The Satanic Temple was created in 2013 by graduates of Harvard University who took the pseudonyms Malcolm Jarry and Lucien Greaves, to discredit programs of support for Christian organizations by the state, about which they planned to make a documentary. As a consultant, he was invited to the underground activist, journalist and filmmaker Shane Bagby, which previously was in the Church of Satan.

The ideology of the "Satanic Temple" is fixed in the document "Seven Fundamental Principles" and is based on the provisions of secular humanism : compassion for people, the struggle for justice, the inviolability of the human body, respect for other people's freedoms, a scientific method of understanding the world .

Cult for members of the organization is the book of Anatole France, "Rise of the Angels" ( 1914 ).

Must strive to act with compassion and sympathy for all creatures in accordance with common sense.
The struggle for justice is a constant and necessary endeavor that should prevail over laws and institutions.
The human body is inviolable; only he can dispose of it.
Must respect the freedoms of others, including the freedom to offend. Intentional and unjust encroachment on the freedom of another means giving up one's own.
Faith must be consistent with the scientific understanding of the world. It should never distort scientific facts in order to fit them under faith.
People are wrong. If someone makes a mistake, he should do everything possible to correct it and eliminate any harm that might have been done.
Each commandment is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice must always prevail over written or spoken words.

Florida Capitol Demonstration

The first public event "Satanic Temple", which attracted the attention of the media, was held January 25, 2013, when a group of representatives of the organization in the black robes appeared in the State Capitol, Florida. to express his appreciation to Governor Rick Scott , who introduced a bill allowing students to read prayers at school meetings. Since the bill did not specify a specific religion, the Satanists stated that prayer could be addressed "to both Jesus and Satan." The role of adherents of the "Satanic Temple" at this event was performed by invited actors .

In July 2013 representatives of the "Satanic Temple" led by Lucien Greaves conducted a ritual they called "pink Messiah" in Lauderdale , Mississippi , at the grave of Kathryn Johnston, the mother of the founder of the Baptist Church of Westboro pastor Fred Phelps , known their radical statements and actions directed against homosexuals . During the ceremony, two same-sex couples, male and female, “expressing their love”, kissed the grave in turn, and Greaves, placing his genitals on the tombstone, read a spell that was supposed to posthumously change Johnston’s sexual orientation and make her a lesbian in the afterlife the world .

Lucien Greaves has repeatedly positioned himself as an advocate for LGBT rights . Members of the "Satanic Temple" view gay marriage as a religious sacrament and claim that a ban on it violates their religious freedom . In an interview, Greaves noted the organization’s continued participation in American pride parades and said that “according to conservative estimates, more than 50 percent of our members are LGBT people” .

In 2014, the “Satanic Temple” began collecting money through the crowdfunding site Indiegogo for a statue depicting Satan in the image of Baphomet and two children in a pose of adoration on the sides of him. It was originally planned to be installed on the Oklahoma State Capitol next to the Ten Commandments monument there “as a consecration to American freedom of religion and tolerance,” but permission was not obtained. The opening of the bronze Baphomet 2.7 meters high and weighing one ton took place on July 25, 2015 in an industrial building in Detroit . The ceremony was attended by about 700 people, each of whom was supposed to, in exchange for an invitation ticket, "sell the soul of Satan" .

"Satanic Temple" has repeatedly expressed its support for pro-abortion initiatives "of the American Planned Parenthood Federation", since one of the fundamental principles of the organization states that "the human body is inviolable and belongs only to him." In Missouri, representatives of the Satanic Temple have been involved in litigation for several years, opposing current restrictions on abortion as violating their religious freedom. In particular, Satanists demanded the abolition of the obligatory familiarization of pregnant patients with anti-abortion literature and a 72-hour waiting period before abortion. The Satanic Temple is seeking the abolition of new rules for the treatment of the remains of human embryos introduced in Missouri and Texas , providing for their burial or cremation.

Jacks Blackmore , head of the department of "Satanic Temple" in Detroit, had an abortion on Thanksgiving Day , leads to the Internet your blog, conceived it as a source of information for women who intend to get rid of pregnancy.

In response to the protest of activists in the defense of life who accused Family Planning of selling fetal remains of aborted fetuses, the Satanic Temple held an action in Detroit on April 23, 2016, during which its participants in masks of infants, diapers and elements with fetish- clothes staged self-flagellation in front of the cameras of journalists. The performance was aimed at “exposing the fetishization of embryos and their remains”.

In January 2018, activists of the organization on behalf of a certain nameless woman (indicated in the documents as Mary Doe ) filed a lawsuit in the Missouri Supreme Court against Missouri Governor Eric Greitens with a request to amend the so-called. “The law of informed consent to abortion”, according to which, before performing an abortion, every woman receives a brochure stating that a person’s life begins from the moment of conception. The reason for the lawsuit was the case of a specified woman who, in 2015, having decided to terminate her pregnancy in a St. Louis clinic , was forced to wait 72 hours as prescribed by law, as well as undergo an ultrasound examinationand sign that she is familiar with the contents of the brochure. During the trial, the plaintiff stated that in this way the religious beliefs of a woman who believed that her fetus was not an independent creature, but only a clot of tissue, were violated, while state law made it clear that abortion is clearly a murder. In turn, John Sauer, a state lawyer, denied the plaintiffs, pointing out that the pamphlet does not have a religious, but philosophical interpretation of bioethical standards , and therefore the law did not in any way contribute to a woman changing her religious beliefs, and that her no one forced to agree with the opinion of abortion and the birth of life.

In 2016, the “Satanic Temple”, based on a ruling of the US Supreme Court , which states that “a public school that allows its premises to be used for secular groups, does not have the right to discriminate against religious groups,” offered his new students primary school and their parents after-school day " Satan's Club after school. "In all schools, which was opened evangelical " Club of the Good News. ". According to the Satanists, their educational program is focused "on critical thinking, fun pastime and free thinking". "Satan's Club After Lesson" operates in Atlanta schools , Los Angeles , Salt Lake City , Pensacola , Washington , Tucson , Springfield , Seattle and Portland ; in some cities, the club was closed due to lack of funds and volunteers.

Also, the "Satanic Temple" made statements against corporal punishment and physical restrictions for students.

The headquarters of "Satanic Temple" is located in Salem County, Massachusetts. The organization has 18 offices in the United States and 4 in Europe. The largest and most active groups are in Detroit and Los Angeles.

A member of The Satanic Temple is iconic film director John Waters.

Lucian Greaves spoke of the teachings of LaVey as an outdated version of Satanism, criticizing it for authoritarianism and hierarchy, lack of political lobbying, the presence of elements of social Darwinism and Nietzscheanism , incompatible with game theory , mutual altruism and cognitive science . In addition, the “Satanic Temple” distances itself from the La Vei Satanism’s belief in the supernatural and the use of magic.