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Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk about Religion
In 2013, when the state of Oklahoma erected a statue of the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the state capitol, a group calling themselves The Satanic Temple applied to erect a statue of Baphomet alongside the Judeo-Christian tablets. Since that time, The Satanic Temple has become a regular voice in national conversations about religious freedom, disestablishment, and government overreach. In addition to petitioning for Baphomet to appear alongside another monument of the Ten Commandments in Arkansas, the group has launched campaigns to include Satanic "nativity scenes" on government property in Florida, Michigan, and Indiana, offer Satanic prayers at a high school football game in Seattle, and create "After School Satan" programs in elementary schools that host Christian extracurricular programs. Since their 2012 founding, The Satanic Temple has established 19 chapters and now claims 100,000 supporters. Is this just a political group perpetuating a series of stunts? Or is it a sincere religious movement?
Speak of the Devil is the first book-length study of The Satanic Temple. Joseph Laycock, a scholar of new religious movements, contends that the emergence of "political Satanism" marks a significant moment in American religious history that will have a lasting impact on how Americans frame debates about religious freedom. Though the group gained attention for its strategic deployment of outrage, it claims to have developed beyond politics into a genuine religious movement. Equal parts history and ethnography, Speak of the Devil is Laycock's attempt to take seriously The Satanic Temple's work to redefine religion, the nature of pluralism and religious tolerance, and what "religious freedom" means in America.
Speak of the Devil is the first book-length study of The Satanic Temple. Joseph Laycock, a scholar of new religious movements, contends that the emergence of "political Satanism" marks a significant moment in American religious history that will have a lasting impact on how Americans frame debates about religious freedom. Though the group gained attention for its strategic deployment of outrage, it claims to have developed beyond politics into a genuine religious movement. Equal parts history and ethnography, Speak of the Devil is Laycock's attempt to take seriously The Satanic Temple's work to redefine religion, the nature of pluralism and religious tolerance, and what "religious freedom" means in America.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published February 17, 2020
202 people are currently reading
2422 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Laycock
18 books87 followersJoseph P. Laycock is an associate professor of religious studies at Texas State University. He teaches courses on world religions, religion in America, new religious movements, and the intersection of religion and popular culture.
He is the author of several books including The Penguin Book of Exorcisms, Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk About Religion, Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic Over Role-Playing Games Says About Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds and The Seer of Bayside: Veronica Lueken and the Struggle to Define Catholicism.
He is the author of several books including The Penguin Book of Exorcisms, Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk About Religion, Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic Over Role-Playing Games Says About Play, Religion, and Imagined Worlds and The Seer of Bayside: Veronica Lueken and the Struggle to Define Catholicism.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
January 19, 2024
Before reading Speak of the Devil, I had a vague idea about the The Satanic Temple (TST), like the controversy about the Baphomet Statue being installed alongside the Ten Commandments outside the Oklahoma State Capitol with the ultimate goal of initiating a discussion on the separation of state and church affairs. Or that time co-founder Lucien Greaves blessed same-sex couples over the gravestone of the mother of one of his opponents' who was a homophobe. I watched all this with amusement, though for me these actions were political in nature and never religious. I do have a political background in which agitation is part of the game and these were an appropriate answer in a country where religion takes a lot of liberties, especially in politics. It was also important to me to read about the TST from the point of view of someone who, like me, was sympathetic, but not a Satanist, as Laycock reveals in his foreword.
Having read this work, I do now understand the title and how the TST change the way we speak about religion in general. But not only that, this book also changes the way a godless atheist like me sees and understands religion, wow. It requires some adjustment, I'm still shook, lol, but I think a second read of this and I'll be close to truly understand TST.
The seven tenets the TST is built upon are quite revolutionary from a religious point of view and I see nothing to criticize here. There's still a lot of politics hiding in there, I see some traces of anarchy in the way bodily autonomy and one's own freedom as much as that of others' (lack of hierarchy) play a capital role, I see materialism in its pledge to be scientific alone – this last one surprised me as the impression I got especially from the Church of Satan is a highly supernatural one and here we have a new religion championing scientific facts. And finally, this is a religious movement which can embrace and integrate all these “non-religious” aspects, which makes it so progressive.
Laycock backs all facts and claims with references (I checked them), where he makes personal statements, he says so and I really appreciate this kind of writing. I still have some questions in my mind, especially whether or not this kind of religion can spread worldwide. I think I'll often re-read this book in the future and keep on making my mind.
Having read this work, I do now understand the title and how the TST change the way we speak about religion in general. But not only that, this book also changes the way a godless atheist like me sees and understands religion, wow. It requires some adjustment, I'm still shook, lol, but I think a second read of this and I'll be close to truly understand TST.
The seven tenets the TST is built upon are quite revolutionary from a religious point of view and I see nothing to criticize here. There's still a lot of politics hiding in there, I see some traces of anarchy in the way bodily autonomy and one's own freedom as much as that of others' (lack of hierarchy) play a capital role, I see materialism in its pledge to be scientific alone – this last one surprised me as the impression I got especially from the Church of Satan is a highly supernatural one and here we have a new religion championing scientific facts. And finally, this is a religious movement which can embrace and integrate all these “non-religious” aspects, which makes it so progressive.
Laycock backs all facts and claims with references (I checked them), where he makes personal statements, he says so and I really appreciate this kind of writing. I still have some questions in my mind, especially whether or not this kind of religion can spread worldwide. I think I'll often re-read this book in the future and keep on making my mind.
