Religiously Nonreligious: The Secular Activism of The Satanic Temple

This project is based on fieldwork with members of The Satanic Temple (TST) in a mid-western, ‘Bible-belt’ state in the USA. Formed in 2013, TST identifies as a religion centered on eradicating Christian dominance of public space and is notorious for inserting a large Baphomet statue into debates ar...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Zwissler, Laurel (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2023
In: Religion and society
Year: 2023, Volume: 14, Pages: 168-183
Further subjects:B Secularity
B Baphomet
B American Protestantism
B Evangelical Christianity
B Pink Mass
B Satanic Temple
B Freedom Of Religion
B Satanism
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Description
Summary:This project is based on fieldwork with members of The Satanic Temple (TST) in a mid-western, ‘Bible-belt’ state in the USA. Formed in 2013, TST identifies as a religion centered on eradicating Christian dominance of public space and is notorious for inserting a large Baphomet statue into debates around displays of Ten Commandments monuments. Members insist that TST is not a parody, but is a legitimate religion, with specific beliefs, ethical values, and practices, albeit a religion aimed at defending the nonreligious. Core beliefs include "non-theism," hailing Satan not as an actual deity but as a symbol of rebellion against oppression. This article explores how TST's constructions of the religious and the secular lead their protests against one to produce the other in specific ways, at times implicitly supporting Protestant normativity.
ISSN:2150-9301
Contains:Enthalten in: Religion and society
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.3167/arrs.2023.070306