay. “We are seeking people from all walks of life, goths, grandparents, soccer moms, etc to be the followers of a charismatic yet down to earth Satanic cult leader,” the post stated. “The shoot will be on January 25th in downtown Tallahassee. Actors will be required to wear tasteful Satanic garb.” The casting call said the movie was a mockumentary about the “nicest Satanic Cult in the world.” It was seeking actors for eight speaking roles “to play minions” and 10 featured extras. (The positions have since been filled).
Former chapter head of the St. Louis group “Damien Ba’al” exited The Satanic Temple in July 2015, going on to form the “United Aspects of Satan.” United Aspects of Satan FAQ. In November 2016, TST Minneapolis left the organization as a whole to become "Minnesota's Left Hand Path Community ", later explaining, “We found the lack of communication, organization and leadership from the National Body to be reasons enough to step away.” Facebook post, May 7, 2017. 
In 2017, the St. Louis chapter as a whole departed from TST to become the independent group “Ordo Sororitatis Satanicae”. Nikki Moungo, a subsequent former St. Louis chapterhead to Ba’al and TST “National Council” member interviewed the “Mary Doe” from TST’s failed Missouri abortion litigation, alleging Greaves had been verbally abuse to Mary Doe and that TST had used legal threats to prevent “Mary Doe” from communicating with the rest of the St. Louis chapter while litigation was ongoing, a claim also reported by the Riverfront Times.Mary Doe Speaks: Her Story—The Satanic Temple, a Case Experience, Feb. 13, 2019 The Satanic Temple Sought to Upend Missouri Abortion Law. Their Plans Went to Hell, May 18, 2019. MacNaughton's solution was an unusual one. In a letter sent to Doe dated July 5, 2016, MacNaughton proposed what amounted to gag order of his own client, with financial repercussions if she tried to meddle in the case. As long as MacNaughton remained her attorney, the agreement stipulated that Doe "have no intentional contact with any member of the Satanic Temple" — which would include Nikki Moungo — and that MacNaughton retain "sole authority to make or authorize publicity" for the case. There was another provision. If Doe tried to fire MacNaughton on her own, for any reason but "incompetence," the agreement made her liable for a $1,500 termination fee. The agreement/gag letter sent by MacNaughton represented the last piece of direct communication between Doe and the Temple for nearly two years. After that, Doe says, "I got updates on the case through Google alerts."
 
Moungo also alleged that Cevin Soling ('Malcolm Jarry"), who has publicly compared criticism of the Israeli military to “blood libel” and has registered a nonprofit devoted to targeting pro-Palestinian college students, had personally stepped in to disqualify an otherwise promising candidate from leadership because of the candidate’s "terrorist" credentials, by which Soling meant involvement in Students for Justice in Palestine. In haunted Salem, a Jewish church founder preaches the art of ‘Satanic’ social change, Oct. 26, 2016Alliance for Integrity and Justice Ltd., Massachusetts business No. 001325870, registered May 3, 2018. Cevin Soling is What the hell is “The Satanic Temple”?—Ep. 6: “Alliance for Integrity and Justice”, Nov. 2, 2023
As Witness and Measure Taken, To Pronounce: The Satanic Temple — My Experience, Aug. 15, 2018. ‘’Co-founder and executive ministry member Malcolm Jarry issued a lit response, rejecting the candidate on the grounds he was a terrorist due to his involvement with “Students for Justice in Palestine” while at university. I was seriously taken aback at Jarry’s inflammatory, unreasoned, and emotionally charged response. Then another council member stepped forward and bravely admitted they too were, or had previously been, involved with the same organization. This council member questioned whether the temple was prepared to remove them from their council position, or should Jarry’s end-all, be-all ruling on the prospect remain in place? Though I campaigned for this wonderful candidate, the issue was simply ‘case closed’. If TST hierarchy cannot hold themselves to the same standards they hold potential chapter heads to, they are unworthy of their own position. To claim this person was a terrorist is truly concerning and potentially harmful hyperbole and sets as well terrible standards for an egalitarian, decentralized governing body.’’
National spokesperson and head of the then-prominent Detroit chapter Jex Blackmore left TST in March 2018, 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."