February 10, 2024
“You can rail against Satanism all you want, but the legislative process should not be used for religious grandstanding and virtue signaling. It is not the place of government to favor some religions over others in the public square.” -Alison Gill
Organized Satanism became a fixture in the American public consciousness in 1966 when The Church of Satan (COS) was founded by Anton Szandor LaVey in San Francisco. Since that time COS has inspired numerous imitations and spinoff congregations, some affiliated with COS and others not. One of the most important unaffiliated incarnations is The Satanic Temple (TST), founded in 2013 and currently headquartered in Salem Massachusetts. It is TST that is the primary focus of this book.
The Satanic Temple represents different things to different people. To some it is a non-theistic religious organization, to others it represents a new religious movement. Still others view it from a purely legal and political perspective, sometimes calling it a “Goth ACLU.” This raises the question, is TST a legitimate religion or is it a convenient vehicle for upsetting Catholics, Protestants and alt-right political conservatives?
Exposing the Double Standard
America has a de facto two tiered system of religious freedom consisting of an upper tier for Christianity and a lower tier for just about everybody else. At no time is the Christian bias more apparent than when TST lays claim to “religious freedom” in the public forum.
Evil as Discourse
The prevailing perception in America is that Satanism is inherently and boundlessly evil. While arguments can be made that most of those perceptions come from sources outside the Christian bible (e.g. Rosemary’s Baby, Ira Levin, 1967), it is the perceived evil that makes TST an effective litmus test for the freedom of expression and the freedom of religion.
The Devil is in the Details
Ultimately Satanism challenges the sincerity of people who claim to be tolerant. It does so by three primary types of social action:
Culture Jamming - guerrilla theater designed to reframe cultural debates by shocking and unsettling audiences.
Poison Pill - claiming equal privileges for Satanists as those afforded Christians, knowing full well that this will be deemed intolerable and thus forcing a return to church/state separation.
The Bake Sale Approach - serving the local community through kindness and philanthropy, thereby raising TST’s public profile and disrupting Christian paradigms of moral order.
Joseph Laycock’s ethnography of The Satanic Temple was an unexpectedly excellent read. It begs the question of whether the term “benevolent Satanist” is a paradox and it opened this atheist’s eyes to the concept of evil as a discourse for socio-political change.
Organized Satanism became a fixture in the American public consciousness in 1966 when The Church of Satan (COS) was founded by Anton Szandor LaVey in San Francisco. Since that time COS has inspired numerous imitations and spinoff congregations, some affiliated with COS and others not. One of the most important unaffiliated incarnations is The Satanic Temple (TST), founded in 2013 and currently headquartered in Salem Massachusetts. It is TST that is the primary focus of this book.
The Satanic Temple represents different things to different people. To some it is a non-theistic religious organization, to others it represents a new religious movement. Still others view it from a purely legal and political perspective, sometimes calling it a “Goth ACLU.” This raises the question, is TST a legitimate religion or is it a convenient vehicle for upsetting Catholics, Protestants and alt-right political conservatives?
Exposing the Double Standard
America has a de facto two tiered system of religious freedom consisting of an upper tier for Christianity and a lower tier for just about everybody else. At no time is the Christian bias more apparent than when TST lays claim to “religious freedom” in the public forum.
Evil as Discourse
The prevailing perception in America is that Satanism is inherently and boundlessly evil. While arguments can be made that most of those perceptions come from sources outside the Christian bible (e.g. Rosemary’s Baby, Ira Levin, 1967), it is the perceived evil that makes TST an effective litmus test for the freedom of expression and the freedom of religion.
The Devil is in the Details
Ultimately Satanism challenges the sincerity of people who claim to be tolerant. It does so by three primary types of social action:
Culture Jamming - guerrilla theater designed to reframe cultural debates by shocking and unsettling audiences.
Poison Pill - claiming equal privileges for Satanists as those afforded Christians, knowing full well that this will be deemed intolerable and thus forcing a return to church/state separation.
The Bake Sale Approach - serving the local community through kindness and philanthropy, thereby raising TST’s public profile and disrupting Christian paradigms of moral order.
Joseph Laycock’s ethnography of The Satanic Temple was an unexpectedly excellent read. It begs the question of whether the term “benevolent Satanist” is a paradox and it opened this atheist’s eyes to the concept of evil as a discourse for socio-political change.
November 17, 2022
Let us stand now, unbowed and unfettered by arcane doctrines born of fearful minds in darkened times. Let us embrace the Luciferian impulse to eat of the Tree of Knowledge and dissipate our blissful and comforting delusions of old. Let us demand that individuals be judged for their concrete actions, not their fealty to arbitrary social norms and illusory categorizations. Let us reason our solutions with agnosticism in all things, holding fast only to that which is demonstrably true. Let us stand firm against any and all arbitrary authority that threatens the personal sovereignty of One or All. That which will not bend must break, and that which can be destroyed by truth should never be blobkquote its demise. It is Done.
Fascinating book. It is a scholarly work, so it has that tone, but Laycock selects examples and quotes that just killed me, particularly when talking about the attempted black mass at Harvard. It is hilarious and unbearable to see quotes from Catholics protesting against the mass as hate speech against Catholicism. As if any single ceremony could be worse than years of protecting priests who abused their own flock over entire lifetimes. It's demoralizing to see quotes spouting nonsense about evil and curses and sacrifices over a request to give an invocation before a public meeting.
We should all be so evil: respecting the constitution, donating tampons and pads to shelters, which are always in need (diapers, too), cleaning up roadsides. I thought atheists were unfairly reviled.
