Satanic Temple Coming To Spokane
For many, The Satanic Temple is a disgusting, vile, evil thing, but for some, it's a safe haven. To steal a Mel Brooks quote, “Look, I don't want to wax philosophic here,” but I, for one, have been a supporter of The Satanic Temple for a while now, and here’s why.
The Satanic Temple
The Satanic Temple (TST) sparks strong reactions, often because of its name, which can feel provocative or unsettling for many. However, looking beyond that initial impression, TST’s mission and actions reveal a commitment to values that resonate with people from various backgrounds, even if they don’t share the same symbolic framework.
Personal Freedoms
The name "Satan" here isn’t about devil worship or malevolence; rather, it’s used as a symbol of questioning authority and resisting systems that limit personal freedoms. This isn’t about encouraging negativity but instead about challenging norms that some feel infringe on individual rights, particularly regarding religious influence in government spaces.
Social Justice
TST advocates for things like bodily autonomy, compassion, and social justice through efforts such as campaigning against corporal punishment in schools and providing after-school clubs that encourage critical thinking. These programs are intended to give students and communities more choices without forcing religious beliefs. Similarly, their stance on equal representation reflects their belief that all voices deserve a fair share in public spaces, rather than only privileging one set of beliefs over another. For people concerned about their influence, it’s helpful to see that TST is fundamentally about respecting freedoms and promoting a society where diverse beliefs can coexist without dominance. Their tenets, which emphasize compassion, justice, and scientific reasoning, might feel surprisingly familiar—they’re values that people from all walks of life can likely agree on. By understanding TST through this lens, we can see that, at its core, it’s about supporting rights that benefit everyone, even if the approach is unconventional.
TST
There is one group looking to start a branch of TST in Spokane. It's a bit of a long process and takes a lot of hard work, but they are moving forward with the support from the Recognition and Onboarding Committee within TST. Who knows, maybe someday we can get a congregation here in the Tri-Cities.
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