Words Worth Noting - December 17, 2023

“The Satanic Temple is celebrating 10 years of existence with its SatanCon convention in Boston this weekend, but it's not what you probably think. The organization is as much a theater of American satire as it is a place for believers. The temple, not be confused with the Satanic Church, does not formally deify Satan as the personification of evil, but rather it sees him as a literary character, a necessary rebel, while mocking traditional religion and calling out government’s embrace of institutions like the Catholic Church, co-founder Malcolm Jarry said. ‘They believe in a literary representation of Satan,’ Jarry said of the temple’s estimated 700,000 members around the world. ‘It’s a heroic figure who fights against tyrannical authority and for humanity, even if it’s a losing battle.’... The weekend convention at the Boston Marriott Copley Place is sold out, temple organizers say, boasting that it will be the largest satanic gathering in history. The convention, which is scheduled to include the temple's rituals, a marketplace and a wedding chapel, also caps a successful 10 years for the organization, symbolically based in a Victorian house in Salem, Massachusetts, Jarry said.... He described the typical temple member as ‘anyone who is nonconforming’ and those who are ‘marginalized people.’ These satanists support women's shelters, highway cleanup and addiction recovery centers, he said. A big issue for the temple is abortion rights. It recently launched a telehealth clinic in New Mexico that it says provides abortion medication via mail.”

NBC April 25, 2023