Library copy
January 30, 2020
Truly thought provoking and worthwhile reading.
December 28, 2020
My favorite chapter in the book is Chapter 6, ‘Satanic Bake Sales: How The Satanic Temple Is Changing the Way We Talk About Evil’. In this chapter, Laycock writes about how Satanists ‘appropriate the discourse of evil’. In other words, they identify with a symbol (Satan) that many equate with evil but they do so in ways that most equate with good—bake sales, charity, care for the poor, defending marginalized groups, etc. These actions scramble our categories of ‘good and evil’ (especially when we see ‘good’ Christians doing terribly oppressive, racist, bigoted things). This chapter will challenge the linguistic, philosophical, and religious ideologies of the reader more than maybe any other chapter in the book.
For my full reflection, see https://readingthebiblewithigen.home....
For my full reflection, see https://readingthebiblewithigen.home....
August 23, 2020
“America’s fascination with Satan has faded surprisingly little since colonial times. Surveys conducted in 2014 by Baylor University and Chapman University found that 58 percent of Americans ‘absolutely believe in Satan’ and nearly 50 percent of Americans agree or strongly agree that ‘Satan causes most evil in the world’” (p. 188). These surveys naturally tie-in strongly to Kurt Andersen’s Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire thesis, and helps show why this country is so f-ed up.
I grew up during the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s that poured over into the ‘90s with slathering fervor on daytime talk shows, all with no evidence to prove anything, while I was also being indoctrinated into heavy metal music of which such imagery and subject matter form the bedrock (for more on this, see my review of Ian Christy’s The Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal). I grew up being raised Catholic and my mom’s side of the family being Russian Orthodox. I grew up with an alcoholic Vietnam-vet father and a loveless mom. I grew up with PTSD. I grew up with my best friend crushed in a car accident. I grew up seeing the delusions of organized religions and questioning the stories they told. I started reading other books, and I learned about the hypocrisies of history and the ignorance of the mindless mobs.
Have you seen the doc film Hail Satan?? (It’s currently on Hulu, and it’s quite funny.) The title’s question mark is crucial and hints at the incredible biases of most who disregard The Satanic Temple (TST) without any research, knowledge, or empathy just because they see the word “satanic”. TST is a non-theistic form of Satanism (read that as Lucifer-as-philosophical metaphor) and they are all about illuminating and fighting the absolute hypocrisy of the coveted First Amendment and the monopolistic Tyranny of patriarchal Christianity within the United States of Asininity. They have embraced the Adversary-in-the-abstract as their venerated idol, the rebel angel and his soldiers who opposed the tyrant of the “Western” world. They are a legitimate religion and Laycock goes deep into the muck and mire of the legal fights regarding defined religion; but, more importantly (to me), TST is comprised of political performance artists feeding off the fears of those still clinging to the Fantasyland delusions of modern Western religious factions and their age-old nightmares of Otherness, while advocating for the autonomy of self and a pluralistic society that is open and tolerant of differing perspectives and beliefs. Complete separation of church and state would be nice too. True enough, that’s a deep and muddy trench to fight within nowadays with the hold-out evangelicals supporting a plastic authoritarian and his morally corrupted cronies as 2020 unfurls, but religiosity is trending downward as more and more people wake up to the lies they’ve been spoon-fed since birth (https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/i...). Time will tell, but there are soldiers on the battlements defending true freedoms and these soldiers are tattooed and pierced with wild hair and black tees (and no weapons, except maybe a warm hug), and the tenets of TST say it all (please take a moment to slowly read through these seven tenets and digest them through your own spiritual lens, you might be pleasantly surprised):
One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason.
The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forego your own.
Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs.
People are fallible. If we make a mistake, we should do our best to rectify it and resolve any harm that may have been caused.
Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.
Be kind, use wisdom, trust science, be whom you wish to be, believe actions over words, embrace humility—sound like anything else you may know? The teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the teachings of the Buddha and his monks, the teachings of Muhammad, Aristotle and Averroes and so many more could easily mesh with these seven tenets, perhaps minus the fourth one about science. TST accomplishes all this with bake sales and abortion raffles, courtroom advocacy and performance art, adopt-a-highway programs and civil protests, after-school reading classes and “Menstratin’ with Satan” donation drives. They do this with humor and sarcasm and weaponized satire. Sometimes they do it though mailed hexes and sometimes wielding a giant statue of Baphomet giving a lesson to two eager children. They do this with compassion and empathy and intellectualism, pluck and determination. They do this in the face of intolerant, maniacal “Christians” spewing hate and vitriol and cowardly death threats. They do this to demonstrate “nice Satanism” and how a pluralistic society should be tolerant of Otherness, all with awesome iconography and merch (in which proceeds go to their advocacy programs and chosen legal fights). I’m especially fond of their Grey Faction shirt that says “Pseudoscience Kills” \m/
They do this to shove a middle finger into the face of Neo-Cons and their antiquated beliefs.
But as Laycock chronicles well, it has not been an easy road. Leadership has made missteps and mistakes, some Chapter leaders took bold but costly chances, the schism within TST’s ranks was huge, criticism is unrelenting, ignorance abounds, legal battles are apparently endless, and the tyrannical power of hegemonic Christianity in America still has huge coffers and deep ranks of rabid sheep (not to mention the soulless puppet politicians who pander to them).
