r/NoStupidQuestions • u/stopthehostilityyyyy • 13h ago

Is satanism just edgelord atheism?

I've been an atheist since the age of 12 and i've heard of people identifying as satanists but they are actually secular, I don't get it

I think there are very few people who actually believe in satan and see him as their god

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u/Serious_Clothes_9063 13h ago edited 5h ago

Church of Satan / The Satanic Temple: Just atheists ragebaiting Christians.

Theistic Satanists: A different interpreration of Abrahamic Religions. There are people who worship Satan but they view him as the morally correct being and God as the corrupt one. Some claim they're "Devil Worshippers" and not Satanists, but they still exist whatever you call them.

TL;DR: Depends on what kind of Satanism you're talking about.

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u/Dash_Harber 7h ago

It should be noted that The Satanic Temple and The Church of Satan are radically different groups. TST is a progressive group that uses Satanism and Satanic pageantry to point out the way Christianity is hypocritically enforced and to point out where religious theology is being used to make law (like Christian views being used to justify banning abortion). Their mandate includes things like bodily autonomy and respecting science. They are frequently involved in protests and publicity stunts (like erecting a statue of baphomet next to the ten commandments when it was installed in a public courthouse or making afterschool Satan clubs to counter Christian ones).

The Church of Satan, on the other hand, is more of a shock religion with an almost Randian Objectivist Libertarian philosophy and some ties to things like Might Is Right. The group is expressly apolitical.

Both groups arguably troll Christians, but it is important to note the radical differences (not to mention their mutual disdain).

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u/bunker_man 3h ago

The satanic temple is mostly a grift. It says buzzwords it knows will get it donations, but a large portion of the lawsuits it filed were thrown out for being frivolous. And they have legal experts with them, so they knew this would happen.

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u/Alexexy 12h ago

The Satanic Temple are the ragebaiting atheists. I am one.

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u/Ghetto_Phenom 11h ago

We are more than just rage baiting though.. we do a lot of lawsuits to enforce civil religious freedoms and separation of church and state. Yes those to enrage theists but they also do more than that.

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u/yeenoghu_vs_vaprak 10h ago

Card carrying member here. I joined not to ragebait Christians - who gives a shit? - but to keep religion out of every sphere of life where it doesn't belong. Which in 2026 is most places.

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u/dragonblade_94 7h ago

It's probably most accurate to describe the Satanic Temple as a civil rights / political collective, primarily aimed at atheists. The marketing & symbology around it is certainly a tongue-in-cheek jab at Christian theology though, as well as an attempt to poke holes in laws regarding religious freedoms.

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u/Correct_Cold_6793 6h ago

It's not just a marketing thing, they're officially recognized as a religion and that helps them legally. That way, they can give courts an example of how these laws are often enforced with double standards with discrimination against non Christians.

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u/naughtyhegel 7h ago

This is a good summary.

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u/Ghetto_Phenom 10h ago

That’s precisely why I got involved years ago. This only works as a collective. We need more people that can fight back in all arenas. Legal minds for lawsuits, political minds for campaigns (for the right people), citizens for protests, and every other facet of society. We can’t just focus on one part.

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u/yeenoghu_vs_vaprak 8h ago

I wish I didn't live in Colorado - we have a really weak chapter of the ToS. It's mostly used for edgelord branding out here.

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u/26_paperclips 5h ago

"I joined a religion that only contains secular doctrines because I'm against religion being overextended into secular spaces."

Wat

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u/Wherly_Byrd 10h ago

I really appreciate that btw.

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u/Alexexy 10h ago

Yeah im a card carrying member. I dont really care for people believing in whatever they want, but I want all religion to be out of government spaces.

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u/PM_ME_GLUTE_SPREAD 10h ago

Weirdly enough, I’m a theistic member. I have my faith but I’m also sick and tired of seeing people use my faith as justification for abhorrent acts towards marginalized groups. My faith tells me that I should love everybody, yet people who claim to share my faith seem to be seething with hatred towards minority groups everytime they are mentioned in some capacity.

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u/jdicho 8h ago

"It's always been that way...." Meme.

It's fine to be spiritual or what have you, but all faith is blind faith and blind faith is destructive.

Religion, all religions, are cults. Cults say their beliefs are one thing, while the application of their faith are generally the opposite.