Later the same year, numerous local groups separated from the national org, citing the authoritarianism of the organization's structure and its priorities following TST's owners to the detriment of everyone else. The large Los Angeles chapter split away to form HelLA, specifically objecting to TST devoting legal resources to have Alex Jones' favorite lawyer Marc Randazza help Lucien Greaves get a blue checkmark on Twitter, as well as "the complete lack of racial diversity" among TST leadership.@HelLA, Aug. 4, 2018. "We view Marc Randazza as a Twitter troll and an agent of the alt-right. He is not a neutral actor with no political motivation of his own; he is an ally to Nazis and to alt-right provocateurs.”Jezebel.com, Aug. 7, 2018. “It went from where all the chapters were very autonomous but worked in a larger network,” she said, “to this national council and executive ministry who pretty much appointed themselves.” DiPasquale alleges, too, that the executive leadership was largely white and male, a decision that didn’t sit particularly well with her.< br />The Twitter lawsuit, she says, is something much of the rank-and-file TST membership only found out about once it hit the news. When she started researching Randazza, she adds, she and other TST Los Angeles members were upset. “He’s a terrible human being,” she says.''Anna Merlan "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.Joe Mullin "Bribery, gay porn, and copyright trolls: The rise and fall of lawyer Marc Randazza" Ars Technica, November 5, 2015. The ex-chapter head also cited a disagreement with Greaves' absolutist philosophy on free speech. In some cases, such as Los Angeles, Portland, and the United Kingdom, the social media accounts the local groups had created were renamed and departed with them.Satanic Portland, Aug. 15, 2018. The Portland Chapter is hereby withdrawing its membership from The Satanic Temple. We sincerely appreciate the support we’ve received from our local community and while we are thankful for the greater community we have come to know through The Satanic Temple, we have lost all confidence in National Council’s ability to adequately address our concerns. We can no longer ally ourselves with TST. Our membership and leadership has decided that it is within our best interests to return to being Satanic Portland and no longer an affiliate of The Satanic Temple. The lack of accountability and formal organizational structure in The Satanic Temple National Council and Executive Ministries has been a point of contention within our chapter for the last 2 years. As Chapters, we must always ask for National Council’s consent on our actions. There is no accountability for National Council or Executive Ministries. In other cases, such as earlier St. Louis and Detroit chapter exoduses, they were left behind and abandoned. The Global Order of Satan was founded in 2018, rebranding after TST's European and Israel chapters first separated and re-named themselves as "Satanic Temple International". Global Order of Satan Facebook, page transparency. 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".Joseph P. Laycock 9.19-9.23"“Hail Satan?”- a response, Sep. 12, 2019. At the beginning of 2018, we began to experience some issues with communications from TST’s National Council, and, after an incident where the Kreuzpflicht project was carried out without the National Council’s permission, one of our chapter heads was thrown out of TST entirely. It was at this point that the rest of us were given a choice, either carry on with TST, or go our own way. Thanks to the bravery and quick thinking of our chapter heads, along with the help of other chapters in Sweden, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Israel, we decided to set up an organisation that would later be called The Global Order of Satan. 
The Satanic Temple has earned a reputation for litigiousness against former members, leading to the moniker “Scientology for mall goths.”Footnotes to The Atlantic’s: “A Satanic Rebellion – Social justice collides with the Satanic Temple”, Johnson and his friend Nathan Sullivan, who now organize under the name Queer Satanic, no longer defer to the air of mystery cultivated by the Temple. During our conversation, neither man used Greaves’s pseudonym, instead referring to him as Doug [Misicko]. They also endorse some critics’ description of the Temple as “Scientology for mall goths.” As for Greaves’s co-founder Malcolm Jarry, they pointed to a documentary that he made about a cargo cult in Vanuatu, in which he offers himself as the island’s long-prophesied messiah. (Jarry declined to be interviewed for this article.)Inside America's Satanist Movement, April 29, 2023. Meanwhile, ex-members of The Satanic Temple have founded the Global Order of Satan, whose British spokesman, an undertaker called Chaplain Leopold, says he left TST ‘after discovering things that I can’t go into, otherwise they’d sue me’. TST sent legal threats to leaders who left in 2018 and spoke out, claiming they had violated the non-disparagement clauses of their Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs).After Pushback, The Satanic Temple Will Revise Its Non-Disparagement Clause, Sep. 4, 2018. Recipient agrees that Recipient shall not make any statements, or take any other actions whatsoever, that disparage the goodwill, name, brand, or reputation of the Disclosing Party or its current or former founders, directors, employees, independent contractors, volunteers, donors, supporters, or contributors. For purposes of this Section, “disparage” shall mean any critical or negative statement, whether written or oral, about the foregoing parties. Examples of disparaging statements include, but are in no way limited to, statements that the aforenamed parties have been dishonest, acted fraudulently, misused funds, or otherwise engaged in unethical or dishonest behavior, or are associated with parties who engage in such behavior. This obligation shall be in effect at all times following the Effective Date of this Agreement, both during and after the termination of the Recipient’s relationship with Disclosing Party (in whatever capacity).Satanic Temple National Council meeting notes, Sep. 9, 2018.