Every religion is a construction, oftentimes an evolution across eons with men in positions of extreme power editing things along the way to fit their desires, and while Laycock shows us how TST became what it is, he doesn’t go into the historical construction of “Satan” in ancient times and his perfected imagination in the Dark Ages (for that you can read The Origin of Satan by Elaine Pagels and The History of Hell by Alice K. Turner, amongst others), nor really does he dwell upon the appropriated and stitched-together mythology of Christianity from so many “pagan” belief systems that came before it. He doesn’t have to, because TST is a non-theist, non-magical thinking, non-Fantasyland religion. Such histories are inconsequential when heavy metal, Dungeons & Dragons, Harry Potter books, the LGBTQ+ community, and so much more are vilified by puritanical morons thumping their bibles. There are more child-molesting priests in the Christian ranks than there are TST members on the planet. Think on that before you hurl your stones. For all the women burned as “witches” throughout history, all the “heretics” murdered during Crusades and Inquisitions, the monstrously bloody years of the wars of the Reformation, the profitable slave trade as well as institutionalized slavery and draconian Jim Crow laws, every indigenous person shot in the back with a musket ball or bullet, and all those filthy-rich televangelists reaping dollars from the gullible as well as the yawning vaults of the Vatican, nevermind the idiocy of Scientology and Mormonism and so many other less successful cults, think about that benevolent and omniscient “god” you kneel before on Sundays, and wonder what it was—and is—all for . . . the answer, dear readers, is power.
Satanism, whether devil-with-a-pitchfork fantasies or deeply philosophical exercises in social-political opposition, is all about holding the mirror up to Christianity and showing it for all its flagrant hypocrisies. This is the mimesis of inversion. This is culture-jamming.
Anton LaVey, the original high priest of the Church of Satan (CoS)—which goes back to the late ‘60s—once said, “If Satanists didn’t care, they wouldn’t be so dark and pessimistic.” TST is clearly not the CoS and Laycock shows us that explicitly. While I really like the quote, it’s very interesting to know that the members of TST are not all brooding goths with upside-down crosses etched into their foreheads. They are celebratory and combative and energized and enlightened and artistic and comical, composed of a true rainbow of members seeking justice and equality for everybody. I support them, and I hope you will too.
https://thesatanictemple.com/
I grew up during the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s that poured over into the ‘90s with slathering fervor on daytime talk shows, all with no evidence to prove anything, while I was also being indoctrinated into heavy metal music of which such imagery and subject matter form the bedrock (for more on this, see my review of Ian Christy’s The Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal). I grew up being raised Catholic and my mom’s side of the family being Russian Orthodox. I grew up with an alcoholic Vietnam-vet father and a loveless mom. I grew up with PTSD. I grew up with my best friend crushed in a car accident. I grew up seeing the delusions of organized religions and questioning the stories they told. I started reading other books, and I learned about the hypocrisies of history and the ignorance of the mindless mobs.
Have you seen the doc film Hail Satan?? (It’s currently on Hulu, and it’s quite funny.) The title’s question mark is crucial and hints at the incredible biases of most who disregard The Satanic Temple (TST) without any research, knowledge, or empathy just because they see the word “satanic”. TST is a non-theistic form of Satanism (read that as Lucifer-as-philosophical metaphor) and they are all about illuminating and fighting the absolute hypocrisy of the coveted First Amendment and the monopolistic Tyranny of patriarchal Christianity within the United States of Asininity. They have embraced the Adversary-in-the-abstract as their venerated idol, the rebel angel and his soldiers who opposed the tyrant of the “Western” world. They are a legitimate religion and Laycock goes deep into the muck and mire of the legal fights regarding defined religion; but, more importantly (to me), TST is comprised of political performance artists feeding off the fears of those still clinging to the Fantasyland delusions of modern Western religious factions and their age-old nightmares of Otherness, while advocating for the autonomy of self and a pluralistic society that is open and tolerant of differing perspectives and beliefs. Complete separation of church and state would be nice too. True enough, that’s a deep and muddy trench to fight within nowadays with the hold-out evangelicals supporting a plastic authoritarian and his morally corrupted cronies as 2020 unfurls, but religiosity is trending downward as more and more people wake up to the lies they’ve been spoon-fed since birth (https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/i...). Time will tell, but there are soldiers on the battlements defending true freedoms and these soldiers are tattooed and pierced with wild hair and black tees (and no weapons, except maybe a warm hug), and the tenets of TST say it all (please take a moment to slowly read through these seven tenets and digest them through your own spiritual lens, you might be pleasantly surprised):
One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason.
The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forego your own.
Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs.
People are fallible. If we make a mistake, we should do our best to rectify it and resolve any harm that may have been caused.
Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.
Be kind, use wisdom, trust science, be whom you wish to be, believe actions over words, embrace humility—sound like anything else you may know? The teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the teachings of the Buddha and his monks, the teachings of Muhammad, Aristotle and Averroes and so many more could easily mesh with these seven tenets, perhaps minus the fourth one about science. TST accomplishes all this with bake sales and abortion raffles, courtroom advocacy and performance art, adopt-a-highway programs and civil protests, after-school reading classes and “Menstratin’ with Satan” donation drives. They do this with humor and sarcasm and weaponized satire. Sometimes they do it though mailed hexes and sometimes wielding a giant statue of Baphomet giving a lesson to two eager children. They do this with compassion and empathy and intellectualism, pluck and determination. They do this in the face of intolerant, maniacal “Christians” spewing hate and vitriol and cowardly death threats. They do this to demonstrate “nice Satanism” and how a pluralistic society should be tolerant of Otherness, all with awesome iconography and merch (in which proceeds go to their advocacy programs and chosen legal fights). I’m especially fond of their Grey Faction shirt that says “Pseudoscience Kills” \m/
They do this to shove a middle finger into the face of Neo-Cons and their antiquated beliefs.