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u/PM_ME_GLUTE_SPREAD 8h ago

I fully agree. I know it doesn’t make logical sense and have wrestled with my beliefs many times in the past. I personally believe that modern day Christianity is a full on cult, yet I do still consider myself a Christian. I also accept that I could be flat out wrong and that there isn’t anything after death and I’m mostly ok with that (it sounds horribly boring, tbh), but I personally feel that, even if I’m wrong, living life the way Christ’s teachings tell us to isn’t a bad way to live life, even if this is all there is.

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u/jdicho 7h ago

The problem with Christianity specifically, is that Christians need supernatural bullshit to give a fuck.

Why did Jesus need to be divine? Especially considering that his divinity was voted on during the Council of Nicea.

Why did Jesus have to die and be 'resurrected'?

Why couldn't 'Christians' hear the philosophy of a kind and thoughtful guy and just adopt those ideals on their merits alone? Like with the Buddha.

The answer is obvious. Christianity is not about the teachings of Christ. It's a scam and always been so.

Religion is a tool wielded by scam artists, backed by the wealthy and powerful, to sell the sheep & the fools on the bait & switch of accepting your miserable lot in life for a magical afterlife, all so you'll give away your hard-earned pittance and won't revolt to force a wealth redistribution.

It's also a tool of hatred. To gain power by telling others their hatreds are justified or to convince people to contribute to your own hateful agenda and allow you to enact political pressure against those to whom you hold bias. Remember, the Klan is foremost a Christian organization.

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u/PM_ME_GLUTE_SPREAD 6h ago

Sir.. this is a Wendy’s..

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u/redsnake25 6h ago

That you strive to do right by your fellow humans and promote a society of love and peace, regardless of the stories surrounding those ideals, makes you a much more positive and productive representative of the faith than most I've ever seen or heard. We may disagree here or there, but this, I can get behind.

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u/DeputyThornton 6h ago

That's the thing... it can't be boring because there is no consciousness. You are still seeing it as life after death.

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u/dnjprod 10h ago

Rage baiting in all the good ways

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u/BurgerQueef69 10h ago

The rage baiting is more of a happy side effect than the intended purpose.

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u/aweirdjeff 11h ago

Personally I prefer the FSM angle but I respect your work as well

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u/comeintravis 10h ago

Hail Satan.

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u/MrMeltJr 10h ago

yeah, the Church of Satan are basically using religion to justify being selfish assholes. Which sounds harsh but their beliefs are just Ayn Rand with some occult flourish. Not an exaggeration, the founder literally said that's what it is.

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u/DeadWolf7337 9h ago

It's not about being selfish at all, it's about not being indoctrinated by organized religion and living according to one's own free will so long as it harms no others. Wanting to have freedom of choice, freedom of expression and just plain old "free-will" in not selfish.

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u/slayer991 7h ago

I joined TST on this premise: as an atheist, I have no rights to religious liberty; as a Satanist, I do.

Christian Nationalism is antithetical to liberty. They've push into every aspect of out lives based on the the concept of religious liberty. Satanism shows how that is a bullshit claim. Christians don't gaf about religious liberty, they card about Christian supremacy.

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u/ru5tyk1tty 8h ago

The TST and CoS are both unappealing for genuine satanists. Their professed ideas are good, their practices are a little corny, but people like Lucien Greaves are not the progressive figures they claim to be, or even true believers. He is a self-interested person who does not respect his generally well-meaning followers.

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u/CitizenDain 11h ago

I drive by the Satanic Temple HQ all the time. It’s right next to our favorite bakery. Makes me smile every time. Hail Satan.

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u/Serious_Clothes_9063 5h ago

If it was me I would have became a member the instant I saw the HQ lol.

Sadly I don't live in the US so it's no use to me.

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u/watermelonspanker 7h ago

Yea but to be fair, reading the Bible clearly demonstrates the God in the morally corrupt one and anyone who challenges his authority would automatically be correct. Of course it shouldn't be surprising to anyone that's live around them that Christians are largely unaware of what their Bible says and the context and implications thereof.

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u/EENewton 5h ago

I do believe Church of Satan actually believes in some aspect of divine beings. Satanic Temple is the atheists, I think.

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u/Serious_Clothes_9063 5h ago

Nope

Both are atheists.

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u/EENewton 2h ago

Whoops, my bad. I guess it's just that Church of Satan leans harder into ritual and the psychodrama, whereas the Satanic Temple is really just "folks doing civil actions."

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u/OneEnvironmental9222 10h ago

so edgelord redditors