3) Legal letters have been sent to ex-CHs who have violated NDA / AA terms a) We do not expect them to publicly respond but we will have responses / statements prepared, explaining the need for the legal letters and spelling out the ways in which they violated their signed agreements, in case something appears. b) We will be sure to get this information to chapter leadership as quickly as possible if something arises so they can help control responses online.National Council Announcement, Sep. 2, 2018. We sign NDAs provided by other parties as a matter of standard practice, any time we do long-form media pieces with production companies, or partner with any other organization or business to work upon a project together. We have had NDAs for as long as we’ve had affiliation agreements for chapters. The non-disparagement clause in our updated NDA uses broad language that is standard, and produces no risk for the members who sign. Any attempt on our part to enforce the non-disparagement clause for a trivial matter would be thrown out of court, especially if there was no measurable harm to our organization. However, despite contemporary claims that these clauses were removed, other members have subsequenrly made references that they persist, sometimes accompanied with threats of litigation. Why I Left The Satanic Temple, Feb. 2, 2021. I am no longer a member of The Satanic Temple. I cannot say more due to NDA’s I have signed with TSTTA and TSTVHQ: I am not the person to get inside information from. It will get you a “No Comment”, I do not need a lawsuit.Information that's been asked about, July 25, 2014.
This litigiousness is not restricted to people who signed contracts with them. In March 2020, an approved administrator of TST's Washington chapter removed other admins and editors of the Facebook page and posted news article and blogs referencing previous ex-member testimony and past works and statements by TST's owners.United Federation of Churches LLC v. Johnson, April 2, 2030. TST responded with a lawsuit against the former members the lawsuit's target characterized as a SLAPP. TST sued the four former members of TST Washington in federal, appellate, and state court from April 2020 till September 2024 while utilizing the for-profit corporation "United Federation of Churches, LLC, d/b/a/ 'The Satanic Temple' ", ultimately abandoning further re-filings and appeals in October 2024 with no legal rulings coming in their favor.Hell yes: Washington state court dismisses latest lawsuit by Satanic Temple targeting former members, Sep. 24, 2024.
In February 2022, TST sued Newsweek magazine and its reporter Julia Duin, claiming defamatory coverage of the matter in an October 2021 article of the case, however, as of December 2024, all claims had been dismissed except for whether it was defamatory to quote someone speaking of sexual abuse occurring in the Temple and the question of whether The Satanic Temple was a public figure.
In June 2022, TST threatened "The Satanic Housewife," a former member of the Austin chapter with a lawsuit for creating two TikTok video referring the suit against the Washington State defendants as "suing former members to make them be quiet about the stuff they experience while in The Temple" and about a sexual assault allegation in the Austin chapter she had been aware of.Footnotes: “The Satanic Housewife” videos and legal threat by The Satanic Temple, June 20, 2022. The woman recorded the verbatim retraction TST's lawyers sent to her that month, but in November 2022, the Temple initiated a defamation lawsuit against her.Satanic Europe, Dec. 4, 2022, "The Freedom to Offend". 
As part of the litigation against the former Washington State members, TST admitted to using paid contractors to keep tabs on online critics, ostensibly to "flag defamatory comments for further review," which Atlantic journalist Helen Lewis also confirmed.Exhibit declaration of Rachel Chambliss — Document #42 , Attachment #1, Nov. 23, 2022. The pseudonymous Rachel Chambliss: "3. I joined TST as paid contractor in September of 2021. 4. My job for TST is to provide email administrative support. My job duties include answering emails to the general website, editing the TST monthly newsletter, and other special projects. Included in those special projects is monitoring social media for comments about TST. I look for both positive and negative comments and I flag defamatory comments for further review."
In April 2024, YouTube video essayist Dead Domain released the video "Lies of The Satanic Temple" detailing much of this negaive history, which as of December 2024, had received more than 200,000 views.Dead Domain, April 26, 2024. Starting in May 2024, another wave of local-area groups, including Australia, Colorado, Florida, and Minnesota–severed ties with the national TST organization. Some of these went on to form the independent Coalition of Satanic Congregations.
==See also==
*Freedom of religion
*Jason Rapert
*Satanic Panic
==References==
Category:Alt-right