But as Laycock chronicles well, it has not been an easy road. Leadership has made missteps and mistakes, some Chapter leaders took bold but costly chances, the schism within TST’s ranks was huge, criticism is unrelenting, ignorance abounds, legal battles are apparently endless, and the tyrannical power of hegemonic Christianity in America still has huge coffers and deep ranks of rabid sheep (not to mention the soulless puppet politicians who pander to them).
Every religion is a construction, oftentimes an evolution across eons with men in positions of extreme power editing things along the way to fit their desires, and while Laycock shows us how TST became what it is, he doesn’t go into the historical construction of “Satan” in ancient times and his perfected imagination in the Dark Ages (for that you can read The Origin of Satan by Elaine Pagels and The History of Hell by Alice K. Turner, amongst others), nor really does he dwell upon the appropriated and stitched-together mythology of Christianity from so many “pagan” belief systems that came before it. He doesn’t have to, because TST is a non-theist, non-magical thinking, non-Fantasyland religion. Such histories are inconsequential when heavy metal, Dungeons & Dragons, Harry Potter books, the LGBTQ+ community, and so much more are vilified by puritanical morons thumping their bibles. There are more child-molesting priests in the Christian ranks than there are TST members on the planet. Think on that before you hurl your stones. For all the women burned as “witches” throughout history, all the “heretics” murdered during Crusades and Inquisitions, the monstrously bloody years of the wars of the Reformation, the profitable slave trade as well as institutionalized slavery and draconian Jim Crow laws, every indigenous person shot in the back with a musket ball or bullet, and all those filthy-rich televangelists reaping dollars from the gullible as well as the yawning vaults of the Vatican, nevermind the idiocy of Scientology and Mormonism and so many other less successful cults, think about that benevolent and omniscient “god” you kneel before on Sundays, and wonder what it was—and is—all for . . . the answer, dear readers, is power.
Satanism, whether devil-with-a-pitchfork fantasies or deeply philosophical exercises in social-political opposition, is all about holding the mirror up to Christianity and showing it for all its flagrant hypocrisies. This is the mimesis of inversion. This is culture-jamming.
Anton LaVey, the original high priest of the Church of Satan (CoS)—which goes back to the late ‘60s—once said, “If Satanists didn’t care, they wouldn’t be so dark and pessimistic.” TST is clearly not the CoS and Laycock shows us that explicitly. While I really like the quote, it’s very interesting to know that the members of TST are not all brooding goths with upside-down crosses etched into their foreheads. They are celebratory and combative and energized and enlightened and artistic and comical, composed of a true rainbow of members seeking justice and equality for everybody. I support them, and I hope you will too.
https://thesatanictemple.com/
April 15, 2020
An honest account of a new religion that forces the establishment to dig deep before espousing their belief in religious pluralism. This book is a must-read for all TST members, thinking-about-becoming-members, religious wonks, and anyone who wants to fully understand what it means to be religious in the United States.
June 3, 2021
Just what I needed. Great ethnography, good interviews, fabulous analysis, a perfect match to what I'm working on. Maybe a teensy weensy bit lame last sentence but I can let that slide, would totally do something like that too.
April 15, 2020
Excellent history and exploration of the Satanic reformation.
June 19, 2021
An excellent overview of the history of the Satanic Temple. If you enjoyed Penny Lane's wonderful documentary "Hail Satan?" and want more in-depth discussion of the topics and events it covered, this book is for you. I seem to share some interests with the author, Joseph Laycock, as the next book of his I'll be reading is Dangerous Games, which examines the Satanic Panic and Dungeons & Dragons.
March 17, 2020
Speak of the Devil is an eye-opening book balanced on solid scholarship. I recommend it for absolutely everyone. Whether you are a Satanist (TST member or not), curious or confused about The Satanic Temple, or a devout member of a non- Satanic religion, you will find much here to think about.
October 1, 2020
This is an excellent and thought provoking read. I put it on my best reads pile.
April 17, 2022
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
- First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
If you’ve heard of The Satanic Temple (TST), it’s likely been in the context of the First Amendment.
- If a governmental organization begins its assembly with a call to prayer, TST requests equal time be dedicated to a satanic prayer.
- Want to erect a monument to the 10 commandments on the courthouse steps? TST would like equal representation in the form of a monument to Baphomet (above).
- When bakers complain their religious liberties are being infringed upon when asked to bake a cake for a gay wedding, TST makes the case that the same occurs with their own beliefs when states ban abortion.
It’s a clever strategy and one that shines a bright light on the privilege that Christianity is afforded by both society and the government in the U.S. … and it’s one that makes conservative religionists howl. As the saying goes:
When you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.
In case you are wondering what other evil things Satanists believe (besides in church/state separation) … for one, they don’t believe in the supernatural or that Satan actually exists. Here are the tenets of the religion:
I: One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
II: The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
III: One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
IV: The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one's own.
V: Beliefs should conform to one's best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one's beliefs.
VI: People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one's best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.
VII: Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.
Scary eh? I would advise Christians to cross the street whenever they see a Satanist coming the other way.
In Speak of the Devil author James Laycock, an assistant professor of religious studies at Texas State University, describes the history of TST, some of the individuals involved, the politic actions they’ve initiated and some of the difficulties they’ve faced. In other words … it’s an ethnographic study, and is in fact, the first of its kind.
The most common criticism of TST is that they are simply trolls looking to score cheap points against the poor, persecuted Christians by demanding equal rights for their beliefs. Putting the culture of victimhood aside, it does raise the question as to what constitutes a true religion. For example ... can you call something a 'religion' if its adherents don't believe in supernatural nonsense? Laycock spends quite a bit of time on the topic and concludes that there’s no clear answer. “Religion” is a fuzzy term that resists any attempt to pin it down. As Wikipedia notes “The definition of religion is a controversial and complicated subject in religious studies with scholars failing to agree on any one definition.”
As to the book, I found it both well-written and fascinating. Laycock presents a balanced view of The Satanic Temple, its members, values, initiatives and failures. With respect to the latter, like many left-leaning organizations they seem to have a serious problem with group cohesion. This infighting and splintering off of sub-factions no doubt limits their effectiveness, particularly given that their membership is small to begin with (likely due to the fact that many people, even those who lack religious belief, may have a natural reluctance to self-identify with the Devil, even if only symbolically). With that said, TST has managed to garner a respectable amount of publicity and are having a meaningful, if modest, impact on public dialog relating to the separation of church and state and the role of religion in the public square.
December 5, 2023
A levelheaded and informative history of The Satanic Temple featuring interviews and historical sources, written by a professor of religion.
I've had a fascination with TST ever since they were founded and gained attention with the Baphomet statue in Oklahoma. In 2014, I wrote a paper on TST in high school arguing that they should be allowed to place the statue and had to present it to my class, which resulted in many raised eyebrows. I've always been interested in groups, bands, artists, etc. that are transgressive and cause arguments with my grandparents, so TST has always fit that bill for me.
This past October I visited Salem and got to visit TST's headquarters, which was absolutely gorgeous and filled with artwork by Dali, Basquiat, Man Ray, and others. Seeing the Baphomet in person was exciting after hearing about it for so long. The staff there were the nicest people I met during my entire trip to Salem.
I'll probably never become a card carrying member, but I do continue to be intrigued and will keep up with what the temple is up to, while diving deeper into the history of the Romantics, and Satan depicted in literature.
I've had a fascination with TST ever since they were founded and gained attention with the Baphomet statue in Oklahoma. In 2014, I wrote a paper on TST in high school arguing that they should be allowed to place the statue and had to present it to my class, which resulted in many raised eyebrows. I've always been interested in groups, bands, artists, etc. that are transgressive and cause arguments with my grandparents, so TST has always fit that bill for me.
This past October I visited Salem and got to visit TST's headquarters, which was absolutely gorgeous and filled with artwork by Dali, Basquiat, Man Ray, and others. Seeing the Baphomet in person was exciting after hearing about it for so long. The staff there were the nicest people I met during my entire trip to Salem.
I'll probably never become a card carrying member, but I do continue to be intrigued and will keep up with what the temple is up to, while diving deeper into the history of the Romantics, and Satan depicted in literature.
January 3, 2021
I think anyone who enjoys critical thinking can appreciate Speak of the Devil. Religious or atheist. Interested in non-theistic Satanism or not. It would be very un-Satan to try to persuade someone into your way of thinking or personal beliefs, and the author does non of this. It's unbiased, well researched, and makes very rational arguments.
If you care about the separation of church and state, you will enjoy it. The religious majority seem happy to politicize religion until the Satanists show up and say "hey we're here too!"
As a kid I rejected Christianity because I felt that morality should be judged by a person's concrete actions, not their faith in invisible intolerant beings in the sky. That belief seems to give people this idea that they can be a total asshole and morally superior at the same time. Modern Satanism is bringing this to light and that's why it resonates with me.
Interestingly, there is no real definition of a religion. TST argues that supernaturalism is not necessary for a religion to be legitimate. A Christian may sincerely believe that abortion is murder, and are given legal protections for their belief (like the ability to deny their employees healthcare, or passing laws to coerce women seeking an abortion to carry out their pregnancy.) But why are their beliefs any more important than my sincere belief in science and bodily autonomy? Why can't my values also be protected? A Christian baker can deny a cake to a gay couple because it violates their deeply held religious beliefs. But what about my deeply held belief that sexual orientation is a fundamental part of who a person is, and that diversity is to be celebrated, not condemned? What about those of us who sincerely believe homophobia is immoral and wrong, not homosexuality?
The Satanic Temple is very young and not perfect, but seriously, no religion is anywhere near perfect. They are doing great work and this is an awesome read, no matter what your personal beliefs are.
April 1, 2021
Comprehensive, thorough, unbiased and compelling. I see why this is a highly suggested read. I also greatly appreciate the notes.
May 10, 2021
Satanist or not - you really should read this book.
I finished this book a few months ago and I've been thinking about it since then.
It's an utterly well-reasoned and even more balanced analysis of Satanism's journey to its present form. Joseph P. Laycock does an excellent job keeping the reader in step with the narrative as he walks you through events of all stripes, without pandering to either viewpoint.
Truth is always is self-evident.
I will definitely be reading this again.
The following is a quote from Descartes using the metaphor of an apple basket for a mind full of unexamined beliefs.
I finished this book a few months ago and I've been thinking about it since then.
It's an utterly well-reasoned and even more balanced analysis of Satanism's journey to its present form. Joseph P. Laycock does an excellent job keeping the reader in step with the narrative as he walks you through events of all stripes, without pandering to either viewpoint.
Truth is always is self-evident.
I will definitely be reading this again.
The following is a quote from Descartes using the metaphor of an apple basket for a mind full of unexamined beliefs.
“Suppose [a person] had a basket full of apples and, being worried that some of the apples were rotten, wanted to take out the rotten ones to prevent the rot spreading. How would he proceed? Would he not begin by tipping the whole lot out of the basket? And would not the next step be to cast his eye over each apple in turn, and pick up and put back in the basket only those he saw to be sound, leaving the others?
In just the same way, those who have never philosophized correctly have various opinions in their minds which they have begun to store up since childhood, and which they therefore have reason to believe may in many cases be false. They then attempt to separate the false beliefs from the others, so as to prevent their contaminating the rest and making the whole lot uncertain.
Now the best way they can accomplish this is to reject all their beliefs together in one go, as if they were all uncertain and false. They can then go over each belief in turn and re-adopt only those which they recognize to be true and indubitable.” ― René Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy
June 26, 2020
In the past few years The Satanic Temple has grown, expanding not only its reach, but its membership with chapters not only in the United States, but across North America and parts of Europe.
With that growth has come some deserved attention. A recent Netflix documentary - Hail Satan? - and now, an academic study of the temple. SPEAK OF THE DEVIL aims to examine the temple's beginnings and its impacts on, as the subtitle suggests, how we look and speak of religion. The interesting part, as Laycock notes numerous times, is that with The Satanic Temple, we basically get to watch a new religion's birth. Satanism, of course, isn't new, but the temple's approach to it is still in its infancy and growing on a daily basis.
Admittedly, those who know The Satanic temple and have followed it likely will find a lot of the information here to be a bit repetitive. However, even those with that knowledge will find enough in the book to maintain interest and learn some new things.
Yes, the book's heavy on the academic side, but not so much that it's a 'heavy' read.
The only point of contention I found was, even though Laycock gives generous ink to those who oppose the temple, the book feels a bit more like a cheering squad at times than an actual examination of the religion. It's a minor annoyance - for me - and one which did not take away from the enjoyment in the book.
Recommended for those with even a passing interest in The Satanic Temple or those who have questions about religious equality.
With that growth has come some deserved attention. A recent Netflix documentary - Hail Satan? - and now, an academic study of the temple. SPEAK OF THE DEVIL aims to examine the temple's beginnings and its impacts on, as the subtitle suggests, how we look and speak of religion. The interesting part, as Laycock notes numerous times, is that with The Satanic Temple, we basically get to watch a new religion's birth. Satanism, of course, isn't new, but the temple's approach to it is still in its infancy and growing on a daily basis.
Admittedly, those who know The Satanic temple and have followed it likely will find a lot of the information here to be a bit repetitive. However, even those with that knowledge will find enough in the book to maintain interest and learn some new things.
Yes, the book's heavy on the academic side, but not so much that it's a 'heavy' read.
The only point of contention I found was, even though Laycock gives generous ink to those who oppose the temple, the book feels a bit more like a cheering squad at times than an actual examination of the religion. It's a minor annoyance - for me - and one which did not take away from the enjoyment in the book.
Recommended for those with even a passing interest in The Satanic Temple or those who have questions about religious equality.
February 15, 2022
Informative & well-researched, but it didn't grab me the way the documentary, "Hail, Satan?" did. Still, if you have any inkling to know more about TST then it's worth a read!
June 4, 2025
(I’m back, hi)
To be honest, I am extremely bitter about organized religion. I very seldom see how it actually makes people better or more moral as opposed to just being what I typically see it as, which is a cover to evade accusations of immorality. I wasn’t raised to value it, so that may have already demystified much of it, but as I watch this country descend into depravity and madness, I feel a resentment toward religion that I’ve never felt before. But it is and has always been stagnant— I didn’t feel like there was much to do about my issue with organized religion.
BUUUUUUT
Joseph Laycock’s Speak of the Devil gives shape to the latent frustrations many of us feel when religion is wielded not as a personal compass, but as a cultural cudgel.
I am obsessed with this book, and I think TST has engaged in acts of protest that have facilitated remarkable progress for our society. Lucien Greaves is a genius.
This isn’t a book about converting to Satanism or about believing in any deity at all. It’s about systems of belief as battlegrounds. It’s about who gets to claim moral authority—and who gets denied that claim. If you’ve ever felt like your mistrust of religious institutions has nowhere to go, Speak of the Devil will give you many ideas as to how you can show up meaningfully for your community.
Hail satan 🤘
To be honest, I am extremely bitter about organized religion. I very seldom see how it actually makes people better or more moral as opposed to just being what I typically see it as, which is a cover to evade accusations of immorality. I wasn’t raised to value it, so that may have already demystified much of it, but as I watch this country descend into depravity and madness, I feel a resentment toward religion that I’ve never felt before. But it is and has always been stagnant— I didn’t feel like there was much to do about my issue with organized religion.
BUUUUUUT
Joseph Laycock’s Speak of the Devil gives shape to the latent frustrations many of us feel when religion is wielded not as a personal compass, but as a cultural cudgel.
I am obsessed with this book, and I think TST has engaged in acts of protest that have facilitated remarkable progress for our society. Lucien Greaves is a genius.
This isn’t a book about converting to Satanism or about believing in any deity at all. It’s about systems of belief as battlegrounds. It’s about who gets to claim moral authority—and who gets denied that claim. If you’ve ever felt like your mistrust of religious institutions has nowhere to go, Speak of the Devil will give you many ideas as to how you can show up meaningfully for your community.
Hail satan 🤘
March 1, 2024
“That which can be destroyed by the truth should never be spared its demise”…exactly. If the existence of another group threatens your whole doctrine and belief system, it deserves to be broken.
The religious hypocrisy that major religions have enjoyed for centuries is exposed when a minority group who’s actions include; cleaning a highway and donating to shelters, tries to invoke the basic freedom of religion becomes glaringly obvious.
I’m sick of mollycoddling religious people and their made up bs, this country is slipping into christo-fascism by the day with these people trying to MAKE the majority of us believe and abide by their beliefs. Religion is a stain on humanity, its existence laughable, and allowing people to hold office who believe in magical mythical beings truly will destroy us.
If you believe in religion it’s the same as believing in the boogeyman, full offense, you’re also probably not a very good person if you need a threat of ‘hellfire’ to make you do the right thing….
The religious hypocrisy that major religions have enjoyed for centuries is exposed when a minority group who’s actions include; cleaning a highway and donating to shelters, tries to invoke the basic freedom of religion becomes glaringly obvious.
I’m sick of mollycoddling religious people and their made up bs, this country is slipping into christo-fascism by the day with these people trying to MAKE the majority of us believe and abide by their beliefs. Religion is a stain on humanity, its existence laughable, and allowing people to hold office who believe in magical mythical beings truly will destroy us.
If you believe in religion it’s the same as believing in the boogeyman, full offense, you’re also probably not a very good person if you need a threat of ‘hellfire’ to make you do the right thing….
May 2, 2024
"Discourse about religion and its distinction from adjacent concepts such as philosophy, cult, or troll is always an exercise in power."
regardless of my complicated feelings for TST, this was a really well written book. it gives a thorough insight into the start of TST and lucien greaves' background, along with the missteps of the organization and the people who founded it.
TST is deeply flawed—though their social work and never-ending fight for religious expression is as funny as it is very much needed.
regardless of my complicated feelings for TST, this was a really well written book. it gives a thorough insight into the start of TST and lucien greaves' background, along with the missteps of the organization and the people who founded it.
TST is deeply flawed—though their social work and never-ending fight for religious expression is as funny as it is very much needed.
March 30, 2022
honestly i think everyone who thinks they know what the satanic temple is all about and their beliefs should read this. it's written by a professor of religious studies and goes into detail on TST's history, beliefs, and opposition.
i found it well written, nuanced, and fair.
reading this REALLY makes you see the blatant hypocrisy of some people who say they believe in freedom of religion until that religion isn't their own.
(hail satan friendos)
i found it well written, nuanced, and fair.
reading this REALLY makes you see the blatant hypocrisy of some people who say they believe in freedom of religion until that religion isn't their own.
(hail satan friendos)
October 11, 2023
An interesting account on the history of TST America, which underlines mostly how american culture is deeply bigoted. I particularly appreciated the academic standpoint on the underlying issues of religion, freedom of expression, tolerance as a power usually enforced by the majority and radical multiculturalism. Indeed, Laycock's insight on philosophical and societal issue have been a guiding light in understanding the politics of TST and the social discourse around it.
October 2, 2022
Laycock takes an ethnographic approach and draws on his Religious Studies background in his examination of The Satanic Temple (TST). This academic book is written accessibly and told through first-hand interview data, participant observation data, and interwoven with theoretical analysis to present an even handed look at TST and their place in the US and debates about religious freedom. This is a must read for those interested in TST, freedom of religion, law, and more.
February 13, 2025
Quite possibly one of the best, most informative, well-written books I’ve ever read/listened to. The author approaches the subject of theistic Satanism and The Satanic Temple through a lens of curiosity and without bias, presenting perspectives of all side with honest scrutiny. This is one of those books I will more than likely read again.
January 27, 2021
What a fabulous book. Really enjoyed it. Made me even more proud to be a satanist!
Laycock lays out everything in an unbiased manner. Presenting the history, troubles and future of the Satanic Temple from a scholarly outsider looking in.
Highly recommend.
Laycock lays out everything in an unbiased manner. Presenting the history, troubles and future of the Satanic Temple from a scholarly outsider looking in.
Highly recommend.
February 17, 2022
Contemporary Satanism is about fighting the government for your rights
January 9, 2024
Amazing overview of the history of STS and their role in modern day satanism. Very interesting read.
July 30, 2024
Speak of the Devil is a non-biased, in depth, oral history of the Satanic Temple, covering its history from inception, the Satanic schism and beyond. whether you are interested in Satanism and/or TST, or if you're just someone who finds value in perspective and truth, i consider it a must read.
as someone who knew next to nothing about the topic beforehand, it did a wonderful & educative job debunking the mystique & negative stereotypes affiliated with Satanism. i wish more close-minded people would read and process this book, but then again, they ARE close-minded, after all. in short, this was probably the most important book i have read to date. i found it culturally significant and existential, and it allowed me to see Satanism through an unfiltered lens. love this book and how it presents its context.
hail satan. hail yourself.
as someone who knew next to nothing about the topic beforehand, it did a wonderful & educative job debunking the mystique & negative stereotypes affiliated with Satanism. i wish more close-minded people would read and process this book, but then again, they ARE close-minded, after all. in short, this was probably the most important book i have read to date. i found it culturally significant and existential, and it allowed me to see Satanism through an unfiltered lens. love this book and how it presents its context.
hail satan. hail yourself.
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